BACKGROUND: The increase of the incidence of autoimmune diseases and the autoimmune pathogenesis of vitiligo were reported. OBJECTIVE: We studied the frequency of autoimmune disorders and positivity of antinuclear antibody in Korean vitiligo patients. METHODS: Vitiligo patients (439 patients) and control subjects (197 patients) were interviewed about their history of autoimmune diseases. Laboratory studies including complete blood cell count, urine analysis, blood chemistry, fasting blood sugar, thyroid function test (T3, free T4, TSH), and antinuclear antibody were performed for the screening of autoimmune disorders. RESULTS: The diseases associated with vitiligo were microcytic hypochromic anemia (3.64%), non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (2.96%), thyroid disease (3.96%), atrophic gastritis, and alopecia areata. In the control subjects, the associated diseases were microcytic hypochromic anemia (1.62%), non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (4.65%), and thyroid disease (3.49%). These results show that the frequency of autoimmune disorders in vitiligo patients is not significantly higher than that in control subjects. Six (54.5%) out of 11 vitiligo patients with thyroid disease were diagnosed as having thyroid disease for the first time. Four (0.91%) out of 438 vitiligo patients showed positive to antinuclear antibody. Positivity of antinuclear antibody was not higher in vitiligo patients than that in control subjects (1.16%). CONCLUSION: Frequency of autoimmune diseases and positive reaction to antinuclear antibody in vitiligo patients were not significantly higher than those in control subjects.
Alopecia Areata ; Anemia, Hypochromic ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Glucose ; Chemistry ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fasting ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Vitiligo*

A controlled study was carried out in 50 patients with perennial bronchial asthma to assess the efficacy and safety of budesonide turbuhaler. Subjects have suffered from cough, wheezing, dyspnea and chest tightness and showed either 15% of reversibility in FEV after bronchodilator inhalation or airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine(PC20 < or = 25mg/ml.) Patients were randomized to treatment with budesonide turbuhaler or terbutaline turbuhaler for 8 weeks after 2 weeks of run-in period. Budesonide turbuhaler was effective for cough, wheezing, dyspnea and chest tightness. It improved peak expiratory flow rate and FEV1. Budesonide turbuhaler was tolerated well and the laboratory tests showed no abnormality. It is suggested that budesonide turbuhaler is effective and safe in the management of bronchial asthma.
Asthma ; Budesonide* ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Respiratory Sounds ; Terbutaline ; Thorax

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Immunohistochemistry ; Keratins

Bilateral segmental neurofibromatosis is a rare disease characterized by bilateral neurofibromas, with or without pigmented lesion, or unilateral neurofibromas with contralateral pigmented lesion, limited to a body segment. Partial unilateral lentiginosis is characterized by numerous lentigines localized to a body segment, often corresponding to one or more dermatome. Bilateral segmental neurofibromatosis combined with partial unilateral lentiginosis is very rare, and to our knowledge, only 2 cases have been reported in English literature. We herein report another case of bilateral segmental neurofibromatosis with partial unilateral lentiginosis in a 46-year-old woman.
Female ; Humans ; Lentigo* ; Middle Aged ; Neurofibroma ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Rare Diseases

IgE-mediated sensitization to natural rubber latex can induce immediate hypersensitivity reactions ranging from contact urticaria to life threatening anaphylaxis. Recent reports suggest that asthma is also relatively frequent manifestation of latex allergy. In this case report, lat,ex induced asthma is described in an operat.ing room nurse regularly exposed t,o latex gloves. Her latex sensitivity was detected by skin prick testing. Specific bronchial provocation test with latex extract showed an early asthmatic reaction. Her symptoms had been much improved after avoidance. Occupational asthma induced by latex may be not uncommon among health care workers.
Anaphylaxis ; Asthma ; Asthma, Occupational* ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate ; Latex ; Latex Hypersensitivity ; Personnel, Hospital* ; Rubber ; Skin ; Urticaria

To investigate the pathogenicity, genomic pattern, and o-like hemolysin of Staphylococcus lugdunensis (S. lugdunensis) in acute oral infection, S. lugdunensis was isolated from patients with an acute oral infection and from healthy persons. Antibiotic susceptibility, in vitro cellular toxicity, in vivo virulence, and hemolytic activity were tested, and plasmid DNA and restriction pattern of whole genomic DNA were analyzed to characterize the staphylococci. The dot blot and Southern blot hybridization analysis of staphylococcal DNA were performed with o-hemolysin gene probe. The isolation ratio of S. lugdunensis in the patients was higher than that in the healthy persons. S. lugdunensis from the patients with an acute oral infection showed resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, methicillin, cephalothin, and clindamycin. In the analysis of plasmid, there was a clear band about 6.5 kb in three strains of S. lugdunensis isolated from the patients with infection. S. lugdunensis in the patients had cellular toxicity in vitro and virulence in vivo. All strains of S. lugdunensis had o-like hemolysin activity against rabbit erythrocytes. Four of the six strains of S. lugdunensis gave synergistic hemolysis with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on sheep blood agar plates. In the analysis of genomic pattern, four strains of S. lugdunensis that gave synergistic hemolysis with S. aureus showed a similar genetic pattern with HindIII enzyme digests. In dot blot analysis, all strains of S. lugdunensis showed a positive reaction with the probe of 5-hemolysin gene in S. aureus. In Southern blot analysis, a 7.3 kb HindIII fragment was observed in DNA of S. lugdunensis that gave synergistic hemolysis with S. aureus, and a 2.5 kb band was observed in HindIII digests of S. aureus in the patients. These results suggest that S. lugdunensis may be an important pathogen in an acute oral infection and the 7.3 kb HindIII fragment from S. lugdunensis DNA may contain o-like hemolysin gene.
Agar ; Ampicillin ; Blotting, Southern ; Cephalothin ; Clindamycin ; DNA ; Erythrocytes ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Methicillin ; Penicillins ; Plasmids ; Sheep ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus lugdunensis* ; Staphylococcus* ; Virulence

Granuloma annulare is a benign, self-limiting dermatosis of unknown cause, and is characterized by erythematous annular papules and plaques commonly located on the distal or dorsal extremities. Many topical and systemic treatments including topical and intralesional corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, cryotherapy and psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) have been tried for granuloma annulare, but the results were variable. Recently, there were few reports for treatment of granuloma annulare with topical 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, we present a case of granuloma annulare successfully treated with PDT using 5-ALA with low light dose (10~14 J/cm2) in a 3-year-old boy.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Calcineurin ; Cryotherapy ; Extremities ; Ficusin ; Granuloma ; Granuloma Annulare ; Light ; Photochemotherapy ; Preschool Child ; Skin Diseases ; Triazenes

No abstract available.
Interleukin-6* ; Lymphocytes*