Prurigo nodularis is a troublesome chronic dermatosis that showed unsatisfactory response to conventional therapies. Since thalidomide has been applied to the treatment of prurigo nodularis, although the action mechanism is still uncertain, many dermatologists have confirmed its effectiveness. We treated a 54-year-old male patient who had prurigo nodularis affecting the whole body for 10 years with 100 to 300mg of thalidomide daily as the sole therapy for 4 months. The skin lesions were flattened leaving postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and the pruritus also sub-sided. Two years after stopping thalidomide, no recurrence was observed.
Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prurigo* ; Pruritus ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Thalidomide*

This study was conducted to examine the effect of mefenamic acid for treatment of PDA in premature newborns. Ductus arteriosus is reopened by locally produced prostaglandin E2 in a premature newborn during hypoxia. Mefenamic acid is one of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs acting by inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase in the prostaglandin synthesis pathway. For three premature newborns with PDA, we administered mefenamic acid and evaluated them with echocardiography to study the effect of mefenmic acid for closure of PDA. In all three babies, ductus arteriosus was closed successfully. We feel that mefenamic acid is safe and effective medication for treatment of PDA in premature newborns, but further-study need to be conducted with larger numbers of cases to confirm this effect.
Anoxia ; Dinoprostone ; Ductus Arteriosus ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mefenamic Acid* ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases

BACKGROUND: It has been well known that patients with diabetes mellitus are prone to cutaneous infections, but whether superficial mycoses are truly more prevalent in diabetic patients is still controversial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the true prevalence of superficial mycoses in diabetic patients as comparing with non-diabetic, non-immunocompromised individuals. METHODS: We examined for evidence of superficial fungal disease in 137 diabetic patients and compared it with 146 non-diabetic non-immunocompromised ones. Potassium hydroxide preparations and fungus cultures were performed from all suspected lesions. RESULTS: Superficial mycoses were more common in diabetic patients(50%) than controls(31%) (p=0.0004), especially in the age group of 4th and 5th decades9p=0.011). The duration of diabetes mallitus or blood sugar levels were not significantly correlated with the prevalence of superficial mycoses.The organism most commonly isolated was Trichophyton rubrum in both groups(53% vs 79%) and Candida albicans was more prevalent in diabetic patients(34% vs 7%). More than 2 kinds of superficial mycoses were mose common in diabetic patients than controls(38% vs 16%). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the prevalence rate of superficial mycoses in diabetic patients is higher than that in controls and the in controls and the duration of diabetes mellitus or blood sugar levels were not significantly correlated with it.
Blood Glucose ; Candida albicans ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fungi ; Humans ; Mycoses* ; Potassium ; Prevalence ; Trichophyton

Lupus vulgaris is most prevalent on exposed parts, especially the face but can also develop on exetremities. Lupus vulgaris originates from tuberculosis elsewhere in the body by hematogenous, lymphatic, or contiguous spread. A 19-year-old male patient came to our department. The patient had had many recurrent oozing and verrucous plaques and crusts on the left foot for one year. A skin biopsy from the lesion on the left dorsum of the foot showed scattered well defined granulomas consisting of the epithelioid cell clusters with Langerhans and foreign body type giant cells in the mid dermis. Caseation necrosis was slight. There were no bacilli on AFB staining. The multi test CMI for tuberculin was highly positive. A chest X-ray did not show any abnormal findings. The presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA was demonstrated by polymerase chain reactions (PCR) for detection of mycobacterial DNA from a routinely prepared paraffin-embedded skin specimen. Herein we report a very atypical case of lupus vulgaris confirmed by PCR.
Biopsy ; Dermis ; DNA ; Epithelioid Cells ; Foot ; Giant Cells, Foreign-Body ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lupus Vulgaris* ; Male ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Necrosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin* ; Thorax ; Transplants* ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis ; Young Adult

Pressure alopecia can occur after prolonged pressure on the scalp with the head fixed in one position. We have repor ted 5 cases of pressure alopecia, occurring over the contralateral temporoparietal 1 area after tympanomastoidectomy due to chronic ot.itis media. Total times of operations were from 4 hours to 7 hours. Four of the 5 patients experienced scalp pain during the early postoperative period and one of them showed large bulla formation. Loss of hairs followed between the 14th and 36th postoperative day, and new hairs began to grow 2 or 3 months after the operation.
Alopecia* ; Hair ; Head ; Humans ; Postoperative Period ; Scalp

Barts syndrome was desrribed by Bart(Bart et al, 1966) with hereditary congenital localized absence of skin from the lovrer legs associated with blistering of the sun and mouth and nail abnormalities. A newborn girl presented with a congenital localized absence of skn over both shins & dorsa of both feet which were covered with the thin, translucent, brown red glistening membranes. A number of blisters were seen on the back, thighs upper extremities, and both 2rd toe nails were absent. Electron microscopic examination of defected skin revealed dermo-epidermal . paration with focal disruption of basal lamina.
Basement Membrane ; Blister ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Leg ; Membranes ; Mouth ; Nails, Malformed ; Skin ; Solar System ; Thigh ; Toes ; Upper Extremity

No abstract available.
PUVA Therapy* ; Telangiectasis*

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytoses show marked differences in their incidences, distributions, and causative organisms by age, sex, occupations, environmental conditions and geographic distributions. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the recent distributions of dermatophytes and compared them with the previous reports in Seoul. METHODS: We evaluated the incidences of dermatophytes according to the patient's age and sex, isolated month, and the infection sites with 387 strains of dermatophytes isolated from the various forms of dermatophytoses during the period from August 1985 to July 1991 in Seoul. RESULTS: T. rubrum was the most prevalent dermatophyte in all age groups except the first decade. The incidence of M. canis was high in age groups below 20 years old relatively high incidences of T. mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale in age groups over 30 years old. Dermatophytes were frequently isolated in summer season, but the incidence of M. canis was relatively high in October and December. T. rubrum was the most prevalent dermatophyte from all forms of dermatophytoses except tinea capitis, but the incidence of T. rubrum was relatively low in tinea corporis. The incidence of T. mentagrophytes was relatively high in tinea unguium and tinea manus, and M. canis was isolated only in tinea corporis and tinea capitis. From the cases showing more than two forms of dermatophytoses. T. rubrum was isolated for the most part. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that there was a rise in the cases of t. rubrum infections in Seoul and in recent years the prevalence of M. canis infections has markedly increased but those of E. floccosum and t. mentagrophytes have decreased.
Adult ; Arthrodermataceae ; Humans ; Incidence ; Occupations ; Onychomycosis ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Seoul* ; Tinea Capitis ; Tinea* ; Young Adult

We report a case of symmei.rical peripheral gangrene in a 22-day-old female associated with dissem-inated intravascular coagulation, which probably occured from septicmia of Enterobacter aerogenes. The skin lesions showed well-defined blackish gangrene surrounded by purpuric patches on the whole fingertips and toes except the loft thumb. Histopathologically, there were epidermal necrosis, diffuse extravasation of RBCs, mild petivascular inflammatory infiltrates and delated and RBC-filled vessels in the dermis. But, there was no definite evidence of vasculitis. In spit,e of aggressive antibictics therapy and other supportive measrres, she died at 39th day after birth.
Dermis ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Enterobacter aerogenes ; Female ; Gangrene* ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Parturition ; Skin ; Thumb ; Toes ; Vasculitis

A purpose of present study is to provide basic information evaluating the utility of Magnetic Resonance imaging as a biological marker estimating manganese effects to central nervous system among welders, which is conducted by comparing urinary and blood manganese concentrations and signal intensities of brain MR images between exposed group and non-exposed group, evaluating the objectivity of subjective grading estimated by correlations between Pallidal signal intensity index (P. I) and subjective grades among exposed group, and comparing the difference of signal intensities according to presence of neurologic symptoms, signs and exposure variables among the exposed group. The exposed group is composed of 11 welders complaining severe symptoms or showing neurological signs, and the non-exposed group is composed of 5 patients who admitted a hospital. Urinary manganese concentrations and signal intensities in T1-weighted MR images among exposed group were higher than those of the non-exposed group significantly, which exhibits that increased signal intensities in T1-weighted MR image represent the effect of manganese exposure. P. Is among the exposed group revealed relatively high correlations with subjective grades ( gamma =0.63, p=0.037) , which suggests the objectivity of subjective grade. Signal intensity in globus pallidus was a suitable single variable representing the effect of manganese accumulation in C.N.S system appropriately, which was verified as follows ; Increased signal intensities among the exposed group had the highest frequency and intensity in the globus pallidus, and the P.I. had a relatively high correlation coefficient ( gamma 0.62, p=0.044) with total score of subjective grades. Signal intensity with subjective grading in globus pallidus represented very high correlation gamma =0.97, p=0.00) with total score of subjective grades, and had a similar correlation coefficient with many variables. It is hard to argue that signal intensities are markers representing pathologic change in C.N.S system or can be used as a diagnostic tool for manganese intoxication, because signal intensities had no difference between the exposed group and the non-exposed group according to presence of neurological signs.
Biological Markers ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Male* ; Manganese ; Neurologic Manifestations