Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease with a wide range of symptoms. Due to the rapidly changing treatment landscape, regular updates to clinical guidelines are needed. Objective: This study aimed to update the guidelines for the treatment of AD to reflect recent therapeutic advances and evidence-based recommendations. Methods: The Patient characteristics, type of Intervention, Control, and Outcome framework was used to determine 48 questions related to AD management. Evidence was graded, recommendations were determined, and, after 2 voting rounds among the Korean Atopic Dermatitis Association (KADA) council members, consensus was achieved. Results: This guideline provides treatment guidance on advanced systemic treatment modalities for AD. In particular, the guideline offers up-to-date treatment recommendations for biologics and Janus-kinase inhibitors used in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe AD.It also provides guidance on other therapies for AD, along with tailored recommendations for children, adolescents, the elderly, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Conclusion KADA’s updated AD treatment guidelines incorporate the latest evidence and expert opinion to provide a comprehensive approach to AD treatment. The guidelines will help clinicians optimize patient-specific therapies.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease with a wide range of symptoms. Due to the rapidly changing treatment landscape, regular updates to clinical guidelines are needed. Objective: This study aimed to update the guidelines for the treatment of AD to reflect recent therapeutic advances and evidence-based practices. Methods: The Patient characteristics, type of Intervention, Control, and Outcome framework was used to determine 48 questions related to AD management. Evidence was graded, recommendations were determined, and, after 2 voting rounds among the Korean Atopic Dermatitis Association (KADA) council members, consensus was achieved. Results: The guidelines provide detailed recommendations on foundational therapies, including the use of moisturizers, cleansing and bathing practices, allergen avoidance, and patient education. Guidance on topical therapies, such as topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, is also provided to help manage inflammation and maintain skin barrier function in patients with AD. Additionally, recommendations on conventional systemic therapies, including corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and methotrexate, are provided for managing moderate to severe AD. Conclusion KADA’s updated AD guidelines offer clinicians evidence-based strategies focused on basic therapies, topical therapies, and conventional systemic therapies, equipping them to enhance quality of care and improve patient outcomes in AD management.

Background: In 2006, the Korean Atopic Dermatitis Association (KADA) working group released the diagnostic criteria for Korean atopic dermatitis (AD). Recently, more simplified, and practical AD diagnostic criteria have been proposed. Objective: Based on updated criteria and experience, we studied to develop and share a consensus on diagnostic criteria for AD in Koreans. Materials and Methods: For the diagnostic criteria, a questionnaire was constructed by searching the English-language literature in MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. A modified Delphi method composed of 3 rounds of email questionnaires was adopted for the consensus process. Fifty-four KADA council members participated in the 3 rounds of votes and expert consensus recommendations were established. Results: Diagnostic criteria for AD include pruritus, eczema with age-specific pattern, and chronic or relapsing history. Diagnostic aids for AD encompass xerosis, immunoglobulin E reactivity, hand–foot eczema, periorbital changes, periauricular changes, perioral changes, nipple eczema, perifollicular accentuation, and personal or family history of atopy. Conclusion This study streamlined and updated the diagnostic criteria for AD in Korea, making them more practicable for use in real-world clinical field.

Purpose: To investigate urine microbiome differences among healthy women, women with recurrent uncomplicated cystitis (rUC), and those with sporadic/single uncomplicated cystitis (sUC) to challenge traditional beliefs about origins of these infections. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent both conventional urine culture and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of urine were retrospectively reviewed. Symptom-free women with normal urinalysis results as a control group were also studied. Samples were collected via transurethral catheterization. Results: In the control group, urine microbiome was detected on NGS in 83.3%, with Lactobacillus and Prevotella being the most abundant genera. The sensitivity of urine NGS was significantly higher than that of conventional urine culture in both the sUC group (91.2% vs. 32.4%) and the rUC group (82.4% vs. 16.4%). In urine NGS results, Enterobacterales, Prevotella, and Escherichia/ Shigella were additionally found in the sUC group, while the recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI)/rUC group exhibited the presence of Lactobacillus, Prevotella, Enterobacterales, Escherichia/Shigella, and Propionibacterium. Moreover, distinct patterns of urine NGS were observed based on menopausal status and ingestion of antibiotics or probiotics prior to NGS test sampling. Conclusions Urine microbiomes in control, sUC, and rUTI/rUC groups exhibited distinct characteristics. Notably, sUC and rUC might represent entirely separate pathological processes, given their distinct urine microbiomes. Consequently, the use of urine NGS might be essential to enhancing sensitivity compared to conventional urine culture in both sUC and rUTI/rUC groups.

Background: Oxidative stress is generally accepted as one of the principal pathogenesis of vitiligo, and keratinocyte-melanocyte interactions are also thought to play critical roles. It is well-known that antioxidant response and autophagy protect cells against oxidative damage, but the details and the compensatory relationship between the two mechanisms in the keratinocytes of vitiligo lesions remain unclear. Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant response and autophagy status of patients with vitiligo and to explore the interactions between these two mechanisms. Methods: Ten patients with clinicopathologically proven vitiligo and 10 normal controls were enrolled in our Department of Dermatology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Bucheon, Korea. Tissue samples of vitiligo lesions in the patient group and normal skin in the control group were immunohistochemically stained for nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3)-II, and p62. The immunopositivity of epidermal keratinocytes was evaluated. Results: Keratinocytes in vitiligo lesions had a significantly lower expression of Nrf2 (p=0.002) than that in the cells of normal controls. The levels of autophagy markers did not differ significantly between the two groups, but decreases in the Beclin-1 and LC3-II levels, and an increase in the p62 level in the patient group may indicate a small decrease in autophagy of patients with vitiligo. Conclusion Decreased antioxidant response and reduced autophagy may trigger melanocyte apoptosis in vitiligo lesions.

Multiple miliary osteoma cutis (MMOC) is a rare variant of osteoma, characterized by multiple eruptive hard nodules on the face. A 70-year-old female presented with multiple solid skin-colored papules on both cheeks, unresponsive to conventional medical treatments. She reported receiving an injection of an unknown cosmetic filler substance into her face by an unlicensed medical practitioner 20 years ago. Facial computed tomography showed multiple small calcifications immediately adjacent to foreign material assumed to be the filler substance in the dermis. Histological examination revealed osteoclasts, osteocytes, and eosinophilic bony tissue in the dermis, suggestive of osteoma cutis. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, inflammation caused by injected foreign material may induce metaplastic transformation of multipotent mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts, resulting in heterotopic ossification. Dermatologists should be aware that MMOC may occur following injection of foreign material by unlicensed practitioners. Performing a detailed history and clinical evaluation may aid in the diagnosis of such recalcitrant skin lesions.