Background: Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies against desmosomal proteins. Owing to its high mortality rate, prompt and accurate diagnosis of pemphigus is crucial. Objective: To determine the positivity rates of immunoblotting in patients diagnosed with pemphigus using clinical, histopathological, direct immunofluorescence (DIF), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 84 patients diagnosed with pemphigus between 2001 and 2021 at the Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju, Korea. Results: Among the 55 patients with pemphigus vulgaris included in the immunoblotting study, 46 (83.6%) exhibited positive findings for the 130 kDa band. Of the 29 patients with pemphigus foliaceus, 17 (58.6%) showed positive findings for the 160 kDa band. In cases where autoantibodies were difficult to detect with negative DIF and ELISA results, immunoblotting aided in the diagnosis of 18.2% of pemphigus vulgaris cases and 6.9% of pemphigus foliaceus cases. Conclusion Immunoblotting can serve as an alternative diagnostic method for patients with mild-to-moderate disease or those who have undergone treatment, especially when DIF or ELISA tests yield negative or atypical results.

Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been acknowledged as an effective mean of preventing infection and hospitalization.However, the emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has led to substantial increase in infections among children and adolescents. Vaccineinduced immunity and longevity have not been well defined in this population. Therefore, we aimed to analyze humoral and cellular immune responses against ancestral and SARSCoV-2 variants after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine in healthy adolescents. Although vaccination induced a robust increase of spike-specific binding Abs and neutralizing Abs against the ancestral and SARS-CoV-2 variants, the neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant was significantly low. On the contrary, vaccine-induced memory CD4+ T cells exhibited substantial responses against both ancestral and Omicron spike proteins.Notably, CD4+ T cell responses against both ancestral and Omicron strains were preserved at 3 months after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine without waning. Polyfunctionality of vaccine-induced memory T cells was also preserved in response to Omicron spike protein.The present findings characterize the protective immunity of vaccination for adolescents in the era of continuous emergence of variants/subvariants.

There are limited data on the impact of diabetes control on the risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.

Morgellons disease is a rare disease with unknown etiology. Herein, we report the first case of Morgellons disease in Korea. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of pruritic erythematous patches and erosions on the arms, hands, and chin. She insisted that she had fiber-like materials under her skin, which she had observed through a magnifying device. We performed skin biopsy, and observed a fiber extruding from the dermal side of the specimen. Histopathological examination showed only mild lymphocytic infiltration, and failed to reveal evidence of any microorganism. The polymerase chain reaction for Borrelia burgdorferi was negative in her serum.
Adult ; Arm ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; Chin ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Morgellons Disease* ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rare Diseases ; Skin

No abstract available.
Doxycycline*

Bortezomib (Velcade(R)) is proteasome inhibitor that is used as a first-line therapy for multiple myeloma. It can cause gastrointestinal, hematologic, and neuromuscular side effects, and a cutaneous reaction is one of its common adverse reactions. To date, several bortezomib-induced cutaneous adverse reactions have been reported, including folliculitis-like rash, pruriginous rash, purpuric rash, mouth swelling, stomatitis-mucositis, edema in the lower limbs, telogen effluvium, and vasculitis. In the Korean literature, only one case of vasculitis has been reported earlier. Two patients have presented with multiple plaques on the trunk at our clinic. The lesions developed several days after bortezomib chemotherapy, and disappeared spontaneously in about 1 week. Herein, we report bortezomib-induced drug eruption presenting as multiple plaques on the trunk with a review of the relevant literature.
Drug Eruptions* ; Drug Therapy ; Edema ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Mouth ; Multiple Myeloma ; Proteasome Inhibitors ; Vasculitis ; Bortezomib

No abstract available.
Immunotherapy ; Melanoma*

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal melanonychia is characterized by pigmented bands on the nail plate. It is not unusual to encounter pediatric melanonychia patients in the dermatologic clinic. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical manifestations of melanonychia in childhood in Korea, we reviewed the pediatric patient registry of a tertiary referral hospital in Korea. METHODS: Patients under fifteen years of age with longitudinal melanonychia referred between January, 2001, and March, 2015, were enrolled in the study. All patients had clinical as well as photo records. Clinical characteristics including age, sex, location, disease duration, width and color of pigmentation, morphological change over time, underlying disease, and dermoscopic images or biopsy findings were evaluated where available. RESULTS: A total of 92 patients had 158 pigmented nails, with more than one melanonychia identified in 14 patients. The patient sample included 43 male and 49 female patients with an average age of 6.1 years at diagnosis. A follow-up examination was performed for 132 nails in 80 patients with a mean period of 27.8 months and morphological changes were identified in 61 nails. Changes included remission or aggravation of pigmentation. In 48% and 17% of patients, nail plate dystrophy and Hutchinson's sign were observed, respectively. Dermoscopic image analysis was available for 79 nails. A nail biopsy was performed for 8 nails and none showed evidence of malignant melanoma. CONCLUSION: Pediatric longitudinal melanonychia generally presents a benign nature despite overt morphological changes, diffuse pigmentation, or Hutchinson's sign. Characteristically, melanonychia in childhood is frequently accompanied by nail dystrophy. Based on clinical reference of our study, aggressive nail biopsy may not be routinely necessary in pediatric melanonychia.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Melanoma ; Pigmentation ; Tertiary Care Centers

No abstract available.
Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell*