Porokeratosis is a rare epidermal disorder characterized by annular or linear hyperkeratotic plaques with slightly raised thread-like borders, and in most cases, atrophic centers. Disseminated superficial porokeratosis and disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP), which primarily involve sun-exposed areas, are common types of porokeratoses. Histologically, a column of parakeratotic cells, a so-called cornoid lamella, is a hallmark of porokeratosis. Porokeratosis is considered to result from the inability to eliminate an abnormal keratinocyte clone induced by genetic factors and various stimuli, including sunlight, artificial ultraviolet light, viral infections, immunosuppressive conditions (hematologic malignancies, organ transplants, or autoimmune disease), and immunosuppressive therapies. Here, we report a 59-year-old Korean woman with DSAP that developed after narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) therapy for psoriasis. Our case emphasizes the occurrence of DSAP due to NB-UVB that is able to induce local immunosuppression at the irradiated site; the pathogenesis of DSAP remains unclear.
Clone Cells ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Keratinocytes ; Middle Aged ; Phototherapy* ; Porokeratosis* ; Psoriasis* ; Sunlight ; Transplants ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Ultraviolet Therapy

Secondary cutaneous amyloidosis refers to clinically unapparent amyloid deposits within the skin in association with a pre-existing skin condition or skin tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, porokeratosis, solar elastosis, Bowen's disease, and mycosis fungoides. A 70-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of asymptomatic multiple yellowish plaques on both legs. She had been diagnosed with mycosis fungoides 7 years ago and was treated with psoralen and ultraviolet A radiation (PUVA) therapy, narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy, and acitretin for 5 years. Finally, she reached complete remission of mycosis fungoides. However, new yellowish lesions started to appear 1 year after discontinuing the phototherapy. A physical examination revealed multiple yellowish plaques on both extremities. The plaques were well circumscribed and slightly elevated. All laboratory tests were normal. A biopsy specimen showed multiple nodular deposits of eosinophilic amorphous material in papillary dermis and upper reticular dermis. The deposits represented apple green birefringence on Congo red stain viewed under polarized light. Acellular small nodules in the upper dermis consisted of randomly oriented, non-branching, 6.67~12.7 nm thick amyloid fibrils on electron microscopy. We report an interesting and rare case of secondary cutaneous amyloidosis after narrow-band UVB therapy and PUVA therapy in a patient with mycosis fungoides.
Acitretin ; Aged ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Biopsy ; Birefringence ; Bowen's Disease ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Congo Red ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Extremities ; Female ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Leg ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Phototherapy ; Physical Examination ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Porokeratosis ; PUVA Therapy ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Therapy

Secondary cutaneous amyloidosis refers to clinically unapparent amyloid deposits within the skin in association with a pre-existing skin condition or skin tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, porokeratosis, solar elastosis, Bowen's disease, and mycosis fungoides. A 70-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of asymptomatic multiple yellowish plaques on both legs. She had been diagnosed with mycosis fungoides 7 years ago and was treated with psoralen and ultraviolet A radiation (PUVA) therapy, narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy, and acitretin for 5 years. Finally, she reached complete remission of mycosis fungoides. However, new yellowish lesions started to appear 1 year after discontinuing the phototherapy. A physical examination revealed multiple yellowish plaques on both extremities. The plaques were well circumscribed and slightly elevated. All laboratory tests were normal. A biopsy specimen showed multiple nodular deposits of eosinophilic amorphous material in papillary dermis and upper reticular dermis. The deposits represented apple green birefringence on Congo red stain viewed under polarized light. Acellular small nodules in the upper dermis consisted of randomly oriented, non-branching, 6.67~12.7 nm thick amyloid fibrils on electron microscopy. We report an interesting and rare case of secondary cutaneous amyloidosis after narrow-band UVB therapy and PUVA therapy in a patient with mycosis fungoides.
Acitretin ; Aged ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Biopsy ; Birefringence ; Bowen's Disease ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Congo Red ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Extremities ; Female ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Leg ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Phototherapy ; Physical Examination ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Porokeratosis ; PUVA Therapy ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Therapy

Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic form of cutaneous lupus that can cause permanent scarring. Treatment of DLE includes protection from sunlight and artificial sources of ultraviolet light, as well as systemic and topical medications. The first-line standard therapies are antimalarials and topical steroids. Other systemic therapies include systemic steroid, azathioprine, dapsone, and immunosuppressive agents. Topical tacrolimus and pimecrolimus have also been evaluated. Recent studies reported that several treatments, including pulsed dye laser, CO₂ laser, intense pulsed light (IPL), and 1,064-nm long-pulse neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum (Nd:YAG) have been used for the cosmetic treatment of DLE. Here, we report a case of a DLE scar that was successfully treated with a combination therapy of IPL and Q-switched 1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser.
Aluminum* ; Antimalarials ; Azathioprine ; Cicatrix* ; Dapsone ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Intense Pulsed Light Therapy ; Lasers, Dye ; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid* ; Steroids ; Sunlight ; Tacrolimus ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Yttrium*

Psoriasis vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid represent 2 clinically and histologically distinct, chronic inflammatory skin conditions. The concomitant occurrence of these 2 diseases is rare, and the pathogenic relationship between psoriasis and bullous pemphigoid remains unclear. The development of bullous pemphigoid in patients with psoriasis is considered to be related to treatments for psoriasis, especially ultraviolet therapy. However, some recent reports have suggested that an immunologic or biochemical association between these two diseases plays a role in the pathogenesis. Herein, we report 3 cases of bullous pemphigoid occurring in patients with psoriasis, and we discuss the possible pathogenic mechanisms of an association between psoriasis and bullous pemphigoid.
Humans ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Psoriasis* ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Therapy

Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, a variant of porokeratosis, is an uncommon, hereditary or acquired keratinization disorder. It is characterized histologically by cornoid lamella and clinically by central atrophy with elevated borders. Porokeratosis lesions may be triggered by UV light exposure, infection, hematopoietic malignancies, or immunosuppression, but are rarely reported associated with malignancies of visceral organs. We herein report an unusual case of a patient with colon cancer who noted sudden exacerbation of a previously unrecognized disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis lesion after being treated with chemotherapy.
Atrophy ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Drug Therapy ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Porokeratosis* ; Ultraviolet Rays

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with ultraviolet therapy on herpes zoster at the acute stage and the impacts on serum interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the patients.

METHODSThirty-four patients of herpes zoster were randomized into a medicine group and a combined therapy group, 17 cases in each one. In the medicine group, the intravenous drops with acyclovir injection, muscular injection with cobamamide and the topical with acyclovir ointment were applied. Additionally, TDP was radiated locally. In the combined therapy group, on the basis of the treatment as the medicine group, EA and ultraviolet therapy were supplemented. The duration of treatment was 10 days in the two groups. Before and after treatment, blister relief, incrustation time and the visible analogue scale (VAS) were recorded in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was assessed in the two groups and the levels of serum IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 were determined in the two groups.

RESULTSIn the combined therapy group, the time of blister relief and incrustation was earlier apparently than that in the medicine group (both P<0.05). VAS score after treatment were reduced as compared with that before treatment in the two groups (both P<0.01), and the reducing amplitude in the combined therapy group was larger than that in the medicine group (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 94. 1% (16/17) in the combined therapy group, higher than 76.4% (13/17) in the medicine group (P<0.05). After treatment, IL-2 levels were increased as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (both P<0.05), the levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were reduced obviously as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (all P<0.01). After treatment, the levels of IL-6, IL-10 were reduced much more apparently in the combined therapy group as compared with those in the medicine group (both P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONEA combined with ultraviolet irradiation more rapidly and effectively relief the symptoms of herpes zoster, significantly relief pain, shorten the duration of sickness, improve the body immunity and reduce nerve injury.

Acyclovir ; administration & dosage ; Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Herpes Zoster ; blood ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultraviolet Therapy

N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) capped quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and coated with 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose (DG), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and 9-D-arginine (9R). The optical properties, morphology and structure of 9R/DG-coated CdTe QDs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectrometry, fluorescence spectrum, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS), sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM). Furthermore, the biocompatibility, tumor targeted ability and transmembrane action of 9R/DG-coated CdTe QDs were studied. Results indicated that 9R/DG-coated CdTe QDs was constructed successfully by ligand exchange. The 9R/DG-coated CdTe QDs with the size of 8-10 nm had good dispersity and the absorbance and fluorescence peaks of CdTe QDs after modification were red shifted from 480 nm to 510 nm and 627 nm to 659 nm, respectively. In addition, the CdTe QDs modified by PEG, DG and 9R displayed good biocompatibility, high targeted ability to the cancer cells with glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) receptor high expression and obvious transmembrane ability.
Acetylcysteine ; chemistry ; Cadmium Compounds ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Polymers ; chemistry ; Quantum Dots ; chemistry ; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet ; Tellurium ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVEOnly a few clinical reports in the treatment of early mycosis fungoides (MF)(IA, IB, IIA stage) are available in the literature. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of narrow-band UVB and psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) photochemoterapy in 24 patients with early-stage MF, and explore a new approach for the treatment of early mycosis fungoides.

METHODSA total of 24 identified early mycosis fungoides patients received PUVA, NB-UVB and a combined therapy of PUVA followed by NB-UVB (n = 9/6/9) irradiation. A retrospective study was carried out to analyze the sex, age of onset, TNM stage, treatment, and duration of treatment, and times of treatment, duration of maintenance treatment, effective and recurrence in these patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 and a two-sided test at the α = 0.05 level of significance was conducted.

RESULTSOf the 24 patients studied, the average treatment was 104.5 (95% CI, 75.71-133.29) times. The average duration of treatment was 12.88 (95% CI, 9.90-15.85) months. The average maintenance treatment time was 11.08 (95% CI, 2.13-20.04) months. The effective rate (CR+PR) of PUVA treatment was 88.9%, recurrence rate was 11.1% (n = 9). In the NB-UVB treatment group, the effective rate was 100.0%, and the recurrence rate was 33.3% (n = 6). In the PUVA followed by NB-UVB (combination therapy) treatment group, the effective rate was 77.8% and the recurrence rate was 55.6% (n = 9). There were no significant differences among the three groups in terms of number of treatments, treatment duration, maintenance treatment duration, effective rate and recurrence rate (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPUVA and NB-UVB are effective and safe in the targeted therapy of early stage mycosis fungoides. The combined therapy of PUVA followed by NB-UVB can reduce the total PUVA dose and risk of developing skin cancer.

Combined Modality Therapy ; methods ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Mycosis Fungoides ; therapy ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; PUVA Therapy ; Photochemotherapy ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultraviolet Therapy

OBJECTIVETo compare clinical efficacy difference between fire needle combined with narrow band ultraviolet-B (NB-UVB) and NB-UVB therapy for vitiligo.

METHODSNinety-three cases of vitiligo were randomly divided into an observation group (n = 48) and a control group (n = 45). In the observation group, fire needle was applied to ashi points around the damaged skin and Zusanli (ST 36), meanwhile NB-UVB therapy irradiating the local area. The control group was treated by NB-UVB therapy. The clinical efficacy was evaluated after the treatment of 12 weeks.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 79.2% (38/48) in the observation group, which was superior to that 48.9% (22/45, P < 0.05) in the control group.

CONCLUSIONThe fire needle combined with NB-UVB for vililigo achieves a more obvious efficacy than NB-UVB therapy.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultraviolet Therapy ; Vitiligo ; therapy ; Young Adult