Background: Hot springs have been traditionally used as an alternative treatment for a wide range of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, diabetes, hypertension, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. However, the clinical effects and therapeutic mechanisms associated with hot springs remain poorly defined. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the different effects of hot springs on cellular viability and secretion of inflammatory cytokines on keratinocyte in two geographically representative types of hot springs: NaHCO3 -type and NaCl-type, which are the most common types in South Korea. Methods: We performed WST-1, BrdU measurements, human inflammatory cytokine arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in HaCaT cells stimulated with toll-like receptor 3 by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. Results: The interaction effects of cell viability and cell proliferation were not significantly different regardless of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation and cultured hot springs type. Cytokine array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation, with expression levels differing according to hot springs hydrochemical composition. Cytokine reduction was not significant. Conclusion The effects and mechanisms of hot springs treatment in keratinocytes were partially elucidated.

Background: Hot springs have been traditionally used as an alternative treatment for a wide range of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, diabetes, hypertension, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. However, the clinical effects and therapeutic mechanisms associated with hot springs remain poorly defined. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the different effects of hot springs on cellular viability and secretion of inflammatory cytokines on keratinocyte in two geographically representative types of hot springs: NaHCO3 -type and NaCl-type, which are the most common types in South Korea. Methods: We performed WST-1, BrdU measurements, human inflammatory cytokine arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in HaCaT cells stimulated with toll-like receptor 3 by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. Results: The interaction effects of cell viability and cell proliferation were not significantly different regardless of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation and cultured hot springs type. Cytokine array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation, with expression levels differing according to hot springs hydrochemical composition. Cytokine reduction was not significant. Conclusion The effects and mechanisms of hot springs treatment in keratinocytes were partially elucidated.

No abstract available.
Candidiasis, Oral ; Candida ; Candida albicans ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Antifungal Agents

No abstract available.
Paronychia

No abstract available.
Capillaries* ; Granuloma, Pyogenic* ; Hyperplasia* ; Nose* ; Sebaceous Glands*

Ticks are obligate parasites on animals and sometimes humans. They usually suck the blood of the hosts and can carry various infectious diseases as a vector. Otoacariasis is the presence of ticks and mites within the ear canal and relatively common in domestic and wild animals. However, tick infestations of human ear canals are rarely reported in the scientific literature and hardly occur in developed countries. Herein, we report a rare case of otoaracariasis involving Haemaphysalis longicornis . A 9-year-old girl living in a suburb presented with otalgia of left ear for 1 day. Otoscopic examination revealed a huge insect occluding the tympanic membrane. Tick removal and washing of external auditory canal was done successfully. The causative tick was identified as the H. longicornis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of human otoacariasis by a H. longicornis in Korea.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Child ; Communicable Diseases ; Developed Countries ; Ear ; Ear Canal ; Earache ; Female ; Humans* ; Insects ; Ixodidae ; Korea ; Mites ; Parasites ; Tick Bites ; Tick Infestations ; Ticks ; Tympanic Membrane

BACKGROUND: Empirical evidences for efficacy of hot spring (HS) water in inflammatory skin disorders have not been substantiated with sufficient, immunological “hard evidence”. Mageumsan HS water, characterized by its weakly-alkaline properties and low total dissolved solids content, has been known to alleviate various immune-inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: The trial attempted to quantitatively analyze in vitro expression levels of chemical mediators in cutaneous inflammation from HaCaT cell line treated with Mageumsan HS, and suggest the likely mode of action through which it exerts the apparent anti-inflammatory effects in AD. METHODS: Using membrane-based human antibody array kit, customized to include 30 different, keratinocyte-derived mediator proteins, their expression levels (including interleukin [IL]-1, IL-6, IL-8, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) were assessed in vitro. Selected key proteins were further quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: There was a clear pattern of overall suppression of the mediators, especially those noted for their pro-inflammatory role in AD (monocyte chemoattractant protein [MCP]-1, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted, cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine, Eotaxin, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, etc.). Also, reduced expression of involucrin and cytokeratin 1 was also reduced in the HS-treated group. CONCLUSION: The present study has shown that Mageumsan HS water may exert its effects on inflammatory skin disorders through regulation of proinflammatory cytokines. These evidences are to be supported with further future investigations to elucidate immunological mechanism behind these beneficial effects of HS water in the chronically inflamed skin of AD.
Cell Line ; Chemokine CCL17 ; Chemokine CCL27 ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Granulocytes ; Hot Springs* ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Keratins ; Macrophages ; Protein Array Analysis* ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Water

No abstract available.
Male ; Penis* ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile*

BACKGROUND: Human mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a serum lectin taking part in the innate immunity by opsonizing various microorganisms for phagocytosis. The MBL serum concentration is affected by several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the MBL2 gene. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between MBL2 polymorphisms and atopic dermatitis (AD) susceptibility. METHODS: To examine whether the MBL2 SNPs are related to AD susceptibility, we examined 237 patients with AD and 94 controls by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR-sequence specific primer analyses of four polymorphic loci: two (H/L and X/Y) within the promoter region and the other two (P/Q and A/B) within exon 1. MBL concentrations in the blood were estimated by ELISA. RESULTS: The prevalence of haplotype HYPB, leading to MBL deficiency, was significantly decreased in the AD patients compared to the controls (p=0.002), while the prevalence of haplotype HYPA was increased with a clear trend toward significance (p=0.056). The frequency of MBL2 LYPB/LXPA (odds ratio, 0.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.009~0.655; p=0.021) were significantly decreased in the AD patients. The blood log [total immunoglobulin E, IgE] levels of MBL2 HYPA/HYPA, HYPA/LYPA, HYPA/LYPB, HYPA/LYQA, and LYQA/LXPA haplotype pairs were significantly increased in the AD patients. CONCLUSION: The frequency of MBL2 HYPB haplotype was significantly decreased in the AD patients compared to the controls. The frequency of LYPB/LXPA had a possibly protective effect on AD. Moreover, the MBL2 HYPA haplotype pairs, which were related to higher blood total IgE levels, were possibly associated with extrinsic AD.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Exons ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Mannose-Binding Lectin ; Phagocytosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence ; Promoter Regions, Genetic