A Report of present Japanese Leprosy situation / 나학회지

No abstract available.

Seroprevalence Study of Hepatitis C in Leprosy Patients / 나학회지

Hepatitis C is transmitted via parenteral routes and has commonly chronic course with progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The seroprevalence of HCV in Korea is about 1%, but in leprosy patients it is not well-known. So, the study was performed on anti-HCV seroprevalence and its epidemiologic survey in leprosy patients. The leprosy patients were 619 subjects(M:343, F:276) who were hospitalized in Catholic Skin Clinic from 1997 to 2001. Serum anti-HCV was checked by MEIA(Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay) method, as well as HBsAg, HBsAb and alanine aminotransferase(ALT) value. In addition, age, sex, residency, duration of leprosy, and the frequency of liver problems were reviewed by medical records. The results were as follows; 1. The mean age of subjects was 68.3+/-9.2 years with ranging from 28 to 94 years. 2. The anti-HCV seropositivity among 619 leprosy patients was 39.3% and it showed increasing trend with aging(p0.05). 3. The residency of anti-HCV positive subjects were Gyeongbuk(40.7%), Gyeongnam(35.4%), Daegu(19.4%), and other areas(28.9%) in order. 4. The seropositivities of HBsAg and HBsAb were 4.5% and 11.8% respectively. Only 6(2.5%) patients were positive on both HBsAg and anti-HCV. 5. In 563 leprosy patients excluding unknown type(56 subjects), the anti-HCV seropositivities in leprosy type were 41.2%(163/396) in lepromatous leprosy(LL), 35.0%(14/40) in borderline leprosy(BB), 31.5%(40/127) in tuberculoid leprosy(TT) respectively with insignificant correlation(p>0.05). The HBsAg seropositivities were 4.8% in LL, 5.0% in BB, 3.1% in TT respectively, with insignificant correlation(p>0.05). 6. There were significant relationships between the seroprevalence of anti-HCV and the duration of leprosy in the well-recorded 433 leprosy patients (p or =40U/L) group was significantly higher than in normal group(<40U/L)(58.3% vs 37.2%, p<0.05). Of the 6 anti-HCV and HBsAg positive patients, ALT value was elevated in one patient. Comparatively, the anti-HCV positives were likely to have a higher incidence of liver problems. In conclusion, the seropositivity of anti-HCV in leprosy patients(39.3%) was high. There were significant relationship of the seropositivity of anti-HCV with age, duration of leprosy, residency, ALT value, and the frequency of liver problems, but not associated with sex, HBV markers and types of leprosy. Therefore check-up of routine biochemical screen of anti-HCV and the evaluation for the possible transmission routes (such as transfusion, drug abuse, sexual/household contact, shared needles, folk remedies, acupunctures, tattoos, etc.) are needed to set-up the precautionary measures in leprosy patients.

The Clinical Features and Autopsy Findings of Multiple metastatic Nodular Melanoma / 대한피부과학회지

We have experienced a 50-year-old male patient, who died of multiple metastatic nodular melanoma which had the primary lesions on the right hallux and forefoot with eventual involvement of skin and internal organs. An autopsy was performed for the evidence of metastatic features of the internal organs and their spreading routes, with concurrent histopathologic findings. The autopsy findings revealed diffuse metastases to the ipsilateral femoral and inguinal lymph nodes via ascending vascular channels and to the internal organs: 1. The heart had multiple metastatic lesions on the pericardium and right ventricular wall. And the mediastinal, periaortic and periesophageal lymph nodes were also involved. 2. The both lungs were moderately indurated and focally discolored, and showed metastatic lesions in the right lower lobe and hilar areas, Melanoma cells were diffusely invaded to the interstitia and alveoli. 3. The right 5th and 6th ribs showed the invsion of melanoma cells on their bone marrows, periostia, and Haversians canals. 4. The liver was enlarged and showed multiple various sized nodules on the surface with adesion to the parts of peritoneum, omentum and diaphragm. Melanoma cells were seen mostly on and around the sinusoidal spaces and parenchyma. 5. The stomach wall had an ulcerated metastatic lesion and the melanoma cells invaded deeply into the muscle layer. 6. The pancreas was normal in its size and shape but had multiple metastatic lesions on the head and body with melanoma celi infiltration. 7. The both kidneys were grar ular surfaced and showed two metastatic lesions on the right renal cortex and two on the left. Renal tubules and parenchyma were widely invaded by melanoma cells but the glomerular tufts were intact. 8. The adreral and thyroid glands showed four and two metastatic lesions respectively and diffuse invasion of melanoma cells into the parenchyma. 9. The brain was normal in gross appearance, but the cortex was edematous and showed settered melanoma cell infiltration.

A Case of Lichen Amyliodosis over Generalized Skin / 대한피부과학회지

Traditionally the mast cell has been known to he a cell component dwells in annective tissue. But oocasional epithelial mast cells were presented both in light microscopic and electron microscapic examinations. This study was undertaken to evaluate the presence of mast ceil in epidermis of diseased skin. A total of 93 biopsy specimes obtained from the skin lesions of patients with various dermatological conditions were examined with light microacope after toluidine blue stain. The results are as follows: 1. Mast cells were shown in the epidermis of 2 patients with chronic eczema and one patient with pustular psoriasis. 2. Most of the epidermal mast cells were located in ar nearby the basal ceII layer. 3. Epidrmal mast cells have an oval or round nucleus and variable amounts of granulesin the cytoplasm. Some of the cells have a halo-like clear zone around them.