A Case of Rowell's syndrome / 대한피부과학회지

Rowell's syndrome is believed to be a distinct and rare clinical entity originally descrived as lupus erythematosus associated with erythema multiforme-like skin lesions, immunologic findings of speckled antinuclear antibodies, anti-La antibodies and a positive test for rheumatoid factor. We report a case of systemic lupus erythematosus in a 31-year-old woman with annular erythematous patches on both hands, feet and back. Also, she presented abnormal serologic and immunologic findings. We believed that our patient meets the criteria for this rarely reported entity.

Immunohistochemical studies of Interleukin-8 and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha on psoriatic lesions / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized histologically by prominent keratinocyte hyperplasia and an early inflammatory cell infiltrate. However, the pathogenesis is not fully understood yet. Recently, there has been growing interest in the probable role of a T cell mediated immune response in the pathogenesis. Especially, cytokine network involved in psoriasis has been studied. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to investigate the role of Interleukin-8(IL-8) and its inducer, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) for pathogenesis of psoriasis. METHODS: We performed immunohistochemical staining using antibodies for IL-8 and TNF-alpha in frozen skin samples of 14 psoriatic patients who had not been treated for psoriatic lesion for 1 month and 3 normal skin samples as controls. RESULTS: There was no detectable discrete immunoreactivity for either TNF-alpha and IL-8 in epidermis and dermis of normal controls. In psoriatic lesions, the expression of TNF-alpha was found in dermal cells within the papillary dermis, particularly around blood vessels. The expression of IL-8 was presented on suprabasal keratinocytes above TNF-alpha-positive dermal tissue. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest that histologic expression and functional interaction between IL-8 and its inducer, TNF-alpha have significant roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

A Case of Cutaneous Bronchogenic Cyst / 대한피부과학회지

Cutaneous bronchogenic cyst is an anomalous structure that arises from the tracheobronchial tree during embryonic development and is usually located in the area of the manubrium sternum or suprasternal notch. Histopathologically, bronchogenic cyst is lined by ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelia with goblet cells. We report a case of cutaneous bronchogenic cyst in a 25-year-old male patient presented as a nodular lesion on the neck.

A Case of Letterer-Siwe Disease in Adult / 대한피부과학회지

Letterer-Siwe disease is a one of Langerhans cell histiocytosis and characterized by proliferation of Langerhans cells. It's clinical features are onset of infancy, hemorrhagic crusted papules and petechiae, hepatomegaly, lymphadenopathy, localized bone defect, and fatal outcome. We report a 38-year-old woman with hepatomegaly, lymphadenopathy, scaly papules and petechiae on the trunk. The eletronmicroscopy showed a tennis racquet shaped Birbeck granules in cytoplasm of histiocyte. Systemic treatment with etoposide, cyclophosphamide, prednisone, and vincristine was effective.

A Case of Intravenous Pyogenic Granuloma / 대한피부과학회지

An intravenous pyogenic granuloma is a rare, benign, intravascular tumor, which arises from the vein wall and protrudes into the lumen. This is characterized by a lobular proliferation of capillaries similar to the more common cutaneous pyogenic granulomas. We report a case of intravenous pyogenic granuloma which showed lobular capillary proliferation in the perivenous connective tissue.

A Case of Segmental Neurofibromatosis

Segmental neurofibromatosis is a rare disorder characterized by cafe-au-lait spots and neurofibrobmas, or only neurofibroma, limited to one region of the body. Disease-associated systemic involvement is uncommon. Most patients with segmental neurofibromatosis do not have a family history of neurofibromatosis. In Korea, there have been 3 reported cases of segmental neurofibromatosis. None of them had caf6-au-fait spots, systemic involvement, or family history. This report describes a case of segmental neurofibromatosis in a 25-year-old woman who had Becker's nevus-like cafe-au-lait spots and this was linked to the presence of Fanconi's syndrome in a second degree relative of the patient.

A Case of Prurigo Pigmentosa Associated with Ketosis / 대한피부과학회지

Prurigo pigmentosa is a distinct type of inflammatory dermatosis characterized by recurrent pruritic erythematous papules that resolve, leaving a peculiar, reticulate hyperpigmentation. Although the cause of prurigo pigmentosa is unknown, exogenous factors, such as friction from clothing, have been suggested as possible triggers in some cases. In other cases, however, systemic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, fasting, and dieting were associated with prurigo pigmentosa, suggesting involvement of endogenous factors in the pathogenesis. There have been reported cases of prurigo pigmentosa associated with ketosis. Because ketosis is commonly observed in association with fasting, dieting, and insulin dependent diabetes melitus, it may be involved in the pathogenesis of prurigo pigmentosa. Here, we describe a patient with prurigo pigmentosa associated with diabetes mellitus and ketosis. In this case, the prurigo pigmentosa improved with the disappearance of the ketosis, but the blood sugar levels did not correlate with the improvement.