Vitamin D Status and Its Association with the SCORAD Score and Serum LL-37 Level in Korean Adults and Children with Atopic Dermatitis

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D insufficiency could be associated with the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: To examine vitamin D status and the relations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, SCORAD score, serum LL-37 level, and body mass index (BMI) in Korean AD patients, and to explore whether these associations differ between adults and children. METHODS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, serum LL-37, and clinical features were analyzed in a total of 72 Korean patients with AD (39 adults and 33 children) and 140 healthy control subjects (70 adults and 70 children). RESULTS: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were significantly reduced in children with AD (15.06+/-4.64 ng/ml) compared with normal children in the control group (16.25+/-6.60 ng/ml) (p=0.036). Significant inverse correlations were found between BMI and 25-hydroxyvitamin D level (r=-0.315, p=0.007) and between the SCORAD score and serum LL-37 level (r=-0.3, p=0.011) in the total AD patients. CONCLUSION: The results showed that serum vitamin D levels were lower in children with AD than in healthy children; however, the same relation was not observed between adults with AD and healthy adults. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was not significantly correlated with AD severity or serum LL-37 levels in our study population.

A Clinical and Histopathological Study of 122 Cases of Dermatofibroma (Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma)

BACKGROUND: Many variants of dermatofibromas have been described, and being aware of the variants of dermatofibromas is important to avoid misdiagnosis. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to evaluate the clinical and pathologic characteristics of 122 cases of dermatofibromas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and 122 biopsy specimens of 92 patients who were diagnosed with dermatofibroma in the Department of Dermatology at Eulji Hospital of Eulji University between January 2000 and March 2010. RESULTS: Nearly 80% of the cases occurred between the ages of 20 and 49 years, with an overall predominance of females. Over 70% of the lesions were found on the extremities. The most common histologic variant was a fibrocollagenous dermatofibroma (40.1%). Other variants included histiocytic (13.1%), cellular (11.5%), aneurysmal (7.4%), angiomatous (6.5%), sclerotic (6.5%), monster (4.9%), palisading (1.6%) and keloidal dermatofibromas (0.8%). There were 9 dermatofibromas (7.3%) that were the mixed type with two co-dominant histologic features. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are consistent with previous reports on the clinical features of dermatofibromas. However, we observed several characteristic subtypes of dermatofibroma and we compared the frequency of the histologic subtypes.

A Case of Cutaneous Protothecosis / 대한의진균학회지

Cutaneous protothecosis is a rare skin infection, caused by the genus prototheca, especially Prototheca wickerhamii. A 73-year-old woman had a painful, ulcerative patch and oozing plaque on left wrist and dorsum of hand for 2 months. Biopsy specimen revealed thick walled morula-like sporangia in the dermis. P. wickerhamii was isolated in the culture. Oral itraconazole therapy for 8 weeks is not satisfactory. New skin lesion is formed. After oral fluconazole therapy, patient's skin lesion is improved.

A Case of Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis after Influenza Vaccination / 대한피부과학회지

Influenza vaccination is recommended for all people over 65 years, for those with chronic respiratory disease and chronic renal failure. Severe side effects of influenza vaccination are rare. We report a case of leukocytoclastic vasculitis in a 68-year-old woman which developed 2 days after influenza vaccination. Disseminated palpable purpura were located on both her lower extremities. A skin biopsy showed characteristic features of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Purpura were reduced after prednisolone and dapsone medication.