Three Cases of Recalcitrant Pediatric Tinea Capitis Successfully Treated with Griseofulvin.

Tinea capitis is an infection of the scalp hair follicles and surrounding skin that primarily occurs in prepubertal children. Microsporum canis remains the most common pathogen causing tinea capitis in Asian countries, including South Korea, although the causative organism of this condition varies across geographical regions and time periods. Systemic antifungal agents are the mainstay treatments for tinea capitis; however, the therapeutic responses to antifungal drugs may vary depending on the causative species, and treatment failure may occur owing to drug resistance. Although dermatophytosis resistant to clinical treatment have been increasingly encountered, recalcitrant tinea capitis cases have rarely been reported. Herein, we report three cases of tinea capitis caused by M. canis in children. All three patients showed unsatisfactory clinical responses to prolonged courses of oral terbinafine or itraconazole without achieving mycological cure; however, they were successfully treated with oral griseofulvin. Although griseofulvin is not currently available or licensed for use in many countries, including South Korea, it is one of the most effective agents against Microsporum species and remains the most widely used first-line treatment for tinea capitis in children, based on dermatology textbooks and reliable treatment guidelines.

Cutaneous Mycobacterium massiliense Infection Caused by Skin Coining 'Gua Sha' in Korean Healthy Female.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous environmental organisms that are rare pathogens in immunocompetent individuals. However, cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infections have been increasingly associated with invasive procedures, including surgery, liposuction, filler injection, intramuscular injection, mesotherapy, piercing, acupuncture, and cupping therapy. Herein, we report the first case of cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infection caused by the East-Asian traditional treatment 'Gua Sha', also known as scraping, coining or spooning in English. A 35-year-old healthy female presented with widespread, painful skin nodules and pustules on her upper and lower extremities that had developed after Gua Sha treatment for body contouring. Histopathologic examination of the lesions revealed granulomatous inflammation in the dermis and the culture isolates were identified as Mycobacterium massiliense with molecular identification. The patient was successfully treated with intermittent incision and drainage of persistent nodules and oral clarithromycin based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We recommend implementation of a standard safety protocol for Gua Sha practitioners to minimize the risk of infection transmission.

Tinea capitis in adults: A 18-year retrospective, single-centre study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Tinea capitis (TC) is a dermatophyte infection involving hair and scalp and occurs primarily in prepubertal children. However, data on adults are limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of TC in adults in Korea. PATIENTS/METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 82 adults (44.3%) among 185 TC patients at a tertiary hospital during June 2000-2017. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 66.9 ± 15.8 (20-90) years with female predominance; mean disease duration until mycological diagnosis, 22.5 (1-144) weeks; and misdiagnosis rate, 65.9%. Most common presumptive initial diagnoses were seborrhoeic dermatitis (24.4%) and bacterial folliculitis (18.3%). Chronic systemic illness and accompanying alopecia were found in 61 (74.4%) and 46 (56.1%) patients, respectively. Pustular type was found in 26.8% patients, followed by seborrhoeic dermatitis-like 25.6%, grey patch 23.2%, kerion celsi 22.0% and black dot 2.4%. Forty-eight patients (58.5%) had tinea infection at other skin areas. Microsporum canis (56.5%) and Trichophyton rubrum (21.7%) were the most common causative organisms; 92.7% patients achieved complete resolution, and seven patients (9.2%) had a recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We report the largest, most recent series of case studies of adult TC. Adult TC is not an uncommon problem, especially in elderly women, and has distinctive epidemiological and clinicomycological characteristics compared to those in prepubertal children. Recognising adult TC profile will help clinicians avoid misdiagnosis and provide appropriate treatment.

Cutaneous Carcinosarcoma: a Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Analysis of 11 Korean Cases.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic tumor comprising malignant epithelial and heterologous mesenchymal elements. Data on the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of this tumor in Asian populations are not available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of cutaneous carcinosarcoma in the Korean population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 11 patients with cutaneous carcinosarcoma who were diagnosed from 2006 to 2016. RESULTS: The mean patient age at diagnosis was 71.5 years (range, 43-96 years) and there was a men predilection. The most common site of cutaneous carcinosarcoma was the head and neck (8/11, 72.7%). Histopathologically, most tumors showed a characteristic morphology consisting of two types of tumor cells, varied differentiated epithelial cells (such as basal or squamous cells) and spindle cells with transition zones between the two components. These two cell types also demonstrated variable immunohistochemical characteristics. CONCLUSION: Although the number of cases in this study was limited, our results provide valuable insight into the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of cutaneous carcinosarcoma in the Korean population.

Sebaceous Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic Analysis of 29 Cases in a Tertiary Hospital in Korea.

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a neoplasm derived from the adnexal epithelium of the sebaceous glands, and most studies on this neoplasm have been conducted in Caucasians. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 29 patients with SC (16 extraocular and 13 ocular lesions) who were diagnosed from 2001 to 2014 to analyze the clinical and histopathological features of SC in the Korean population. Sixteen of the patients were women and 13 were men. There was an equal sex distribution for extraocular lesions, and a female predilection (M:F = 1:1.6) for ocular lesions. The mean ages at presentation of extraocular and ocular lesions were 69.19 ± 37.19 (range, 32-87) and 67.46 ± 24.46 (range, 43-85) years, respectively. Most lesions occurred in the eyelid (13/29, 44.83%), and most extraocular lesions occurred in the head and neck area (13/16, 81.25%). There was no recurrence or death during the follow-up period. Most lesions were poorly differentiated (extraocular, 43.75%; ocular, 38.46%), had a lobular infiltrative growth pattern (extraocular, 68.75%; ocular, 76.92%), and were basaloid (extraocular, 56.25%; ocular, 61.54%). Only 5 cases (2 extraocular and 3 ocular lesions) showed pagetoid spread. Extraocular lesions were marginally more common than the ocular form. There were higher incidences in elderly patients, who also had the highest incidence of eyelid lesions. The proportion of cells with sebaceous differentiation and prominent growth patterns were variable. Our results show that SC may not be very aggressive in Koreans.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Blocker-Induced Erythrodermic Sarcoidosis in with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

The development of cutaneous sarcoidosis as a paradoxical adverse event of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) blockers has been reported in the literature; however, an erythrodermic form of cutaneous sarcoidosis during anti-TNF-α therapy has not yet been reported. Herein, we report the first case of an erythrodermic form of cutaneous sarcoidosis during anti-TNF-α therapy and review previous studies of cutaneous sarcoidosis. A 6-year-old Korean girl who had been suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis presented with generalized erythematous skin eruption involving more than about 90% of her body surface area. After 14 months of etanercept treatment, the new erythematous skin eruption had developed and progressed into generalized erythroderma. Exclusion of suspected co-medication had been performed based on medication history. She had no other systemic symptoms, and ophthalmologic and neurologic examinations were normal. Histopathologic findings of the skin lesion revealed diffuse non-caseating granulomatous infiltrates composed of epithelioid histiocytes with sparse lymphocytes involving the entire dermis. Periodic-acid-Schiff and acid-fast stains were negative, and acid-fast bacilli was not detected by polymerase chain reaction of the skin biopsy. Based on clinicopathologic findings, she was diagnosed with etanercept-induced sarcoidal granuloma. After discontinuation of the suspected agent, the lesions spontaneously disappeared.