Correlation between Severity of Atopic Dermatitis and Sleep Quality in Children and Adults.

BACKGROUND: The atopic dermatitis (AD) can limit a patient's physical and psychosocial development as well as lower their overall quality of life (QOL), including sleep quality. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between clinical disease severity, QOL and sleep quality in children and adults with AD. METHODS: The SCORing atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) was examined to evaluate the severity of AD in fifty adult AD patients and 50 children AD patients. A questionnaire based on the children's sleep habits questionnaire (CSHQ) and the children's dermatology life quality index (CDLQI) were used to evaluate QOL and sleep disturbance in children AD patients. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) were used in adult AD patients. RESULTS: The SCORAD and CSHQ score, the SCORAD and CDLQI score and the CSHQ and CDLQI score demonstrated significant correlations. The SCORAD and PSQI score showed no significant correlation. However, there were significant correlations between the SCORAD and DLQI score and the PSQI and DLQI score. CONCLUSION: Increasing severity of AD affects sleep quality in child AD patients. In adults, even though the total score of the sleep questionnaire is not associated with the severity of AD, two components of sleep questionnaire are associated with the severity of AD. There is a significant correlation between sleep quality and QOL in both children and adults. Therefore, we suggest that evaluating the sleep quality as well as clinical severity of the disease is necessary in the management of AD patients.

Subungual Posttraumatic Ectopic Nail.

Ectopic nail is defined as the malformation of nail tissue in a location other than the usual nail unit. We present a 12-year-old boy with a single dystrophic thumb nail after an injury. The nail was observed under the original nail and it is linked to the original nail plate by longitudinal bridge formation with parallel growth. According to these clinical findings, the diagnosis of subungual posttraumatic ectopic nail was made.

A Rare Case of Atypical Myxoid Cellular Neurothekeoma in a 6-Year-Old Girl.

Neurothekeoma (nerve sheath myxoma)is a benign tumor of probable nerve sheath origin. The atypical cellular variant of this tumor, showing a peculiar histologic pattern, has been very rarely reported in the literature. The atypical variant of cellular neurothekeoma is characterized by features such as large size, deep penetration extending into skeletal muscle and/or subcutaneous fat, diffuse infiltration borders, vascular invasion, high mitotic rate and marked cytologic pleomorphism. We describe a rare form of atypical myxoid cellular neurothekeoma in a 6-year-old girl.

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.

The reverse nasolabial flap with a cartilage graft for the repair of a full-thickness alar defect: a single-stage procedure.

A 65-year-old woman with a deeply infiltrating basal cell carcinoma in the right ala underwent full-thickness excision of most of the ala, including the alar rim, crease, and the adjacent cheek, leaving a 'through-and-through' defect. Reconstruction was performed by using the reverse nasolabial flap and a cartilage graft across the alar defect, harvested from the concha, to prevent nostril collapse and to maintain the alar shape. The reverse or turnover nasolabial flap is a variant of the conventional nasolabial flap; however, it may be more suited for the repair of a full-thickness, lateral alar defect. The reverse nasolabial flap functions both as an inner liner and an outer cover and the repair is performed as a single-stage procedure. Furthermore, this flap can provide both excellent function and excellent cosmetic outcome.

A clinicopathologic study of thirty cases of acquired perforating dermatosis in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Acquired perforating dermatosis (APD) is histopathologically characterized by transepidermal elimination of materials from the upper dermis. APD can be divided into four diseases: Kyrle's disease, perforating folliculitis, elastosis perforans serpiginosa, and reactive perforating collagenosis. APD is usually associated with systemic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus or chronic renal failure. So far, there have only been a few Korean studies of APD, which have a limited number of patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of 30 cases of APD and to examine the association with systemic diseases. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and biopsy specimens of 30 patients who were diagnosed with APD. RESULTS: The mean age was 55.5 years, and the average duration of the lesion was 7.8 months. The lower extremities (73.3%) were the most frequently occurring sites of the lesion. Twenty-five patients (83.3%) had pruritus, and Koebner's phenomenon was present in 11 patients. Patients of 63.3% had at least one systemic disease. Diabetes mellitus (n=17, 56.7%) and chronic renal failure (n=10, 33.3%) were the most commonly associated conditions. Most patients received topical steroids (93.3%) and antihistamines (80.0%). The most common histopathologic type was reactive perforating collagenosis (n=23, 73.3%). CONCLUSION: In this study, most patients had a systemic association to the diseases. Therefore, we suggest that further evaluation is necessary for patients who present with APD. This includes reviewing patient's comprehensive past medical history, clinical exam, and additional diagnostic testing to check for the possibility of associated systemic diseases.