A tick saliva serpin, IxsS17 inhibits host innate immune system proteases and enhances host colonization by Lyme disease agent.

Lyme disease (LD) caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is among the most important human vector borne diseases for which there is no effective prevention method. Identification of tick saliva transmission factors of the LD agent is needed before the highly advocated tick antigen-based vaccine could be developed. We previously reported the highly conserved Ixodes scapularis (Ixs) tick saliva serpin (S) 17 (IxsS17) was highly secreted by B.

Borrelia burgdorferi infection modifies protein content in saliva of Ixodes scapularis nymphs.

Background: Lyme disease (LD) caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is the most prevalent tick-borne disease. There is evidence that vaccines based on tick proteins that promote tick transmission of B. burgdorferi could prevent LD.

Development of evidence-based consensus on critical issues in the management of patients with vitiligo: A modified Delphi study.

Background/purpose: Vitiligo remains a major challenge in dermatology. However, much of the treatment remains unclear, because little evidence is available. We sought to answer some critical questions pertaining to management of vitiligo patients.

Medical adhesive related skin injury after dental surgery.

An 87-year-old woman was referred for the extraction of residual teeth and removal of tori prior to prosthetic treatment. After surgery under general anesthesia, the surgical tape was removed to detach the bispectral index sensor and the hair cover. After the surgical tape was removed, skin injury occurred on the left side of her face.

Awake intubation in a patient with huge orocutaneous fistula: a case report.

Mask ventilation, the first step in airway management, is a rescue technique when endotracheal intubation fails. Therefore, ordinary airway management for the induction of general anesthesia cannot be conducted in the situation of difficult mask ventilation (DMV). Here, we report a case of awake intubation in a patient with a huge orocutaneous fistula.

Prevalence of vitiligo and associated comorbidities in Korea.

Purpose: Vitiligo prevalence and its associated comorbidities rate have been reported variably among different populations. We aimed to determine the prevalence of vitiligo in Korea along with the baseline rate of comorbidities and compared the risks to the general population using hospital visit information of the total population in Korea.

Materials And Methods: We assessed demographic characteristics of vitiligo patients in Korean population from 2009 to 2011 in a nationwide data from Health Insurance Review Assessment Service.

A Multicenter Collaborative Study by the Korean Society of Vitiligo about Patients' Occupations and the Provoking Factors of Vitiligo.

Background: It was previously thought that persons with genetic predispositions to vitiligo develop the condition after exposure to various precipitating environmental factors. However, in many cases, the aggravating factors of vitiligo have not been clearly identified.

Objective: To identify the aggravating factors of vitiligo in the working environment and daily life.

Effects of Xanthium stramarium and Psoralea corylifolia Extracts Combined with UVA1 Irradiation on the Cell Proliferation and TGF-β1 Expression of Keloid Fibroblasts.

Background: Xanthium stramarium (XAS) and Psoralea corylifolia (PSC), phototoxic oriental medicinal plants, has been used in traditional medicines in Asian countries.

Objective: The effects of highly purified XAS or PSC extract combined with ultraviolet A1 (UVA1) irradiation on cell proliferation and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) expression of the keloid fibroblast were being investigated to define potential therapeutic uses for keloid treatments.

Methods: The keloid fibroblasts were treated with XAS or PSC alone or in the combination with UVA1 irradiation.

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala equina, with susceptibility to eight antifungal drugs.

A case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala equina is reported in a 75-year-old female, who showed subcutaneous abscesses on both forearms for 8 months. A lesion was initiated by inoculation with a spine from a tree. Histopathologically, suppurative granulomatous inflammation was present and short hyphal elements were observed.

Autologous fat transfer in a patient with lupus erythematosus profundus.

Lupus erythematosus profundus, a form of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, is a rare inflammatory disease involving in the lower dermis and subcutaneous tissues. It primarily affects the head, proximal upper arms, trunk, thighs, and presents as firm nodules, 1 to 3 cm in diameter. The overlying skin often becomes attached to the subcutaneous nodules and is drawn inward to produce deep, saucerized depressions.

Phototoxicity of oriental medicinal plants: measurement and possible applications.

Phototoxicity can be either harmful and induce adverse skin reactions or beneficial and be used therapeutically as in psoralen and UV-A or photodynamic therapy. Hundreds of medicinal plants are widely used in Asia and Western countries in oriental medicine, yet the phototoxicity of oriental medicinal plants is an understudied area. In this contribution, the authors discuss some methods used to measure the phototoxicity of plants and give an overview of the results of their previous and ongoing studies into the phototoxicity of medicinal plants.

Photoprotective effects of methoxycinnamidopropyl polysilsesquioxane.

A new sunscreen ingredient, methoxycinnamidopropyl polysilsesquioxane (MCP-PSQ), which contains an UV-absorbing p-methoxycinnamoyl group, has been developed synthetically and evaluated using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Previous studies revealed that MCP-PSQ has a raising or boosting effect on the sun protection factor (SPF) of other sunscreen agents. In this study, we demonstrated that MCP-PSQ, an organic/inorganic hybrid compound, has photoprotective effects for human fibroblasts, and for hairless mouse and human skin.

Pyoderma gangranosum of the penis.

We report a patient who developed pyoderma gangrenosum in the penis with invasion of the distal urethra. The patient was treated with prednisolone and thalidomide, followed by a reconstructive surgical repair using a scrotal island flap. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.

Evaluation of the phototoxic potential of plants used in oriental medicine.

Aim Of The Study: Phototoxicity can be either harmful or beneficial. Yet the phototoxicity of oriental medicinal plants is an understudied area. The purpose of this study is to fill in this gap.

Extramammary Paget's disease of scrotum treated with radiotherapy.

Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) of the scrotum is extremely rare. Most cases are found on the vulva or anus. It is generally accepted that EMPD is associated with an underlying carcinoma in situ.

Three clinical cases of cutaneous larva migrans.

Three cases of cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) were diagnosed in a returnee from a trip to Thailand and in 2 domestic farmers during July and September, 2003. The linear and serpiginous skin lesions on the lower extremities were presented in all 3 cases. Routine laboratory findings were normal.

Treatment of acquired syndactyly by gauze-fixed epidermal graft after radiosurgery.

Background: Acquired syndactyly is a rare disease that occurs mostly after disease, trauma, or other inflammatory conditions. It is usually treated by surgical incision with a flap or full-thickness skin graft, which is very invasive and requires hospitalization.

Objective: The objective was to treat acquired syndactyly with an epidermal graft by suction blister after radiosurgery, because this procedure is much less invasive and can be performed in an outpatient base.

Advantages of using hairless mice versus haired mice to test sunscreen efficacy against photoimmune suppressions.

We tested the hypothesis that the strain of mice used in sunscreen protection experiments may influence immune protection. Ultraviolet (UV) dose-response curves were done in the presence or absence of a sun protection factor (SPF) 15 sunscreen using SKH1:hrBR or C3H/HeN mice. SKH1:hrBR mice showed a higher sensitivity to the suppressive effects of UV radiation (50% immune suppression equal to 5.

Effects of anti-allergic drugs on intestinal mastocytosis and worm expulsion of rats infected with Neodiplostomum seoulense.

The effects of anti-allergic drugs on intestinal mastocytosis and the expulsion of Neodiplostomum seoulense were observed in Sprague-Dawley rats, after oral infection with 500 metacercariae. The drugs used were hydroxyzine (a histamine receptor H1 blocker), cimetidine (a H2 blocker), cyclosporin-A (a helper T-cell suppressant), and prednisolone (a T- and B-cell suppressant). Infected, but untreated controls, and uninfected controls, were prepared.

Solitary mastocytoma improved by intralesional injections of steroid.

Solitary mastocytoma is an uncommon disease characterized by monotonous infiltrations of mast cells that extend from papillary dermis to subcutaneous fat. They usually resolve by adulthood, and there is no satisfactory treatment other than waiting. A two-month-old Korean male infant with deep solitary mastocytoma was treated intralesionally with triamcinolone acetonide.

Physicochemical properties of quinolone antibiotics in various environments.

The progress and photosensitivity of quinolone antibiotics are briefly described. By the photolysis of nalidixic acid, the loss of -COOH group is observed. The photoreaction of fluoroquinolones involves heterolytic C-F bond fragmentation.

Induction of Darier's disease by repeated irradiation by ultraviolet B; protection by sunscreen and topical ascorbic acid.

Darier's disease, keratosis follicularis, is frequently aggravated by sun exposure. Although there have been reports of Darier's disease reproduced by repeated exposure to ultraviolet B, little is known about its photo-protection. We artificially induced Darier's disease in a 47-year-old Korean man, and tested the protection afforded by sunscreen and topical ascorbic acid.