ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by centrofacial erythema. Excess cathelicidin is suggested to be important to the pathophysiology of the disease. Recently, presence of a vitamin D response element was revealed in the cathelicidin gene promoter. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether vitamin D and cathelicidin are associated with rosacea, both serologically and histopathologically. METHODS: Subjects with rosacea and without chronic skin disorders were enrolled in the patient and control groups, respectively. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and cathelicidin levels were measured. Tissue expression of cathelicidin and vitamin D receptor were measured with immunostaining-intensity-distribution index. RESULTS: The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of patients with rosacea was 12.18±5.65 ng/ml, which is lower than that of the controls (17.41±6.75 ng/ml). Mean serum cathelicidin levels in patients with rosacea and the controls were 85.0±26.1 ng/ml and 55.0±23.3 ng/ml, respectively. Cathelicidin expression in rosacea tissue was significantly higher than that in control tissue (5.21 vs. 4.03). No significant difference was observed in vitamin D receptor expression. CONCLUSION: Higher cathelicidin expression in rosacea supports the hypothesis that an abnormal inflammatory response of the innate immune system is important in pathogenesis of rosacea, but the role of high cathelicidin serum levels is complicated. Serum vitamin D was lower in patients with rosacea, although serum cathelicidin was higher than that of the controls. This suggests that the role of vitamin D level in the pathogenesis of rosacea merits further investigation.
Subject(s)
Humans , Erythema , Immune System , Receptors, Calcitriol , Rosacea , Skin , Vitamin D Response Element , Vitamin D , VitaminsABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Lymphoma , Lymphoma, T-Cell , T-Lymphocytes , Thyroid Gland , Thyroid NeoplasmsABSTRACT
Cutaneous metastasis into the umbilicus, known as a Sister Mary Joseph nodule, is quite rare. Gastric adenocarcinoma is the most common primary origin overall, whereas gynecologic tumors such as ovarian cancer are the leading cause in women. In most cases, the nodule manifests after the primary tumor had been diagnosed. In rare cases, however, it serves as the first sign of the underlying malignancy. Here, we report the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with a nodule on the umbilicus and was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma originating in the gallbladder.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Adenocarcinoma , Gallbladder Neoplasms , Gallbladder , Neoplasm Metastasis , Ovarian Neoplasms , Siblings , UmbilicusABSTRACT
Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus (ILVEN) is an uncommon variant of verrucous epidermal nevus, clinically characterized by erythematous and hyperkeratotic verrucous papules with a typical linear arrangement. Most reported cases present as solitary lesions, but systematized ILVEN is rare. Epidermal nevus syndrome is a congenital disorder in which epidermal nevi are associated with abnormalities in other organ systems. However, ILVEN has been reported rarely in association with such abnormalities, including those of the skeleton. Here we report a rare case of systematized ILVEN presenting with concomitant mandibular hypoplasia.
Subject(s)
Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities , Nevus , Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn , SkeletonABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The anterior neck is the site of open thyroidectomy and where postoperative scarring can cause distress to patients. Both fractional and pulsed-dye lasers are effective and safe methods for preventing and improving surgical scars. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the improvement in scar appearance with laser intervention during the wound healing process. We evaluated the effect of nonablative fractional and pulsed-dye lasers on fresh thyroidectomy scars. METHODS: Patients were treated 3 times at 4-week interval with a follow-up visit at the 6th month. Scars were divided into 2 halves for each optional treatment. At every visit, a questionnaire evaluating the scar and patient satisfaction was completed. RESULTS: Thirty patients completed the 6-month process. The mean Vancouver Scar Scale scores improved significantly from 8.0 to 4.6 and 8.2 to 4.7 with nonablative fractional and pulsed-dye lasers, respectively (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the 2 methods (p=0.840). CONCLUSION: There remains no consensus on the optimal treatment of scars. The present study indicates nonablative fractional and pulsed-dye lasers significantly improve scars. Nonablative fractional lasers are non-inferior to pulsed-dye lasers. Further studies are required to corroborate this finding.