VBioindex: A Visual Tool to Estimate Biodiversity

Biological diversity, also known as biodiversity, is an important criterion for measuring the value of an ecosystem. As biodiversity is closely related to human welfare and quality of life, many efforts to restore and maintain the biodiversity of species have been made by government agencies and non-governmental organizations, thereby drawing a substantial amount of international attention. In the fields of biological research, biodiversity is widely measured using traditional statistical indices such as the Shannon-Wiener index, species richness, evenness, and relative dominance of species. However, some biologists and ecologists have difficulty using these indices because they require advanced mathematical knowledge and computational techniques. Therefore, we developed VBioindex, a user-friendly program that is capable of measuring the Shannon-Wiener index, species richness, evenness, and relative dominance. VBioindex serves as an easy to use interface and visually represents the results in the form of a simple chart and in addition, VBioindex offers functions for long-term investigations of datasets using time-series analyses.

Clinical Characteristics of Cholinergic Urticaria in Korea

BACKGROUND: Cholinergic urticaria is a type of physical urticaria characterized by heat-associated wheals. Several reports are available about cholinergic urticaria; however, the clinical manifestations and pathogenesis are incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of cholinergic urticaria in Korea. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 92 patients with cholinergic urticaria who were contacted by phone and whose diagnoses were confirmed by the exercise provocation test among those who had visited The Catholic University of Korea, Catholic Medical Center from January 2001 to November 2010. RESULTS: All 92 patients were male, and their average age was 27.8 years (range, 17~51 years). Most of the patients had onset of the disease in their 20s and 30s. Non-follicular wheals were located on the trunk and upper extremities of many patients, and the symptoms were aggravated by exercise. Eight patients showed general urticaria symptoms and 15 had accompanying atopic disease. Forty-three patients complained of seasonal aggravation. Most patients were treated with first and second-generation antihistamines. CONCLUSION: Dermatologists should consider these characteristics in patients with cholinergic urticaria. Further investigation and follow-up studies are necessary to better understand the epidemiological and clinical findings of cholinergic urticaria.

A Case of Spindle Cell Lipoma of the Scalp / 대한피부과학회지

No abstract available.

SFannotation: A Simple and Fast Protein Function Annotation System

Owing to the generation of vast amounts of sequencing data by using cost-effective, high-throughput sequencing technologies with improved computational approaches, many putative proteins have been discovered after assembly and structural annotation. Putative proteins are typically annotated using a functional annotation system that uses extant databases, but the expansive size of these databases often causes a bottleneck for rapid functional annotation. We developed SFannotation, a simple and fast functional annotation system that rapidly annotates putative proteins against four extant databases, Swiss-Prot, TIGRFAMs, Pfam, and the non-redundant sequence database, by using a best-hit approach with BLASTP and HMMSEARCH.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression in Geriatric Patients with Dermatological Diseases

BACKGROUND: Although rarely life threatening, dermatological diseases may have a considerable influence on a patient's quality of life and psychological well-being. As with morbidity and mental distress from other chronic diseases, a skin disorder can be the one of the main causes of depression in the geriatric population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of depression in elderly patients with dermatological disease in Korea and to identify factors associated with depression. METHODS: Patients over the age of 60 years with dermatologic diseases were solicited for a questionnaire survey. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to obtain a patient-based measurement of depression. Additionally, demographic information and medical history were collected. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 313 patients (39.94% men, mean age 69.04 years, mean disease duration 3.23 years). Dermatological disease overall had a significant effect on patients' depression (chi2=177.13, p<0.0001), with a mean GDS score of 12.35 (out of 30). The patients who had a GDS score greater than 10 was 62.3% which indicated increased prevalence of mild to severe depression when compared to the general population among whom only 22.22% percent have GDS score greater than 10. In the univariate analysis, physical health, education level, and the presence of concurrent diseases were risk factors for geriatric depression. However, we did not find any demographic or disease related variables that were independent predictors of depression. CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients with dermatological disease experience an increase burden of depression. Thus, it is important for clinicians to evaluate geriatric patients with dermatologic diseases for depression.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression in Geriatric Patients with Dermatological Diseases

BACKGROUND: Although rarely life threatening, dermatological diseases may have a considerable influence on a patient's quality of life and psychological well-being. As with morbidity and mental distress from other chronic diseases, a skin disorder can be the one of the main causes of depression in the geriatric population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of depression in elderly patients with dermatological disease in Korea and to identify factors associated with depression. METHODS: Patients over the age of 60 years with dermatologic diseases were solicited for a questionnaire survey. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to obtain a patient-based measurement of depression. Additionally, demographic information and medical history were collected. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 313 patients (39.94% men, mean age 69.04 years, mean disease duration 3.23 years). Dermatological disease overall had a significant effect on patients' depression (chi2=177.13, p<0.0001), with a mean GDS score of 12.35 (out of 30). The patients who had a GDS score greater than 10 was 62.3% which indicated increased prevalence of mild to severe depression when compared to the general population among whom only 22.22% percent have GDS score greater than 10. In the univariate analysis, physical health, education level, and the presence of concurrent diseases were risk factors for geriatric depression. However, we did not find any demographic or disease related variables that were independent predictors of depression. CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients with dermatological disease experience an increase burden of depression. Thus, it is important for clinicians to evaluate geriatric patients with dermatologic diseases for depression.

Relapse of Mantle Cell Lymphoma and This Was Diagnosed by Skin Metastasis on the Face / 대한피부과학회지

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and this typically involves lymph nodes. Extranodal involvement is frequent and especially in the bone marrow, spleen, gastrointestinal tract and Waldeyer's ring. MCL is not well represented in the dermatology literature because the skin is rarely involved. We describe here a case of relapse of MCL that was diagnosed by skin metastasis of the face. A 71 year-old male patient presented with erythematous nodules that had been on the Rt. forehead for 6 months. The patient was initially diagnosed as having MCL and he had undergone chemotherapy. A year after complete remission, multiple nodules developed on the forehead. Biopsy of the nodule revealed skin metastasis of MCL.

A Case of Aplasia Cutis Congenita in Two Siblings / 대한피부과학회지

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is a rare congenital disorder, which was first described by Cordon in 1767. It is characterized by a defect of epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissues and sometimes even bone, and occurs predominantly on the scalp. Non-scalp locations are involved in 15% of all cases and are often bilaterally symmetrical. Most cases of ACC appear sporadically. Intrauterine trauma, vascular accidents or genetic factors are postulated as initial steps in the pathogenesis. However, the aetiology of this condition remains unknown. Familial cases have been reported and are suggestive of either an autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive inheritance with variable expression. We herein report on a 10-day-old female infant and her 8-year-old sister with aplasia cutis congenita on their legs.

A Case of Mucinous Eccrine Carcinoma of the Skin / 대한피부과학회지

Mucinous eccrine carcinoma of the skin is a rare skin adnexal malignant tumor that origins from mucin-secreting dark cells, and it arises from the deepest portion of eccrine ducts. It usually affects people in their fifth to seventh decades of life and it predominantly occurs in men. It appears to exhibit a predilection for the head and neck. The histopathologic characteristics are a large mucinous pool with fibrous septae and clusters of tumor cells. The treatment of choice is surgical removal. We present here the case of a patient with a mucinoous eccrine carcinoma on the infraorbital area of the right side of his face and we review the related literature