Although oral beta-blocker, propranolol, was shown excellent outcome for infantile hemangioma (IH) up to date, concern of side effects and reluctance of treatment-related cumbersome evaluations are major obstacles to employ. Instead, topical beta-blockers were recently introduced as an effective alternative, but few studies are reported. So we performed a retrospective study of IH treated with topical beta-blockers, timolol maleate 0.5%, and adjunctive role of pulsed dye laser from 2011 to 2014. Among 102 IH enrolled, 61 patients (59.8%) treated with only timolol maleate and 41 (40.2%) patients treated with combination of pulsed dye laser. A clinical review of medical records and evaluation at 4-8 weeks intervals using the physicians' Global Assessment Scores (GAS) and patients' parents' GAS at the latest visit. Physicians' GAS was used to grade the lesions compared with the baseline photo by two physicians' evaluation. And parents' GAS was assessed by direct or telephone interview. In the only timolol treatment group, mean change was within 47.0% improvement from baseline by physicians. In addition, adjunctive treatment of pulsed dye laser group showed 66.5% improvement. No side effects were found on both groups, and mean change was 54.5% improvement by overall parent assessments.

Sebaceous gland hyperplasia and increased sebum secretion after irradiation of ultraviolet (UV)-B has been widely accepted. This study was performed to clarify expression of inflammatory cytokines after irradiating UV-B in cultured sebocytes. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure gene expression of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α, in cultured sebocytes after exposure to 40 and 70 mJ/cm(2) UV-B. Protein expression of inflammatory cytokines and lipid production in cultured sebocytes after exposure to UV-B were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay and lipid analysis kit. The expression of inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-1β and IL-8, was significantly increased in cultured sebocytes after treatment with UV-B. Many more studies on the effect of UV-B on sebaceous glands should be performed to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of acne.

BackgroundAlopecia areata (AA) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that typically occurs in young adults. AA in the elderly is relatively rare, thus little data have been reported.ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand the clinical characteristics of AA in the elderly.MethodsWe performed a 10-year retrospective study of AA in the elderly who visited our dermatologic clinic from January 2002 to December 2011. A clinical review of medical records and telephone interviews were performed by two dermatologists.ResultsAmong 1,761 patients with newly diagnosed AA, 61 (3.5%) were older than 60 years at the first visit. Among those who completed a telephone interview, 74.3% (26/35) had less than 50% of scalp-localized hair loss. There was no association between the extent of AA and hair graying (p=0.679). Favorable therapeutic response was observed in 62.9% (22/35) of cases.ConclusionAA in the elderly shows mild disease severity and favorable treatment response. There is no association between graying and the extent of AA. However, the influence of aging on the pathogenesis of AA in the elderly deserves further investigation.

Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the second common dermatophyte in Korea. However, few reports have been issued on the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of T. mentagrophytes in Korea based on long-term, large-scale study. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of T. mentagrophytes in Korea. During the 21-yr-period from 1992 to 2012, 6,250 patients with T. mentagrophytes were surveyed to determine annual incidence and the distribution of subjects by age, sex, season, involved sites, and place of residence. T. mentagrophytes infections were confirmed by fungal culture. In addition, the colony appearance of T. mentagrophytes was classified as granular, persicolor, powdery, or downy. Epidemiological analysis showed that annual incidence reached a peak in 2005, and then gradually decreased. T. mentagrophytes infection was most common in July, and was found predominantly in middle-aged adults, especially in those in their forties. Mycological analysis showed a powdery colony appearance was the most common, followed by persicolor and granular colonies. Toewebs were most frequently involved. This investigation on T. mentagrophytes provides insights into its incidence and characteristics.Graphical Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with biphasic T cell-mediated abnormalities. Staphylococcal superantigens contribute to the exacerbation of inflammation in AD. The underlying immunopathological mechanisms are not fully understood. Objective: To determine whether epicutaneous application of recombinant staphylococcal enterotoxin A (rSEA) would exacerbate AD-like allergic inflammation induced by 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and house dust mite extract (Dermatophagoides farinae extract, DFE) in a murine model. Materials and Methods: We first established an ADlike model using BALB/c mice exposed to DNCB/DFE on the ear. Next, Staphylococcus (S.) aureus or rSEA were topically applied to the mice. We evaluated the clinical and histopathological features of the animals. Serum immunoglobulin levels were also measured. In addition, real-time PCR analysis of cytokines produced by T cell subsets in the ears was conducted. Results: Mice treated with S. aureus and rSEA had more severe clinical symptoms, including increased mean dermatitis scores and ear thickness, compared to animals with only AD-like lesions. Total IgE, IgG2a and serum histamine levels were increased in all groups except the normal control group. The S. aureus-and rSEA-treated groups showed increased levels of cytokines such as IL-4, IL-13, INF-␥, IL-17, and IL-18. In particular, increased cytokine expression was more conspicuous in the rSEA-treated group than in mice exposed to S. aureus. Conclusion:The results of this study showed that topical exposure to rSEA as well as SEA-producing S. aureus aggravate atopic skin inflammation. This may be associated with the induction of a mixed Th1/Th2 type dermatitis.S. aureus cultivation and rSEA production S. aureus strains containing the sea gene previously isolated from an AD patient were used for this study. Bacteria suspensions (10 10 cfu/mL and 10 11 cfu/mL) were produced by cultivating the cells in tryptic soy agar culture medium at 37 • C for 18 h. The genome of SEA was purified and PCR amplification using sea-specific primers (forward: 5'-CAC-CGTGGATCCATGAAAAAAACAGCA-TTTATACTAC-3' and reverse: 5'-CACCGTCTCGAGTTAACTTGTATAT-AAATATATA-TCAA-3') with Xho I and BamH I restriction sites was performed. All DNA analyses were performed according to standard procedures. The PCR product was ligated into a predigested pET28a vector. Positive recombinant clones were identified by restriction endonuclease digestion with Xho I and BamH I, and were then used to transform E. coli DH5␣ cells. PCR was performed using the following program: denaturation at 94 • C for 5 min and then 20 or 35 cycles of denaturation at 94 • C for 30 sec, annealing at 54 • C for 30 sec, and extension at 72 • C for 30 sec, followed by a final extension at 72 • C for 10 min and ending by holding at 4 • C. Nucleotide sequencing was performed by COSMO Genetech (Seoul, Republic of Korea). The constructed plasmid was used to transformed E. coli BL21(DE3) starain using the electro-transformation method. The pET2...