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IMPORTANCE There are limited data from randomized clinical trials comparing propranolol and steroid medication for treatment of infantile hemangioma (IH). OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy and safety of propranolol compared with steroid as a first-line treatment for IH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical noninferiority trial tested the efficacy and safety of propranolol vs steroid treatment for IH at a single academic hospital. All participants were diagnosed with IH between June 2013 and October 2014, had normal heart function, and had not been previously treated for IH. INTERVENTIONS The participants were randomly assigned to either the propranolol group or the steroid group. In the propranolol group, the patients were admitted, observed for adverse effects for 3 days after treatment initiation, and then released and treated as outpatients for 16 weeks (2 mg/kg/d). In the steroid group, the patients were seen as outpatients from the beginning and were also treated for 16 weeks (2 mg/kg/d). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary efficacy variable was the response to treatment at 16 weeks, which was evaluated by the hemangioma volume using magnetic resonance imaging before and at 16 weeks after treatment initiation. While comparing the effect of medication between the groups, we monitored the adverse effects of both drugs. RESULTS A total of 34 patients (15 boys, 19 girls; mean age, 3.3 months; range, 0.3-8.2 months) were randomized to receive either propranolol or steroid treatment (17 in each treatment group). Guardians for 2 patients in the steroid group withdrew their consent, and 1 patient in the propranolol group did not complete the efficacy test. The intention-to-treat analysis, applying multiple imputations, found the treatment response rate in the propranolol group to be 95.65%, and that of the steroid group was 91.94%. Because the difference in response rate between the groups was 3.71%, propranolol was considered noninferior. We found that there was no difference between the groups in safety outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our trial demonstrated that propranolol was not inferior to steroid with respect to therapeutic effects in IH. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01908972

Morgellons disease is a rare disease with unknown etiology. Herein, we report the first case of Morgellons disease in Korea. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of pruritic erythematous patches and erosions on the arms, hands, and chin. She insisted that she had fiber-like materials under her skin, which she had observed through a magnifying device. We performed skin biopsy, and observed a fiber extruding from the dermal side of the specimen. Histopathological examination showed only mild lymphocytic infiltration, and failed to reveal evidence of any microorganism. The polymerase chain reaction for Borrelia burgdorferi was negative in her serum.

The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of remission periods in psoriasis after narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy, especially during multiple cycles of treatment. We analyzed 63 patients (101 cases) demonstrating marked improvement after NB-UVB phototherapy. The remission period was defined as the duration of time from the end of phototherapy until treatment using either phototherapy or systemic treatments was required again. It was found that an age of 60 years or older, history of systemic therapy within 6 months and three or more phototherapy cycles were significantly associated with shorter remission periods. Furthermore, multivariate analysis confirmed that three or more phototherapy cycles (odds ratio [OR], 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.73-9.33; P = 0.001) and a history of systemic therapy (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.27-3.95; P = 0.005) were independently associated with the shorter remission period. In conclusion, when planning NB-UVB phototherapy for psoriatic patients who have undergone multiple phototherapy cycles, clinicians should consider the possibility of shorter remission periods.

BackgroundForemost fine hairs in the frontal hairline region are critical in hair transplantation for hairline correction (HTHC) in women. However, there are few studies on a nonsurgical revisionary method for improving an unnatural foremost hairline with thick donor hairs resulting from a previous HTHC.ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of using a hair removal laser (HRL) system to create fine hairs in Asian women with thick donor hairs.MethodsThrough a retrospective chart review, the HRL parameters, hair diameter (measured with a micrometer before and after the procedures), subjective results after the procedures, adverse effects, and the number of procedures were investigated. The reduction rate of the hair diameter was calculated.ResultsTwenty-four women who received long-pulse Neodymium-Doped:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet therapy after HTHC were included. The parameters were as follows: delivered laser energy, 35~36 J/cm2; pulse duration, 6 ms; and spot size, 10 mm. The mean number of laser sessions was 2.6. The mean hair diameter significantly decreased from 80.0±11.5 µm to 58.4±13.2 µm (p=0.00). The mean rate of hair diameter reduction was -25.7% (range, -44.6% to 5.7%). The number of laser sessions and the hair diameter after the procedures showed a negative correlation (r=-0.410, p=0.046). Most of the patients (87.5%) reported subjective improvement of their hairlines. Most complications were transient and mild.ConclusionHRL can be an alternative method for creating fine hairs and revising foremost hairline in Asian women with thick donor hairs.

Fig. 2. (a) Effect on phosphorylated GSK-3b (Ser 9 ) ratio levels. The cells were treated with 500 mM H 2 O 2 for 1, 2, or 4 h. The phosphorylated GSK-3b ratio was decreased after 1 and 4 h. When treated with 125, 250, and 500 mM H 2 O 2 for 1 h, GSK-3b phosphorylation (Ser 9 ) was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. (b) Effect of H 2 O 2 on b-catenin in the cell. Similar to GSK-3b phosphorylation, b-catenin levels were relatively quantified after treatment with 500 mM H 2 O 2 for 1, 2, or 4 h. A significant decrease was observed in a time-dependent manner. With regard to H 2 O 2 concentration, b-catenin levels were further decreased at a higher concentration after 4 h of H 2 O 2 treatment. (c) Similar to b-catenin levels, cyclin D1 levels were reduced after 500 mM H 2 O 2 treatment in a time-and dose-dependent manner.

Table of ContentsA1 Pirfenidone inhibits TGF-b1-induced extracellular matrix production in nasal polyp-derived fibroblastsJae-Min Shin, Heung-Man Lee, Il-Ho ParkA2 The efficacy of a 2-week course of oral steroid in the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria refractory to antihistaminesHyun-Sun Yoon, Gyeong Yul ParkA3 The altered distribution of follicular t helper cells may predict a more pronounced clinical course of primary sjögren’s syndromeMargit ZeherA4 Betamethasone suppresses Th2 cell development induced by langerhans cell like dendritic cellsKatsuhiko Matsui, Saki Tamai, Reiko IkedaA5 An evaluation of variousallergens in cases of allergic bronchial asthma at lucknow and neighbouring districts by intradermal skintestDrsushil Suri, Dranu SuriA6 Evaluation ferqency of ADHD in childhood asthmaMarzieh Heidarzadeh AraniA7 Steven johnson syndrome caused by typhoid fever in a childAzwin Lubis, Anang EndaryantoA8 Chronic Bronchitis with Radio Contrast Media Hypersensitivity: A Case with Hypothesized GINA Step 1 AsthmaShinichiro KogaA9 The association between asthma and depression in Korean adult : An analysis of the fifth korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2010-2012)Lee Ju SukA10 Management of allergic disease exacerbations in pregnancyYasunobu TsuzukiA11 Subcutaneous immunotherapy mouse model for atopic dermatitisSeo Hyeong Kim, Jung U Shin, Ji Yeon Noh, Shan Jin, Shan Jin, Hemin Lee, Jungsoo Lee, Chang Ook Park, Kwang Hoon Lee, Kwang Hoon LeeA12 Atopic disease and/or atopy are risk factors for local anesthetic allergy in patients with history of hypersensitivity reactions to drugs?Fatma Merve TepetamA13 Food hypersensitivity in patients with atopic dermatitis in KoreaChun Wook Park, Jee Hee Son, Soo Ick Cho, Yong Se Cho, Yun Sun Byun, Yoon Seok Yang, Bo Young Chung, Hye One Kim, Hee Jin ChoA14 Anaphylaxis caused by an ant (Brachyponera chinensis) in JapanYoshinori Katada, Toshio Tanaka, Akihiko Nakabayashi, Koji Nishida, Kenichi Aoyagi, Yuki Tsukamoto, Kazushi Konma, Motoo Matsuura, Jung-Won Park, Yoshinori Harada, Kyoung Yong Jeong, Akiko Yura, Maiko YoshimuraA15 Anti-allergic effect of anti-IL-33 by suppression of immunoglobulin light chain and inducible nitric oxide synthaseTae-Suk Kyung, Young Hyo Kim, Chang-Shin Park, Tae Young Jang, Min-Jeong Heo, Ah-Yeoun Jung, Seung-Chan YangA16 Food hypersensitivity in patients with chronic urticaria in KoreaHye One Kim, Yong Se Cho, Yun Sun Byun, Yoon Seok Yang, Bo Young Chung, Jee Hee Son, Chun Wook Park, Hee Jin ChoA17 Dose optimizing study of a depigmented polymerized allergen extract of phleum pollen by means of conjunctival provocation test (CPT)Angelika Sager, Oliver PfaarA18 Correlation of cutaneous sensitivity and cytokine response in children with asthmaAmit Agarwal, Meenu Singh, Bishnupda Chatterjee, Anil ChauhanA19 Colabomycin E, a Streptomycete-Derived Secondary Metabolite, Inhibits Proinflammatory Cytokines in Human Monocytes/MacrophagesIlja Striz, Eva Cecrdlova, Katerina Petrickova, Libor Kolesar, Alena Sekerkova, Veronika Svachov...