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Background Sleep monitoring is essential to maintain a healthy life, especially for the elderly who want to age well. Among various forms of sleep devices, the non-wearable and home-adapted device might be preferred because it can be easily used. Objective In this study, we evaluated the performance of a non-contact home-adapted device compared to polysomnography (PSG), a gold standard method. Methods As a preliminary study, eight subjects were recorded over fourteen nights through PSG. The non-contact home-adapted device comprised a microwave sensor, passive infrared sensor, and smartphone application. Through the device, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body movement were collected and used to estimate sleep stages. Sleep structure was labeled in four classes: wake, REM, light, and deep sleep, and were classified using a weighted k-nearest neighbor algorithm. Results The device correctly estimated sleep structures with an overall epoch-by-epoch accuracy of 98.65% ± 0.05% based on leave-one-out cross-validation. The device showed significantly positive correlations with PSG in sleep indices including total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a good performance of this non-contact and home-adapted device and suggest its suitability for sleep monitoring.

Background Tinea capitis (TC) is a dermatophyte infection involving hair and scalp and occurs primarily in prepubertal children. However, data on adults are limited. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of TC in adults in Korea. Patients/methods We retrospectively evaluated 82 adults (44.3%) among 185 TC patients at a tertiary hospital during June 2000-2017. Results Mean patient age was 66.9 ± 15.8 (20-90) years with female predominance; mean disease duration until mycological diagnosis, 22.5 (1-144) weeks; and misdiagnosis rate, 65.9%. Most common presumptive initial diagnoses were seborrhoeic dermatitis (24.4%) and bacterial folliculitis (18.3%). Chronic systemic illness and accompanying alopecia were found in 61 (74.4%) and 46 (56.1%) patients, respectively. Pustular type was found in 26.8% patients, followed by seborrhoeic dermatitis-like 25.6%, grey patch 23.2%, kerion celsi 22.0% and black dot 2.4%. Forty-eight patients (58.5%) had tinea infection at other skin areas. Microsporum canis (56.5%) and Trichophyton rubrum (21.7%) were the most common causative organisms; 92.7% patients achieved complete resolution, and seven patients (9.2%) had a recurrence. Conclusions We report the largest, most recent series of case studies of adult TC. Adult TC is not an uncommon problem, especially in elderly women, and has distinctive epidemiological and clinicomycological characteristics compared to those in prepubertal children. Recognising adult TC profile will help clinicians avoid misdiagnosis and provide appropriate treatment.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a community-based oral hygiene service on general and periodontal health indicators of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus visiting a community health centre in Korea. The study used a one-group pretest-posttest and interrupted time-series design. A total of 151 participants (45% male), with a mean age of 63 ± 8.4 years, were included in the study; these included patients with hypertension (62%), diabetes (12%) and both hypertension and diabetes (26%). Two dental hygienists dedicated 2 days per week to this project, providing oral hygiene services to 10-13 participants per day. Four oral hygiene service sessions were provided per patient. The objective oral hygiene status and subjective self-reported periodontal status were compared before and after the service. The changes in blood pressure and glycosylated haemoglobin levels were also assessed. A lower frequency of subjective swelling was reported at the fourth session (37.9%) compared to the first (55.6%) session. Further, significantly fewer cases of calculus and bleeding were observed (p < .05), and significantly more patients reported having no gum problems at the fourth session (43.1% vs. 27.2%; p < .05) than at the first session. Finally, the participants maintained stable blood pressures at each of the four sessions, and their glycosylated haemoglobin levels were significantly lower at the fourth session. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that community oral hygiene services provided by dental hygienists can promote objective oral hygiene and subjective periodontal status in the local community, and may help in the control of hypertension and diabetes.

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a neoplasm derived from the adnexal epithelium of the sebaceous glands, and most studies on this neoplasm have been conducted in Caucasians. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 29 patients with SC (16 extraocular and 13 ocular lesions) who were diagnosed from 2001 to 2014 to analyze the clinical and histopathological features of SC in the Korean population. Sixteen of the patients were women and 13 were men. There was an equal sex distribution for extraocular lesions, and a female predilection (M:F = 1:1.6) for ocular lesions. The mean ages at presentation of extraocular and ocular lesions were 69.19 ± 37.19 (range, 32–87) and 67.46 ± 24.46 (range, 43–85) years, respectively. Most lesions occurred in the eyelid (13/29, 44.83%), and most extraocular lesions occurred in the head and neck area (13/16, 81.25%). There was no recurrence or death during the follow-up period. Most lesions were poorly differentiated (extraocular, 43.75%; ocular, 38.46%), had a lobular infiltrative growth pattern (extraocular, 68.75%; ocular, 76.92%), and were basaloid (extraocular, 56.25%; ocular, 61.54%). Only 5 cases (2 extraocular and 3 ocular lesions) showed pagetoid spread. Extraocular lesions were marginally more common than the ocular form. There were higher incidences in elderly patients, who also had the highest incidence of eyelid lesions. The proportion of cells with sebaceous differentiation and prominent growth patterns were variable. Our results show that SC may not be very aggressive in Koreans., Graphical Abstract

KCNQ channels are critical determinants of neuronal excitability, thus emerging as a novel target of anti-epileptic drugs. To date, the mechanisms of KCNQ channel modulation have been mostly characterized to be inhibitory via Gq-coupled receptors, Ca2+/CaM, and protein kinase C. Here we demonstrate that methylation of KCNQ by protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (Prmt1) positively regulates KCNQ channel activity, thereby preventing neuronal hyperexcitability. Prmt1+/- mice exhibit epileptic seizures. Methylation of KCNQ2 channels at 4 arginine residues by Prmt1 enhances PIP2 binding, and Prmt1 depletion lowers PIP2 affinity of KCNQ2 channels and thereby the channel activities. Consistently, exogenous PIP2 addition to Prmt1+/- neurons restores KCNQ currents and neuronal excitability to the WT level. Collectively, we propose that Prmt1-dependent facilitation of KCNQ-PIP2 interaction underlies the positive regulation of KCNQ activity by arginine methylation, which may serve as a key target for prevention of neuronal hyperexcitability and seizures. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17159.001, eLife digest In the brain, cells called neurons transmit information along their length in the form of electrical signals. To generate electrical signals, ions move into and out of neurons through ion channel proteins – such as the KCNQ channel – in the surface of these cells, which open and close to control the electrical response of the neuron. Abnormally intense bursts of electrical activity from many neurons at once can cause seizures such as those experienced by people with epilepsy. A significant proportion of patients do not respond to current anti-seizure medications. Openers of KCNQ channels have emerged as a potential new class of anti-epileptic drugs. A better understanding of how KCNQ channels work, and how their opening by PIP2lipid signals is regulated, could help to develop more effective therapies for epilepsy. A process called methylation controls many biological tasks by changing the structure of key proteins inside cells. Although methylation occurs throughout the brain, its role in controlling how easily neurons are activated (a property known as “excitability”) remains unclear. Kim, Jeong, Kim, Jung et al. now show that a protein called Prmt1 methylates the KCNQ channels in mice, and that this methylation is essential for suppressing seizures. Mice born without the Prmt1 protein developed epileptic seizures and the KCNQ channels in their neurons featured a reduced level of methylation. However, increasing the amount of PIP2 in these neurons restored their excitability back to normal levels. The methylation of KCNQ channel proteins increases their affinity for PIP2, which is critical to open KCNQ channels. Kim et al. propose that these “opening” controllers balance the action of known “closers” of KCNQ channels to maintain neurons in a healthy condition. In future, Kim et al. plan to investigate whether methylation affects the activity of other ion channels controlled by PIP2. Such experiments will complement a more widespread investigation into other ways in which the Prtmt1 protein may control the activity of neurons. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17159.002

A 76-year-old male presented with sudden onset of a painful ulcerative lesion involving firstly the lower lip and secondly the oral cavity. The lesion initially started as a nut-sized round erythematous patch on the lower lip and rapidly progressed into a necrotic ulcer within three days (figure 1A). Thereafter, the ulcer gradually extended to the buccal gingiva, teeth, and tip of the tongue (figure 1B). There was no past history of burn or trauma on the area. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with [...]

Angiokeratomas are well-circumscribed benign vascular lesions that present as one or more dilated blood vessels in combination with hyperkeratosis, characterized histologically as capillary ectasia in the papillary dermis [1]. Angiokeratomas localized on the nipple have not been reported until now in the literature. We identified a rare and interesting case of angiokeratomas localized on the left nipple of an adolescent boy, associated with enlargement of the ipsilateral breast.A 13-year-old Korean [...]

New onset and exacerbation of psoriasis have rarely been described in patients undergoing rituximab treatment, especially children [1]. Herein, we report the second pediatric case of new-onset plaque-type psoriasis induced by rituximab therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.A 6-year-old Korean boy suffering from CD20-positive large cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma was referred to us for multiple erythematous scaly plaques on the trunk, face, and scalp. He had a 2-year history of chemotherapy with prednisolone, [...]

The development of carcinoma in relation to a stoma is very rare and may be related to recurrence of previously resected carcinoma or to another primary carcinoma. Different primary carcinomas of the skin have been described at peristomal sites; the development of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in association with colostomy has been reported only twice before, however [1, 2]. This case is believed to represent the third reported instance of a primary BCC at a peristomal site. The patient was treated [...]

Dear Editor: A 9-day-old female infant recovering from respiratory distress syndrome was referred to us for linear skin eruption on her forearm during hospitalization. She was born at gestational age 38 weeks 1 day by normal spontaneous vaginal delivery and weighed 3,260 g at birth. For the 5 days preceding the development of the skin lesion, mittens had been placed on both her hands to prevent acrocyanosis. Physical examination revealed a linear, partially circumferential, erythematous and vesicular patch corresponding to the elastic band of the mitten on the dorsal side of the right forearm (Fig. 1A). Sensory and motor function of the affected area was intact and there were no other skin or systemic abnormalities. After 1 week without mitten use and application of a topical steroid cream, the skin lesion healed and became an area of brown hyperpigmentation (Fig. 1B). During the 1-month follow-up period, the hyperpigmentation line gradually faded. Fig. 1 (A) Linear, circumferential, erythematous and vesicular band on the forearm of a 9-day-old female at her first examination. (B) Brownish hyperpigmentation after one week. Mitten- or sock-line hyperpigmentation, also known as sock-line band or infantile garment band, is a recently described, rare infant skin condition1,2,3,4. In 2005, Zhu et al.5 experienced two infants with linear hyperpigmentation of the calves, and first described this condition as 'congenital curvilinear palpable hyperpigmentation'. However, it is considered to be a misnomer since it was not actually congenital origin. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 20 cases of this distinct condition in the literature1,2,3,4,5. It is characterized by a linear, partially or fully circumferential, hyperpigmented patch along the area compressed by a tight garment such as socks, mittens, pants or diapers1,2,3. This acquired lesion usually presents as a single, unilateral, brown-colored, flat configuration, but multiple, bilateral, raised as well as atrophic lesions have also been described. It occurs predominantly on the posterior aspect of the ankle or calf, and rarely on the wrist, thigh, or heel3,4. Although the pathogenesis is unclear, dermal inflammation or panniculitis related to local pressure may lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation2. Characteristics of infantile skin, including vulnerability to physical trauma and high saturated fatty acid content, as well as the inability to remove the tight garment or effectively communicate discomfort, may be related to the development of this condition2. A diagnosis can be easily reached upon obtaining the history related to garment wear and the characteristic clinical features. Differential diagnosis should include other infant linear skin eruptions with different courses related to child abuse, amniotic band syndrome, acquired raised bands of infancy. In addition, congenital hyperpigmentation syndromes following Blaschko's lines, such as linear epidermal nevi, linear and whorled nevoid hypermelanosis, and incontinentia pigmenti should also be considered2,3. The distinct clinical features of mitten- or sock-line hyperpigmentation for distinguishing from other linear hyperpigmentation is that it typically presents as one or two hyperpigmented patch perpendicular to the limb axis and does not follow the line of Blaschko. Avoiding local pressure from tight garments is the mainstay of preventive therapy. This condition typically resolves within a few months without any sequelae, although a few persistent cases longer than 2~3 years have been described in the literature3. In conclusion, we report the first Korean case of mittenline hyperpigmentation on the right forearm of a 9-day-old female.