Content - Volume 64, Issue 3

The presence of 6-hydroxy-5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (6H5MI-2-C) in normal human urine was demonstrated by mass spectrometry. A quantitative method based on HPLC with fluorometric detection was developed for the determination of 6H5MI-2-C. In normal subjects the mean urinary concentration of 6H5MI-2-C was 38 mumol/mol of creatinine (range 6-76 mumol/mol).

The ultrahistopathology of six patients with psoriatic oral mucosal membrane lesions is described. Four of the patients had tongue lesions (geographic or fissured tongue) and two had lesions of the buccal mucosa. The same features were found in both types of lesions. The most prominent feature was the large number of neutrophils. Neutrophil pustules caused flattening of the keratinocytes, resultin ...

Plasma samples from 20 patients with acquired cold urticaria were studied. The C1-esterase inhibitor activity was found to be low, but the total C1-esterase inhibitor concentration was normal. Prekallikrein, plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complex, and kallikrein-like activity were also found to be within normal limits. Cold-promoted activation of coagulation factor VII occurred in 45% of the patient ...

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 45 patients with a positive patch test to cobalt chloride (CoCl2) and 37 controls were stimulated with various concentrations of CoCl2 and/or cobalt sulphate (CoSO4) or cobalt nitrate (Co(NO3)2) or cobalt acetate [CH3COO)2Co) for various days in culture. Lymphocytes from 35 of these patients showed a significantly greater response than that of the controls. The re ...

Peritumoral lacunas of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were for a long time misinterpreted as fixation artifacts. However, recent studies showed that they might be considered as a dynamic process related to degenerescence for the palisade cells. We studied three antigens of the epidermal basement membrane zone--type IV collagen, laminin, and bullous pemphigoid antigen--by indirect immunofluorescence in ...

The thickness of morphoea plaques was measured by A-mode ultrasound and compared to regional control measurements in the same individuals. The thickness of morphoea plaques was increased by 18-310% in 17 patients with one or a few morphoea plaques (p less than 0.01), and by 13-145% in 6 patients with generalized morphoea (p less than 0.05). The increase in thickness of morphoea plaques was local c ...

Analysis of the presence of psoriasis in all first-degree relatives of psoriatic twin probands, 38 monozygotic (MZ) and 24 dizygotic (DZ), has been performed in order to clarify if genetic heterogeneity might be present (the twin-family method). The probands were derived from a population based sample of like-sexed twin pairs. An almost identical frequency of psoriasis in parents, siblings and chi ...

Medical records for leg and foot ulcer patients have been investigated, 1377 patients were found. The median age for women was 76 years and for men 70 years. Totally there was a majority of women, 61%. The age specific frequencies for leg and foot ulcer patients did however not differ between men and women. Thirty percent of all patients had ulcers on the feet only. The ratio between men and women ...

The effect of urea on the penetration of hydrocortisone and triamcinolone acetonide into human skin from topically applied vehicles was studied. The resulting penetration promotion has two possible applications in topical therapy: (a) An increased therapeutic effect for a given concentration of the active constituent. (b) A given therapeutic effect could be obtained with a reduced concentration of ...

The effects of topical glucocorticoid treatment on histamine responses and histamine release induced by the histamine liberating agent compound 48/80 were studied in 17 healthy volunteers. The potent glucocorticoid ointment clobetasol-17-propionate was applied on one upper arm of each individual 14, 4 and 2 hours before testing. The other arm was treated in the same way with the corresponding vehi ...

The serum levels of IgE were found to be increased in 24 of 34 patients with an acute exacerbation of bullous pemphigoid. There was no statistically significant correlation between the serum IgE level or the serum anti-basement membrane zone antibody titer and the extent of the disease during an exacerbation. There was however a positive correlation between anti-basement membrane zone antibody tit ...

A case of pseudo-Kaposi sarcoma of the feet (acroangiodermatitis) is reported. The patient showed clinical and light-microscopic signs closely resembling Kaposi´s sarcoma, but by electron microscopy of skin biopsies definite signs of degeneration of vascular walls and infiltrating cells were demonstrated. Electron microscopy should be applied when conventional histology is inconclusive or fits po ...

A solitary case of Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type I is described. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed alterations of the cuticular pattern and hair shaft structure. These alterations have not been previously described and differ from those seen in other syndromes belonging to the group of the ectodermal dysplasias e.g. the Trichoonytic Hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, autosomal r ...

Biopsies from the uninvolved skin of 5 patients with the Cockayne-Touraine (CT) type of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) were studied with the electron microscope. Dermal fibrillar bodies were noted in 2 patients and 3 showed basal lamina (BL) duplication or splitting. Discontinuity of the BL with herniation of keratinocyte cytoplasm was present in one patient. These changes, thought previou ...

In two unusual cases of pemphigus, classified as pemphigus erythematosus (PE), the clinical and laboratory data are summarized and discussed. In case I, with characteristic immunologic features of PE, acantholysis was detectable only by the EM-technique. Case II with transitory pemphigus and features of SLE was diagnosed as "probable PE". In this case (case II) concomitant incidence was found of b ...

Total plasma kininogen was measured in 75 normal individuals and in patients with extensive dermatoses. Elevated levels were found in 20 of 30 hospitalized patients with atopic dermatitis. Elevated levels were observed in 33 psoriasis patients. Nine atopic patients responded to intravenous calcium gluconate with elevated levels during three hours of observation in contrast to no response to contro ...

A patient working in an ink laboratory developed dermatitis on his hands. Patch testing revealed contact allergy to the ink used and to 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (2-HPMA), the monomer present in the ink. Guinea pig maximisation test (GPM-test) shows that 2-HPMA is a weak sensitizer. The data suggest cross-reactivity to 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) but not to 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate (2- ...

In 7 patients with systemic scleroderma and acroscleroderma improvement was observed after the administration of fucidine. In the same time 4 amino acids contents, which had been abnormal prior to the therapy, normalized.

A case is reported of a fixed drug eruption due to Prochlorperazine maleate which caused ulceration of the lower lip confirmed by a positive provocation test.

A case of repeated eruption after administration of erythromycin is described. It is the first report of erythromycin as proven agent of such an allergic reaction.