Content - Volume 67, Issue 2

The expression of blood-group antigens was studied on human epidermal cultures used as allografts in 13 non-immunosuppressed patients treated for leg ulcers. The study was carried out using monoclonal antibodies to A and B antigens by an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Blood-group antigens are weakly expressed on the suprabasal layers of the cultured epidermal sheets. After grafting, the do ...

The concentrations of dopa, cysteinyldopas, 5-S-glutathionyldopa, gamma-glutamyl-5-S-cysteinyldopa and 5-S-cysteinylglycinedopa, were analysed in homogenates of cultured human melanoma cells and in culture media. Cysteinyldopas were found to be the major catechol in the cells, with a molar concentration more than a hundred times that of dopa. 5-S-Glutathionyldopa was found in the same amount as do ...

Connective tissue metabolism was studied in detail in three human skin fibroblast lines, demonstrating low, medium, or high levels of glucocorticoid receptor densities. In the cell lines with low and medium receptor density, dexamethasone, in the range of 10(-5)-10(-9) M, had no effect on collagen production, using short incubation time periods and high (20%) fetal calf serum concentration, while ...

The effects of topically applied 20% azelaic acid (AA) on normal human epidermis were investigated vs. placebo in a double blind study by electron microscopy in 15 volunteers. After 3 months of local application twice daily, the pattern of epidermal keratinization was found altered in skin treated with AA. In particular, the number and thickness of tonofilament bundles and the number of keratohyal ...

Three trichophytin preparations from different strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes were produced according to the ethylene glycol method and assessed for their lymphocyte stimulation activity in vitro (LST). These trichophytin preparations showed significant variations in their effects on cord lymphocytes reactivity. The preparations also varied in their stimulation of lymphocytes from patients ...

To investigate the effect of grenz rays on irritant contact reactions, eleven healthy volunteers were studied. They were given 3 Gy of grenz rays, once a week for 3 weeks, to a defined area of the back. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, serial dilution sodium lauryl sulphate patch tests were applied both on the grenz ray treated area and on the untreated control skin. Biopsy specimens we ...

The eczema of 113 patients with dermatitis other than classical urticaria or typical atopic dermatitis cleared or showed marked improvement after one to two months of dietary restriction. In their response to a questionnaire completed at least 6 months after the initiation of the diet, 61 (54%) of these patients said that diet restriction was effective in reducing the activity of or preventing rec ...

In an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms underlying retinoid-induced hyperlipidemia, the effects of etretinate (Tigason) and isotretinoin (Roaccutane) on two different plasma fat elimination variables and on the plasma fatty acid composition were studied. Twelve patients with various hyperkeratotic disorders participated in a double-blind cross-over study of etretinate and isotretinoin. Each drug ...

A study was undertaken to determine whether the skin eruption of linear IgA disease (LAD) was gluten dependent. Six patients with LAD were treated with a gluten free diet (GFD) for an average period of 33 months (range 19-48). Although one patient with LAD had an enteropathy which was clearly gluten sensitive, there was no convincing evidence that the rash of any of the patients responded to a GFD ...

Thirty psoriatic out-patients were treated as a right-left comparison with dithranol (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2%) and butantrone (0.66, 1.3, 2.7, 3.9%) short contact therapy, both in white petrolatum. Fifteen of the treated patients cleared well and no obvious differences between the treated sides were clinically observed. Six patients showed some improvement, but in four of them the dithranol treated side c ...

Two different gonococcal strains with equal minimum inhibitory concentrations of ceftriaxone are exposed to continuously changing concentrations of this antibiotic simulating the ones found in man after the single intramuscular application of different doses (1,000, 250, 125, 50 and 25 mg). In general the bactericidal effect on both strains decreases more or less steadily with decreasing concentra ...

The study included 40 patients with clinically venous leg ulcer(s) in one leg only and with a systolic toe blood pressure above 50 mmHg in both legs. Transcutaneous oxygen tension was measured on both lower legs at equivalent sites, on the affected leg immediately proximal to the ulcer(s). Similarly, skin blood flow was measured in both legs at a skin temperature of 32 degrees C and 44 degrees C b ...

The urinary excretion of 5-S-cysteinyldopa was examined in 10 healthy Japanese subjects once a month during a period of one year. The mean values were highest in August (296 micrograms/day) and lowest in February (141 micrograms/day). Individual variations were so great that only a weak difference was observed (p less than 0.05).

Immunohistochemically we examined six patients with ringworm which exhibited a well-marked erythematous edge and central resolution. To obtain a panoramic view of the immunopathological features of various evolutionary stages of skin lesion, we took a radial slice biopsy specimen extending from normal-appearing skin to central resolution. The actively involved edge had a moderate amount of dermal ...

Peripheral blood T-cell subpopulations were evaluated in 36 patients with clinically different types of warts, subdivided in 4 groups (common, genital, flat and plantar warts). A significant decrease was found in OKT3 and OKT4 subsets total count and in OKT4/OKT8 ratio in patients with common and genital warts as compared with controls. Only in common and genital warts did we also observe a signif ...

A patient is described in whom transformation of lymphocytoma cutis (LC) into malignant lymphoma, diffuse, mixed small and large lymphocytes, occurred in association with the sign of Leser-Tr?©lat (LT), which is a marker for internal malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, such an association has not been reported previously.

Two hundred and sixteen non hospitalized patients with skin tags (ST) were studied for the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity. Overt DM was found in 57 (26.3%) patients and impaired glucose tolerance test was found in 17 (7.9%) patients. Sixteen new cases of DM were found among this group. All the diabetic patients in the study population had non-insulin dependent DM. Sixty-two (28.7%) ...

A case of naevoid hypotrichosis affecting two symmetrical areas in the parietal regions is described.

In cases of advance mycosis fungoides, the systemic chemotherapy combination of bleomycin, cyclophosphamide and prednisolone was given to 8 cases, and the same 3-drug combination with the addition of oral retinoids given to 12 cases. All cases were in a progressive phase of the disease. Remission was obtained in 5/8 cases treated with the combination and in 7/12 cases treated with the combination ...