Content - Volume 73, Issue 3

A review of a variety of cutaneous paraneoplastic conditions is presented. Although the conditions discussed appear in only 7-15% of cancer patients, they are considered indicators of possible underlying malignancy.

There has been concern about the possible risk of malignification of venous leg ulcers. To investigate the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in venous ulcers, data on 1,170 patients with venous leg ulcers and 511 patients with other types of non-traumatic ulcers were matched with corresponding data from the Swedish Cancer Registry to determine the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in these p ...

Reconstruction of epidermis on a fibroblast containing chitosan cross-linked collagen-GAG lattice at the air-liquid interface gives rise to a multilayered stratified epithelium, covered with a compact stratum corneum. Immunohistological studies reveal that the markers of epidermal differentiation are essentially distributed as in normal human skin and that the major proteins of the dermal-epiderma ...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme (SCCE) in human epidermis reconstructed in vitro on dead de-epidermized dermis and the effect of retinoic acid (RA) on its expression. SCCE is a recently discovered serine proteinase which has been purified from human stratum corneum, and evidence has been presented that it may play a role in stratu ...

Seventeen patients with psoriasis vulgaris were studied by high-frequency (20 MHz) ultrasound imaging. An echo-lucent band located at the dermo-epidermal junction was characteristic. The band represents the combination of acanthotic epidermal thickening and inflammation. Thus, with ultrasound the site within the skin where primary events take place can be studied and followed non-invasively, i.e. ...

Coal tar, which is widely used in the treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis, chronic eczema, and psoriasis, contains a large amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Some of the PAH compounds are known either to be carcinogenic or to potentiate the effects of other carcinogenic substances. In the present study, the excretion patterns of 1-hydroxypyrene (metabolite of pyrene) and al ...

The purpose of the present study was to develop an ex vivo skin model to determine the capacity of lesional skin of psoriasis to form leukotriene B4 and other eicosanoids. Keratomed skin samples were incubated in the presence of the calcium ionophore A23187 and arachidonic acid for 45 min at 37 degrees C. After extraction of lipids, eicosanoids were determined by quantitative reversed-phase high-p ...

Chronic sun exposure and cumulative exposures to PUVA are associated with a risk of development of non-melanoma skin cancer. Acute UV irradiation reduces the number of epidermal antigen-presenting Langerhans' cells in the skin. Alterations in the Langerhans' cell population could be relevant to a disturbance in the cutaneous immune response in UV-exposed skin. Therefore the density of CDla+ and AT ...

We recently reported the existence of two kinds of human epidermal Langerhans' cells (LC), one which can take up and accumulate L-dopa and one which cannot. The dopa(+) LC take up L-dopa by carrier-mediated exchange diffusion, that is, the influx of L-dopa and the outflow of an intracellular substance are linked via the same carrier. The nature of the fundamental difference between L-dopa(+) and L ...

The effect of increased pressure, which is a mechanical property of massage, was investigated on the percutaneous absorption of an amphiphilic compound (caffeine) in vitro on Franz diffusion cells, using excised human skin. 50 microliters of either a 320 micrograms/ml or a 15 mg/ml acetone solution of caffeine were pipetted onto the surface of each skin sample, which represented caffeine skin depo ...

Irritant contact dermatitis is a major problem in dermatology. One important group of substances causing irritant dermatitis is detergents. Exposure of the skin to detergents is frequent in both work and domestic environments. In the present paper we have studied how the penetration through the skin, and thus the effect, of the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is altered when the temperature ...

We report two cases of the SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne conglobata, pustulosis palmoplantaris, hyperostosis and osteitis). This syndrome has been published in the pediatric and rheumatological literature in recent years.

We report a case of pemphigus foliaceus caused by nifedipine. In this case casual rechallenge with nifedipine confirmed that this drug was the causative agent. The skin lesions cleared quickly after withdrawal of the drug and treatment with a short course of oral steroids. To our knowledge, this is the first reported patient with nifedipine-induced pemphigus.

Pseudocyst of the ear is a rare entity with controversial pathogenesis. Usually it is presented as a solitary, unilateral, fluctuant and non-inflammatory tumour of the ear with overlying normal skin. It occurs most often in young adult males. Incission reveals a serous liquid, with the consistency of olive oil, contained in the cyst-like lesion. Histopathology shows an intracartilaginous cavity wi ...

In order to optimize patch test strategies and counselling in occupational dermatology, it is important to identify risk markers of contact sensitization. Since nickel is the most frequent contact allergen in European countries, we studied the potential of the irritant response to sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) to predict nickel sensitization. In 100 patients subsequently tested in our patch test cli ...

A 40-year-old man presented with an ulcerated tumour in a fibrotic plaque on the dorsum of his left foot. Due to severe localized scleroderma, the patient had been treated with azathioprine 10 years earlier. Histopathology of the excised tumour revealed an anaplastic squamous cell carcinoma within a scar of localized scleroderma. The case demonstrates that not only patients with tense scar tissue ...

Adverse immune reactions develop in up to 30% of patients treated with gold compounds. However, sensitization to gold(I) drugs is rarely demonstrated by in vivo or in vitro testing. Recent data from a mouse model provides evidence that gold(I) is oxidized to gold(III) before T cells are sensitized. To study the diagnostic value of skin tests, patch testing with various gold compounds - including g ...

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international multicenter trial was conducted, using 1.5 MIU subcutaneous interferon alpha-2a 3 times a week for 4 weeks in 170 patients (interferon, n = 125 or placebo, n = 45) with condylomata acuminata who had failed to respond to standard therapies. There was no difference in efficacy between the interferon alpha-2a and placebo treatment groups a ...

Two women with vulvodynia are described. In one patient, severe chronic vulvodynia developed secondary to contact dermatitis. Patch-testing confirmed the offending allergens. A second patient with vulvodynia was severely dermatographic. Evaluation of patients with vulvodynia should include an appropriate medical history and diagnostic studies to exclude contact dermatitis and dermatographism. Effe ...

A rare case of pemphigus vulgaris associated with acquired hemophilia A is reported. The presence of factor VIII inhibitor is confirmed, and the co-existence of two autoimmune diseases is discussed.

Repeated topical analgesia with EMLA 5% cream prior to the cleansing of venous leg ulcers was studied. Patients were randomly allocated to a series of 8 treatments with EMLA (n = 22) or to a control group (n = 21). A thick layer of the cream was applied to the ulcers for 30 min. At each of the 8 treatments, local reactions were assessed on a 4-point scale and pain from ulcer cleansing on a visua ...

Comment on: Mucosal desquamation in psoriasis.

No abstract available.

No abstract available