Content - Volume 74, Issue 5

To elucidate the mechanisms that are involved in the decrease of ceramide levels in atopic dry skin and in aged skin, we examined both the activities of beta-glucocerebrosidase, which is a major enzyme in ceramide production, and of ceramidase, which is an essential enzyme in ceramide degradation, in the stratum corneum of atopic dry skin and aged skin. The specimens of the stratum corneum of fore ...

Multiple sensitivity to metals is often seen in humans. This may be due to cross-reactivity or to multiple sensitization. The pattern of cross-reactivity to some metal compounds was studied, using the guinea pig maximization test method. Animals were induced with K2Cr2O7 and CoCl2, respectively, and then challenged with K2Cr2O7, CoCl2, NiSO4, PdCl2 and RhCl3. No simultaneous reactivity was recorde ...

The distribution of lysozyme was investigated in psoriatic skin lesions, perilesional skin and in skin from healthy controls, using the immunoperoxidase techniques avidin-biotin complex and alkaline phosphatase-anti alkaline phosphatase. Lysozyme was identified in polymorphonuclear leukocytes present in the Munro microabscesses and also occasionally in other parts of the skin, as shown by very str ...

Azelaic acid is a dicarboxylic acid with known antimycotic activity. In this study we have used an agar dilution technique to test the effect of six other dicarboxylic acids (sebacic, undecanedioic, dodecanedioic, tridecanedioic, tetradecanedioic and hexadecanedioic acid, 10(-4)-10(-2) mol/l, pH 5.5) on in vitro growth of Trichophyton (T.) rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and Microsporum (M.) canis. Furt ...

Immunological mechanisms have long been suggested to mediate hair loss in alopecia areata. In this process hair bulb melanocytes and dermal papilla fibroblasts are believed to be primarily involved. In the present study we further investigated the role of humoral factors in alopecia areata. Three different experiments were performed on normal human epidermal melanocytes as well as normal human der ...

It has been suggested that prolonged antigenic stimulation contributes to the development of epidermotropic cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome, characterized by a cutaneous infiltration of proliferating helper T cells. Since Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies were increased in CTCL sera, we investigated a possible etiologic role for EBV in epidermotropic CTCL ...

DNA-flow cytometric analyses were performed on paraffin-embedded sections of trichilemmal carcinoma, proliferating trichilemmal cyst, and trichilemmal cyst. Nine out of 10 cases of trichilemmal carcinoma and 2 out of 5 cases of proliferating trichilemmal cyst showed aneuploidy. No aneuploidy was detected in 6 cases of benign trichilemmal cyst. The proliferating index (percentage of cells that exce ...

In patients with systemic sclerosis peristaltic abnormalities may delay gastric emptying, giving rise to bacterial overgrowth, including possibly Helicobacter pylori (HP). Infection with Helicobacter is an important risk factor for esophageal and gastric diseases, including esophagitis, gastritis and gastric cancer. The purpose of this prospective study was to assess gastric HP infection in patien ...

Levels of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) were studied from blister fluids collected from 14 patients with various types of blistering diseases. In all the fluids, IL-1 alpha could be detected, the concentrations varying from 5 to 1730 pg/ml. For comparison IL-1 alpha was also assayed from suction blisters of 13 subjects; 8 atopic patients and 5 healthy controls. IL-1 alpha was also present in su ...

Forty-four patients with systemic sclerosis and 3 patients with localized scleroderma were investigated for plasma endothelin and aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP). Although there was an overlap between plasma levels of endothelin in patients with systemic sclerosis and healthy controls, the mean value of the patients was significantly higher than in controls. Plasma endoth ...

BN and LEW rats possess different and extreme profiles of TH1/TH2 cells. The main objective of this study was to determine if this constitutively expressed property may influence the propensity to develop contact allergy to a potent contact sensitizer, 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene (DNFB). In order to avoid overlapping reactions due to toxicity, we defined non-irritant threshold levels of DNFB histo ...

Human skin has an acid mantle of pH 4-6, contrasting with the almost neutral pH of the interior body and implying the existence of a pH gradient over the horny layer that might influence a variety of epidermal processes. In an attempt to characterize the pH gradient, we applied a glass electrode to the volar surface of the forearm before and after consecutive strippings with sello-tape. Before str ...

Occupational diseases among welders include asthma, acute keratoconjunctivitis, and various skin disorders. A localized cutaneous erythema from UVC radiation is common and does not generally constitute any problem, as its cause is obvious to the welder, the symptoms are slight, and it is transient. In this report a welder with UVC-induced erythema on the cheeks is described. Initially, neither the ...

Premenstrual exacerbation of allergic contact dermatitis and varying allergic patch test responses have been reported at different points of the period. Using a dilution series of nickel sulphate, we studied the variation in patch test reactivity in nickel allergic women in relation to the menstrual cycle. Twenty women with regular periods were tested on day 7-10 and on day 20-24. Ten nickel patch ...

Pachydermodactyly is a rare form of digital fibromatosis. There are only 15 cases reported in the literature, all with a negative family history. Only one of the previously reported cases was a woman. We now report 2 female cases, mother and daughter, who, to the best of our knowledge, are the first patients with familial pachydermodactyly. The histological evolution of this disease over the years ...

A case of POEMS syndrome and Castleman's multicentric disease is reported. Multiple long-standing cutaneous lesions, histologically similar to histiocytomas, were the initial manifestation of POEMS syndrome. A high incidence of angiomatous lesions associated with POEMS syndrome has already been established. To our knowledge, this report is the first report to associate multiple angioproliferative ...

We report two cases with severe skin reactions following oral terbinafine (Lamisil) therapy. The first case was a 49-year-old woman with onychomycosis of the toe nails. She had suffered from diabetes for 3 years, but it was well controlled on insulin. Five days after start of terbinafine 250 mg once daily she developed erythema. The treatment was continued for 2 days, but the skin eruption progres ...

Genital warts and intraepithelial neoplasia caused by infection with human papillomavirus are usually treated with CO2 laser or electrocoagulation. In this study, contamination of personnel and operating theatres with human papillomavirus DNA during treatment sessions was investigated. Samples were taken from the nostrils, nasolabial folds and conjunctiva of the operating physician before and afte ...

We report on a 56-year-old patient with systemic sclerosis of one and a half year's duration who was admitted with an acute soft tissue swelling over the left scapula and a marked reduction of joint mobility of the left shoulder. Over the following days, the swelling extended distally and a hemorrhagic discoloration developed, reaching down to the scrotum. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging reveal ...

KH 1060 is a 20-epi-vitamin D3 analogue, structurally related to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3). In vitro, KH 1060 is much more potent than 1,25(OH)2D3 in regulating cell growth and T lymphocyte mediated immune responses, despite a similar calcemic activity in vivo. Therefore, KH 1060 is of potential interest in the treatment of psoriasis and other diseases characterized by accelerated cel ...

Over a 2-year period, we saw 37 patients with a diagnosis of dermatophytid on the hands based on 1) culture-proven dermatophytosis on one or both feet; 2) symmetrical, secondary vesicular eruptions on the fingers and/or palmar aspects of the hands; and 3) a resolution in both areas of involvement after treatment of the dermatophytosis on the foot. During the study period, 128 patients had culture- ...

Comment on Evaluation of barrier creams: an in vitro technique on human skin. [Acta Derm Venereol. 1994]