Content - Volume 89, Issue 5

Anybody interested in asking how we should treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC) should read the review paper from Mosterd et al. in this issue of the journal (p. 454–458). This article, from Kelleners-Smeet’s Maastricht group, provides for some readers, if not for the authors, a fascinating case history of the deficiencies of the evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement (1). Let me first describe th ...

In this issue of Acta Dermato-Venereology (p. 492–497), Katarina Wolk and co-workers, present data from a population-based case-control study showing a statistically significant positive association between body mass index (BMI) and onset of plaque psoriasis. In the study, a higher BMI was also associated with higher psoriasis activity, as judged by considering the Psoriasis Area Severity Index ...

Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) statistics in June 2009 show, very encouragingly, that the impact factor of Acta Dermato-Venereologica for 2008 has risen to 2.456 and that, as a consequence, our journal is now ranked among the top nine dermatological journals in the world. The increase in impact factor (see Fig. 1 for a yearly comparison and Table I for a list of the 15 highest ranking ...

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and its incidence is still rising. In recent years, new treatment modalities have been developed and existing modalities refined. The aim of this article is to give a histology-based overview of the available evidence-based research. The literature was searched for randomized controlled trials from which the efficacy of investigated treat ...

Microdialysis allows the study of the local production and temporal resolution of cytokines in living skin. Samples were taken from the normal skin of 10 healthy subjects for 24–28 h after insertion of a concentric microdialysis catheter, and analysed with a Luminex bead-based assay. Interleukin-1 beta (IL1b), IL6 and IL8 were seen in all subjects at all time-points after the first hour. Levels ...

Immunotherapy with wasp allergen leads to a variety of specific immunological changes. It is unknown, however, whether unspecific effects also occur, and which parameter shifts might indicate treatment success. Therefore, data of patients who had completed immunotherapy with wasp venom were analysed retrospectively for a change in the following parameters after therapy: threshold of skin tests wit ...

In Europe, little is known about the prevalence of indoor tanning. The aims of this study were therefore to estimate the prevalence of sunbed use and to identify risk groups and motives in a population-based survey. The cross-sectional “SUN-Study 2008” (“Sunbed-Use: Needs for Action-Study 2008”) was conducted in 2008. A total of 500 adults, aged 18–45 years, were randomly selected and as ...

Most studies investigating the association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease have shown a significant relationship. This comparison study investigated the association between psoriasis and prevalent use of cardiovascular drugs. Drug exposure data for 1998 to 2006 were extracted from the Dutch PHARMO-Record Linkage System database. Psoriasis patients were selected using an algorithm of h ...

Quinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae rates have increased worldwide since 1994. The objective of this study was to appraise: (i) the antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a venereology clinic in Paris, between 2005 and 2007; and (ii) the factors associated with quinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae. A prospective study of consecutive cases was performed for the period 2005 to ...

Many patients with rosacea do not seek medical care. The aim of this study was to find predictors for health­care-seeking behaviour among patients with rosacea. The study subjects were 70 consecutive patients attending a dermatologist (seekers) and 56 subjects with rosacea symptoms selected randomly from among the working population (non-seekers). All subjects completed an Estonian Mood Scale q ...

Accumulating evidence indicates that body weight, alcohol and smoking are associated with psoriasis. However, these factors have scarcely been investigated in relation to onset and disease activity at onset of psoriasis. A population-based case-control study was performed including 373 cases with onset of first-time plaque psoriasis within 12 months and matched healthy controls. Psoriasis activity ...

Chronic pruritus (> 6 weeks) is a worldwide symptom and a burden in many dermatological, systemic and psychosomatic/psychiatric diseases. Patients with chronic pruritus frequently endure a long and complicated disease course, failure of therapy and a substantial reduction in quality of life. Psychological mechanisms may be involved in eliciting and coping with chronic pruritus. Treatment of prurit ...

We report here the case of a 55-year-old Japanese man with a one-year history of multiple ulcers on the left crural region. He had had pronounced varicose veins on both legs and the abdominal region for 35 years. Computed tomography images of the thoracic and abdominal regions showed the absence of an inferior vena cava, with pronounced dilatation of paravertebral venous plexus, cutaneous and azyg ...

Dystrophic calcification in the skin occurs in association with a variety of disorders. To determine the association between subcutaneous calcification and chronic venous insufficiency, X-ray examinations were performed in 20 patients with chronic venous insufficiency and in 20 control subjects to detect latent calcification in their lower legs. Of the 20 patients, 13 (65%) had subcutaneous calcif ...

T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL) is a rare, aggressive neoplasm of mature T lymphocytes. The small cell variant occurs in approximately 20% of T-PLL patients. The skin findings of leukaemia consist of leukaemia-specific skin lesions, which are infiltrated by leukaemia cells, and non-specific lesions. The former type of lesion signifies leukaemia cutis. Leukaemia cutis presents clinically as ...

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A 56-year-old Japanese man was treated with systemic corticosteroids in a local hospital for a 6-year history of purpuric eruptions affecting the upper and lower eyelids, neck and upper chest. He had frequent relapses of the eruptions, together with fever and knee joint pain. One year previously, he had presented with haemorrhagic diverticula in his colon, which were surgically resected. Two month ...

An 18-month-old boy presented with an asymptomatic skin lesion of the scrotum that had been present since birth. Physical examination revealed a flesh-coloured, large, soft gyrate plaque with a few overlying scattered pores on the left side of the scrotum (Fig. 1A and B). There was no family history of a similar condition. In addition, the parents reported that the left testis was not palpable und ...