Content - Volume 75, Issue

A previously developed guinea pig model for the study of the dermal inflammatory cell infiltrate of allergic, toxic, and irritant reactions was adapted to the study of the immediate intradermal reaction to ovalbumin. Comparison of qualitative and quantitative counts of infiltrating cells at three levels in the dermis showed that counting 20 subepidermal fields starting from the injection point of ...

Increased immunoglobulin (Ig) E-levels are frequently found in the sera of patients with atopic eczema. To further understand the mechanisms underlying this increase of IgE, like enlarged number of IgE-producing cells, enhanced activity of IgE-producing cells or altered IgE metabolism, we analyzed the frequency and activity of IgE-producing B-lymphocytes within peripheral blood mononuclear cells o ...

The etiology of atopic pruritus is unclear and seems mostly histamine-independent. In order to investigate non-mast cells as possible sources of pruritogenic agents, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 12 atopic eczema patients and 12 controls were incubated in vitro for 24 h with phytohemagglutinin or concanavalin A (both at 10 micrograms/ml) or with medium alone, and each subject was tested ...

In order to obtain objective data on skin functions in subjects with atopic dermatitis (AD), according to the different phases of the disease, we evaluated the skin of children with AD instrumentally and compared it to that of healthy subjects of the same age group. One hundred patients, aged 3 to 12, and 21 healthy children were studied by means of measurements of pH, capacitance and transepiderm ...

The mediators eliciting pruritus in atopic eczema are a matter of discussion, since several substances may be involved and histamine is unlikely to be the main agent. Hence, in this study we examined the cutaneous sensations and vascular reactions in 15 patients with atopic eczema and in 15 non-atopic subjects after i.c. injection of acetylcholine (Ach, 0,5 M, 20 microliter) or buffered saline, re ...

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a potent chemoattractant and a well-established stimulator of DNA-synthesis in keratinocytes. Previously, repeated applications of LTB4 have been reported to induce a topically defined tachyphylaxis with respect to the extravasation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils. The aim of the present study was to quantify epidermal proliferation (% basal keratinocytes in S- and G2M ph ...

In order to find image descriptors enabling the characterization of sclerotic skin of morphea plaques and their objective differentiation from normal skin, we studied 52 lesions in 35 patients affected by plaque type morphea. Echographic evaluations were carried out using a 20 MHz B-scanner, providing cross-sectional images of the skin. Images were processed by a program providing a numerical repr ...

Single cilia were found in melanocytes and basal keratinocytes in normal epidermis and in epidermis subjected to various types of exposure. Quantitative electron microscopy showed that about 31% of the melanocytes and 71% of the keratinocytes from normal skin possessed a ciliary apparatus, but there was a wide individual variation. A statistically significant decrease in the number of ciliated ker ...

Techniques for the assessment of skin hydration are often based on the electrical properties of the stratum corneum. A commonly used instrument for measurements of skin moisture is the corneometer, which detects changes in the dielectric constant of the material in contact with the probe. It has been suggested that different materials, for example cream residues and desquamating scales, may interf ...

The process of ageing involves many changes in the skin. These changes are not necessarily uniform, so the pattern of regional variations may vary with ageing. The aim of the present study was to assess age-related regional variations in skin function, by measuring the cutaneous microvascular response to histamine. Histamine was topically applied to the back and forearm of a young and an aged grou ...

The effects of topical glycolic acid and all-trans retinoic acid on stratum corneum barrier function and hydration of human skin were investigated in 6 healthy volunteers utilizing non-invasive techniques. In addition, changes in stratum corneum turnover time induced by the substances were examined using the dansyl chloride fluorescence test. Twelve percent glycolic acid in water and 0.1% retinoic ...

In this study we have investigated epidermal growth and differentiation during wound healing in human skin. The studies were performed in excisional wounds in normal skin and in chronic venous ulcers. Tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining for proliferation-associated nuclear antigens (PCNA and Ki-67 antigen) and cytokeratin 16. Healing of excisional wounds was studied from day 2 to ...

The guinea pig maximization test (GPMT) is usually performed with one moderately irritant induction dose of the allergen and gives a qualitative assessment-hazard identification-of the allergenicity of the chemical. We refined the GPMT by applying a multiple dose design and used 30 guinea pigs in a test divided into a control group and 5 test groups of 5 animals. Each group was treated with differ ...

Clinical, histological and HPV DNA hybridization findings were analyzed for 73 homosexual and 38 heterosexual men attending for anal warts; therapy results were evaluated retrospectively for 76 of these patients. Concurrent anal and penile warts occurred most commonly in the heterosexual men (p < 0.001). While perianal warts were most common in heterosexuals (p < 0.05), intraanal warts were most c ...

Acro-angiodermatitis is a very common disorder, with a close clinical, anatomical and morphological resemblance to Kaposi's sarcoma. Several types of this disorder can be found in different settings. However, these conditions are often misdiagnosed and therefore mistreated. A review of the literature and a classification of all types of acro-angiodermatitis are presented. We also describe a case o ...

Setleis' syndrome is an uncommon inherited condition characterized by bilateral "scarlike" depressions on the temples and a wide spectrum of associated facial abnormalities. We report on a typically affected Japanese boy, whose mother and grandfather show a much milder expression of this disorder, suggesting an apparent autosomal dominant inheritance.

We have analyzed 8 patients (6 men and 2 women, aged 52 to 70 years) with psoriasis associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among 79 psoriatic patients. Psoriasis preceded in 6 cases. One patient had generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), and the others had psoriasis vulgaris (PV). The psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score ranged from 2.7 to 32.4. Two of the patients were treated ...

In chronic urticaria, the possible pathogenetic role of pseudoallergic reactions to food has been repeatedly discussed, but stringent prospective studies regarding their clinical significance are not available. All patients with chronic urticaria and/or angioedema hospitalized at the department of dermatology during a period of 2 years were therefore included in a prospective study. Patients (n = ...

A case of solar pruritus is reported. Severe pruritus of the back, shoulders and upper lateral aspects of the arms, without any eruption, developed in a 28-year-old outdoor worker during 4 to 6 weeks of intensive solar exposure. The pruritus was intense and described as a burning sensation deep in the skin. Only a few excoriations and slight xerosis were found. Solar pruritus or brachioradial prur ...

We report the case of a 27-year-old female who had an allergic contact dermatitis to topical corticosteroids belonging to the corticosteroid groups A and D. Upon oral treatment with prednisolone a disseminated exanthema began within 24 h. Patch tests revealed sensitization to corticosteroids of group A, C and D, including prednisolone-21-acetate and betamethasone valerate, but not of group B corti ...