Content - Volume 77, Issue 6

It is important to differentiate skin changes due to the intrinsic ageing process from those due to chronic photodamage in the development of therapies to assist the latter condition, and in this study we have used instrumental techniques to differentiate between changes in a range of properties of skin due to ageing and those due to photodamage, especially with regard to elasticity. We measured t ...

The repeated open application test is used to assess the clinical relevance of positive patch test reactions to ingredients of formulated products. The great variation in outcome is usually claimed to be related to the concentration of the allergen responsible. We have here studied the quantitative aspects, specificity and effect of patch testing on the outcome of the repeated open application tes ...

The development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lip is considered to be mainly related to excessive sun exposure. However, its higher metastatic rate is distinct from that of SCCs arising from other sites of sun-damaged skin. Flow cytometric DNA content analysis, using paraffin-embedded specimens, was performed on 15 SCCs of the lip and 32 SCCs arising from other sites of sun-damaged skin. ...

We have studied how keratinocytes cultured under hyperthermal conditions modulate skin fibroblast growth potential and their biosynthetic phenotypes in vitro. When keratinocytes were cultured at 30, 34, 37 or 39 degrees C, the conditioned medium of the keratinocytes cultured at 39 degrees C showed a greater inhibitory activity for fibroblast proliferation and greater synthetic activities of collag ...

Itching is very important in atopic dermatitis, but the details of itching or scratch movements, especially during sleep at night, have not yet been fully comprehended. We designed a new, simple device, the Scratch-Monitor (SM), to evaluate scratch movements at night and assessed the usefulness of this device by a comparison involving 26 patients and 17 healthy controls. The SM, a box weighing onl ...

Eight allergic patch test reactions, eight irritant skin reactions induced by 3% sodium lauryl sulphate and six normal controls were biopsied. Biopsies were immunohistochemically stained with a mouse monoclonal antibody to inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and staining was quantified by computerised image analysis. Human chondrocytes induced to express iNOS were used as a positive control. A ...

In order to better understand the immunological processes connected with IgE-associated cutaneous disease, we have examined the expression of CD40 and its ligand CD40L, required for the induction of IgE synthesis in B-cells, as well as of IgE and its receptors in various dermatoses (atopic dermatitis (AD), scabies, chronic recurrent urticaria) versus normal skin, and in one dermopathic lymph node ...

Following routine appointments in a paediatric dermatology clinic, the parents of 44 young children with atopic eczema and 18 with other skin conditions were interviewed regarding sleep patterns. Sleep disorders were more prevalent in the eczema children than in the control group and normal populations. "Night waking" problems were particularly common in the eczema children, whereas settling probl ...

Platelet-activating factor (PAF acether) is a lipid mediator with a potent proinflammatory activity. Results derived both from in vitro and in vivo studies suggest a possible role of this substance in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. A double-blind, randomized, multi-center, within-patient study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of a topically applied PAF antagonist (RO-24-0238) in 3 ...

The incidence of refractory atopic dermatitis has increased in teenagers and young adults. The purpose of this study was to control the skin symptoms of such patients in daily life. Seventy patients repeatedly took a 10-min 42 degrees C acidic hot-spring bath twice daily. The skin symptoms were improved in 76% of cases. In 30 of 42 responders examined Staphylococcus aureus, detected on the skin su ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a self-reported questionnaire for estimating the prevalence of hand eczema and other hand dermatoses. All pupils in grades 1 and 3 from the secondary schools in Växjö, in southern Sweden, were invited to participate in the study, which consisted of two parts, a questionnaire and a clinical examination. Of those invited, ...

A 31-year-old male presented with a 13-15-mm blue-black plaque tumor on his left forearm, which had existed since birth. Histological examination showed a common blue nevus. Its small size and its location are unusual. A review of plaque-type blue nevus is given.

The aim of this 2-year study was to test the hypothesis that folic acid, vitamin B12 and sun exposure could be helpful in treating vitiligo. One hundred patients with vitiligo were treated with oral folic acid and vitamin B12 after being informed that sun exposure might enhance repigmentation. They were requested to keep a record of sun exposure in summer and UVB irradiation in winter. The minimal ...

Thin epidermal sheets, obtained by a high-speed air-driven dermatome, were used to repigment white areas in 19 patients with vitiligo and one boy with piebaldism. In the depigmented skin to be treated the epidermis was removed by a rotating diamond fraise under topical and/or local anaesthesia injections. The method was used on most parts of the body, including the eyelids and genitalia. The maxim ...

We surveyed the demographic profile and motives prompting to participate among people attending voluntary melanoma screening clinics in Southern Limburg, the Netherlands, in June 1993. Precampaign public announcements addressed only melanoma and its precursor lesions. All attendees completed a detailed questionnaire addressing demographic particulars and specific fixed choice questions on their mo ...

In a retrospective study of 412 leg ulcers in 146 patients treated with pinch grafting, with a mean duration of follow-up of 32 months (range 2-84), the overall healing rate was 38%. The healing rate was best in the vasculitic ulcers (56%), followed by venous ulcers (38%), arteriosclerotic ulcers (33%), mixed ulcers (33%) and "other ulcers" (20%). In the series as a whole, the mean duration of ulc ...

In a double-blind study, 20 patients with contact allergy to gold were given an intramuscular injection of gold sodium thiomalate or placebo, inducing a clinical and histological flare-up of healed patch test sites in the gold-injected but not in the placebo group. The test area of the placebo group showed some perivascular lymphocytic foci (UCHL-1+) and vascular endothelial ELAM-1 staining. The g ...