[Diffuse localized lesions of brain MRI in a 33 year old female with cognitive impairments].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Held.
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Moisturizers are widely used to treat irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Their use is, however, not well-documented and standardized models for testing skin care products are needed to acquire documentation of their efficacy. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of 6 commonly-used moisturizers on the recovery of irritated human skin. No commercial interests were involved in the study. 36 healthy volunteers had patch tests with SLS 0.5% applied on their forearms/upper arms for 24 h. After irritation of the skin, all volunteers had a moisturizer applied on one forearm/upper arm, respectively, 3 x daily for the following 5 days. The other forearm/upper arm served as an untreated control. Each moisturizer was tested on 12 volunteers and each volunteer tested 2 moisturizers at the same time. Evaluation was done on days 1, 3 and 8 by transepidermal water loss, electrical capacitance, laser Doppler flowmetry, DermaSpectrometry and clinical scoring. All 6 moisturizers were found to accelerate regeneration of the skin barrier function when compared to irritated non-treated skin. The most lipid-rich moisturizers improved barrier restoration more rapidly than the less lipid-rich moisturizers. We suggest this experimental model for further moisturizer efficacy testing.
The present study was designed as an intervention study to investigate whether an educational programme was efficient in preventing work-related skin problems on the hands. 107 student auxiliary nurses (61 in the intervention group and 46 in the control group) were followed during the first 10 weeks of their initial practical training in county hospitals. The intervention group was given an educational programme before the practical training started. For evaluation the participants had questionnaires, clinical examination of the hands, measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and patch testing. The use of hand disinfectants, which was discouraged in the educational programme, was significantly lower in the intervention group as compared to the control group (p=0.002). 48% of the intervention group and 58% of the control group had aggravation of skin problems during practical training (p>0.05). Use of hand disinfectant agents was significantly associated with aggravation of skin problems (p=0.016). A significant increase in TEWL for the control group (p<0.005), but not for the intervention group, was seen after 10 weeks of practical training. In conclusion, the present intervention study shows promising results from the use of an educational programme.
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Since the end of the 1990s the Westfälische Klinik Lengerich has offered an inpatient psychiatric treatment of an psychiatric ill parent--combined with a pedagogic attendance of the child taken along. The following article describes our experience in that matter, from a ward concentrated on psychotherapy. In selected examples supposed patterns of interaction--following the specific disease--are represented from both the psychotherapeutic und the pedagogic point of view. In practice our plan of treatment and attendance has proved successful for the wellbeing of the patients and their children. Remains to be hoped that--despite difficulties in organisation which will have to be overcome--similar offers can be made in regional psychiatric attendance.
Moisturizers are used for the treatment of dry and irritated skin. The benefit of moisturizers when used on normal skin has recently been challenged, since an earlier study indicated that the increased hydration that follows long-term use of moisturizers on normal skin may facilitate penetration of irritants. The aim of the present study was to evaluate short-term use of 2 different moisturizers used on normal skin: cream A (high lipid content) and B (moderate/low lipid content). Nineteen healthy volunteers applied the moisturizers on the upper arm/forearm 3 times daily for 5 days, while the other upper arm/forearm served as symmetrical control. The day after moisturizer treatment was stopped the skin was challenged with a patch test of sodium lauryl sulphate. Skin reactions were evaluated by bioengineering measuring methods and clinical scoring. Skin response to sodium lauryl sulphate was increased on moisturizer-treated arms compared to controls for one of the moisturizer (cream A), while this was not statistically significant for the other moisturizer (cream B). Data confirm previous indications that some moisturizers when used on normal skin may increase skin susceptibility to irritants.
PURPOSE: To determine the benefit of bilateral penetrating keratoplasty with regard to binocular vision. METHODS: We compared patients who underwent corneal transplantation bilaterally with patients who had successful corneal transplantation in one eye and corneal disease in the other eye. Specifically, changes in fusion, stereopsis, and binocular vision function were analyzed. A questionnaire regarding performance of daily tasks was given. RESULTS: Patients with bilateral keratoplasty performed better in all the analyzed functions. Fusion was achieved by 81.25% in the unilateral group versus 100% in the bilateral group (p = 0.15). Stereopsis was present more in the bilateral group (100% vs. 62.5%, p = 0.008) and the quantity of stereopsis was significantly better in the bilateral group (121 seconds of arc vs. 1,284 seconds of arc, p = 0.014). 88.8% of the patients subjectively improved in daily activities after second eye surgery. CONCLUSION: There are objective and subjective improvements after bilateral penetrating keratoplasty.
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HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 52-year-old woman was admitted because of pain for several days in the lower left leg and increasing pretibial swelling with livid discoloration. Six months before she had undergone a bilateral adnexectomy with removal of the omentum and subsequent chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. INVESTIGATIONS: Duplex sonography on the day of admission revealed thrombosis of the left popliteal vein with an unobstructed femoral vein. Both the quick value (89%) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT, 35.9 s) were within normal limits. Computed tomography and sonography were highly suspicious of a local recurrence of the ovarian cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis. TREATMENT AND COURSE: PTT-effective heparinization (heparin-Na) was initiated together with overlapping anticoagulation with phenprocoumon (thromboplastin time 20-30%). On the 9th day after starting phenprocoumon painful, black necrotic changes began to appear on the skin of the left first to fourth toes. Assuming these to be due to phenprocoumon, anticoagulation was switched to low-molecular heparin (Enoxaparin), and antithrombin III and protein C were administered. A few days later thrombosis of the right iliac vein occurred, probably caused by local recurrence of the ovarian cancer. No palliative chemotherapy was undertaken in view of the thrombotic complications. The patient died a few months later from the cancer. CONCLUSION: If there is an underlying malignancy, chemotherapy and therapeutic vitamin-K antagonism in the presence of thromboembolic complications increases the risk of lowering protein C activity and may cause the rare complication of skin necrosis, induced by phenprocoumon.
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Individuals with a self-evaluated risk of malignant melanoma were invited to an "open house" where trained dermatologists examined suspected lesions. The attendants filled in a short questionnaire relating to skin cancer risk factors. Persons with skin changes suspected for malignancy were referred for excision in the dermatological department. The clinical evaluation included dermatoscopy. Nine hundred and eleven individuals attended. Among 16 individuals referred for excision one malignant melanoma, one lentigo maligna melanoma and two in situ melanomas were histologically verified. Furthermore, 21 basal cell carcinomas were identified clinically. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were melanocytic naevi and seborrhoic keratoses.
BACKGROUND: Protective gloves are used in the workplace to protect the hands from occupational hazards, but side effects from glove use are frequently reported. Among these side effects, irritant skin reactions are common. OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate whether applying a moisturizer to compromised skin before wearing an occlusive glove could reduce skin irritation. METHODS: Healthy volunteers had both hands immersed in a sodium lauryl sulfate solution twice daily for 2 days. After each immersion, one hand had a moisturizer applied and both hands were put in occlusive gloves for 2 hours. Skin barrier function was evaluated by transepidermal water loss, skin hydration was measured by electrical capacitance and inflammation was evaluated by colorimetry. RESULTS: The moisturizer had a statistically significant positive effect on both the water barrier function and the hydration level of the skin. Although not statistically significant, less inflammation was observed on the moisturizer-treated hand. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that use of a moisturizer under an occlusive glove may diminish irritation from exposure to a detergent followed by glove wearing.
A 42-year-old woman presented with oral and labial erosions, conjunctivitis, facial rash and lichenoid erythematous papules on the trunk. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) was suspected, and a search for a neoplasm revealed an intra-abdominal Castleman tumour sized 7 x 5 x 6 cm. After removal of the Castleman tumour, the skin and mucosal inflammation gradually subsided over the next 12 months. However, due to irreversible pulmonary involvement the patient died of intractable respiratory distress 2 years after the onset of the disease. Systemic corticosteroids, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins and thalidomide were ineffective. The diagnosis of PNP was confirmed by keratinocyte antigen immunoprecipitation with the patient's serum.
Moisturizers are often used in the prevention and treatment of irritant contact dermatitis. The present study was to determine whether long-term daily use of a moisturizer on normal skin would affect skin barrier function, hydration state, or susceptibility to sodium lauryl sulphate. Healthy volunteers used a moisturizer on one forearm 3 times daily for 4 weeks. The other forearm served as a control. Afterwards both forearms were challenged with a patch-test of sodium lauryl sulphate. Skin barrier function was evaluated by measuring trans-epidermal water loss and skin hydration by measuring electrical capacitance. Electrical capacitance was significantly increased on the treated arm during the treatment period. After challenge with sodium lauryl sulphate, transepidermal water loss was significantly higher on the arm treated with moisturizer than on the control arm. The results suggest that long-term treatment with moisturizers on normal skin may increase skin susceptibility to irritants.
The purpose of the present study was to compare 2 experimental models of moisturizer efficacy on the recovery of irritated skin on the hands and the volar forearms. 12 healthy volunteers had their hands immersed in sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) 10 min 2x daily for 2 days, and at the same time the volunteers had patch tests with SLS (0.125%, 0.25% and 0.5%) applied on their forearms for 24 h. After irritation of the skin, the volunteers had a moisturizer applied on one arm/hand 3x daily for the following 9 days. The other arm/hand served as untreated control. Evaluation was done on days (D) 1, 3, 5, 8 and 12 by transepidermal water loss, electrical capacitance, laser Doppler flowmetry and DermaSpectrometry. Both models were found useful, and the moisturizer was found to accelerate regeneration of the skin barrier function in both the hands (D8, p<0.05) and the volar forearms (0.5% SLS, D5 and D8, p<0.01). When the forearm model is used in the present set-up, a relatively high concentration of SLS (>0.25%) should be used and evaluation measurements are best performed on D5-D8. The forearm model proved reliable and easy to handle and we suggest that this model is used in future studies on moisturizer evaluation.
In a 2-year period, 1527 patients with contact dermatitis were investigated in the patch-test clinic. In 531 patients, allergy to cosmetics was suspected from the history and they were tested with their own cosmetic products. 40 (7.5%) (of the 531 patients) had 1 or more positive reactions, 82 (15.4%) had doubtfully positive reaction(s) and 31 (5.8%) had irritant reaction(s). Skin-care products were tested most frequently and were also found to cause most positive, doubtfully positive and irritant reactions, 80% of the patients with positive reactions to their own products had no history of contact dermatitis prior to the presenting attack, and in 92.5% of the cases, the positive reaction was considered relevant or partly relevant. In patients with a positive reaction, ingredients that could be responsible were found in 60% of the cases by testing with the European standard series and a series of common cosmetic ingredients. Fragrance mix and formaldehyde were found to be the ingredients most often responsible and were significantly more frequent in patients with positive reactions to their own products, compared to a control group of eczema patients also seen in the patch-test clinic.
A 67-year-old male patient presented with a nephrotic syndrome. Biopsy of the kidney revealed the characteristic of fibrillary glomerulopathy on light and electron microscopy. Other non-nephritic causes of a nephrotic syndrome (e.g. amyloidosis, immunotactoid glomerulopathy, light-chain glomerulopathy, cryoglobulinaemia, collagen-III glomerulopathy, fibronectin glomerulopathy) could be excluded. Besides the case report, differential diagnosis of fibrillary glomerulopathies is presented.
Peritoneal mesothelial cells are considered the predominant source of peritoneal prostanoid formation because they represent the largest resident cell population in the peritoneal cavity. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of D-glucose, which is widely used in commercially available peritoneal dialysis fluids as an osmotic compound, on the synthesis of prostaglandins in cultured human mesothelial cells (HMC). Analysis of eicosanoid synthesis in HMC by reversed-phase HPLC revealed that 6-keto-PGF1alpha, the spontaneous hydrolysis product of prostacyclin (PGI2), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were the main eicosanoids produced. Addition of D-glucose resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent (30 to 120 mM) increase in PGE2 production in HMC (24 h, 90 mM: 3.9+/-0.5 ng/10(5) cells versus 2.3+/-0.3 in untreated cells; P < 0.05). Mannitol (90 mM) or L-glucose (90 mM). nonmetabolizable osmotic compounds, also led to a significant (P < 0.05) but less intense increase in PGE2 synthesis (3.3+/-0.4 and 3.2+/-0.5 ng/10(5) cells, respectively). Increased PGE2 synthesis was completely blunted by coincubation with the specific protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor Ro 31-8220 or downregulation of PKC activity by preincubation with phorbol myristate acetate for 16 h. Furthermore, coincubation with PD 98059, an inhibitor of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway, also inhibited increased PGE2 synthesis by D-glucose or mannitol. In contrast, the iso-osmolar glucose polymer icodextrin, which is used as an alternative to D-glucose in peritoneal dialysis solutions, had no effect on PGE2 synthesis. These data indicate that D-glucose and metabolically inert sugars increase PGE2 synthesis in HMC at least in part by hyperosmolarity and that this effect requires activation of PKC and the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway of intracellular signaling.