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Biomedical subjects

K Aalto-Korte

Publications and source records attributed to K Aalto-Korte.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Formaldehyde-negative allergic contact dermatitis from melamine-formaldehyde resin.

Melamine-formaldehyde resin (MFR) is used as a textile finish, in tableware, in surface coatings, and in glues in the furniture and wood industry. MFR is considered to be an infrequent sensitizer. Contact allergy to MFR is often combined with formaldehyde allergy. Patients allergic to textile finish often react to MFR, although other finishes are nowadays more commonly used. Besides allergy to textile finish, allergic contact dermatitis from MFR has been described in workers in composite production and in an orthopaedic plaster technician. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports of contact allergy in the plywood industry from MFR. We describe 3 cases of occupational allergic contact dermatitis from MFR without contact allergy to formaldehyde, 1 in the plywood industry, 1 in the production of melamine-laminated chipboard and 1 in laboratory work.

Adult↗

A multicenter study of patch test reactions with dental screening series.

BACKGROUND: Dental products contain many allergens, and may cause problems both for patients undergoing dental treatment and for dental personnel because of occupational exposure. Individual patch test clinics may not study sufficient numbers of patients to collect reliable data on uncommon allergens. OBJECTIVE: To collect information on dental allergens based on a multicenter study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Finnish Contact Dermatitis Group tested more than 4,000 patients (for most allergens, 2,300 to 2,600 patients) with dental screening series. Conventional patch testing was performed. The total number and percentage of irritant (scored as irritant [IR] or doubtful [?]) and allergic (scored as +, ++, or +++) patch test reactions, respectively, were calculated, as well as the highest and lowest percentage of allergic patch test reactions recorded by the different patch test clinics. A reaction index (RI) was calculated, giving information on the irritancy of the patch test substances. RESULTS: The most frequent allergic patch test reactions were caused by nickel (14.6%), ammoniated mercury (13%), mercury (10.3%), gold (7.7%), benzoic acid (4.3%), palladium (4.2%) and cobalt (4.1%). 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2.8%) provoked most of the reactions caused by (meth)acrylates. Menthol, peppermint oil, ammonium tetrachloroplatinate, and amalgam alloying metals provoked no (neither allergic nor irritant) patch test reactions. CONCLUSION: Patch testing with allergens in the dental screening series, including (meth)acrylates and mercury, needs to be performed to detect contact allergy to dental products.

Allergens↗

Bone mineral density in patients with atopic dermatitis.

With the aim of evaluating the systemic effect of glucocorticoids (GCs), we measured bone mineral density (BMD) in 29 adult patients with chronic atopic dermatitis. BMD was measured in the lumbar spine and in the left femoral neck using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In the right calcaneus, BMD was measured using broad-spectrum ultrasound attenuation (BUA). For BMD, the patients with dermatitis did not differ from healthy controls. We did not find any statistically significant correlation between BMD and single risk factors, such as the barrier function of the skin (P = 0.08), the duration of the dermatitis (P = 0.58), and the use of oral GCs (P = 0.27) and potent topical GCs (P = 0.10). However, selected patients with severe disease, needing topical GCs of higher potency than hydrocortisone (HC), had lower values for lumbar BMD than the patients who had not used these preparations (-1.0 vs. +0.1 SD; P = 0.026). The lower lumbar BMD in this group could be explained by a long-term systemic effect of GCs.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Improvement of skin barrier function during treatment of atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Active dermatitis causes a disturbance in skin barrier function. This can be evaluated by the measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to evaluate changes in skin barrier function during treatment of atopic dermatitis. METHODS: Nine patients with widespread atopic dermatitis were studied longitudinally by measuring the severity of the dermatitis and TEWL at intervals of 1 to 3 days. Percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone was measured at entry and during treatment. RESULTS: At entry, both TEWL and percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone were elevated. Four to six days later, a significant decline was observed in both variables, indicating rapid improvement in skin barrier function. Individual changes in TEWL correlated with the changes in the systemic absorption of hydrocortisone. CONCLUSION: TEWL reflects changes in the systemic absorption of topical hydrocortisone during treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Administration, Topical↗

Pharmacokinetics of topical hydrocortisone at plasma level after applications once or twice daily in patients with widespread dermatitis.

Percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone was measured by determining plasma cortisol during dexamethasone suppression in 26 patients with widespread atopic dermatitis. The first and second days of treatment with applications of 1% hydrocortisone cream twice daily were studied separately in two groups of six patients. Plasma cortisol levels rose after the first two applications, reaching a maximum in 24 h. The levels then began to fall, indicating possible restoration of the skin barrier. In two other groups of seven patients, the second application was made with a cream base alone. Two types of cream base were studied, one with 60% water and the other with 30% water. With the base containing 30% water, a brief increment was seen after 2 h. On the basis of this pharmacokinetic study, treatment of acute dermatitis could be intensified by applying hydrocortisone cream twice a day on the first day, but from the second day onward one application a day seems to be sufficient.

Acute Disease↗

Quantifying systemic absorption of topical hydrocortisone in erythroderma.

The systemic absorption of topical hydrocortisone (HC) was quantified in seven patients with erythroderma, using the ratio of the areas under the curves for plasma concentration vs. time, following topical and intravenous administration. Over a period of 24 h, 19-93 mg of HC was absorbed systemically, corresponding to 4-19% of the total topical dose of 500 mg. Thus, topical HC therapy of erythroderma is accompanied by a pharmacologically significant systemic dose.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Transepidermal water loss and absorption of hydrocortisone in widespread dermatitis.

Percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone was measured in three children and six adults with widespread dermatitis, after the application of 1% hydrocortisone cream. Before application of the cream, the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was measured on six skin areas. A highly significant correlation was found between the post-application rise in plasma cortisol level and the mean transepidermal water loss. Thus, measurement of TEWL affords a simple, non-invasive method for assessing the systemic effect of hydrocortisone applied to widespread dermatitis.

Adult↗