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M Kieffer

Publications and source records attributed to M Kieffer.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Atopic dermatitis of the face, scalp, and neck: type I reaction to the yeast Pityrosporum ovale?

We have previously reported that a lipophilic yeast, Pityrosporum ovale (P. ovale) produced a high frequency of positive skin prick tests and in vitro histamine-release (HR) tests in patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD) of the face, scalp, and neck. In the present study, our aim was to confirm the involvement of P. ovale-specific IgE and to produce a standardized extract for diagnostic tests; 7/20 sera from patients with a positive HR test were positive in RAST. Several IgE-binding proteins could be detected with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by immunoblotting. Comparison of different extraction methods demonstrated that allergens were not released from P. ovale until after mechanical destruction of the yeast cells. Extraction of cultured P. ovale, obtained from the skin of various individuals suffering from AD of the face, scalp, and neck, resulted in very heterogenous patterns of constituents in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting analysis. Nevertheless, all extracts were recognized by patients' IgE. P. ovale may express varying protein patterns, depending on either source or stage of differentiation. Thus, at present, skin and HR tests may be superior to other available assays for diagnosing type I reactions to P. ovale in AD of the face, neck, and scalp.

Cross Reactions↗
PubMed1990

Immune reactions to Pityrosporum ovale in adult patients with atopic and seborrheic dermatitis.

Pityrosporum ovale is a lipophilic yeast commonly present in the seborrheic areas of the skin of adults. Fifty-five young adult patients with atopic dermatitis, 19 patients with seborrheic dermatitis, and 19 healthy control subjects were examined for immune reactions to P. ovale, including tests for specific IgE antibodies (prick test, histamine release), IgG antibodies and epicutaneous testing. IgE antibodies against P. ovale were found in two thirds of the patients with atopic dermatitis and were more frequent in patients with lesions predominantly in the seborrheic areas. In addition, some atopic patients had positive reactions to epicutaneous tests, which suggest that delayed allergic reactions to P. ovale may also be important. In patients with seborrheic dermatitis, no evidence of immediate or delayed hypersensitivity to P. ovale was found. IgG antibody levels were low in all groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Recent investigations on the relationship between fungal skin diseases and atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis may be associated with chronic dermatophyte infections and Pityrosporum related disorders. Recent epidemiologic studies in school children and young recruits have confirmed that atopic individuals have an increased susceptibility to Trichophyton rubrum infections of the feet and an increased risk for persistent infections. In contrast, an investigation on skin reactivity in dermatophyte infected atopic patients indicated that a group of these patients is fully able to eliminate the fungi concomitant with the development of a delayed type skin reactivity. Facial erythema and scaling, often including neck and shoulders, is present in many young adults with atopic dermatitis. Preliminary data from a Danish-Swedish investigation have shown that atopic dermatitis patients with head-neck-shoulder dermatitis compared to a group without this disorder and normal individuals more often demonstrate positive prick test, RAST and specific histamine release using extract of Pityrosporum ovale. These findings indicate that the presence of Pityrosporum ovale in the skin may cause an allergic reaction leading to dermatitis.

Arthrodermataceae↗
PubMed1988

Esophageal candidosis in progressive systemic sclerosis: occurrence, significance, and treatment with fluconazole.

Esophageal mucosal brushings from 51 consecutive patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) (group I), 18 PSS patients continuously treated with high-dose ranitidine or omeprazole (group II), 34 controls referred to the outpatient clinic for endoscopy (group III), and 10 patients receiving long-term potent antireflux therapy for idiopathic gastroesophageal reflux (group IV) were cultured for Candida albicans. There were 44%, 89%, 9%, and 0% Candida albicans culture-positive patients in groups I through IV, respectively. Fifteen patients with candida esophagitis from group II were treated with fluconazole systemically. Eleven and 14 patients became culture-negative after 2 and 4 weeks' treatment, respectively. Three months after fluconazole withdrawal the recurrence rate was 100%. It is concluded that esophageal dysmotility predisposes for candidosis. Adding gastric acid inhibitory treatment to dysmotility enhances the risk significantly (p less than 0.01). The efficiency of fluconazole treatment was close to 100%, but so was the recurrence rate within a short period.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Pseudouridine excretion in patients with psoriasis.

The excretion of pseudouridine in the urine of 17 patients with psoriasis was significantly increased. The largest increase was found in patients with psoriatic arthritis. No correlation between the extent of psoriasis and pseudouridine excretion was found. The excretion of pseudouridine was followed in 10 of the 17 patients during treatment with anthralin or PUVA. Pseudouridine excretion decreased significantly during therapy. The possible application of pseudouridine excretion in monitoring the disease activity in psoriasis is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Nickel sensitivity: relationship between history and patch test reaction.

The prevalence of nickel sensitivity in 415 young adults was examined by patch testing with nickel sulphate 5% in pet. Before testing the persons filled in a questionnaire about personal or family history of atopy and skin reactions after metal contacts. Nickel sensitivity was found in 2.8% of males and 9.8% of females; 13 out of 28 persons with a history of metal contact dermatitis had negative patch test reactions to nickel; eight out of 23 persons with positive patch test reactions to nickel had never experienced skin reactions from metal contacts. These findings indicate that nickel sensitivity cannot be reliably predicted from pretest historical information.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

A study of skin diseases in dogs and cats. V. The intradermal test in the diagnosis of flea allergy in dogs and cats.

A group of 143 dogs and cats with pruritic skin disease was tested by intradermal injection of a dilute whole cat flea extract. The test results were correlated with the clinical diagnosis (Table I, III), with previous or present findings of fleas on the animals (Table II, III), with the presence or absence of blood eosinophilia (Table IV), and, in animals with clinical flea allergy, with the histological findings in a skin biopsy excised from a clinically affected skin site (Fig. 1). The predictive value of a positive and a negative outcome of the test was assessed graphically by means of calculations described in the Appendix (Figs. 2, 3). It is concluded that the test is sufficiently specific to justify its use in animals where flea allergy is suspected but cannot be proved by routine clinical examination. The histological findings and the nature of the skin reactions suggest that a positive outcome of the test is indicative of an immediate, type I hypersensitivity towards components of the oral secretion of fleas and that this hypersensitivity is mediated by reaginic antibody which to some extent is produced by plasma cells located in skin areas where flea saliva is deposited.

Animals↗