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P D Pigatto

Publications and source records attributed to P D Pigatto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Gruppo Italiano Ricerca Dermatiti da Contatto ed Ambientali Italian Multicenter Study of Allergic Contact Photodermatitis: epidemiological aspects.

A total of 1,050 patients with histories and clinical pictures suggestive of photoallergic contact dermatitis were seen. All the patients underwent photopatch tests with haptens proposed by the Gruppo Italiano Ricerca Dermatiti da Contatto plus other substances suggested by each patient's history. Two hundred fifty-nine patients (24.6%) were positive to at least one test substance of the standard series or to substances added. Typical photoallergic reactions were seen in 198 subjects (259 minus 40 toxic photodermatitis to chlorpromazine and 21 to promethazine), which represents 18.8% of the total population. Topical drugs represent the most involved substances in photodermatitis. The incidence in our population was about equal for antimicrobial agents, additives to fragrances, and fragrances themselves. Other allergens found were salicylanilides, whereas sun-screening agents were the fifth group of haptens but with clear-cut relevance. This study is a first attempt to organize the data about results of photopatch tests applied to Italian patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Densitometry of Pautrier's microabscess cells in cutaneous T cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Epidermotropic lymphoid T cell infiltrates are part of a continuous spectrum of lesions ranging from "benign" parapsoriasis to frank cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL, mycosis fungoides). Either the clinical or histologic differentiation between these entities prove often difficult and the prognosis may be difficult to assess. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 15 patients, men aged 50 to 81 years, mean +/- SD 68 +/- 12 years, with patch-plague CTCL. Sections from punch biopsies from active lesions were stained with Feulgen reagent, coupled with a "twin" adjacent hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained section and analyzed with a VIDAS Zeiss-Kontron Image Analyzer. At least 50 dermal infiltrating cells and 50 epidermotropic Pautrierian cells per specimen were counted and the biopsies were repeated periodically. RESULTS: Nine patients with aneuploid Pautrierian cell DNA patterns dis well after conventional phototherapy (dermal cell ploidy was irrelevant), whereas six patients with euploid Pautrierian cell DNA patterns had to be treated aggressively (IFN + retinoids, COP). Clinical and histopathologic aspects of the first group were comparable to those of the second group. CONCLUSIONS: The classical cytophotometric aphorism seems to be reversed in this sample: "The more abnormal the ploidy of epidermotropic Pautrierian cells, the better the prognosis." Euploid epidermotropic cell prove more efficient in invading the skin and other areas and this efficiency may be reflected in more aggressive trends in the evolution of the lymphoma. Thus, DSM analysis of epidermotropic cells could prove very useful as an inexpensive tool for routine CTCL grading.

Abscess↗
PubMed1994

Methotrexate in psoriatic polyarthritis.

Methotrexate (MTX) is widely accepted as an effective treatment for psoriasis and chronic polyarthrides. We report data from 54 psoriatic polyarthritis patients (354 encounters) treated with MTX. 65% were males, mean age 47.9 years, mean disease duration 9.8 years for arthritis, 14.2 years for psoriasis. The MTX dose was 10-12.5 mg/week. 32 patients are still on MTX after a mean treatment time of 1.6 years. 22 patients discontinued MTX treatment: 11 felt it to be ineffective, in 6 patients there were side effects, 3 patients obtained remission, while 2 patients underwent surgery. Efficacy was good on the whole: number of swollen and tender joints, global disease activity score, ESR, and CRP all underwent a significant reduction. The intake of symptomatic drugs was reduced in 40%. Psoriasis as assessed with the Psoriasis Activity and Severity Index showed a significant improvement. Our data confirm that MTX is of value in most psoriatic polyarthritis patients (60%). In our experience, this drug, gives the maximum efficacy within 6 months of therapy.

Arthritis, Psoriatic↗
PubMed1993

Intramuscular low dose alpha-2B interferon and etretinate for treatment of mycosis fungoides.

BACKGROUND: Mycosis fungoides is a lymphoma of cutaneous origin characterized by a proliferation of cells with a T phenotype. METHODS: In this pilot study, 13 men with mycosis fungoides in various stages were treated with alpha-2b interferon and etretinate. RESULTS: In ten of them, such a therapy proved to be effective (7 complete responses, 3 partial responses), sometimes with prolonged remissions (up to 20 months, and still persistent) after suspension of the drugs. CONCLUSIONS: We chose low-dose interferon administration in order to prevent side effects, which are said to be dose-dependent. In our experience this is not true, but this drawback seems to be overcome by the very good, sometimes spectacular, response to this combination therapy, particularly in low stage forms of the disease. This fact, compared with results provided by other groups, prompts us to plan new research protocols based on associations of retinoids with different interferon types (or even associations of different interferons), because we believe they will have an important place in treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in future.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cyclosporin in psoriasis: pathophysiology and experimental data.

Cyclosporin has been used efficaciously in recent years for the management of severe psoriasis. The remarkable efficacy of this drug and its known immunosuppressive properties have indicated even more strongly the involvement of the immune system in the induction and maintenance of psoriasis. The present review summarizes the role of cellular immunity in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and possible mechanisms of action of cyclosporin in psoriasis, and describes the laboratory studies performed in our Department under two headings, changes in lesional immune infiltrate (evaluated immunohistologically) and changes in neutrophil chemotaxis during cyclosporin treatment. Our immunohistological study showed that the psoriatic plaques contained an infiltrate composed mainly of activated CD4+ T cells. Cyclosporin treatment significantly decreased T cells and normalized the distribution and antigen expression of intraepidermal Langerhans cells, increasing the number of CD1+ dendritic cells. Our studies on neutrophil chemotaxis showed that cyclosporin reduced the chemotactic activity of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes (in vivo but not in vitro), seemingly as a consequence of blocking the production of chemoattracting cytokines by psoriatic monocytes.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1993

[Erosive lichen planus of the glans penis. Treatment with cyclosporin A].

After suffering from chronic and steroid-resistant erosive lichen planus of the glans penis for 2 years, a 42-year-old patient presented to our Institute. The clinical picture was of an erythematous and erosive lesion, superficially covered with sero-fibrinous exudations. Lichen planus was diagnosed by clinical and histological examination. Control routine serum analysis and urinalysis gave normal results, and ciclosporin A was given at a dosage of 3 mg/kg daily. After 2 weeks of therapy, significant regression of erythema and infiltration was seen, so that the patient could be circumcised as planned. After leaving our Institute the patient continued the therapy with ciclosporin A and the monthly controls of kidney and liver function had shown no abnormalities during the 6-month follow-up that had elapsed up to the time of writing.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The loss of contact sensitization in man.

Little is yet known about the duration of contact sensitivity, but frequent exposure of a target to allergen seems to reduce skin reactivity. The aim of this study was to study the persistence of a specific contact sensitivity in 66 patients with alopecia areata, previously sensitized to DNCB (31 patients) and SADBE (35 patients) between 1978-1985. Patch tests were performed with 0.020 ml of different concentrations of DNCB or SADBE in acetone (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.20%, 1%). The results were read in a standardized manner. Of 66 patients, 47 (71%) had positive reactions and 19 (29%) negative. 8 of the 19 negative patients had been treated with DNCB, 11 with SADBE. Approximately 1/3 of the patients previously sensitized had lost their original sensitivity, and this did not seem to be time-dependent. This phenomenon seemed to be clinically correlated because the majority of the patients were from the "low responders" group. We think that acquired unresponsiveness to topical antigen in man is a possible phenomenon, but that it occurs more rarely than in mice and guinea pigs.

Administration, Topical↗