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Biomedical subjects

Peter Elsner

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Elsner.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Type IV allergy in the food processing industry: sensitization profiles in bakers, cooks and butchers.

Data about the impact of allergic contact dermatitis in food processing occupations are scarce. The objective of this study was to identify the most frequent allergens and sensitization profiles in employees of the food processing industry. The results of patch testing performed in 873 bakers, cooks and butchers suspected of having occupational allergic contact dermatitis from 33 dermatological departments of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) from 1992 to 1999 were analysed. A final diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis was made in 213 patients (24.4%). Qualitative and quantitative differences in allergen profiles could be identified. Significantly higher sensitization rates were found in employees in the food processing industry, compared to the total test population, for nickel sulphate (22.4% versus 17.2%, p < 0.0005), thiuram mix (4.9% versus 2.6%, p < 0.0005), formaldehyde (3.5% versus 2.1%, p < 0.005) and Compositae mix (6.2%, p < 0.0005). Significantly lower sensitization rates were found for thimerosal (4.5% versus 6.9%, p < 0.05). For patch testing in food workers, we recommend the standard, the rubber and the Compositae series, as well as patients' own products according to the individual history.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Photoaging is associated with protein oxidation in human skin in vivo.

There is increasing evidence for the generation of reactive oxygen species in skin upon ultraviolet exposure, but little is known about their pathophysiologic relevance in human skin in vivo. We hypothesized that chronic and acute photodamage is mediated by depleted antioxidant enzyme expression and increased oxidative protein modifications. Biopsies from patients with histologically confirmed solar elastosis, from non-ultraviolet-exposed sites of age-matched controls, and from young subjects were analyzed. To evaluate the influence of acute ultraviolet exposures, buttock skin of 12 healthy subjects was irradiated repetitively on 10 d with a solar simulator and compared intraindividually to non-ultraviolet-treated contralateral sites. The antioxidant enzymes catalase, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, and manganese superoxide dismutase were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Protein carbonyls were analyzed by immunohistochemical and immunoblotting techniques in human skin and in cell models. Whereas overall expression of antioxidant enzymes was very high in the epidermis, low baseline levels were found in the dermis. In photoaged skin, a significant depletion of antioxidant enzyme expression was observed within the stratum corneum and in the epidermis. Importantly, an accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins was found specifically within the upper dermis of photoaged skin. Upon acute ultraviolet exposure of healthy subjects, depleted catalase expression and increased protein oxidation were detected. Exposures of keratinocytes and fibroblasts to ultraviolet B, ultraviolet A, and H2O2 led to dose-dependent protein oxidation and thus confirmed in vivo results. In conclusion, the correlation between photodamage and protein oxidation was demonstrated for the first time, which hence may be a relevant pathophysiologic factor in photoaging.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

The tandem repeated irritation test: a new method to assess prevention of irritant combination damage to the skin.

The effect of a protective cream was tested in a new tandem repeated irritation test with tandem application of 0.5% sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and undiluted toluene. The irritants were applied twice daily for 30 min to the ventral forearms of 20 volunteers. Irritant cutaneous reactions were quantified by a visual score, transepidermal water loss, chromametry and skin capacitance. Concurrent application of SLS/toluene induced stronger reactions than those caused by twice daily application of each irritant on its own. A protective effect of the protective cream was obtained against all treatment combinations and was significant for SLS/SLS (p < or = 0.01) and SLS/ toluene (p < or = 0.05). Our results indicate that the tandem repetitive irritation test has great potential in the evaluation of skin care products to prevent irritant contact dermatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Skin cleansers: three test protocols for the assessment of irritancy ranking.

In this article, the results of 3 studies on 2 hand cleansers (products A and B) are analysed. Three different test models (the patch test, the forearm wash test and the use test) are used to obtain information on the skin irritancy of these 2 products. Test reactivity was assessed by clinical scores and bioengineering methods such as corneometry for skin moisture, transepidermal water loss measurements for barrier function and chromametry for erythema. A correlating trend of product A being more aggressive than product B could be confirmed in all 3 studies and was statistically significant in the patch-testing series. Distinction of the results was dependent on the test protocol employed. Models for testing cleansing preparations should be chosen carefully, depending on the hypothesis to be evaluated.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Diagnostic odyssey of a cutaneous mycobacteriosis rare in central Europe.

Cutaneous infection with Mycobacterium chelonae is an uncommon disease, although this atypical mycobacterium is an acid-fast bacillus ubiquitous in the environment. It is often misdiagnosed and treated as a fungal or common bacterial infection. We report a case of disseminated atypical mycobacterial skin infection of a 72-year-old woman who was treated with different topical and systemic antimycotic and antibiotic drugs over a period of 5 months without remarkable improvement. Eventually, repeated tissue cultures on special medium and performance of PCR led to the diagnosis of M. chelonae infection. The patient was treated successfully with oral clarithromycin within 8 weeks. In case of abscessing cutaneous infection, M. chelonae should be considered in the differential diagnosis of prolonged disease when common antibiotics are not effective after 2-4 weeks of treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Partly ordered synthesis and degradation of glycogen in cultured rat myotubes.

The following questions concerning glycogen synthesis and degradation were examined in cultured rat myotubes. 1) Is synthesis and degradation of the individual glycogen molecule a strictly ordered process, with the last glucosyl unit incorporated into the molecule being the first to be released (the last-in-first-out principle), or is it a random process? 2) Are all glycogen molecules in skeletal muscle synthesized and degraded in phase (simultaneous order) or out of phase (sequential order)? Basal glycogen stores were minimized by fasting and were subsequently replenished in two intervals, the first (0-0.5 h) with tritium-labeled and the second (0.5-3 h) with carbon-labeled glucose as precursor. Glycogen degradation was initiated by addition of forskolin. The kinetics of glycogen accumulation as well as degradation could be approximated by monoexponential equations with rate constants of 0.81 and 1.39 h(-1), respectively. The degradation of glycogen largely followed the last-in-first-out principle, particularly in the initial period. Analysis of the size of the glycogen molecules and the beta-dextrin limit during glycogen accumulation and degradation showed that both synthesis and degradation of glycogen molecules are largely sequential and the small deviation from this order is most pronounced at the beginning of the accumulation and at the end of the degradation period. This pattern may reflect the number of synthase and phosphorylase molecules and fits well with the role of glycogen in skeletal muscle as a readily available energy store and with the known structure of the glycogen molecule. It is emphasized that the observed nonlinear relation between the change in glycogen concentration and release of label during glycogen degradation may have important practical consequences for interpretation of experimental data.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Melatonin suppresses reactive oxygen species in UV-irradiated leukocytes more than vitamin C and trolox.

To prove the relative potency of melatonin as a radical scavenger in UV-irradiated leukocytes, it was compared to other antioxidative substances such as trolox and vitamin C. Human leukocytes were isolated from EDTA whole blood and incubated with melatonin, trolox and vitamin C. The experiments were performed in a wide concentration range from 0.1 nM to 1 mM and in a small concentration range from 0.5 to 2 mM (mel), 5 mM (trolox) and 10 mM (vit. C). Irradiation was performed with UV-light (280-360 nm) at a dose of 750 mJ/cm(2). Radical formation was measured by the chemiluminescence technique. The maximum effect of radical suppression was seen at a concentration of 10 nM (p = 0.003) and 1 mM melatonin (p < 0.001) and vitamin C (p = 0.002; p < 0.001), respectively. ROS suppression by trolox was only significant at 1 mM (p < 0.001). In the small concentration range, a linear dose-response relationship was found and melatonin showed the strongest radical suppression (IC(50) = 0.21 mM) followed by vitamin C (IC(50) = 0.26 mM) and trolox (IC(50) = 1.03 mM).

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of poly(ADP-ribose) by immunocytochemistry: a sensitive new method for the early identification of UVB- and H2O2-induced apoptosis in keratinocytes.

Apoptosis is an active form of cell death that is initiated by a variety of stimuli, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) is formed upon activation of the DNA repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and therefore was suggested as a new marker of apoptosis. Since DNA of epidermal cells represents a well-known chromophore for UVB irradiation, and UVB is known to generate H2O2 in keratinocytes, we hypothesized that PAR is a very sensitive marker of UVB- and H2O2-induced apoptosis in keratinocytes. In order to test this hypothesis, human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT) were UVB-irradiated or treated with H2O2, and subsequently apoptosis was identified by comparing conventional parameters such as morphological analysis, DNA laddering, and TUNEL assay, with PAR formation. Both, UVB and H2O2 treatment induced PAR formation in HaCaT cells in a dose-dependent manner, and its formation was detected as early as 4 h after irradiation, and at lower UVB doses (10 mJ/cm2) than observed by DNA laddering and the TUNEL assay. In conclusion, the detection of PAR formation is a very sensitive and early method for the identification of apoptotic cells in UVB-induced apoptosis of human keratinocytes.

Apoptosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma-rapid progression under treatment with melphalan.

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma is a systemic disease associated in most cases with monoclonal paraproteinaemia. Although the causative role of the paraproteinaemia is supposed, the pathogenesis of this disease remains unknown. We report a 65-year-old woman with a 28-year history of disseminated indurated plaques involving her face, trunk and extremities. Since 1994 an IgG kappa paraproteinaemia was present. Current biopsies showed typical histological features of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma. We treated this extraordinary widespread condition with melphalan and prednisolone. Although the serum levels of IgG kappa light chains and gamma globulins decreased, the cutaneous plaques extended rapidly in size and number, which casts doubt on the causative significance of the paraproteinaemia in the pathogenesis of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma. The paraproteinaemia in patients with necrobiotic xanthogranuloma may rather reflect a secondary phenomenon than the originating cause. Pathogenetic and therapeutical concepts based thereon that have been proposed so far should be critically reconsidered.

Aged↗