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S Vassileva

Publications and source records attributed to S Vassileva.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Pemphigus vulgaris: environmental factors. Occupational, behavioral, medical, and qualitative food frequency questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: There have been reports suggesting the involvement of environmental factors in the disease process of pemphigus. Factors suggested include exposure to pesticides or certain drugs. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of pemphigus with environmental exposure to various agents, including smoking, recreational and occupational insults, drugs, and food. DESIGN AND SETTING: In-person interviews of pemphigus patients and control subjects were conducted by trained medical investigators using a structured questionnaire. Questions included occupational, behavioral, medical, and qualitative food frequency details. The multicenter study was conducted at outpatient services of teaching hospitals in Bulgaria, Brazil, India, Israel, Italy, Spain, and the USA. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 126 pemphigus patients (55 men, 71 women; age, 54 +/- 17 years) and 173 healthy controls (87 men, 86 women; age 50 +/- 19 years) were interviewed in the period between October 1, 1999 and March 31, 2000. The diagnosis of pemphigus was based on clinical, histologic, immunohistologic, and immunohistochemical criteria. The disease duration was 2-27 years (8.4 +/- 7.2 years). Individuals with skin diseases other than pemphigus were selected as control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Information on drugs, foods, and occupational, environmental, constitutional, and other possible risk factors was analyzed by t-tests and chi-squared tests as applicable. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied to the data to study simultaneously the independent relationship between each risk factor and pemphigus vulgaris. RESULTS: The risk for pemphigus vulgaris was lower for ex-smokers and current smokers than for patients who had never smoked. Exposure to pesticides and occupational exposure to metal vapor were associated with an increased risk of pemphigus. Pemphigus patients had more pregnancies than controls. There were differences in environmental factors between countries, with exposure to gardening materials and pesticides being highest among patients from Bulgaria, followed by Israel. Disease characteristics also exhibited differences between countries. Bulgarian patients less frequently had oral mucous membrane lesions: 66% compared to 92% for Israeli patients and 83% for Italians. The distribution of the disease in skin and mucous membranes was similar among patients from all countries. Exclusive skin involvement was seen in 50% of patients, mucous membranes alone in 23% of patients, and both skin and mucous membranes in 27% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of smoking on pemphigus might be explained by its effect on the immune system. In addition, smoking has an antiestrogenic effect, while pesticides have an estrogenic effect. The lower numbers of smokers among patients, the higher exposure rates to pesticides, and the higher number of female patients who had been pregnant may point to the contribution of estrogens to the disease process. It remains to be determined whether measures, such as avoiding exposure to pesticides or metal vapor, may be beneficial in the clinical context. As the present study was a survey, more definitive studies should be conducted to validate the results.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus presenting with generalized poikiloderma.

A 64-year-old woman experienced progressive generalized poikiloderma after an episode of sunburn 4 years earlier. The diagnosis of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) was confirmed by the presence of anti-Ro/SS-A and antinuclear antibodies, the histology, and the direct immunofluorescent findings (ie, positive lupus band test and "dust-like" epidermal IgG staining pattern). Poikiloderma has not been previously reported in the spectrum of SCLE. As a major pathomechanism of SCLE, photosensitivity might explain this uncommon clinical manifestation of the disease.

Dermatitis, Photoallergic↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of pemphigus in Sofia, Bulgaria. A 16-year retrospective study (1980-1995).

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus is a disease showing an uneven geographical distribution. In Bulgaria pemphigus has always represented a substantial part of diagnosed bullous diseases, but previous epidemiological data are incomplete. Our purpose was to evaluate retrospectively the incidence and prevalence of pemphigus in the district of Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria; population 1 200 000) for a sixteen-year period. METHODS: The files of all the newly registered patients with pemphigus in the City Hospital of Dermatology in Sofia during the period Jan 1 1980 to Dec 31 1995, were collected and analysed with regard to personal statistics, ethnic origin, profession, history of the disease including age and season of onset, symptoms, clinical diagnosis, severity, laboratory findings, associated illnesses, therapy, and cure rate. Special attention was paid to smoking, alcohol abuse, and the presence of triggering factors such as emotional stress, drug intake, underlying diseases, neoplasias, or others. RESULTS: During the 16-year period studied, 74 newly diagnosed cases of pemphigus occurred in the district of Sofia, giving a prevalence of 0.38 per 100 000 inhabitants and a mean incidence of 0.47/100 000/year for the overall population and 0.51/100 000/year for the population aged above 20 years. The most common clinical variant is pemphigus vulgaris, frequently occurring in the fifth-sixth decades. The vast majority of the patients are workers or professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present retrospective study reveal a relatively high prevalence and incidence of pemphigus in Bulgaria, compared to that encountered in other countries. Our data is similar to that reported from Greece. Whether the Balkan Peninsula represents a focus of population groups with high susceptibility to pemphigus is a problem which could be highlighted by further epidemiological studies in this geographic area.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

An expert system applied to the physiological analysis of early stage of beer fermentation.

A fuzzy expert system was applied to the knowledge analysis of yeast physiology in the early stage of beer fermentation, when the wort was aerated. We used ergosterol and glycogen concentration in the wort as a suitable marker of physiological state of the cell population. The amount of both compounds influences the rate of fermentation, cell growth and the final taste of beer. The concentrations of ergosterol and glycogen including the number of cells can not be measured immediately during the relatively short aeration period, and incomplete experimental data are therefore found in laboratory logbooks. We therefore suggested that the fuzzy relation between the directly measurable dissolved oxygen concentration and the rate of ergosterol or glycogen formation should be identified and a fuzzy expert system should be used to analyze the behavior of the yeast.

Beer↗
PubMed1992

Alpha-6 (CD 49f) integrin expression in genetic and acquired bullous skin diseases. A comparison of its distribution with bullous pemphigoid antigen.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) antigen and alpha 6 integrin are hemidesmosome-associated glycoproteins of basal keratinocytes. In this work, the immunoreactivity of antibodies to BP and to alpha 6 in salt- or dispase-split human skin, and in 46 biopsy specimens of various genetic and autoimmune bullous dermatoses taken from various body sites, was studied by double-labeling immunofluorescence. In all specimens, both antigens localized at the same side of the blisters observed, i.e. the roof of the bulla in cases with a junctional or dermolytic cleavage, or the floor of the blister in those with intraepidermal cleavage. Immunostaining for alpha 6 was strong and present in all specimens studied, whereas the one obtained with the BP serum was absent from some specimens. These results show that the BP antigen and the alpha 6 integrin colocalize at the level of cleavage in bullous diseases; however, the more consistent and reproducible reactivity obtained with the anti-alpha 6 antibody suggests that this should be preferentially used in the immunohistochemical investigation of bullous dermatoses.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed1989

Ultraviolet light-induced confluent and reticulated papillomatosis.

A 16-year-old girl initially had an eruption consisting of dark gray, flat, pin-sized, confluent papules with a slight hyperkeratotic surface. The lesions appeared after her summer holidays and were restricted to the tanned skin of sun-exposed areas, mainly the abdomen and back. Clinical and histologic findings were consistent with confluent and reticulated papillomatosis. If a basic disorder of keratinization is the cause of confluent and reticulated papillomatosis, it seems likely that the development of the disease in our patient may be due to an abnormal epidermal response to ultraviolet light.

Adolescent↗