Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Sezai Sasmaz.
A case of pyogenic granuloma in a 62-year-old hand surgeon secondary to friction blister is reported. He developed a fast growing, hypertrophic inflammatory papule consisting of exceptionally richly vascularized granular tissue. This dusky red lesion was located on the thenar part of the hand. We find no prior report of PG attributed to friction blister.
We report a 61-year-old, male patient complaining from prolonged lesion on his great toe that has been previously treated surgically. Histopathological examination of toenail specimen revealed the presence of nests of atypical tumor cells that led to the diagnosis of amelanotic malignant melanoma. Four years ago, he was diagnosed as gout due to extreme erythema and edema in the same toe. He has been taken to surgical treatment and chemotherapy and is still undergoing. As this disease is seen very rarely, it can be misdiagnosed. This situation also has poor prognosis. We presented a case of subungual amelanotic melanoma, as it is rare disease, early and correct diagnosis is very important.
Acne vulgaris is one of the common dermatological diseases and its pathogenesis is multifactorial. In this study, we aim to determine the effects of oxidative stress in acne vulgaris. Forty-three consecutive acne patients and 46 controls were enrolled. The parameters of oxidative stress such as catalase (CAT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the venous blood of cases were measured spectrophotometrically. The values compared with control group, the relation between the severity and distribution of acne, and the correlation of each enzyme level were researched. CAT and G6PD levels in patients were found to be statistically decreased, and SOD and MDA levels were found to be statistically increased (P < .001). However, any statistical difference and correlation could not be found between the severity and distribution of lesions and the mean levels of enzymes. In addition, we found that each enzyme is correlated with one another. Our findings show that oxidative stress exists in the acne patients. It will be useful to apply at least one antioxidant featured drug along with the combined acne treatment.
Recent progress in the understanding of psoriasis has shown that the regulation of local and systemic cytokines plays an important role in its pathogenesis. The most often used psoriasis score is the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). A simple laboratory test from a blood sample would be an attractive, patient-independent, and observer-independent marker of disease severity. To this end, we evaluated the association of serum levels of some proinflammatory cytokines in vivo and their correlation with severity of psoriasis. The serum levels of cytokines levels were determined with the use of the ELISA method. All mean values except IL-17 levels of patients were significantly higher than those of controls. There was a significant correlation between serum levels of IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-17, and IL-18, and severity of the disease. Psoriasis can be described as a T-cell-mediated disease, with a complex role for a variety of cytokines, which has led to the development of new immunomodulatory therapies. In this study, serum TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and IL-18 levels were significantly higher in active psoriatic patients than in controls. Furthermore, high levels of IFN-gamma, IL-12, and IL-18 correlated with the clinical severity and activity of psoriasis, and those measurements of serum levels of these cytokines may be objective parameters for the disease severity.
Comparison of oxidative stress status between subjects with or without warts is absent in the literature. In this study, we evaluated 31 consecutive patients with warts (15 female, 16 male) and 36 control cases with no evidence of disease to determine the effects of oxidative stress in patients with warts. The patients were classified according to the wart type, duration, number, and location of lesions. We measured the indicators of oxidative stress such as catalase (CAT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the venous blood by spectrophotometry. There was a statistically significant increase in levels of CAT, G6PD, SOD activities and MDA in the patients with warts compared to the control group (P< .05). However, we could not define a statistically significant correlation between these increased enzyme activities and MDA levels and the type, the duration, the number, and the location of lesions. We determined possible suppression of T cells during oxidative stress that might have a negative effect on the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, we propose an argument for the appropriateness to give priority to immunomodulatory treatment alternatives instead of destructive methods in patients with demonstrated oxidative stress.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The aim of this study was to investigate the ocular surface disorders and tear function changes in patients with nodulo-cystic acne. Eighty-seven patients with nodulo-cystic acne vulgaris and 50 healthy subjects were included in the study. All subjects underwent full ocular examinations. Subjective ocular complaints were recorded. Corneal staining with fluorescein, tear film break-up time (BUT), and Schirmer test were applied. Abnormal tear film BUT and abnormal Schirmer scores were significantly more common in the acne group than in the control group. The tear film BUT was abnormal in 18 (20.7%) cases in the patient group and in 2 (4%) subjects in the control group (p=0.007). The mean Schirmer score was abnormal in 7 (8%) and decreased in 18 (20.7%) acne patients, and it was decreased in only 3 (6%) control subjects (p=0.005). Corneal punctuate epithelial erosions were detected in 3 (3.4%) acne patients, but not any of the control subjects. However, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p=0.184). Subjective ocular complaints were present in 28 cases (32.2%) in the patient group. Five (10%) subjects in the control group had such complaints (p=0.003). Tear function tests are also significantly altered in patients with nodulo-cystic acne. Our data suggest that severe acne patients should be referred to an ophthalmologist.
Granular cell tumor is a rarely seen disease characterized by a gradually developing nodular lesion, which is difficult to diagnose. It has been thought to originate from Schwann cells. The tumor usually appears in the 4th-6th decades of life, more frequently in women and blacks, and has a multifocal location in 10-25% of the cases. The malignancy potential is 1-3%, with 70-74% of the cases in women. Ninety-eight percent of the cases are S-100 positive. The present paper describes an 18-year-old female patient with benign granular cell tumor. This rarely seen type of tumor was S-100 negative and has been detected in biopsies taken from multiple asymptomatic plaques and maculopapular lesions. They were 0.5-4 cm in diameter, light brown in color, and with clear contours and had been gradually growing on her back the last nine years.
BACKGROUND: Although topical azelaic acid has been previously used for the treatment of alopecia, no controlled trials of azelaic acid for this condition have been conducted to date. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of azelaic acid treatment in patients with patchy alopecia areata (AA) in comparison with anthralin (dithranol) treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 31 subjects with patchy AA who did not receive any treatment for at least 1 month prior to the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics of these subjects were recorded at baseline. Subjects were randomized to apply either 20% azelaic acid (15 subjects) or 0.5% anthralin (16 subjects) for 12 consecutive weeks. In a subsequent 8-week follow-up period no cream was applied. Two independent investigators performed an efficacy evaluation with clinical examination using a terminal hair regrowth score (RGS) with a scale ranging from 0 (inadequate response) to 2 (complete response) at week 20. Partial response was accepted as score 1. RESULTS: Both groups were well matched for the relevant demographic and clinical indicators affecting treatment response at baseline. All subjects completed the trial. At week 20 the RGS was 1.27 +/- 0.9 in the azelaic acid group versus 1.37 +/- 0.8 in the anthralin group (p > 0.05). A complete response was observed in 53.3% of cases in the azelaic acid group (8 of 15) compared with 56.2% (9 of 16) in the anthralin group (p > 0.05). No serious adverse events were observed in either group during the study. CONCLUSION: The present pilot study showed that the use of azelaic acid gave similar results to anthralin with regard to hair regrowth, and that it can be an effective topical therapy for patchy AA. More extensive trials are necessary, however, to reach a definitive conclusion.
There is a significant association between bathing trunk nevus and neurofibromatosis. However, not all neurofibroma-like papules detected clinically in cases with bathing trunk nevus may be a neurofibromas and histopathological confirmation is essential for definition of these lesions. We report a 21 year old white male patient with a bathing trunk nevus studded with neurofibroma-like papules of melanocytic nature. Histopathological examination of both papular and flat lesions showed diffuse melanocytes with plentiful eosinophilic cytoplasm and round nuclei in the dermis. Immunohistochemistry showed strong positivity of dermal melanocytes for S-100 protein. The clinical and histopathological findings and positivity of dermal melanocytes for S-100 protein were consistent with bathing trunk melanocytic nevus.
BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: Acne vulgaris frequently occurs in the second decade of life. The pathogenesis of the disease is multifactorial and in the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species in the inflammation of acne by determining the activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with acne vulgaris and 24 healthy controls were enrolled. The severity of the acne was categorized from mild (subjects with only comedonic lesions) to severe (subjects with nodulocystic lesions). SOD and MPO activities in PMN were measured spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the activity of MPO between the patients and controls.However, SOD activity in PMN was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls (p<0.001). Nocorrelation was detected between the activities of enzymes and the severity of the disease. CONCLUSION: Propionibacterium acnes may not play a primary role in the pathogenesis of acne as a bacterium. However, the low activity of SOD in PMN may be responsible for the increased levels of superoxide anion radicals in the epidermis. New anti-acne drugs should include substances with lymphocyte stimulating and anti-oxidative properties.
OBJECTIVE: Chronic type skin reactions are defined as unwanted effects of drugs. As there are more benign conditions, skin findings related to chronic usage of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have not been studied previously. In this study, we investigate the skin findings associated with the chronic usage of AEDs. METHODS: The study was conducted in the Post, Telephone and Telegraph Training and Research Hospital between May 2002 and January 2003 during a 6-month work period. Skin lesions were first assessed individually, and then their correlations with AEDs were examined. Skin findings were then divided into skin disease groups to evaluate statistical significance. The prevalence of skin findings occurring in 62 epileptics was compared with that of an age-matched group of 33 non-epileptics. RESULTS: The rate of skin findings defined in the workgroup was 85.5%, while it was 84.8% in the control group. The most common skin findings were acneiform eruptions for both groups. There was no significant differences between the work and study group as for skin findings (p>0.05). Alopecia was the only skin condition related to AED usage and it was seen in 4 patients (6.5%) using valproate (p<0.05). None of the 11 patients with infectious skin findings were using valproate, and that was the only significant relationship between antiepileptic drugs and skin diseases (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: The inflammatory skin diseases were the most commonly seen problem in both patients and controls. The alopecia ratio with valproate usage in our patient group was similar to literature reports.
Orf is a zoonotic infection caused by a parapoxvirus that primarily infects sheep and goats. Human orf infection can take place when abraded skin comes into contact with infected animals. It occurs most commonly on the index finger. The characteristic lesion resembles a tumor and resolves spontaneously, usually without any complications. However, rare complications such as lymphangitis, adenitis, erythema multiforme, erysipelas, papulovesicular eruption, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, and bullous pemphigoid have been reported. Herein, we report a case of giant orf causing swan-neck deformity and paresthesia. These complications have not been previously reported in the literature.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Lichen sclerosus most commonly affects the anogenital region. Spreading into the extragenital regions is rare, and its course is most commonly asymptomatic. Women have been reported to be affected 6 to 10 times more often than men. The etiology of lichen sclerosus is still unknown. The disease is characterized by ivory-white atrophic plaques, and no treatment ensuring complete recovery is available. T-cells are also involved in its pathogenesis. Pimecrolimus is a topical inhibitor of T-cells. In the present paper, we present a male patient with lichen sclerosus located only in extragenital regions and report an unsuccessful outcome of treatment with pimecrolimus 1% cream administered topically twice a day for 16 weeks.
A pityriasis rosea-like eruption can occur as a consequence of treatments with gold compounds and captopril. It has rarely been reported to have an association with vaccinations such as smallpox, BCG, hepatitis B, and diphtheria toxoid. It has not previously been documented to develop after pneumococcal vaccination. We report a case of pityriasis rosea-like eruption that developed following pneumococcal vaccination in a child with nephrotic syndrome.
Most common anomalies associated with Poland's syndrome are in the chest wall. This type of anomaly causes important psychological distress, especially in adolescent girls. A 19-year-old female with Poland's syndrome having psoriatic plaques on her trunk, knees, and elbows is reported in this paper. Such an association of Poland's syndrome with psoriasis has not been described previously.