Dermatology : international journal for clinical and investigative dermatology
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Dermatology (Basel) · Jan 2002
Evaluation of the bactericidal activity of povidone-iodine and commercially available gargle preparations.
Encouragement of gargling is important for the control of opportunistic and community-acquired infections. In hospitals, a povidone-iodine (PVP-I) gargle is used frequently. However, at pharmacies in the community a variety of gargles containing various ingredients are now available. In view of this, we conducted a study to compare the bactericidal activities of a PVP-I gargle with those of other commercially available gargles. In addition, we asked about the feeling after use by questionnaire. At middle schools in our city, we investigated whether the encouragement to use the PVP-I gargle had an effect on the absence rate from school due to common cold and influenza. ⋯ Of the 3 gargles tested, PVP-I showed the highest bactericidal rate and the highest reduction rate in oral bacterial count. Encouragement of the use of the PVP-I gargle contributed to the decrease in absence rates due to common cold and influenza, indicating that encouragement of gargling with PVP-I is useful for the prevention of common cold and influenza.
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Dermatology (Basel) · Jan 2002
Comparative StudyHair pain (trichodynia): frequency and relationship to hair loss and patient gender.
Patients complaining of hair loss frequently claim that their hair has become painful. ⋯ Hair pain (trichodynia) affects a significant proportion of patients complaining of hair loss and may increase the anxiety. The symptom neither allows discrimination of the cause nor correlates with the activity of hair loss. A higher prevalence of female patients might be connected to gender-related differences in pain perception in relation to anxiety. The role of vasoactive neuropeptides in the interaction between the central nervous system and skin reactivity is discussed. In the absence of any correlation with quantitative parameters of hair loss or specific morphologic changes of the scalp, management remains empiric and tailored to the individual.
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Dermatology (Basel) · Jan 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialSkin disinfection before epidural catheterization: comparative study of povidone-iodine versus chlorhexidine ethanol.
Chlorhexidine is better than povidone-iodine for skin preparation before intravascular device insertion or blood culture collection, but it is not known whether chlorhexidine is superior in reducing the colonization of continuous epidural catheters. ⋯ The effect of 0.5% chlorhexidine ethanol is not different from that of 10% povidone-iodine in reducing catheter colonization associated with short-term epidural catheter placement.
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Dermatology (Basel) · Jan 2002
Polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in histologically positive, suspicious and negative skin biopsies.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major problem in many tropical and subtropical countries. The clinical diagnosis should be confirmed by identification of the parasite in biopsy or smear or by tissue culture. The sensitivity of direct microscopy is not high, and tissue culture is not uniformly available and successful. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a sensitive test for the detection of low amounts of DNA in tissues. ⋯ PCR on paraffin-embedded tissue is a highly sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of CL, and detection of granulomatus inflammation is a highly reliable histopathologic finding in suspected cases.
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Dermatology (Basel) · Jan 2002
Antimicrobial effectiveness of povidone-iodine and consequences for new application areas.
The microbicidal action spectrum of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is broad - even after short onset times. Unlike local antibiotics and other antiseptic substances, no resistance develops. The high degree of bactericidal efficiency in respect of highly resistant gram-positive pathogenic micro-organisms, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and enterococcus strains, is particularly significant for hospital hygiene. ⋯ Since recent results are now also available on the toxicological safety of PVP-I preparations for the ciliated epithelium of the nasal mucosa and the good tolerability on skin and other mucous membranes is a known factor, a controlled clinical study is currently being carried out to eliminate colonizations of MRSA. Evidence has also recently been produced of the antiviral activity of PVP-I against herpes simplex, adeno- and enteroviruses, as well as its high degree of efficiency against Chlamydia. Hence alongside the classical fields of application, such as the disinfection of the skin and hands, mucosa antisepsis and wound treatment, there are also useful indications for the substance, i.e. rinsing of body cavities and joints and application to the eye.