Acta dermato-venereologica. Supplementum
-
Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1996
ReviewGenital viral infections. Studies on human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus.
The concept 'sexually transmitted diseases' (STD) was introduced in the nineteen sixties and comprises many diseases of varying importance from scabies to HIV infection. The STD family has grown wider and new members will probably join. The starting point of these studies was that patients with HPV infection, attending the STD clinic, appeared to increase in number in the late eighties. ⋯ The oncogenic potential of EBV underlines the importance of further studies. Koilocytosis as a pathognomonic sign of HPV infection has to be reconsidered. Finally, psychological aspects have to be kept in mind in the treatment of patients with HPV infection.
-
Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1994
The hyperperfusion of the psoriatic plaque correlates histologically with dilatation of vessels.
We examined psoriatic lesions on the upper legs in 20 patients, using a two-dimensional Laser-Doppler-Scanner (Laser Doppler Perfusion Imager LDI, Lisca Development, Linköping/Sweden). The plaques were evaluated weekly during therapy with dithranol. Five plaques were reconstructed three-dimensionally before and after therapy (reconstruction program ANAT 3D, SIS, Münster, Germany). ⋯ When compared, the volume of papillary vessels was twice as large in psoriatic as in healthy skin. The number of the papillae per square millimetre, detected by three-dimensional reconstruction, was not reduced significantly during therapy. We think that the increased perfusion of the psoriatic plaque is due to the combination of morphological (dilatation of vessels), dynamic (increased blood flow) and optical effects (reduced scattering and increased sampling depth of the laser-beam in acanthotic tissue).
-
Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1993
Langerhans cells, immunomodulation and skin lesions. A quantitative, morphological and clinical study.
The epidermal Langerhans cell (LC) plays an important role in contact hypersensitivity reactions by presenting the antigens to T lymphocytes. LCs may also play a role in defence mechanisms against neo-antigens in skin tumours. Some studies have indicated that the LC population declines with age. ⋯ These alterations were documented in horizontal sheets as well as in vertical sections of the epidermis analysed by light microscopy and with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The latter technique permits a quantitative and morphological analysis of LCs in the same tissue volume. In vertical sections, numerous LCs were observed in the dermis surrounding BCC nests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
-
Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparative effects of two topical antiseptics (chlorhexidine vs KMn04) on bacterial skin flora in atopic dermatitis.
In order to determine the efficacy and tolerance of two topical antiseptics, chlorhexidine vs KMn04 (diluted at 1:20,000), we compared their bacteriological and clinical effects in a randomized trial on 20 children with Atopic Dermatitis (AD) treated with topical steroids (desonide). After treatment, a clinical improvement was noted in the two groups, though without statistical differences. In vivo: Before treatment, Staphylococcus aureus (S. ⋯ A. was greater in the chlorhexidine group than in the KMn04 group, without significant difference. In vitro: At the clinical dilution used, there was a statistical difference (p < 0.05) between the number of killed bacteria in the chlorhexidine group (-3 log) and the number in the KMn04 group (-1 log). This study confirms the role and importance of the choice of a topical antiseptic in the treatment of AD.
-
Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1991
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialItch and atopic dermatitis: clinical and experimental studies.
The aims of the study were to develop and evaluate methods for quantitative measurement of itch, to investigate the perception of itch in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and to measure itch in such patients during treatment with H1-receptor antagonists or cyclosporin A, thereby exploring possible mechanisms in the pathogenesis of itch in AD. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of 30 AD patients using a potent, topical, antipruritic corticosteroid, two methods for measuring itch both successfully detected the itch-relieving effect of the corticosteroid. The two methods comprised new portable data-loggers (Pain-Track) for continuous recording of itch, and conventional visual analogue scale (VAS) forms for retrospective recording. ⋯ In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of 25 AD patients, the effect on clinical itch of a sedative (clemastine) and of a non-sedative (terfenadine) antihistamine did not differ from that of placebo, although both drugs had a pronounced H1-receptor-antagonizing effect in the skin and clemastine was significantly sedative. These findings support the view that histamine is not the major pruritogen in AD, and that sedation is not necessarily associated with itch relief. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of 10 AD patients, 10 days' treatment with cyclosporin A (CSA), 5 mg/kg/day, significantly reduced itch intensity, eczema score and the number of peripheral blood eosinophils.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)