Acta dermato-venereologica. Supplementum
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Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1990
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialStudies on zinc in wound healing.
Topical zinc is widely used in wound treatment although the beneficial effect of zinc has only been documented in zinc-deficient patients who were given zinc orally. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of topically applied zinc on leg ulcer healing and examine its effect on some mechanisms in wound healing using standardized animal models. Additionally, absorption of zinc into wounds and intact skin treated topically with zinc was studied. ⋯ Zinc absorption in and through normal human forearm skin was demonstrated after treatment with a zinc oxide medicated occlusive dressing by increased zinc levels in epidermis, interstitial fluid and dermis compared with the non-zinc control dressing. In conclusion, topical zinc may stimulate leg ulcer healing by enhancing re-epithelialization, decreasing inflammation and bacterial growth. When zinc is applied on wounds it not only corrects a local zinc deficit but also acts pharmacologically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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The aim of the study was to investigate clinical aspects of pruritus in maintenance hemodialysis patients and to evaluate factors of putative pathogenic importance. 60-65% of the patients in a maintenance hemodialysis program during a two-year period suffered from itching. Patients with pruritus tended to have been on dialysis treatment longer than those without pruritus (p = 0.05), otherwise there was no difference in clinical data or routine laboratory tests. Measurement of itch intensity continuously over one week in 28 patients using a computerized method showed that itching peaked at night after two days without dialysis, was relatively high during treatment and lowest during the day following dialysis. ⋯ Repeated histamine injections induced tachyphylaxis in both uremic patients and controls. Indirect immunohistochemistry revealed neuron-specific enolase (NSE) immunoreactive nerve fibers sprouting throughout the layers of the epidermis in 12 dialysis patients (9 with pruritus) but in none of 15 controls. This finding suggests that hemodialysis patients develop an abnormal pattern of cutaneous innervation.
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Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1985
ReviewHand eczema and long-term prognosis in atopic dermatitis.
A follow-up study of 1177 adult patients who had had atopic dermatitis (AD) (Groups 1 and 2) or respiratory allergy (Group 3) in childhood is reported. Patients who had had AD in childhood had received in-patient (Group 1) or out-patient treatment (Group 2) for their dermatitis. 183 patients in Group 1 and 162 in Group 2 were examined clinically. Further, 445 patients who had recently been treated for hand eczema at a department for occupational dermatoses were studied (Group 5). ⋯ Occurrence of contact sensitivity, which was demonstrable in a total of 20% of the patch tested individuals from Groups 1 and 2, was not correlated to prevalence of healing at the time of examination. Fragrance-mix and balsam of Peru were the commonest contact sensitizers. People with a history of AD showed a higher incidence of recurrent (greater than 5 episodes per year) cold sores, upper respiratory infection, and herpes zoster than non-atopic controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) · Jan 1979
Tinea versicolor and Pityrosporum orbiculare: mycological investigations, experimental infections and epidemiological surveys.
In patients with tinea versicolor, Pityrosporum orbiculare was cultured from tinea versicolor lesions in 100%, from normal-looking skin in 80%, and from apparently healed lesions in 69%. P. orbiculare was isolated from normal skin in 85% of patients with seborrheic dermatitis and in 90% of volunteers. The best substrate for isolation of P. orbiculare was a peptone-glucose-yeast extract medium containing glycerol monostearate and Tween 80, overlaid with olive oil. ⋯ It was not possible to produce experimental infections without occlusion. Spontaneous healing usually occurred. In a retrospective study of 232 patients and prospective survey of 48 patients regarding susceptibility factors in tinea versicolor a higher (10.4%) than expected (3.8%) connection to seborrheic dermatitis was found.
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Striae are always initiated by stretch whether the stretch is excessive or minimal: spontaneous striae do not occur. Cross-linkage of collagen appears to be more important than amount of collagen in permitting striae in response to stretch. An increase in cross linkage as in age increases the resistance to stretch deformation, but this rigidity leads ultimately to tearing of the skin and not striae. ⋯ This balance of stretch and limited tear is a continuous process and is an adaptation to the needs of growth in adolescence and change in body mass in early adult life and there are many many subclinical "striae" for each gross tear which is recognised clinically. An important factor likewise appears to be rate of stretch since if it is very slow, striae are less likely; there is "give" and new collagen formation. Although this working hypothesis is consonant with the facts only further work will show whether this smooth consonance is that of the fable or the weathered rock of fact.