Photosensitivity after treatment of porphyria cutanea tarda with low dose chloroquine

Treatment of a patient with porphyria cutanea tarda with low dose chloroquine improved the clinical and biochemical abnormalities in association with a reduction in photosensitivity as shown by changes in the action spectrum.     

Trichochromes in red human hair.

The presence of trichochromes B and C in red human hair was confirmed with an analytical procedure which does not give rise to the formation of these compounds as artifacts. The trichochrome precursor 5-S-cysteinyldopa previously demonstrated in red guinea-pig hair was not detected in red human hair.     

污染物暴露与毛发纤维超微结构的降解加速有关

随着生物监测方法敏感性的不断增加,越来越多的证据表明,空气污染与人类疾病相关。体外和体内研究提示,颗粒物(PM)的暴露、活性氧的产生、炎症以及DNA损伤之间存在着因果关系,对于PM暴露与死亡率增加的关联提出了可能的解释。体外研究表明,具有光毒性的环境空气污染物多环芳烃家族(PAH)与UVA的协同效应会加重其对皮肤的损伤。随着色谱-质谱法等分析方法灵敏度的提高,毛发正在成为生物监测的标准样本来源之一,用来补充尿液、血液等传统样本以及母乳、唾液等其他样本的不足。使用毛发样本的优势是能够提供个体长达数月的慢性污染物暴露的综合信息。     

Dermal glycosaminoglycan concentration throughout hair growth cycle of rats.

The dermal glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content of rats was measured quantitatively after plucking hair from the backs of the animals, which reinitiates their hair cycle. Mast cells present around the hair follicles were counted at each stage of the hair cycle and compared with the amount of GAG in the skin. GAG reached its peak on the 6th day of the anagen stage and decreased during the catagen stage. In the telogen stage, it was about the same as it had been in the catagen stage. The same pattern was noted for the number of mast cells. The 0.5 M fraction in Dowex-1 column chromatography proved to be hyaluronic acid and its concentration throughout the hair growth cycle showed strong parallels to that of total dermal GAG.     

Tufted hair folliculitis: response to topical therapy with nadifloxacin.

Tufted hair folliculitis (THF) is a relatively rare disorder. We report two typical cases of THF, which are the first cases from Japan reported in the international literature and we discuss a new effective treatment for this condition.     

Immunopathology of the human hair follicle.

Although patients are told that, in many instances, their hair loss is precipitated by stress, they are certainly stressed and saddened by their alopecia. They would be elated with the ability to regrow their hair. Ideally, therapy would be specific and targeted at the cascade of inflammatory, cytokine-mediated, and mesenchymal events which lead to hair loss. Such is the case with infectious folliculitides: Pityrosporum folliculitis is cleared with antifungal agents, bacterial folliculitis is cleared with antibiotics, and herpetic folliculitis is treated with antiviral agents. Future studies of the hair follicle will perhaps unlock the mechanisms that drive and maintain normal hair growth. Until that time scientists will, no doubt, continue to be fascinated by the intricate developmental and immunologic mechanisms that drive this micro-organ of the skin.     

Female pattern hair loss: a pilot study investigating combination therapy with low‐dose oral minoxidil and spironolactone

Background

Minoxidil and spironolactone are oral antihypertensives known to stimulate hair growth.

Objective

To report on a case series of women with pattern hair loss (PHL) treated with once daily minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg.

Methods

Women newly diagnosed with a Sinclair stage 2–5 PHL were scored for hair shedding and hair density before and after 12 months of treatment with oral minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg.

Results

A total of 100 women were included in this observational pilot study. Mean age was 48.44 years (range 18–80). Mean hair loss severity at baseline was Sinclair 2.79 (range 2–5). Mean hair shedding score at baseline was 4.82. Mean duration of diagnosis was 6.5 years (range 0.5–30). Mean reduction in hair loss severity score was 0.85 at 6 months and 1.3 at 12 months. Mean reduction in hair shedding score was 2.3 at 6 months and 2.6 at 12 months. Mean change in blood pressure was ?4.52 mmHg systolic and ?6.48 mmHg diastolic. Side effects were seen in eight women but were generally mild. No patients developed hyperkalemia or any other blood test abnormality. Six of these women continued treatment, and two women who developed urticaria discontinued treatment.

Limitations

Prospective, uncontrolled, open‐label observational study.

Discussion

Once daily capsules containing minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg appear to be safe and effective in the treatment of FPHL. Placebo‐controlled studies to investigate this further are warranted.     

Hydroxylation of dehydroepiandrosterone in human scalp hair follicles.

The dehydroepiandrosterone hydroxylating enzyme system in the hair follicle has been characterized. It is found in the particulate fraction of the follicle, and is inhibited by carbon monoxide and the cytochrome P450 inhibitor metyrapone, and appears to be dependent upon NADPH. In these major characteristics the hair follicle enzyme is very similar to the liver monooxygenase system.     

Cell differentiation in human anagen hair and hair follicles studied with anti-hair keratin monoclonal antibodies

By a hybridoma technique using BALB/c mice and Sp2/0-Ag14 mouse myeloma cells, monoclonal antibodies against hair fibrous proteins (HFP) were produced. Two monoclonal antibodies, designated as HKN-5 and HKN-7, were chosen. Either HFP or epidermal fibrous proteins (EFP) were electrophoretically separated on polyacrylamide gels with sodium dodecyl sulfate. By immunoblot analyses, HKN-5 and HKN-7 decorated the electrophoretic bands of HFP but not those of EFP. Immunohistochemically, these monoclonal antibodies stained the medulla, cortex, cuticle, and inner root sheath in the keratogenous zone of anagen hairs, but not hair matrix cells. HKN-5 further reacted with the innermost cells (IMC) of the outer root sheath; these cells formed a single cell layer located outside of the Henle's layer. HKN-7 did not react with the outer root sheath including the IMC. Neither monoclonal antibody reacted with any other skin components or any tissues of other organs examined. Ultrastructurally, the IMC of the outer root sheath showed a unique cell differentiation forming an independent cell layer. It is suggested that the cells in the medulla, cortex, cuticle, and inner root sheath of anagen hair and hair follicles possess a similar keratin expression and that the IMC of the outer root sheath display a unique keratin expression and their own cell differentiation, resulting in 2 types of keratinization of the outer root sheath; keratinization of IMC and trichilemmal keratinization.     

Iron metabolism and chloroquine phosphate therapy in porphyria cutanea tarda

The knowledge about the influence of chloroquine phosphate (CQ) on the iron metabolism in porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is still insufficient. In a study on 138 PCT patients treated with CQ, we observed decreasing serum iron concentration, transferrin saturation, and hepatic siderosis, as well as an increasing level of transferrin. After a one-year therapy with CQ, the patients showed normal porphyrinuria. Since there were no statistical correlations between the degree of hepatic siderosis and porphyrinuria, and since we repeatedly found remission of the PCT in spite of the continued existence of hepatic siderosis, the removal of iron cannot be regarded as the only principle of action in CQ therapy. In comparison with chloroquine, phlebotomy obviously has--even with regard to the iron deposits--no decisive advantages.     

Organ culture conditions of human hair follicles.

Experimental results revealed that although [3H]thymidine uptake in the hair bulb increased time dependently for 12 days under normal culture conditions (95% air-5% CO2 at 37 degrees C), striking morphological changes occurred in the hair bulb cells as demonstrated by histological findings. As such, organ culture conditions applicable to human hair follicles were studied utilizing observations from both histology and DNA synthesis. We found that culture conditions of 95% O2-5% CO2 at 31 degrees C were superior when compared to normal culture conditions for cultures of human hair follicles when attempting to maintain the normal morphology of hair germinative cells. The hair bulb and the germinative cells successfully maintained their normal morphology throughout the 96 and 48 h culture period, respectively. Autoradiographs of [3H]thymidine-labeled follicles showed localization in the germinative cells below Auber's critical line. Hair bulb DNA synthesis increased time dependently for 96 h after culture initiation. Under conditions of 95% O2-5% CO2 at 31 degrees C, the synthesis of DNA in hair germinative cells was observed. Such an organ culture method may prove useful for studies on the human hair growth mechanism.     

Acquired kinking of the hair associated with etretinate therapy

We describe three patients in whom dose-dependent, reversible kinking of the hair has occurred while receiving etretinate therapy. The morphological changes of the hair consist of incomplete twists, variation in bore and pigmentation. We propose that the changes may result from the drug's effect on the inner root sheath of the hair.     

Diagnosis and therapy of diffuse hair loss

Dependent on the nature and intensity of the causative damage, the clinical picture of diffuse loss of hair varies considerably. We give a review on 4 typical clinical forms with different courses and degrees of hair loss. The differentiation of these variants may help to estimate the possible causes and prognosis and avoid unnecessary investigations.