Contact dermatitis to cocamidopropylbetaine is caused by residual amines: Relevance,clinical characteristics,and review of the literature

Cocamidopropylbetaine (CAPE) is an amphoteric surfactant mainly sold as Tegobetaine L7; it is often included in shampoos, cleansing lotions, and disinfectants. In the last 2 years, this was responsible for 15 cases of allergic contact dermatitis seen in our clinics. The causes were shampoos, face cleansing lotions, gynecological antiseptic syndets, liquid shower soaps, and anal hygienic detergents. Although there are only a few cases of contact dermatitis reported in the literature from CAPB and detergents are generally considered rare sensitizing agents, the sensitizing potential of CAPB may be greater than previously thought. This seems to be because of a contaminant, dimethylaminopropylamine, found in some of the cosmetic products.     

Lyme disease is a spirochetosis. A review of the disease and evidence for its cause

Fourteen patients with Lyme disease showed typical clinical features of erythema chronicum migrans. Eighteen biopsy specimens in all were obtained from the cutaneous lesions of these patients. The predominant histologic finding was a superficial and deep perivascular and interstitial infiltrate composed mostly of lymphocytes, or lymphocytes and either plasma cells and eosinophils or both. The plasma cells were found most frequently in biopsy specimens taken from the peripheries of the lesions, whereas eosinophils were found mostly in the centers of lesions. With the Warthin-Starry silver stain, spirochetes were found mostly at the borders of the lesions an in biopsy specimens containing plasma cells. Spirochetes were subsequently cultured from a typical skin lesion of erythema chronicum migrans. These findings corroborate previous indirect evidence that a spirochete might be the cause of Lyme disease.     

Skin irritancy from fish is related to its postmortem age

Scratch tests with different fish products (fish juice from fillets, meat (fillet), skin, slime, juice from fish boxes and hold in the fishing boats, and entrails) were performed in 145 volunteers. All fish products were able to cause irritant skin reactions. Itching and erythema were the predominant symptoms and severe itch reactions occurred more often than severe erythema. The symptoms, in general, were mild to moderate compared to histamine. We found that the postmortem age of the fish was of great importance to the frequency and severity of the symptoms. Only the protein fraction of fish products caused symptoms. Our results are in accordance with the subjective complaints and clinical findings among workers in the fish processing industry.     

Skin biopsy for inflammatory and common neoplastic skin diseases: optimum time, best location and preferred techniques. A critical review

The diagnosis of skin diseases, particularly inflammatory dermatoses, is based primarily on clinical information. Pathologic examination of the biopsied specimen often serves as a complementary or confirmative part of the diagnosis. However, the clinical diagnosis of skin diseases may be challenging, as the clinical information and appearance of skin lesions invariably overlap. Evidence for a correct diagnosis may be lacking without histopathologic examination of skin biopsies. It is well known that the histologic diagnosis of inflammatory and other skin diseases requires clinicopathologic correlation, and there is evolution of skin lesions into different stages as the diseases progress. Other factors important for accurate dermatopathologic diagnosis are optimum time, best location and preferred techniques of skin biopsy. In searching for available information concerning when, where and how to take skin biopsies, it is noted that there are only limited practical guidelines currently available. We present this review article in hopes that our collective dermatopathologic and dermatologic experience can provide a quick reference for accurate diagnosis and proper management of skin diseases.     

The preauricular sinus: a review of its clinical presentation, treatment, and associations

Preauricular sinuses (ear pits) are common congenital abnormalities. Usually asymptomatic, they manifest as small dells adjacent to the external ear near the anterior margin of the ascending limb of the helix, most frequently on the right side. Preauricular sinuses can be either inherited or sporadic. When inherited, they show an incomplete autosomal dominant pattern with reduced penetrance and variable expression. They may be bilateral, increasing the likelihood of being inherited, in 25-50% of cases. Preauricular sinuses are features of other conditions or syndromes in 3-10% of cases, primarily in association with deafness and branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome. When other congenital anomalies coexist with these sinuses, auditory testing and renal ultrasound should be considered. Sinuses may become infected, most commonly with gram-positive bacteria, in which case their exudates should be cultured and appropriate antibiotics administered. Recurrent infection is a clear indication for complete excision and provides the only definitive cure. Recurrence rates after surgery range from 9% to 42%. Meticulous excision by an experienced head and neck surgeon minimizes the risk of recurrence.     

男女性衰老过程中的性反应变化、原因以及改善性能力衰减的干预疗法

性反应包括可以客观测量的身体反应和很难被量化和客观测量的意识主观体验.目前,性科学的研究大多集中在生物生理学方面,而研究主观心理层面的性反应变化的学术文献很缺乏.本文详细地从身体和意识两方面阐述了男女性正常衰老过程中的性反应变化以及原因,介绍了衰老可引起混合型性反应变化的观点,即性反应可能是增强的,也可能是降低的.并分别从意识层面和身体层面提出了预防衰老性性反应能力降低的建议,以及改善性能力衰减的干预疗法.     

How best to halt and/or revert UV-induced skin ageing: strategies, facts and fiction

Abstract:  Once considered mainly a cosmetic issue, photoageing research has long moved to the forefront of investigative dermatology. Besides obvious market pressures, increasing insight into the mechanistic overlap between UV-induced skin cancer and UV-induced skin ageing has contributed to this development. Also, as strategies that work to antagonize intrinsic skin ageing/senescence may also be exploited against photoageing (and vice versa!), it has become an important skin research challenge to dissect both the differences and the overlap mechanisms between these interwined, yet distinct phenomena. Finally, the current surge in putative 'antiageing' products, devices, and strategies – too many of which boldly promise to fight and/or repair the perils that come along with a lifetime spent in the sun in the absence of convincing evidence of efficacy – makes it particularly pertinent to critically review the available evidence to support often made antiageing claims. The current CONTROVERSIES feature, therefore, aimed to provide both guidance through, and critical voices in, the antiageing circus. Here, a panel of experts defines relevant key problems, points the uninaugurated to intriguing aspects of photoageing that one may not have considered before, highlights promising strategies for how best to halt and/or revert it, and spiritedly debates some controversially discussed approaches.     

When there is no single best biological agent: psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in the same patient responding to two different biological agents

Guidelines and treatment strategies for the new biological agents have been developed, but dermatologists continue to face difficulties in adopting these guidelines into their daily practices. We report a patient with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis whose skin lesions responded only to efalizumab, and the arthritis to etanercept. This case shows that different biological agents may achieve different success rates even in the same patient. Each biological agent offers different advantages and disadvantages, which sometimes make it difficult to choose the single best agent for a patient. Psoriasis often becomes one of the most difficult diseases to treat and does not respond to any single antipsoriatic agent. Perhaps in the future, rotational or combination treatment with different biological treatments will be used.     

Rediscovering thalidomide: A review of its mechanism of action, side effects, and potential uses

Thalidomide, a hypnosedative drug introduced in the 1950s, has been used in a variety of dermatologic conditions during the past few decades. Although originally withdrawn from the world market on discovery of its teratogenic effect, it has since been selectively reintroduced for use in various disorders thought to have an autoimmune or inflammatory basis. A review of the literature focused on clinical uses of thalidomide in the treatment of dermatologic diseases was performed. Diseases for which thalidomide has been found effective include erythema nodosum leprosum, prurigo nodularis, actinic prurigo, discoid lupus erythematosus, aphthous stomatitis, Behçet's syndrome, and graft-versus-host disease. Side effects such as teratogenicity and peripheral neuropathy remain its limiting factor. Thalidomide is a useful addition to the therapeutic armamentarium for treatment-resistant dermatoses as long as proper vigilance for adverse effects is maintained.     

How best to fight that nasty itch - from new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus to novel therapeutic approaches

While the enormous clinical and psychosocial importance of pruritus in many areas of medicine and the detrimental effects of chronic 'itch' on the quality of life of an affected individual are widely appreciated, the complexity of this sensation is still often grossly underestimated. The current Controversies feature highlights this complexity by portraying pruritus as a truly interdisciplinary problem at the crossroads of neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, neuropharmacology, protease research, internal medicine, and dermatology, which is combated most successfully if one keeps the multilayered nature of 'itch' in mind and adopts a holistic treatment approach - beyond the customary, frequently frustrane monotherapy with histamine receptor antagonists. In view of the often unsatisfactory, unidimensional, and altogether rather crude standard instruments for pruritus management that we still tend to use in clinical practice today, an interdisciplinary team of pruritus experts here critically examines recent progress in pruritus research that future itch management must take into consideration. Focusing on new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus, and discussing available neuropharmacological tools, specific research avenues are highlighted, whose pursuit promises to lead to novel, and hopefully more effective, forms of pruritus management.     

Frequency of allergic contact dermatitis to isoeugenol is increasing: a review of 3636 patients tested from 2001 to 2005

BACKGROUND: Isoeugenol is an important fragrance allergen. The cosmetic industry was recommended voluntarily to reduce concentrations of isoeugenol in finished cosmetic products from 0.2% to 0.02% in 1998. It was suspected that this would reduce the incidence of patch test positivity in individuals undergoing routine patch testing after approximately 2-3 years (the Dillarstone effect). OBJECTIVES: To review our patch test data since the change in practice by industry, to see if there has been an observable decrease in isoeugenol contact sensitivity. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed all subjects patch tested to isoeugenol 1% pet. in the St John's Department of Cutaneous Allergy over a period of 5 years, commencing 3 years after the changes. RESULTS: We identified 3636 subjects, 97 of whom were positive for isoeugenol. Year-on-year incidence shows an increasing trend, with an overall incidence of 2.67%. Using the exact Cochran-Armitage test, this ascending trend is statistically significant (P = 0.0182). Seventy-two of 97 isoeugenol-positive subjects were also positive to fragrance mix I. Other fragrances positive in these 97 patients included Myroxylon pereirae (30%), Evernia prunastri (22%) and eugenol (15%). CONCLUSIONS: We suspect that the increasing trend may be due to allergen substitution with compounds chemically related to isoeugenol, or which hydrolyse to isoeugenol itself.     

How best to fight that nasty itch – from new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus to novel therapeutic approaches

While the enormous clinical and psychosocial importance of pruritus in many areas of medicine and the detrimental effects of chronic 'itch' on the quality of life of an affected individual are widely appreciated, the complexity of this sensation is still often grossly underestimated. The current Controversies feature highlights this complexity by portraying pruritus as a truly interdisciplinary problem at the crossroads of neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, neuropharmacology, protease research, internal medicine, and dermatology, which is combated most successfully if one keeps the multilayered nature of 'itch' in mind and adopts a holistic treatment approach – beyond the customary, frequently frustrane monotherapy with histamine receptor antagonists. In view of the often unsatisfactory, unidimensional, and altogether rather crude standard instruments for pruritus management that we still tend to use in clinical practice today, an interdisciplinary team of pruritus experts here critically examines recent progress in pruritus research that future itch management must take into consideration. Focusing on new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus, and discussing available neuropharmacological tools, specific research avenues are highlighted, whose pursuit promises to lead to novel, and hopefully more effective, forms of pruritus management.