Acne treatment with topical erythromycin and zinc: effect of Propionibacterium acnes and free fatty acid composition

A double-blind investigation has been conducted to examine the effect of topical 4% erythromycin/1.2% zinc acetate solution and its vehicle on quantitative bacterial counts (skin surface washings) of propionibacterium acnes and the free fatty acids of the skin surface. The logarithmic counts for P. acnes in the erythromycin/zinc group showed a significant reduction (98%) following 10 weeks of therapy. This compared with a 43% change shown for the vehicle-control group. A significant reduction (69%) in the percentage of free fatty acids in the surface lipids was seen at week 4 in the erythromycin/zinc group as compared to the control group. Triglyceride levels were significantly increased at all time points for the erythromycin/zinc group as compared to the control group. There was also a significant decrease (69%) in inflammatory lesions shown for the erythromycin/zinc treatment group at week 8 as compared to a 9% reduction in the control group.     

Prevention of stress ulcerations using H2 receptor antagonists.

Cimetidine, an H₂ receptor antagonist, was instilled transorally into the stomachs of several groups of rats prior to a period of stress in order to study its possible prophylactic effect upon the formation of stress ulcers and its effect on gastric mucosal membrane potentials and pH. Each group consisted of seven rats. The control group (group I) was given 0.5 ml of saline every 6 hours for three days and then was stressed using a combination of restraint and cold. After the animals were sacrificed, the mean number of gastric ulcers was 7.3 and the pH of the gastric fluid was 1.3. These results were compared with the results obtained in five experimental groups of rats pretreated for varying amounts of time with cimetidine (5 mg/100 g) given every 6 hours. Group II had only two doses of cimetidine, which were then followed by a period of stress. Groups III, IV, V, and VI were pretreated with cimetidine for one, two, three, and four days, respectively, prior to stress. A statistically significant decrease in ulcers was present in those groups receiving cimetidine pretreatment for at least two days. Three additional groups were then studied to investigate the transmucosal membrane potentials of stressed rats with and without cimetidine and in a group of unstressed controls. The mean membrane potentials with and without cimetidine were ?29 mv and ?9 mv, respectively (p < 0.001), and in the group of unstressed controls the transmucosal potential difference was ?26 mv. Cimetidine, therefore, apparently protects the gastric mucosa against this decrease in the transmucosal potential difference during stress and may have a protective effect on the formation of stress ulcers. These studies suggest that cimetidine may be useful for the prevention of stress ulcers in patients subjected to severe traumatic or clinical stress.     

The composition of the ceramides from human stratum corneum and from comedones

Human epidermal surface lipids were collected by an ethanol wash and the ceramides were quantified by thin-layer chromatography-photodensitometry. Six ceramide fractions were isolated and the structural components of each were analyzed in detail. The most unusual of the epidermal ceramides contained a sphingosine base with amide-linked 30- and 32-carbon omega-hydroxyacids and an ester-linked nonhydroxyacid, 41% of which was linoleic acid. The proportion of linoleic acid in the analogous ceramide from comedones was 6%. This supports the hypothesis that a localized insufficiency of linoleic acid in the follicular epithelium is an etiologic factor in comedogenesis.     

Language dominance: correlation of radiological and functional data

Morphological asymmetry of the posterior sylvian region was measured in carotid arteriograms of patients with medically refractory seizures. Anatomical asymmetry correlated with ear superiority on dichotic listening tests.     

Postbiopsy renal allograft arteriovenous fistula: Therapeutic embolization

Two patients with large, postbiopsy renal allograft arteriovenous fistulae are presented. One patient also had a renal artery anastomotic stenosis. Prominent clinical features in these cases were deterioration of allograft function and severe hypertension. Following therapeutic embolization, combined with balloon angioplasty in the second patient, there was marked improvement in allograft function and a return to normal blood pressure.     

Indications for surgical treatment of urotuberculosis (author's transl)]

The importance of the finding of specific antibodies in urotuberculosis and its importance for surgical indications are emphasized. The various antibodies and their evaluation in the followup of urotuberculosis are described. Case reports are given to show the value of the immunology in tuberculosis for the surgical selection of patients.