Do the Physical and Histologic Features and Time Course in Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis Reflect a Pattern of Cytokine Dysregulation?

Background: Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is characterized by fever and an indurated erythematous eruption early, with the development of nonfollicular pinhead sterile pustules on an erythematous background. The eruption progresses and resolves relatively rapidly. Although drugs are believed to be the major etiologic agents, other immune modulators, including infections, heavy metals, and radiation, have been implicated. Objective: The purpose of this study was to document underlying diseases in patients with AGEP and to determine if this data and the histologic features suggested an underlying pattern of immune dysregulation. Methods: Twenty-one patients with new or recurrent episodes of AGEP were questioned concerning underlying diseases. The histopathologic features seen in the biopsy sections and the approximate time of biopsy during the course of their eruptions were recorded. Results: Two patients had a history of psoriasis and one patient had a family history of psoriasis, two patients had diagnoses of sarcoid, two patients had inflammatory bowel disease, one had autoimmune thyroiditis, and one patient had multiple sclerosis. Biopsies done at the onset of the eruption showed marked to moderate papillary dermal edema and a mixed dermal inflammatory infiltrate. Shortly thereafter, biopsies showed spongiform pustules within the epidermis and occasional dyskeratotic cells with residual perivascular dermal edema. Although no definitive vasculitis was seen, there was leukocytoclasis within the dermal infiltrate in the majority of biopsy specimens performed more than 48 hours after the onset of the eruption. Conclusion: The histologic features seen in AGEP and the disease associations suggest that patients who develop this eruption may have an underlying tendency for development of a pattern of immune dysregulation characterized by a T helper-1 cytokine pattern.     

Novel dental anomalies associated with congenital contractural arachnodactyly: a case report

Congenital contractural arachnodactyly (CCA) is an inherited disorder of connective tissue similar to Marfan's syndrome. The craniofacial and oral features of a young girl with CCA are described. The patient has the typical features of CCA as well as some additional dental anomalies which have not previously been reported with this syndrome. These include banded pitted enamel hypoplasia and hypomineralization, long, spindly tapered roots, and pulp canal obliteration with multiple pulp stones. Dentists must be aware of the clinical features of a patient's syndrome to determine whether there are implications for dental treatment such as a need for antibiotic prophylaxis. It is important to exclude Marfan's syndrome as a differential diagnosis for CCA because the former has more associated complications and a less favorable prognosis.     

Mesiodens--diagnosis and management of a common supernumerary tooth

Mesiodentes are the most common supernumerary teeth, occurring in 0.15% to 1.9% of the population. Given this high frequency, the general dentist should be knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of mesiodentes and appropriate treatment. The cause of mesiodentes is not fully understood, although proliferation of the dental lamina and genetic factors have been implicated. Mesiodentes can cause delayed or ectopic eruption of the permanent incisors, which can further alter occlusion and appearance. It is therefore important for the clinician to diagnose a mesiodens early in development to allow for optimal yet minimal treatment. Treatment options may include surgical extraction of the mesiodens. If the permanent teeth do not erupt in a reasonable period after the extraction, surgical exposure and orthodontic treatment may be required to ensure eruption and proper alignment of the teeth. In some instances, fixed orthodontic therapy is also required to create sufficient arch space before eruption and alignment of the incisor(s). Early diagnosis allows the most appropriate treatment, often reducing the extent of surgery, orthodontic treatment and possible complications. This paper outlines the causes and modes of presentation of mesiodentes, and presents guidelines for diagnosis and management of nonsyndromic mesiodentes.     

Reproducibility of probing depth measurement using a constant-force electronic probe: analysis of inter- and intraexaminer variability

BACKGROUND: Probing depth (PD) is a commonly used method to determine periodontal disease severity in both treating and evaluating disease progression. Agreement among examiners collecting data in scientific investigations is necessary to establish reliable criteria for determining levels of periodontal attachment loss. The objective of our study was to evaluate inter- and intraexaminer variability of PD measurements among study examiners using a constant force periodontal probe, and to compare the variability of tooth-mean and quadrant-mean. METHODS: Three examiners, who had been previously trained and calibrated, performed measurements on 20 volunteers. Intra- and interexaminer variability of sites was determined by means of standard error of measurement (SE). Data analysis included determination of error for both quadrant mean and tooth mean. RESULTS: PD measurements for the quadrant-mean were used to calculate the intraexaminer variability, resulting in a mean (SD) value for an SE of 0.40 mm (+/- 0.02). Interexaminer variability for quadrant mean was 0.16 mm (+/- 0.02). For tooth-mean SE, the intraexaminer variability values were equal to 0.38 mm (+/- 0.07), and interexaminer variability equal to 0.24 mm (+/- 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: All three examiners participating in our study were able to obtain reliable measurements for PD, using the constant force electronic probe. Reproducibility did not vary appreciably when using the whole quadrant mean compared to the tooth mean. These trained examiners were able to provide reproducible measures under 0.5 mm.     

Psychoeducational interventions in rheumatic diseases: a review of papers published from September 2001 to August 2002

A large number of psychoeducational intervention studies have been developed for use with patients with rheumatic disease. The interventions vary considerably in the components they include and in the extent of the benefits they find. Recent meta-analyses of studies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) report moderate short-term benefits, but it remains necessary to further examine which components are most important in bringing about change. A significant recent development in psychoeducational interventions is the move toward a generic intervention-the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). A randomized controlled trial of this program has been performed, but statistical analysis for arthritis have not been reported separately.     

Updated risk adjustment mortality model using the complete 1.1 dataset from the American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCDR)

OBJECTIVES: To revise and update a risk adjustment model for in-hospital mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures using all data from the 1.1 version of the American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCR). BACKGROUND: A model based on data received at the ACC-NCDR from 1998-2000 was previously reported. The revision of this mortality model reflects all of the data submitted using 1.1 data specifications and collected through the second quarter of 2001. The model was applied to selected high-risk subgroups from a sample of data collected during the year 2001 from version 2.0 of the NCDR. METHODS: Data on 173,743 PCI procedures collected at the ACC-NCDR between January 1, 1998 and March 31, 2001 were analyzed. A mortality model was generated as well as separate models for presentation with and without acute myocardial infarction within 24 hours. The model was used to generate predicted mortalities that were compared to observed mortalities in more current high-risk patient subgroups in the NCDR. RESULTS: The same factors that were previously found to be associated with increased risk of PCI mortality were re-verified in the current analysis. Inclusion of the complete 1.1 dataset produced some changes in the regression weights and the constant value. Excellent discrimination was achieved in the revised model (C-Index = 0.89). The model was applied to high-risk patient groups from data collected on 76,249 during the calendar year 2001 using the 2.0 NCDR data elements and definitions. These analyses showed a high level of agreement between observed mortality of each subgroup and the predicted mortality rates generated from the revised 1.1 PCI mortality model. CONCLUSIONS: Risk adjustment models for in-hospital mortality following PCI for all patients and for those with and without recent MI were regenerated using all data collected from the 1.1 data specifications of the ACC-NCDR and validated on high-risk groups from data collected during 2001 under data version 2.0 of the NCDR. These models reflect the most up-to-date analysis of mortality prediction from this large, multi-center national database.