Postpemphigus acanthomata: a sign of clinical activity?

Background Pemphigus is a group of vesiculobullous disorders in which the blisters usually heal with hyper- or hypopigmentation. The appearance of acanthomata at sites of previous blisters has been noted in some cases. Methods All cases of pemphigus admitted to the Madras Medical College hospitals during a 2-year period from March 1993 to March 1995 were taken into the study and screened for the presence of acanthomata. Results Fifty-two cases of pemphigus were identified, 47 of pemphigus vulgaris and five of pemphigus foliaceus; and of these 13 developed acanthomata when the blisters healed. Ten of these cases were of pemphigus vulgaris and three were of pemphigus foliaceus; biopsy of these lesions showed hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, papillomatosis, and intraepidermal clefting. Immunofluorescence carried out in two of these acanthomata also showed intercellular fluorescence. Conclusions The occurrence of acanthomata in healed lesions of pemphigus is not uncommon; because histopathologic and immunofluorescence evidence of disease activity is present, cases of this sort require careful follow-up.     

Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents after a priming dose of vecuronium

A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl with ectodermal dysplasia for whom dental surgery under general anaesthesia was planned. Following a priming dose of vecuronium, and immediately after injection of sodium thiopentone (5 mg·kg⁻¹) pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents occurred. It is hypothesized that, because of the rapid speed of onset of neuromuscular blocking agents on the laryngeal muscles, that partial laryngeal paralysis was present at the time of induction of anaesthesia and that this was responsible in part for the episode of pulmonary aspiration.     

Stroke Caused by Small Vessel Occlusion in a Patient Taking Etoricoxib and Thalidomide

We report a 33-year-old man with seronegative arthritis who had an acute infarct at the left lentiform nucleus while taking etoricoxib and thalidomide regularly. Extensive investigations did not find any evidence of large artery atherosclerosis, vasculitis, cardioembolic source or anti-phospholipid antibodies. While it is possible that a short smoking history, hyperlipidemia, and the use of thalidomide could have contributed to the thrombosis of a small penetrator vessel, we postulated that the prolonged use of etoricoxib is another possible contributing factor.