Summary. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a common entity that conventionally is difficult to treat. Recently, topical ketoconazole has been proven successful. To determine if other azoles, and in particular the more modern ones, are also helpful in this condition, a double‐blind multicentre randomized controlled trial was performed in patients suffering from seborrhoeic dermatitis involving individuals 16 years and older without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. One hundred patients were enrolled and treated according to a random plan with either bifonazole 1 % cream or the corresponding vehicle once daily for 4 weeks. All patients were evaluated at the beginning of the study, as well as after 2 and 4 weeks, i.e. the treatment period proper, and after 6 weeks of follow‐up. Clinical evaluation was based on scores of 0–3 for the following parameters: erythema, papules, infiltration, scaling, itch. In addition, mycological evaluation was performed using adequate contact plates for quantitative determination of Malassezia furfur. In the end, 92 patients were at least partially evaluable. In general, the verum preparation tended to be more efficacious, e.g. the score for erythema amounted to 0.75 after 4 weeks as compared with 0.88 in the control group, the baseline values being 2.18 and 2.04 respectively. With itch, the corresponding figures were 0.17 and 0.33 as compared with 1.42 and 1.38 before treatment. While in statistical terms there was significant difference in these parameters, such a difference was demonstrated by clinical judgement at follow‐up. In the verum group (n= 37) 10 and 24 patients respectively were cured or improved; the corresponding figures for the control group (n= 43) were 9 and 23 (P=0.l). Differences in M. furfur colonization in favour of the verum preparation were not significant. Accordingly, there was no major difference in terms of the overall clinical and mycological cure rate in both groups, originally defined as a major test parameter. Bifonazole 1% cream might be helpful clinically in seborrhoeic dermatitis of non‐HIV‐infected patients. For definite proof of this hypothesis another confirmatory trial is needed, which should be based solely on global clinical judgement. Zusammenfassung. Das seborrhoische Ekzem ist eine häufige Erkrankung, die bislang schwer zu behandeln war. In der jüngsten Vergangenheit hat sich Ketoconazol topisch als erfolgreich enviesen. Um festzustellen, ob andere und insbesondere die neueren Azole bei dieser Erkrankung ebenfalls hilfreich sind, wurde eine randomisierte Doppel‐blind‐Multizenter‐Studie durchgeführt bei Patien‐ten mit seborrhoischem Ekzem mit einem Mindestalter von 16 Jahren und ohne HIV‐Infektion. Es sollten 100 Patienten aufgenommen werden und zufolge einem Randomplan entweder mit l%iger Bifonazol Creme oder mit der korre‐spondierenden Basiscreme 1 × täglich über vier Wochen behandelt werden. Alle Patienten mußten zu Beginn evaluiert werden, des weiteren zwei und vier Wochen danach, d.h. während der eigentlichen Behandlungsperiode sowie...

A survey of conditions with mucinous deposits is given. The most important factors for their diagnosis are to consider these disorders and to stain the slides for proteoglycans or glycosaminoglycans; the most common routine techniques are the Giemsa and the Alcian-blue stain. More sophisticated methods allow differentiation between specific compounds, especially hyaluronic acid and various proteoglycans.