The present investigation shows that tactile friction measurements have potential as an alternative or complement in the evaluation of perception of topical formulations.

Delusional parasitosis is a common syndrome seen in Infectious Diseases clinics. These patients characteristically provide samples as evidence of their infestation. We prospectively catalogued and characterized 138 samples from these patients, processed in the UK Clinical Parasitology reference laboratory from January 2014 to April 2015. No human parasites were identified.

Catatonia is a motor syndrome associated with disorders in behavior. Malignant catatonia (MC) is the form of acute catatonia dominated by fever and autonomic instability that may be fatal if inadequately treated. We present a case of MC complicated by respiratory failure in a patient with previously undiagnosed Klinefelter syndrome. Patients with Klinefelter syndrome have one or more extra X-chromosome(s), and mental illness is a recognized association. The use of electroconvulsive therapy in these patients is well recognized, however, to our knowledge, this report is the first for MC in Klinefelter syndrome. We also describe, for the first time, type II respiratory failure as a secondary phenomenon occurring because of the combination of MC and thoracic abnormalities associated with Klinefelter syndrome. Interestingly, this is only the fourth reported case of respiratory failure due to any cause in MC. The positive outcome in this case confirms the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy for MC and supports its safety for use in patients with Klinefelter syndrome and in those with secondary respiratory failure.