No abstract

Eighteen (72%) out of twenty-five cases were cured, and the other seven (28%) were not. The individual cure rates of the three conditions above were 80%, 60%, and 68.5% respectively. Pigmentary changes occurred immediately after the initial topical application of glutaraldehyde, and the surface of the verruca hardened. Soon afterwards some debris began to drop off of the verruca tissue little by little, and final healing was completed by less than twelve weeks without disagreeable marks. This therapy was found to be extremely useful, not only because the cure rate was high, but the following advantages were also noted: 1) no pain or pruritus, 2) no evidence of scarring or permanent pigmentary change, 3) good penetration in any location, 4) no need for special instruments or reagents except the solution, and 5) no special technique required (possible home treatment). This therapy is superior to cryotherapy (CT) in that it is useful for warts on any location, regardless of the number of lesions, and it is good for young children, although the cure rates for CT and GA are almost equal.

SUMMARYA number of adhesion molecules participate in the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the site of inflammation, and selectins together with their ligands are important in the early transient adhesion phase. In this study, we evaluated the role of l-selectin in T lymphocyte alveolitis in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis. We measured serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) concentrations of soluble (s)l-selectin using an ELISA. Serum and BALF concentrations of sl-selectin were significantly elevated in patients with sarcoidosis compared with control healthy subjects and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients (P , 0´05 and P , 0´01, respectively). The lymphocyte surface marker was also examined in peripheral blood and BALF by flow cytometric analysis. The percentage of CD3 1 CD62L 1 cells (l-selectin-bearing T lymphocytes) was significantly lower in peripheral blood of sarcoidosis than in that of healthy subjects (P , 0´01). In contrast, the percentage of CD3 1 CD62L 2 cells (l-selectinnegative T lymphocytes) in BALF of patients with sarcoidosis was significantly higher than in healthy subjects (P , 0´05) and IPF patients (P , 0´01). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between serum concentrations of sl-selectin and the number of l-selectin-negative T lymphocytes in BALF (r 0´535, P , 0´01). Our results suggest that l-selectin may be involved in T lymphocyte alveolitis in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis.

A 56-year-old female with refractory adult-onset Still's disease presented with ocular herpes zoster infection during TCZ treatment. After three days of acyclovir treatment (5 mg/kg), she developed a severe headache and high fever. Viral DNA isolation and cerebral spinal fluid abnormalities led to a herpes zoster meningitis diagnosis. Her meningitis was cured by high doses of intravenous acyclovir (10 mg/kg for 14 days). To our knowledge, this is the first report of meningeal herpes zoster infection in rheumatic diseases under TCZ treatment.

To elucidate the pathogenesis of impaired barrier function and the influence of surfactant on the stratum corneum in hyperkeratosis, we investigated morphological alterations of the corneocytes with soap solution. Groups of five patients each with psoriasis vulgaris (PV), ichthyosis vulgaris (IV), atopic dermatitis (AD), and normal controls were examined. Four samples of the horny layer were obtained from the same site by cyanoacrylate adhesive biopsy. The first sample was used for the superficial layer, and the fourth, for the basal horny layers. Each sample was agitated in 1% stirred soap solution at 60 degrees C. The number and size of isolated corneocytes and the morphologic changes were investigated. The release of corneocytes was greater and the swelling and morphological changes of corneocytes exposed to soap solutions were less in PV and AD than in IV or in healthy subjects. In IV, the release was markedly less than in controls. The release and swelling were greater in the superficial than in the basal horny layers. It was concluded that the cohesiveness of corneocytes was probably less in PV and AD and greater in IV than in normals. It was also suggested that the cohesion of corneocytes from the superficial horny layer was less than that from the deep layer. The permeability of the cornified envelope in PV and AD patients was less than in IV or healthy subjects. It was confirmed that highly potent soaps induce loss of many corneocytes and reduce the barrier function of the stratum corneum.