Enteral histaminosis: Clinical implications.

There is increasing evidence that enteral histaminosis is a major cause of food intolerance resulting from dysfunctional metabolism of endogenous histamine in certain food stuffs. However, this phenomenon has been poorly characterised and, due to the lack of epidemiological data, the existence of this condition has been underestimated, which may lead to incorrect diagnosis. This short commentary highlights a stricter regimen of diagnostic procedure in order to take into account the many causes of food intolerance.

[Quality management in the German health care system].

With the increasing demands on hospitals for improved quality and lower costs, hospitals have been forced to reevaluate their manner of operation and quality assurance programs. Hospitals have also been faced with customer dissatisfaction and intense competition. This article reviews current quality-management systems and examines their position in dermatology.

Suppression of UV-induced erythema by topical treatment with melatonin. Influence of the application time point.

The UV-suppressive effect of topical melatonin was assessed at different application time points in a double-blind randomized clinical trial. The lower back of 20 healthy volunteers was treated with 0.6 mg/cm2 melatonin or vehicle either 15 min before or 1, 30 or 240 min after UV irradiation.

[Effect of a baby whey bath on skin physiology parameters in young children].

Although the skin of babies is very sensitive to irritants and baby baths are widely used in child care, there have been no investigations concerning their efficacy and safety so far. In the presented work we investigate the effect of a baby bath containing 80% and after another 2 weeks of treatment with a whey baby bath. During the study all infants were bathed at a temperature between 35 and 38 degrees C for 5 to 15 min every other day.

Daytime serum levels of melatonin after topical application onto the human skin.

The hormone melatonin is produced in the pineal gland and secreted into the blood in a circadian rhythm. Due to its antioxidative and immunomodulatory effects it might play a role as a topical drug in dermatology. In this study we investigated the penetration kinetics of melatonin applied to the skin of 6 healthy volunteers aged 26-34 years (M/F = 2/4).

Suppression of UV-induced erythema by topical treatment with melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine). Influence of the application time point.

Background: In a previous study, we reported a significant and dose-dependent suppression of UV-induced erythema in human skin by a topically applied melatonin preparation.

Objective: The present double-blind randomized study was designed to examine the influence of the application time point of topical melatonin on this antierythema effect.

Methods: Defined small areas on the lower back of 20 volunteers were treated with 0.

Irritancy testing in occupational dermatology: comparison between two quick tests and the acute irritation induced by sodium lauryl sulphate.

To reduce the incidence of irritant contact dermatitis, the development of screening methods to identify subjects with increased susceptibility to irritants is essential. In a pilot study on the comparison between two quick, non-invasive irritancy tests (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with the time-consuming patch testing with sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), no correlation between the "quick tests" and SLS patch testing was observed. In the present paper the results of irritancy testing in 181 metal worker trainees are presented.

Skin problems in sugar artists.

Sugar artistry is a growing profession amongst bakers and confectioners and an increasingly common hobby in amateur cooks. The main work consists of manual manipulation of sugar which is formed into figures and objects for table and food decoration. The sugar must be warmed up to 50 degrees C in order to be liquid and malleable and so the artists suffer from diverse thermally induced skin problems on their hands.

Occupational contact dermatitis toward sesquiterpene lactones in a florist.

Many plants and flowers can cause dermatitis in florists, growers, and others working in the industry. In the United States, Alstromeria, also called Peruvian Lily, has frequently been reported to cause hand eczema in floral workers. This interesting report details sesquiterpene lactone allergy in the occupational setting.

Suppression of UV-induced erythema by topical treatment with melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine). A dose response study.

Oxygen-centred free radicals play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic UV-induced skin damage as well as in skin aging. In this double-blind randomized study the efficacy of topically applied melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a potent free radical scavenger, in the suppression of UV-induced erythema was assessed. A group of 20 healthy volunteers were irradiated with 0.

Toxicology of topical local anesthetics.

Topical anesthesia of the skin, nowadays performed for various indications from pruritus over postherpetic neuralgia to minor surgery, has been under investigation for more than 30 years. Due to low water solubility, the active base form of most of the local anesthetics on the market is poorly absorbed through the skin. Hence, the most challenging target was to develop galenic preparations which provide a good skin penetration in order to reach the dermal nerve endings and thereby lead to sufficient local anesthesia.

Evaluation of topical antipsoriatic treatment by chromametry, visiometry and 20-MHz ultrasound in the psoriasis plaque test.

The antipsoriatic effects of two topical antipsoriatic agents, betamethasone valerate (Betnovate) and calcipotriol (Daivonex), and a pure nanocolloid gel were assessed in 10 patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis in a modified psoriasis plaque test. Three noninvasive bioengineering methods were applied to measure antipsoriatic effects: chromametry for objective evaluation of erythema; visiometry, a method for profilometry, and 20-MHz skin ultrasound for the measurement of skin thickness as a parameter of inflammatory infiltration and psoriatic hyperproliferation of the epidermis. Regarding inflammation parameters such as skin thickness (infiltration) and erythema (dilatation of vessels and hyperperfusion), the steroid preparation Betnovate proved to be significantly most effective in our study.

Sensitizations to allergens of the European standard series at the Department of Dermatology in Zurich 1990-1994.

Background: For planning and evaluation of preventive activities against contact dermatitis, it is important to detect trends in contact sensitization.

Objective And Methods: We performed a computer-aided analysis of the patch test results of 5,565 patients tested with the European standard allergens consecutively from 1990 to 1994 in our patch test clinic.

Results: The male/female ratio was 42.