Accelerating Topical Anaesthesia Using Microneedles.

Background/aims: Topical anaesthetics reduce pain during venous access procedures in children. However, clinical use is hindered by a significant anaesthetic onset time. Restricted diffusion of the topical anaesthetic through the stratum corneum barrier is the principal reason for the delayed onset.

TGFβ Induces a SAMHD1-Independent Post-Entry Restriction to HIV-1 Infection of Human Epithelial Langerhans Cells.

Sterile alpha motif (SAM) and histidine-aspartic (HD) domains protein 1 (SAMHD1) was previously identified as a critical post-entry restriction factor to HIV-1 infection in myeloid dendritic cells. Here we show that SAMHD1 is also expressed in epidermis-isolated Langerhans cells (LC), but degradation of SAMHD1 does not rescue HIV-1 or vesicular stomatitis virus G-pseudotyped lentivectors infection in LC. Strikingly, using Langerhans cells model systems (mutz-3-derived LC, monocyte-derived LC [MDLC], and freshly isolated epidermal LC), we characterize previously unreported post-entry restriction activity to HIV-1 in these cells, which acts at HIV-1 reverse transcription, but remains independent of restriction factors SAMHD1 and myxovirus resistance 2 (MX2).

Primary actinomycosis of the breast caused by Actinomyces turicensis with associated Peptoniphilus harei.

Actinomycosis of the breast is a rare disease which may mimic malignancy in presentation. Clinical presentation may make it difficult to distinguish primary actinomycosis from mastitis and inflammatory carcinoma. A 22-year-old lady presented with a 3-week history of right breast pain and greenish discharge through her nipple piercing.

Full thickness burn to a latissimus dorsi flap donor site due to a heat pad--there is still a need to improve patient information.

The goal of breast reconstruction is an excellent cosmetic outcome, while minimising the risk of complications and donor site morbidity. The authors report a patient who sustained a thermal injury from a heat pad to the donor site of a latissimus dorsi reconstruction. The insensate nature of the donor site secondary to harvesting the flap, had failed to alert her to the tissue damage and this resulted in a third degree burn.

Development of an ex vivo human skin model for intradermal vaccination: tissue viability and Langerhans cell behaviour.

The presence of resident Langerhans cells (LCs) in the epidermis makes the skin an attractive target for DNA vaccination. However, reliable animal models for cutaneous vaccination studies are limited. We demonstrate an ex vivo human skin model for cutaneous DNA vaccination which can potentially bridge the gap between pre-clinical in vivo animal models and clinical studies.

Evaluation of the quality and accuracy of information regarding aromatase inhibitors available on the internet.

The internet is commonly used by patients to access medical information, particularly where new treatments become available and are highlighted in the press. There is however, no regulation of the quality or accuracy of the information presented on web sites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and accuracy of the information concerning the aromatase inhibitors (AIs).

European randomized, multicenter study of goserelin (Zoladex) in the management of mastalgia.

Background: Breast pain is a common symptom in patients attending breast clinics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of goserelin (Zoladex) as compared with sham injection in patients with mastalgia.

Study Design: One hundred forty-seven premenopausal women were randomized to treatment with either goserelin injection (3.