Clinical Evaluation of the Safety and Tolerability of Film-Forming Sprays in Patients With Psoriasis and Eczema.

Background Treating dermatological pathologies under occlusion therapy is a popular adjunct, especially in thickened, lichenified areas of psoriasis where sustained contact with topical corticosteroids plays a pivotal role. Film-forming spray (FFS) can be a novel, alternate approach along with topical treatment in this area for carefully selected cases. This study aimed to evaluate the safety profile and physical characteristics of a novel formulation of an FFS in patients with psoriasis and eczema.

Strong correlations of anti-viral capsid antigen antibody levels in first-degree relatives from families with Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphomas.

Background: Markers of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection include anti-viral capsid antigen (VCA) immunoglobulin (Ig) G. High anti-VCA titers are associated with EBV-related lymphoproliferation, such as Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Methods: Intrafamilial correlations of anti-VCA IgG levels were studied in 3 settings: 127 families recruited through patients with HL in France (population A), 31 families recruited through patients with BL in Uganda (population B), and 74 large families from a general population in Cameroon (population C).

Infection of rats with human T-cell leukemia virus type-I: susceptibility of inbred strains, antibody response and provirus location.

The susceptibilities of different strains of inbred rats to infection with the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) after inoculation of human HTLV-I producer cell lines were compared. The Fisher F344 and Brown Norway strains developed the highest antibody response to HTLV-I, while the Lewis and BB strains were low responders. Antibodies against the HTLV-I gag proteins, and env gp21 but not env gp46, were detected in Western blots with sera from HTLV-I-infected Fischer F344 and Brown Norway rats.

Increased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma among males of French origin born in Maghreb (north Africa).

A study on the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been performed in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region, South of France, where Maghrebian migrants represent 10% of the population. During the years 1986-1990, 76 cases of NPC were diagnosed, of which 44 were French by birth, 25 were Maghrebian migrants and 7 were other migrants. We found that 36% of the French patients were either born in endemic areas or had lived there for more than 15 years.

Detection of anti-Epstein-Barr-virus transactivator (ZEBRA) antibodies in sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous Herpes virus which causes infectious mononucleosis and is associated with such different neoplasms as Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. EBV latently infects its target cells; nevertheless, evidence of viral replication in NPC tumours has been uncovered. Among the EBV transactivators, the ZEBRA protein plays a crucial role in switching the virus from a latent to a productive mode.

Epstein-Barr virus activators, mutagens and volatile nitrosamines in preserved food samples from high-risk areas for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Representative samples of preserved foods collected from high-risk areas for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were assayed for capacity to induce Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by measuring induction of the DR promoter gene or of genes for early antigens in Raji cells. The two assays gave concordant results, but the DR induction assay detected EBV-inducing substances at lower concentrations and more reproducibly. Three of 17 preserved food items were active in both assays; they were also weakly mutagenic in the SOS chromotest and contained low or moderate levels of volatile N-nitrosamines.

Diet, living conditions and nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Tunisia--a case-control study.

We conducted a case-control study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Tunisia, on diet, dietary patterns and life style, the characteristics of which had been defined by an anthropological study. Eighty incident cases, diagnosed in Tunisia between November 1986 and November 1987, were each matched for sex, age and place of residence to 2 controls. The subjects were asked for dietary data referring to the year preceding the diagnosis of NPC and, with help of their families, during childhood and after weaning.

Epidemiology and immunovirology of human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I-associated adult T-cell leukemia and chronic myelopathies as seen in France.

Seventeen patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and 21 with tropical spastic paraparesis/human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) were observed during a 3-yr survey (1986-1988) in some hospitals in Paris, France. Most of them were black, originating from high-HTLV-I-endemic areas (West Indies or Africa), but two cases of TSP/HAM occurred in French Caucasians. In one case, the patient acquired the virus from a transfusion during a cardiac transplantation.

Increase of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen related to immunodeficiency inherent in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

During the period from January to December 1987, 2,191 serum samples were collected from different groups of the population in the Ivory Coast (1,126 healthy people selected from the general population, 416 blood donors, 112 healthy anti-HIV carriers, 173 AIDS patients, and 364 patients suffering from icterigenic hepatitis) and tested for anti-HIV (HIV-1 and HIV-2) antibodies, HBsAg, HBeAg, delta antigen (HDAg), and anti-delta (anti-HD) antibody. Anti-HIV antibodies were found in 30 (2.6%) of the general population.

Chronic myelopathies associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I. A clinical, serologic, and immunovirologic study of ten patients in France.

Chronic myelopathy associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) has been described in HTLV-I endemic areas. In Paris, 167 neurologic patients were screened for HTLV-I by enzyme-linked immunosorbent, indirect immunofluorescent, and Western blot assays. Ten of the 11 patients with positive results had a chronic spastic paraparesis with IgG oligoclonal bands and elevated HTLV-I antibody index.

Human retroviruses HTLV-I, HIV-1, and HIV-2 and neurological diseases in some equatorial areas of Africa.

HTLV-I is associated with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) in the Caribbean area and with certain chronic myelopathies termed HAM (HTLV-I-associated myelopathy) in Japan. In order to investigate the situation in Africa, we tested for HTLV-I, but also for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, 94 patients with epidemic spastic paraparesis (ESP) from Zaire and Tanzania, 26 cases of sporadic spastic paraparesis (SSP) and 21 cases of tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN), both from Ivory Coast, and 319 unselected neurological patients from Ivory Coast, Congo, and Tanzania. While none of the 94 ESP cases nor any of the 21 TAN patients exhibited antibodies to any retrovirus, 4 of the 26 sporadic spastic paraparesis patients had high HTLV-I antibodies in their sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Prevalence of HTLV-I compared to HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in different groups in the Ivory Coast (West Africa).

Different Ivorian population groups were comparatively tested for antibodies to HTLV-1, HIV-1, and HIV-2. They included 1,334 healthy individuals, 176 unselected medical patients in regional hospitals, 149 female prostitutes, and 65 males with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) collected in 1987 from four regions (east, north, west, and central). The HTLV-1 prevalence averaged 1 to 2.

Compared prevalence of infections by HIV-1 and HIV-2 during a 2-year period in suburban and rural areas of Ivory Coast.

The testing for human immune deficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) antibodies of 794 sera collected in July-August 1985 in the four regions of Korhogo, Bondoukou, Man, and Bouaké in Ivory Coast and the collection and testing for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies of 1,126 sera collected in July-August 1987 in the same regions and age groups showed a remarkable stability in the prevalence of infection by these two retroviruses (0.7 and 0.4% in 1985 vs.

[Epidemiology of infections caused by human immunodeficiency viruses HIV-1 and HIV-2 in the Ivory Coast].

A study of antibodies to HIV1 and HIV2 has been performed among selected groups in Ivory Coast from January to December 1987. In total, 2,578 serum samples were examined. A seropositivity to HIV1 and/or HIV2 was observed in 32 (2.

Intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to human T lymphotropic virus type I and the presence of IgG oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with endemic tropical spastic paraparesis.

Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), a neuromyelopathy predominantly involving the pyramidal tract and commonly observed in tropical and equatorial areas, was recently found to be associated with human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). We investigated sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 19 patients with TSP who were from the Caribbean area, French Guiana, and Africa. Our results showed an elevated intra-blood-brain barrier IgG synthesis rate and an elevated IgG index, with an increased HTLV-I antibody-to-albumin ratio and the presence of CSF oligoclonal bands in the majority of the patients.

[HTLV-I virus and associated chronic neuromyelopathies. Current data and hypotheses].

Human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) isolated in 1980, is a human retrovirus. This CD4+ lymphotropic type C retrovirus is endemic in South Western Japan, the Caribbean region and Africa where it is associated with a rare form of lymphoproliferative disease, adult T cell leukemia. Recently, HTLV-I antibodies has been found in sera and CSF from patients with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), a chronic neuromyelopathy of unknown etiology common in tropical areas and in Japanese patients with a similar clinical myelopathy.

Volatile nitrosamine levels in common foods from Tunisia, south China and Greenland, high-risk areas for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

On the basis of anthropological pilot studies on diet in Tunisia, south China and Greenland, food items consumed frequently by these populations at high risk for NPC were analysed for volatile nitrosamines using gas chromatography combined with a thermal energy analyzer. Relatively high levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP) were detected in Tunisian stewing base ("Touklia") and dried mutton preserved in olive oil ("Qaddid"). NDMA was also detected at levels ranging from trace amounts to 133 micrograms/kg in several Chinese salted and dried marine fish and in Greenland dried, unsalted fish preparations.