Erythema elevatum diutinum coexisting with ankylosing spondylitis.

A 43-year-old woman presented to our hospital with the complaint of a reddish-purple rash on the extensor sides of her forearms. She had been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis 7 years ago. On physical examination, reddish-purple nodules were detected on the pretibial areas of both legs and extensor sides of both hands and forearms.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by iodixanol (Visipaque): a serious reaction to a commonly used drug.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is an acute sterile pustular eruption most commonly induced by medications. Although antibiotics are the most commonly accused drugs in AGEP, non-antibiotic agents may also cause this disease. We present a case of AGEP following use of iodixanol for coronary angiography in a 61-year-old woman.

Serum Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokine profiles and alpha-enolase levels in recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Background: All aspects of aetiopathogenesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) have not been elucidated. RAS and Behçet's disease (BD) have clinical and immunological characteristics in common. Although T17 cytokines and alpha-enolase have been shown to play effective roles in BD and many other autoinflammatory diseases recently, their roles in RAS have not been studied extensively.

Oxidative stress in patients with scalp seborrheic dermatitis.

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease that mainly affects the scalp. The objective of this study was to evaluate the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in scraping samples of patients with scalp SD. Thirty consecutive patients with a diagnosis of scalp SD and thirty-one healthy volunteers were enrolled.

Pigmented purpuric dermatosis associated with primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

Pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) is a group of chronic disorders characterized by the extravasation of erythrocytes and marked hemosiderin deposits in the dermis. Schamberg disease is a subtype of pigmented purpuric dermatosis in which nonpalpable purpura is prominent on the lower extremities. No cases of primary antiphospholipid syndrome and pigmented purpuric dermatosis have so far been reported in the literature.

Local oxidative stress in interdigital tinea pedis.

Several skin diseases are believed to be associated with oxidative stress. Tinea pedis is an infection of the feet caused by fungi. The infectious diseases caused by dermatophytes are mainly related to the enzymes produced by these fungi.

Anaphylaxis in Turkish children: a multi-centre, retrospective, case study.

Background: Anaphylaxis is a serious and potentially lethal systemic reaction affecting more than one organ or system.

Objective: We aimed to describe the demographic characteristics, clinical features, causes, settings, and administered therapy in Turkish children.

Methods: This retrospective, case note study included all children referred to the outpatient clinics of the Pediatric Allergy Departments of the participating study centres from 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2009 for investigation of anaphylaxis or who were seen by us at the moment of the reaction during the same period and who met the clinical criteria of anaphylaxis.

Paediatricians' perspectives on the use of pneumococcal vaccine in healthy and asthmatic children.

Background: Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines were developed in recent decades to reduce the burden of pneumococcal diseases. Little is known about paediatricians' perspectives on the use of pneumococcal vaccine.

Objective: We aimed to examine physicians' self-reported beliefs and attitudes about the pneumococcal vaccine and their daily clinical practice concerning immunisation against pneumococci in healthy and asthmatic children before the introduction of a nationwide vaccination program.

Prevalence of immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy in 6-9-year-old urban schoolchildren in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey.

Background: The prevalence of adverse reactions to food in childhood in Turkey is not known.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of IgE-mediated food allergies (FAs) in 6-9-year-old urban schoolchildren.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 3500 of the randomly selected 6-9-year-old urban schoolchildren from the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey during 2006.

Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis to lentil and anaphylaxis to chickpea in a 17-year-old boy.

We report the case of a 17-year-old boy who experienced 4 episodes of exercise-induced anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of lentil and 2 episodes of anaphylaxis following ingestion of chickpea. His medical history revealed that he had allergic rhinitis with positive results after skin prick tests (SPT) with mites. His SPTs and specific immunoglobulin E antibody testing with lentil and chickpea were positive.

A multicenter survey of childhood asthma in Turkey. II: Utilization of asthma drugs, control levels and their determinants.

Many surveys worldwide have consistently demonstrated a low level of asthma control and under-utilization of preventive asthma drugs. However, these studies have been frequently criticized for using population-based samples, which include many patients with no or irregular follow-ups. Our aim, in this study, was to define the extent of asthma drug utilization, control levels, and their determinants among children with asthma attending to pediatric asthma centers in Turkey.

Prevalence of atopy in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, hepatitis B virus carriers, and healthy children: role of T helper 1 (Th1)-type immune response.

The prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma, hay fever, and atopic dermatitis has increased over the past few decades, especially in developed countries. They are characterized by a chronic inflammatory reaction mediated by T helper 2 (Th2) cells. Two common chronic diseases of childhood-an autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), and a chronic viral infection, hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers-are associated with a Th1-dominant and Th1-insufficient cytokine profile, respectively.

Menstrual pattern and common menstrual disorders among university students in Turkey.

Background: Menstrual disorders may affect the life of adolescents and young adult women, and may sometimes cause serious problems. The patterns of menstrual cycles were analyzed for association with age of menarche, prevalence of menstrual irregularity, dysmenorrhea, prolonged menstrual bleeding, and effect of menstrual disorders, especially dysmenorrhea, on social activities and school attendance among the female students.

Methods: A total of 480 students were randomly selected and asked to complete an the anonymous questionnaire of 25 items.

Atopy in children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Aim: To investigate whether immune responses against chronic HBV infection in children have an effect on prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy.

Methods: Children with chronic HBV infection [HBV carriage (group 1) and chronic hepatitis (group 2)] were screened for allergic diseases. The results were compared with age-matched controls (group 3).

Parental-reported drug allergy in 6- to 9-yr-old urban schoolchildren.

Epidemiologic studies about the prevalence of adverse drug reactions in children are scarce compared to reports in adults. To assess the prevalence of parental-reported drug allergy in 6- to 9-yr-old urban school children, we performed a cross-sectional study of 6- to 9-yr-old urban children from the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey during the year 2004, using a self-administered questionnaire by parents. Response rate was 81.

Comparision of the apoptotic effects on lymphoblasts and on increase of myeloid lineage cells of a short-time, high-dose methylprednisolone and the conventional-dose prednisolone treatments in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The authors compare the apoptotic effect on the lymphoblasts and the proliferative effect on the myeloid lineage cells of a short-course high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) and the conventional-dose prednisolone treatments in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The patients were divided into 2 groups. Group I (n = 10) received HDMP (30 mg/kg/day for 7 days) in a single dose before 6 a.

Randomized study to evaluate the use of high-dose therapy as part of primary treatment for "aggressive" lymphoma.

Purpose: This trial of the German High-Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group compares the use of high-dose therapy (HDT) as part of primary treatment with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) plus etoposide followed by involved-field (IF) radiotherapy in a randomized, multicenter, phase III study.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred twelve patients with "aggressive" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma aged View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In vitro evaluation of bendamustine induced apoptosis in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Bendamustine is a novel cytostatic agent, with activity in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas including B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). The knowledge about its mode of action, however, is still limited. Here, we investigated the in vitro ability of bendamustine to induce apoptosis on freshly isolated peripheral lymphocytes in B-CLL and analyze the potential underlying mechanisms of action for inducing apoptosis.

Reduced-dose cladribine (2-CdA) plus mitoxantrone is effective in the treatment of mantle-cell and low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine) (2-CdA) has been shown to be effective in mantle-cell (MCL) and low-grade lymphomas (lgNHL). The aim of this multicentre study was to evaluate the rate and duration of remissions and to examine the toxicity of the combination of reduced-dose 2-CdA and mitoxantrone (CdM) in MCL and lgNHL as first-line therapy or for patients in their relapse. A total of 285 courses, median of five courses per patient, were administered to 62 evaluable patients (42 previously untreated, 20 relapsed) with 5 mg/m(2) 2-CdA per day given as an intermittent 2-h infusion over 3 consecutive days combined with 8 mg/m(2) mitoxantrone on days 1 and 2 for the untreated patients or 12 mg/m(2) mitoxantrone on day 1 for patients in their first relapse for a maximum of six cycles every four weeks.

The coexpression of the apoptosis-related genes bcl-2 and wt1 in predicting survival in adult acute myeloid leukemia.

The Wilms tumor gene wt1 and the protooncogene bcl-2 are upregulated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are known to regulate or to inhibit the onset of apoptosis. Since wt1 has been shown to regulate the expression of bcl-2, we investigated the association of the expression of these genes and their prognostic relevance in AML. Leukemic blasts from the bone marrow of 152 patients with newly diagnosed AML were analyzed for bcl-2 and wt1 mRNA expression using RT-PCR and quantitative PCR.

Rhenium 188-labeled anti-CD66 (a, b, c, e) monoclonal antibody to intensify the conditioning regimen prior to stem cell transplantation for patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome: results of a phase I-II study.

The conditioning regimen prior to stem cell transplantation in 36 patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was intensified by treating patients with a rhenium 188-labeled anti-CD66 monoclonal antibody. Dosimetry was performed prior to therapy, and a favorable dosimetry was observed in all cases. Radioimmunotherapy with the labeled antibody provided a mean of 15.

Interleukin 4 therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a phase I/II study.

Interleukin 4 (IL-4) is a pleiotropic type II cytokine which has been shown to have a direct killing effect on lymphoma and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) cells in vitro. The clinical effects and toxicity of IL-4 treatment in patients with B-CLL were evaluated. Fourteen patients with B-CLL who were in partial remission after chemotherapy received one, two or three 8-week cycles of escalating doses (2, 4 or 6 microg/kg/d s.