Mobile Phones: Potential Sources of Nickel and Cobalt Exposure for Metal Allergic Patients.

The use of cellular phones has risen exponentially with over 300 million subscribers. Nickel has been detected in cell phones and reports of contact dermatitis attributable to metals are present in the literature. We determined nickel and cobalt content in popular cell phones in the United States.

Systemic contact dermatitis and allergy to biomedical devices.

Systemic contact dermatitis (SCD) refers to a skin condition where an individual who is cutaneously sensitized to an allergen will subsequently react to that same allergen or a cross-reacting allergen via the systemic route. It occurs to allergens including metals, medications, and foods. There has been recent interest in metal allergy as it relates to the implantation of devices such as orthopedic, dental, cardiac, and gynecologic implants.

Current strategies in treating severe contact dermatitis in pediatric patients.

Allergic contact dermatitis in children is underdiagnosed and undertreated, and its incidence is increasing. Appropriate history taking and the suspicion for allergic contact dermatitis is essential, and patch testing remains the gold standard in diagnosis. Avoidance of the offending allergen, once identified, is the first goal of treatment.

Allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis is a costly disease associated with significant morbidity. It impacts the quality of life of millions of individuals, particularly in industrialized nations, and it is on the rise. Lost productivity and total healthcare expenditure exceeds several billion dollars annually in the United States, with an estimate of >$6 billion spent on prescription medications alone.

Metastatic melanoma causing jejunal intussusception.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a common site of melanoma metastases although reports of small bowel intussusception are relatively rare. Most patients with intussusception will be symptomatic and resection will provide significant palliation. In rare instances, patients will have solitary metastases to the small intestine, and resection can provide long-term palliation and chance for cure.

A second large plasmid encodes conjugative transfer and antimicrobial resistance in O119:H2 and some typical O111 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains.

A novel and functional conjugative transfer system identified in O119:H2 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strain MB80 by subtractive hybridization is encoded on a large multidrug resistance plasmid, distinct from the well-described EPEC adherence factor (EAF) plasmid. Variants of the MB80 conjugative resistance plasmid were identified in other EPEC strains, including the prototypical O111:NM strain B171, from which the EAF plasmid has been sequenced. This separate large plasmid and the selective advantage that it confers in the antibiotic era have been overlooked because it comigrates with the virulence plasmid on conventional gels.