[Two faces of Janus. Coexistence of systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis in the same patient].

While both lupus erythematosus and psoriasis are inflammatory dermatoses characterized by scaly erythematous plaques, they are rarely confused in clinical practice. We report a woman who alternately presented with lupus erythematosus and psoriasis over 14 years but the former condition was not recognized and adequately treated. After the complete diagnosis had been established, a combination of thalidomide and acitretin resulted in a prolonged remission of both disorders.

Installation of a network for patients with congenital melanocytic nevi in German-speaking countries.

In 2005, an Internet-based network for the support of patients with congenital melanocytic nevi in German-speaking countries was started (http://www.naevus-netzwerk.de).

Modulation of food intake by glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: A gain in body weight is a common adverse effect of glucose-lowering therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes, the mechanisms of which are not completely understood. Blood glucose is considered to play a crucial role in the regulation of food intake. On this background, we hypothesized that a short-term reduction of blood glucose concentration to normal values acutely increases food intake in type 2 diabetic patients.

Antecedent hypoglycaemia attenuates vascular endothelial growth factor response to subsequent hypoglycaemia in healthy men.

Aim: The plasma concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has recently been shown to increase sharply in response to hypoglycaemia and, thus, has been proposed as having a role in hypoglycaemia counter-regulation. Many counter-regulatory hormones show a reduced response after antecedent hypoglycaemia. We therefore investigated whether this decrease in responsiveness with repetitive hypoglycaemia also pertains to VEGF.

Serum adiponectin concentrations during a 72-hour fast in over- and normal-weight humans.

Objective: Adiponectin is currently considered an important link between obesity and insulin resistance, since circulating levels of this insulin sensitizing hormone have consistently been found to be reduced in obese subjects. However, until now it is not known how the secretion of adiponectin is regulated in response to acute metabolic changes. Here, we assessed the influence of complete fasting for 72 h on serum adiponectin levels.