Selecting an oral contraceptive agent for the treatment of acne in women.

In women, acne can be successfully treated with oral contraceptives. This article focuses on the results of clinical studies on the treatment of acne with oral contraceptives. From the literature, 12 such studies could be traced over the last 10 years.

The glucagonoma syndrome and necrolytic migratory erythema: a clinical review.

The glucagonoma syndrome is a rare disease in which a typical skin disorder, necrolytic migratory erythema, is often one of the first presenting symptoms. Weight loss and diabetes mellitus are two other prevalent characteristics of this syndrome. Necrolytic migratory erythema belongs to the recently recognized family of deficiency dermatoses of which zinc deficiency, necrolytic acral erythema and pellagra are also members.

Differential expression of cytokines in UV-B-exposed skin of patients with polymorphous light eruption: correlation with Langerhans cell migration and immunosuppression.

Background: Disturbances in UV-induced Langerhans cell migration and T helper (T(H)) 2 cell responses could be early steps in the pathogenesis of PLE.

Objective: To establish whether UV-B exposure induces aberrant cytokine expression in the uninvolved skin of patients with polymorphous light eruption (PLE).

Design: Immunohistochemical staining and comparison of microscopic sections of skin irradiated with 6 times the minimal dose of UV-B causing erythema and the unirradiated skin of patients with PLE and of healthy individuals.

Association of transcription-coupled repair but not global genome repair with ultraviolet-B-induced Langerhans cell depletion and local immunosuppression.

Exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation impairs cellular immune responses. This immunosuppression seems to be associated with Langerhans cell migration. DNA damage appears to play a key role because enhanced nucleotide excision repair, a pathway essential for elimination of ultraviolet-B-induced DNA lesions, strongly counteracts immunosuppression.

Epidermal cis-urocanic acid levels correlate with lower specific cellular immune responses after hepatitis B vaccination of ultraviolet B-exposed humans.

Urocanic acid (UCA) is a major UV-absorbing chromophore in the epidermis and has been suggested to act as one of the initiators of UV-induced immunosuppression. cis-UCA, the isomer from UCA that is formed upon UV exposure, has been shown to impair some cellular immune responses. cis-UCA levels were determined in a study in which the influence of ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure on immune responses after hepatitis B vaccination in human volunteers was established.