[Effectiveness of a classical homeopathic treatment in atopic eczema. A randomised placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial].

Background: Atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema) is one of those diseases where homeopaths claim to have good success although this has never been proven by rigorously controlled trials.

Methods: Single-centre, randomised, double-blind clinical trial comparing homeopathic remedies with placebo in young adults (age 18-35) with atopic dermatitis. Homeopathic remedies were individually administered according to the rules of classical homeopathy.

[Detection of tyrosinase mRNA using reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction with fine needle punctures of melanoma metastases].

Tyrosinase mRNA produced by melanoma cells can be detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) with fine-needle tissue punctures. Fine-needle punctures from six suspected skin and lymph node metastases in three patients with malignant melanoma were analysed via rt-pcr for tyrosinase mRNA. All the suspected metastases were surgically removed and histologically examined separately.

Preoperative characterization of pigmented skin lesions by epiluminescence microscopy and high-frequency ultrasound.

Background And Design: Previous studies have referred to the value of epiluminescence microscopy in the differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions and to the possibility of preoperative tumor thickness measurement in malignant melanoma by high-frequency ultrasound. Both noninvasive methods have been combined in this study. The question of improved diagnostic accuracy was discussed.