Malassezia spp.-specific immunoglobulin E level is a marker for severity of atopic dermatitis in adults.

The significance of allergen-specific IgE as marker for severity of atopic dermatitis is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of IgE-mediated sensitisation to food and environmental allergens in 132 children and 67 adults with atopic dermatitis, and its correlation to severity of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD). Total IgE was elevated (> 100 kU/l) in 79.

Induction of durable responses by oral etoposide monochemotherapy in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive, rare tumour of the skin. For advanced cases with distant organ metastases several different regimens of chemotherapeutics have been described. Disease specific 5-year survival rates for these patients are approximately 11%.

Mild recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa associated with two compound heterozygous COL7A1 mutations.

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is a group of inherited skin blistering disorders caused by mutations in the COL7A1 gene coding for type VII collagen. More than 500 different COL7A1 mutations have been detected in dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa to date. Clarification of genotype-phenotype correlations is of particular importance for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.