[Pediculosis--still an up-to-date clinical problem].

Pediculosis is one of the most frequently observed parasitic diseases. Despite the progress of civilization it is still a significant sanitary-epidemiological and social problem. It not only causes skin lesions, persistent pruritus or secondary bacterial infections, but it also causes social isolation and negative milieu reactions.

Polymorphous cutaneous and chronic multisystem sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder in which cutaneous findings are often prominent. These may be polymorphous to the extent that sarcoidosis may mimic many other cutaneous diseases. We describe a 56-year-old woman with involvement of the skin, eyes, bones, heart, and lung.

C-reactive protein and alpha2-macroglobulin plasma activity in medium-severe and severe psoriasis.

Background: An acute phase of psoriasis can be induced by cytokines involved in psoriatic pathogenic phenomena. Activation of the acute phase reaction by proinflammatory cytokines (including interleukins 1 and 6, tumour necrosis factor alpha) may account for systemic symptoms in severe psoriasis, especially in pustular and arthropathic forms of this disease.

Objective: To study the activity of selected acute phase proteins in psoriatics before and after effective treatment.

Expression of selected T-cell antigens in the skin infiltration in primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

Skin biopsy specimens obtained from 16 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) were examined immunohistochemically to assess phenotype of T-cells. Cases of benign chronic skin disorders (BCD) were included in control group. Examination of skin biopsies obtained from patients with MF revealed aberrant immunophenotypes of T-cells (loss of one or more of T-cell markers CD7, CD5, CD8, and rarely CD3).

Activity of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alfa (TNF-alpha) and selected acute phase proteins in plasma of psoriatic patients receiving local treatment.

Plasma concentrations of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha-2 macroglobulin (alpha-2 MG) were examined in 100 patients with medium-severe and severe psoriasis. Activity of selected proteins were measured using the ELISA method in the active stage of psoriasis and in remission achieved due to the local treatment with 0.125-2% dithranol treatment.