Mirror, mirror on the wall: hypercalcemia as a consequence of modern cosmetic treatment with liquid silicone.

BACKGROUND: Hypercalcemia is a common problem in clinical practice and can be related to endocrine disorders or malignant disease, especially in elderly patients. Although rare, other causes can also be responsible. CASE REPORT: Granulomatous inflammation of the skin and lymph nodes induced by intravenous or injectable silicone is a rare condition of hypercalcemia that is usually not within the scope of differential diagnosis. Here, we report a 72-year-old woman with symptomatic hypercalcemia related to cosmetic treatment of the neck. Topical applied liquid silicone by means of a focal ultrasound device induced extensive granulomatous inflammation of the skin and local lymph nodes, being the underlying cause for hypercalcemia in this case. CONCLUSIONS: In rare cases, symptomatic hypercalcemia can be caused by silicone due to a severe granulomatous tissue reaction. This is the first time that a transdermal silicone treatment has been reported to cause severe granulomatous tissue inflammation.

Prevalence- and gender-specific immune response to opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients in Lesotho.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of coinfecting viruses and Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) in a cohort of 205 antiretrovirally treated HIV-infected individuals (152 females and 53 males, aged: 19-71 years) in rural Lesotho. Furthermore agent-specific immune responses were investigated by analyzing antibody titers against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and against T. pallidum. METHODS: Serum samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies against HSV-2, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis A, B, and C viruses, and T. pallidum. RESULTS: Seroprevalences (95% confidence intervals) were found to be 100% (98.5%-100%) for anti-cytomegalovirus, 98.5% (95.7%-99.7%) for anti-hepatitis A virus, 35.5% (28.9%-42.6%) for anti-HBc, 5.5% (2.8%-9.6%) for hepatitis B surface antigen, and 0.5% (0.0%-2.8%) for anti-hepatitis C virus. Only 78.5% (72.2%-84.0%) were anti-HSV-2 positive and 29.0% (22.8%-35.8%) had antibodies against T. pallidum. Only anti-HSV-2 titers showed gender- and CD4 cell-count dependent differences: females with >500 CD4 cells/microL had an average anti-HSV-2 titer of 446 compared with males of 398 AU/mL (not significant), but in those with 250 to 500 CD4 cells/microL, there was a significant difference with a mean titer of 467 compared to 302 AU/mL in males (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A high seroprevalence of CMV, HAV, and HBV was found in both genders. One-third of the patients had been exposed to HBV and T. pallidum. The generally high HSV-2 prevalence showed gender- and CD4 cell count-dependent differences in HSV-2 antibody titer.

Sustained effects of a mindfulness-based stress-reduction intervention in type 2 diabetic patients: design and first results of a randomized controlled trial (the Heidelberger Diabetes and Stress-study).

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention is effective for reducing psychosocial distress (i.e., depression, psychosocial stress) and the progression of nephropathy (i.e., albuminuria) and for improving the subjective health status of patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria were randomized to a mindfulness-based intervention (n = 53) or a treatment-as-usual control (n = 57) group. The study is designed to investigate long-term outcomes over a period of 5 years. We present data up to the first year of follow-up (FU). RESULTS: At FU, the MBSR group showed lower levels of depression (d = 0.71) and improved health status (d = 0.54) compared with the control group. No significant differences in albuminuria were found. Per-protocol analysis also showed higher stress reduction in the intervention group (d = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: MBSR intervention achieved a prolonged reduction in psychosocial distress. The effects on albuminuria will be followed up further.