[Probiotic baths for atopic dermatitis]. / Probiotische Teilbäder bei atopischer Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: The importance of the skin microbiome in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is gaining increasing attention in current research and offers opportunities for new innovative treatment options. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the efficacy of a probiotic bath additive on clinical symptoms and skin microbiome of patients with AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was randomized and double-blind: 22 patients applied a 10-min partial bath with 4.5â€¯× 109 or 9â€¯× 109 colony-forming units (CFU) of viable lactic acid bacteria per liter daily over a period of 14 days. The clinical symptoms were documented using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index and a patient questionnaire at day 0, day 7 and day 14. In addition, skin swabs were taken for subsequent nucleic acid extraction for quantitative Staphylococcus aureus polymerase chain reaction and microbiome analysis using amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: Comparable efficacy was documented in both treatment groups: Probiotic baths with a concentration of 4.5-9â€¯× 109 CFU/liter led to a significant reduction in SCORAD scores (start of study: 63.04) and local SCORAD (14.68) on day 7 (SCORAD 47.09, local SCORAD 10.99) and day 14 (SCORAD 35.26, local SCORAD 8.54). Furthermore, the patient-assessed parameters skin dryness and itching improved significantly over the treatment period. At the same time, the mean gene copy number of S. aureus decreased by about 83% and microbiome analyses showed an increase in the richness of the bacterial community. CONCLUSIONS: Topical application of a probiotic bath represents a promising supportive treatment option for AD that alleviates existing dysbiosis.

Pulmonary Kaposi's Sarcoma - Initial Presentation of HIV Infection

Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common malignancy associated with human immunodeficiency virus. It commonly affects the skin but can present with visceral involvement, including the lungs. A 23-year-old homosexual male presented with fever, intractable cough and dyspnea. On examination, multiple skin lesions were revealed. Chest computed tomography visualized multiple nodules, bronchoscopy showed endobronchial lesions. Histopathological study of the skin lesions showed Kaposi's sarcoma and the endobronchial biopsy ­ a proliferative inflammatory process. Diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma was made based on clinical, laboratory, computed tomography and bronchoscopy data as well as on the regression of pulmonary nodules by the combination antiretroviral therapy. The diagnosis of pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma is still a challenge due to concomitant occurrence of opportunistic infections. This case emphasizes the need to strongly consider pulmonary KS as a possible cause for respiratory illness in any HIV-positive patient with cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma.

Survey of diagnostic services for genital herpes in fourteen countries in Eastern Europe.

This paper reports survey-based data on the diagnosis and management of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in 14 countries of the Eastern European Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health (EE SRH). Only 43% of the countries could provide the number of genital HSV cases recorded at national level. Eighty-six percent of countries employed syndromic management in cases of genital ulcer disease. Most countries performed type-specific and/or non-type-specific enzyme immunoassays to detect HSV antibodies. Non-type-specific serology for diagnostic purposes should be actively discouraged. Direct detection methods for HSV, such as PCR, antigen detection and culture, are available in the region, but their usage was extremely low. Their use in Eastern European countries should be actively promoted. The availability of laboratory services must be improved, and countries in the region should implement consensus recommendations for the laboratory diagnosis of genital HSV infections in order to improve clinical practice.