Antibody responses to influenza vaccine in patients on biological therapy: Results of RIER cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Influenza vaccine is recommended for patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases who receive biological therapy. To evaluate if biological therapy impairs immunization after seasonal influenza vaccine. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with inflammatory arthopathies, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease or connective tissue diseases who were receiving or were going to initiate biological therapy were included and vaccinated during 2014-2015 influenza season. ELISA was used to measure influenza antigen A and B antibodies, before and after vaccination. Demographic parameters, diagnosis and kind of treatment were recorded and their influence on the final serological status against influenza was studied. RESULTS: 253 subjects were analyzed. After vaccination, 77% of participants presented detectable antibodies against antigen A and 50.6% of them had detectable antibodies against antigen B. Final seropositivity rate against antigen B antibodies increased from baseline (50.6% vs 43.5%, p<0.001). Anti-TNF drugs were associated with better response and rituximab with the worst (79.2% vs 55.0% for final seropositivity against antigen A, p=0.020). Vaccine response in the rituximab group tended to improve when the interval between the drug administration and the vaccination was at least 12 weeks (seropositivity rate 80.0% in those with the longer interval vs 25.0% in the other group, p=0.054). CONCLUSIONS: Among the patients on biological therapy vaccinated against influenza, anti-TNF therapy was identified as a predictive factor of final seropositivity. Rituximab presented a lower rate of final seropositivity, which could be increased with an accurate administration schedule.

Late-Onset Facial Papular Elastorrhexis.

Papular elastorrhexis, a rare defect of dermal elastic fibers of unknown origin, usually involves the trunk and extremities of children or young adults. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman with multiple soft, skin-colored facial papules with histological findings characteristic of papular elastorrhexis. Awareness of this entity may allow for its proper identification outside the usual clinical setting.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency panniculitis.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is a congenital error of metabolism linked to pulmonary (emphysema) and liver (cirrhosis) disease. Since 1972, panniculitis has been associated with this deficiency, initially related to Weber-Christian syndrome and finally as a differentiated entity. Clinical manifestations typically consist of wide nodular lesions on the trunk and proximal extremities that evolve to ulceration and drainage. Histopathologically it presents as a mixed septal-lobular panniculitis pattern with some typical findings referred. Differential diagnosis from other types of panniculitis and neutrophilic dermatosis must be established. Different treatments, including tetracyclines, dapsone, and alpha-1-antitrypsin repositioning, have shown variable efficacy in controlling this disease.

[Treatment of mycosis fungoides with PUVA and bexarotene]. / Tratamiento de micosis fungoide con PUVA más bexaroteno.

INTRODUCTION: The combined use of bexarotene and PUVA is a treatment that is currently being investigated. In this paper, six patients treated with this combination are presented. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of treatment with PUVA + bexarotene in patients with mycosis fungoides (MF). Patients, material and methods. Six patients diagnosed with MF in different stages, who received three sessions of PUVA treatment a week (initially 2.35 J/cm 2, with progressive increases to a maximum of 23.5 J/cm 2) + bexarotene (initial dose 300 mg/m 2/day, decreasing to 200, 150 or 75 mg/m 2 if signs of toxicity appeared). All received atorvastatin. RESULTS: Stage at the start of treatment: two patients IIb, one patient Ib with B2 blood involvement, two patients Ib, one patient Ia. Five of the six patients responded to the treatment (three full remissions [FR], two partial remissions [PR]). One patient did not respond. In those in whom FR was achieved, the time required for the response was 10, 20 and 24 weeks. All presented with hypertriglyceridemia (maximum 1194 mg/ dL). It was necessary to administer thyroid hormone supplements to four of the patients. Two of them had alterations in the hepatic biochemistry values, and two others presented with alterations in the muscle profile analysis. CONCLUSION: The combination of PUVA and bexarotene is a safe and effective treatment for MF. It will be necessary to await the results of the clinical trials currently underway to see if their combined use is better than treatment with PUVA alone. The response rate (RR) was 86 % (three FR and two PR out of six patients).

[Allergic contact eczema from epoxy resin]. / Eczema alérgico de contacto por resina epoxi.

Epoxy resins are plastics that are widely used as electrical insulation, in coatings, and as adhesives and paints. They have strong sensitizing power and are one of the main causes of allergic contact eczema, both in the workplace and elsewhere. We present the case of a worker at a plastics/chemical plant, who handled aeronautical components in the process of manufacturing fuselage parts. He consulted his physician because of eczematous lesions on his fingers, hands and forearms which had developed over a two-year period and were clearly related to his work. The standard battery of skin tests was performed, along with the plastics and adhesives series and tests using the products from his workplace. Positivity was shown to epoxy resins (standard battery) and to the products from his workplace, which included different fiberglass and carbon fiber sheets impregnated with epoxy resins and epoxy adhesives.

Manual de cultivo y conservación de plantas medicinales / Manual of cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants

El Programa TRAMIL/ENDA - Caribe, con el auspicio financiero del CIID (Canadá) y el apoyo técnico del Jardín Botánico Bougainvillea (Costa Rica), ha motivado a organismo de la región Centroamericana y el Caribe, para que promueven el mejoramiento de técnicas de conservación y cultivo de plantas medicinales de usos populares, haciendo énfasis sobre aquellas plantas nativas aún en estado silvestre. El Programa TRAMIL Centroamérica está promoviendo el aprovechamiento sustentable de los recursos naturales empleados por la población rural y urbano. Por tal razón es imprescindible contar con una herramienta técnia que garantice la conservación y manejo de las plantas medicinales de uso popular. El reto que asumió TRAMIL Centroamérica es precisamente complementar acciones de desarrollo, y para alcanzar esta es necesario implementar acciones de campo que brinden información sobre la calidad de la materia prima.