Photoimmunology: the mechanisms involved in immune modulation by UV radiation.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) may be the most prevalent agent that man encounters in his environment. As a result, certain biological adaptations take advantage of the beneficial effects of UVR exposure, e.g. the photoactivation steps involved in vitamin D metabolism. In this regard, UVR plays an important role in maintaining our good health; however, it must be noted that UVR is potentially the most harmful naturally occurring agent in our environment. Thus, it appears that several mechanisms have evolved to protect us against the detrimental effects of UVR overexposure. Although epidermal melaninization or "tanning" may be the most obvious example of these processes, we would argue that adoptive mechanisms within the immune system also provide protection against UVR-induced skin damage. It is now known that UVR affects the distribution and functional activities of various immunocompetent cells within the skin, as well as modifying the production of inflammatory and hematopoietically active cytokines. This review will focus on the known mechanisms involved in the immune modulatory effects of UVR and how adoptive immune responses to UVR-induced skin damage contribute to specific pathological processes.

Late complications of the Estes operation for tubal infertility. A case report.

The Estes procedure was designed to restore fertility in women with infertility related to tubal factors by transposition of an ovary into the uterine cavity with preservation of its vascular pedicle. This procedure was performed most commonly in the middle of this century in the United States. Many of these women are now perimenopausal and therefore entering the age of risk for ovarian neoplasia. We treated a patient who developed large intramyometrial cystic masses more than 20 years after undergoing an Estes procedure.