Effectiveness of pamidronate in severe neonatal hypercalcemia caused by subcutaneous fat necrosis: a case report.

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn (SCFN) is a panniculitis that develops in fatty areas during the first weeks of life after foetal distress or perinatal complications. Prognosis is generally good with complete regression, but it can be complicated by metabolic abnormalities like hypoglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, thrombocytopenia, and also potentially life-threatening hypercalcemia. We report a case of severe hypercalcemia complicating SCFN in a newborn who was treated with hyperhydration, furosemide, prednisone, and pamidronate.

[Therapy of penile viral condylomata with 0.5% podophyllotoxin]. / Terapia di condilomi virali penieni con podofillotossina allo 0.5%.

Twenty male patients with penile warts (HPV induced papular and flat condylomata) attending the Venereal Disease Clinic at the Department of Dermatology, University di Pavia were treated with podophyllotoxin 0.5% in ethanol, self applied twice daily for 3 consecutive days, followed by 4 days without treatment. All the patients were cured after a maximum of 6 treatments; 10 patients (50%) were cured after 1 or 2 treatments. Three patients did not attend regularly at the control visits; 17 patients completed the study. Eight of the 17 patients (47.1%) showed recurrences of the warts; all of them were cured after successive podophyllotoxin treatments. Tolerance was good and only a few patients (30%) had mild adverse reactions. In conclusion podophyllotoxin 0.5% appeared to be safe and effective for the self treatment of genital warts.

[Penile lesions induced by human papillomavirus. An immunohistochemical study and DNA hybridization]. / Lesioni peniene da papillomavirus umano. Studio immunoistochimico e con ibridazione del DNA.

Forty-nine male patients with clinically evident genital warts or suspected HPV-induced lesions detected by 5% acetic acid test were biopsied. Typical cytological and structural HPV-induced changes were observed on histological examination in 37 of 49 patients. The immunohistochemical detection of HPV capsid antigen was positive in 15 of 45 cases. In situ HPV-DNA hybridization was positive in 26 of 47 cases (24 HPV 6/11; 2 HPV 16/18). Quick blot HPV-DNA hybridization was positive in 20 of 28 cases (17 HPV 6/11 of which one positive for both HPV 6/11 and 31/33/35; 1 HPV 16/18; 2 cases positive for HPV detection, but not typed for HPV 6/11, 16/18, 31/33/35). Characteristics and use of histopathologic, immunohistochemical and HPV-DNA hybridization methods are analyzed and compared.

[Cutaneous extramedullary hematopoiesis in idiopathic myelofibrosis. Description of a case]. / Ematopoiesi extramidollare cutanea in mielofibrosi idiopatica. Descrizione di un caso.

The Authors present a case of cutaneous extramedullary hematopoiesis in a 63-year-old male patient with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia. The skin lesions appeared before splenectomy as multiple papules and nodules on the trunk. Histologic examination of a lesion showed all the tree components of the hematopoietic tissue, i.e. myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocytic series. A review of the literature revealed 18 previously reported cases, with polymorphous clinical manifestations of skin involvement. The possibility of extramedullary hematopoiesis should be considered in a patient with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia who shows cutaneous eruptions.

[Epidemiologic observations on Chlamydia trachomatis infections]. / Osservazioni epidemiologiche sulle infezioni da Chlamidia trachomatis.

A group of 82 patients (77 with urethritis) was studied for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection. The agent was isolated by inoculation on McCoy cell cultures, followed by Giemsa and/or Lugol-iodine staining. The results obtained showed that the frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the group of patients considered was comparable with that previously reported on other groups. Male patients showed a higher infection rate than females. Different percentages of positivity were obtained in patients with gonococcal infection and in those with post-gonococcal urethritis.

Kaposi's sarcoma complicating immunosuppressive therapy for angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia.

Cutaneous and visceral dissemination of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) occurred in a patient with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia (AILD) who had been treated with combination chemotherapy. Three other cases of KS complicating immunosuppressive therapy of AILD have been reported in the literature, and there is evidence to indicate that AILD displays features which are known to predispose to KS. Like in other subjects with profound immunodeficiency (e.g. in young homosexual men), in our patient KS pursued an unusually aggressive course, with involvement of lymph nodes and internal organs as well as the skin. It is concluded that the risk of developing severe KS is a further reason to avoid aggressive combination chemotherapy in patients with AILD, particularly in those of Jewish or Mediterranean ancestry. Even the use of corticosteroids should be reduced to a minimum to avoid immunosuppression, and a conservative approach to treatment seems advisable.

Acid mucopolysaccharides of the dermis in incipient psoriasis.

Acid mucopolysaccharides have been studied in the dermis of 40 cases of incipient psoriasis. In the upper dermis a marked reduction of the material stained with colloidal iron and with Alcian blue solutions containing 0.1 and 0.2 M MgCl2 was observed; enzymatic controls with hyaluronidase support the idea that this material consists mainly of hyaluronic acid. The intensity and the extension of this dermal alteration far beyond the limits of the above-mentioned epidermal alteration give credence to the hypothesis that in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, dermal alterations are of a primitive character.

Chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood.

A case of chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood in a 3-year-old boy is described. Immunoflourescence tests were negative and biopsy of the jejunal mucosa showed marked villous atrophy. The dermatosis was brought under control by a combination of diaminodiphenylsulphone and systemic steroids. The relationship with other bullous eruptions of childhood such as dermatitis herpetiformis and bullous pemphigoid is discussed.

Histochemistry of the dermal ground substance of initial psoriatic lesions.

30 cases of initial psoriasis were studied. Pinhead-sized lesions, recently appeared, were excised and studied with histochemical methods for acid mucopolysaccharides. In all specimens a well defined reduction of the material stained with colloidal iron, with alcian blue with critical electrolyte concentrations and with toluidine blue was observed in the upper dermis, in particular in the papillary dermis in the center of the lesions, in correspondence of the squirting papillae. The more evident reduction of the staining with alcian blue with 0.1 M and 0.2 M MgCl2 suggests that the changes of the dermal ground substance are predominantly due to an alteration of the hyaluronic acid.

Histochemistry of the intercellular substance of the normal and psoriatic human epidermis.

The intercellular substance of skin samples obtained from normal subjects and from psoriatic patients has been studied with histochemical methods for carbohydrate containing substances and checked with enzymatic extractions. The surface coat which makes up most of the intercellular substance was stained with colloidal iron and with Alcian Blue solutions containing up to 0.20 M magnesium chloride; the stainings were heavily affected by the previous treatment of the sections with testicular hyaluronidase, but not with neuraminidase. The staining of the intercellular substance with Alcian Blue solutions containing up to 0.20 M magnesium chloride and the action of the hyaluronidase gives strength to the hypothesis that hyaluronic acid is contained in the substance. In the skin of psoriatic patients intercellular spaces wider than in normal skin and a reduced surface coat, particularly in the higher layers, has been observed.