Actinic conjunctivitis and its relationship with prurigo in an indigenous population from the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico.

PURPOSE: Actinic conjunctivitis (AC), along with cheilitis (AChe), is part of the clinical spectrum of actinic prurigo (AP), a rare photo dermatosis that affects high-risk populations. We analyzed the clinical manifestations and onset of actinic conjunctivitis (AC), and its relationship with prurigo (AP) in a susceptible population. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study was performed on Indigenous populations from the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. Thorough dermatological and ophthalmological examinations were performed in patients attending a primary health care center. The clinical features, labor and environmental factors, onset timing, and clinical staging of AC and AP were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 2913 patients studied, 54 patients (108 eyes) (1.8%) had AC, and 14 patients (25.9%) had AP. The mean age at diagnosis was 36.18 ± 18.52 years (6-70 years). The mean residential altitude was 1884 ± 434.2 m above sea level. Mean self-reported sun exposure was 5.14 ± 3.1 h a day (0.5-12 h). A total of 90.7% reported exposure to biomass fuels during cooking, and 50% to farm animals. AC was the sole manifestation in 70% of the cases. All patients had nasal and temporal photo-exposed conjunctiva. Among the eyes, 12.9% were classified as stage-1, 64.8% as stage-2, and 22.2% stage-3. A total of 83.3% of the patients had hyperpigmented lesions, and 35.1% had evaporative dry eye disease. CONCLUSIONS: AC may be the initial or sole manifestation of AP. Most AC cases (87%) were initially observed at the advanced stages of the disease. Although solar exposure was not associated with late AC stages, a positive association was found with farm animal exposure. Evaporative dry eye associated with meibomian gland dysfunction has not been previously reported in patients with AC.

Morphological consequences of acoustic trauma on cochlear hair cells and the auditory nerve.

AIMS: Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory impairment in humans. Short impulses of a high intensity noise can trigger sudden hearing loss, which is generally irreversible and associated with structural tissue damage of the cochlea and auditory nerve. It is well established that myelination is essential for the rapid propagation of action potentials along axons, and that Schwann cells are responsible for myelin sheath production in the peripheral nervous system. In the cochlea, spiral ganglion neuron axons are myelinated by Schwann cells. This myelin contributes to axonal protection and allows for efficient action potential transmission along the auditory nerve. For this reason, here we studie the morphological changes on cochlear hair cells and myelin sheaths of the auditory nerve, directly linked to hearing impairment induced by acoustic trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To study the auditory functions, auditory brainstem responses and distortion products were measured at baseline, 2 days, and 21 days after trauma in rats. Then, scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques were performed to analyze cochleae and the auditory nerve at 21 days after trauma. RESULTS: We observed that acoustic trauma induced cochlear outer hair cell loss and fusion of inner hair cell stereocilia. We also observed an axonal loss and myelin sheath disorganization of the auditory nerve. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that a strong acoustic trauma induced histological changes in the cochlea and auditory nerve, leading to permanent hearing loss.

El primer caso descrito de struma cordis en España / The first reported case of struma cordis in Spain

No disponible

N-acetylcysteine Treatment Reduces Age-related Hearing Loss and Memory Impairment in the Senescence-Accelerated Prone 8 (SAMP8) Mouse Model.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory disorder in the elderly population. SAMP8 mouse model presents accelerated senescence and has been identified as a model of gerontological research. SAMP8 displays a progressive age-related decline in brain function associated with a progressive hearing loss mimicking human aging memory deficits and ARHL. The molecular mechanisms associated with SAMP8 senescence process involve oxidative stress leading to chronic inflammation and apoptosis. Here, we studied the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, on SAMP8 hearing loss and memory to determine the potential interest of this model in the study of new antioxidant therapies. We observed a strong decrease of auditory brainstem response thresholds from 45 to 75 days of age and an increase of distortion product amplitudes from 60 to 75 days in NAC treated group compared to vehicle. Moreover, NAC treated group presented also an increase of memory performance at 60 and 105 days of age. These results confirm that NAC delays the senescence process by slowing the age-related hearing loss, protecting the cochlear hair cells and improving memory, suggesting that antioxidants could be a pharmacological target for age-related hearing and memory loss.

Senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) as a model of age-related hearing loss.

Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory impairment in humans, affecting 5.3% worldwide population. In industrial countries, age-related hearing loss is a major health problem affecting one-third of individuals over 65years old. However, the physiological and molecular changes involved in this senescence process remain unclear. In this study, we determined the influence of age on auditory brainstem response (ABR) and the distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) in the premature senescence mouse model SAMP8 for five months. We showed a progressive increase of ABR thresholds and a decrease of distortion product amplitude from 37days old in SAMP8 compared to CBA mice. The data we show here provide new knowledge in functional auditory changes during the senescence process and open up new opportunities for the development of new drugs involved in age-related hearing loss treatment.

Human papillomavirus type 2 associated with pyogenic granuloma in patients without clinical evidence of warts.

BACKGROUND: Pyogenic granuloma is a non-neoplastic lesion that frequently occurs in the skin and mucous membranes of children and pregnant women. The anatomical sites of pyogenic granulomas overlap with those of wart infections caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the presence of HPV DNA in pyogenic granuloma samples by polymerase chain reaction. METHODS: Eighteen pyogenic granuloma biopsies from patients without a clinical history or evidence of verruca in the studied area were tested for the presence of the HPV genome. The presence of HPV DNA was screened by three independent polymerase chain reaction reactions using standard consensus primer sets targeted to the L1 or E1 consensus regions of HPV genome. The HPV DNA-positive samples were genotyped using methodologies enabling the identification of up to 30 HPVs, including oncogenic, nononcogenic, and cutaneous viral types. RESULTS: The HPV DNA was detected in 44.4% (eight of 18) of the samples, with HPV-2 being the only type in the eight HPV DNA-positive samples. Contamination with HPV-2 sequences throughout the entire process was reliably eliminated. CONCLUSION: This report is the first to suggest an association between HPV-2 and pyogenic granuloma. This relationship is similar to that observed between HPV-2 and nongenital warts.

Coccidioidomycosis and the skin: a comprehensive review.

Coccidioidomycosis is a highly prevalent disease in the Western hemisphere. It is considered one of the most virulent primary fungal infections. Coccidioides species live in arid and semi-arid regions, causing mainly pulmonary infection through inhalation of arthroconidia although many other organs can be affected. Primary inoculation is rare. Since the first case of coccidioidomycosis was reported in 1892, the skin has been identified as an important target of this disease. Knowledge of cutaneous clinical forms of this infection is important and very useful for establishing prompt diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of this infection, emphasizing its cutaneous manifestations, diagnostic methods and current treatment.

Coccidioidomycosis and the skin: a comprehensive review

AbstractCoccidioidomycosis is a highly prevalent disease in the Western hemisphere. It is considered one of the most virulent primary fungal infections. Coccidioides species live in arid and semi-arid regions, causing mainly pulmonary infection through inhalation of arthroconidia although many other organs can be affected. Primary inoculation is rare. Since the first case of coccidioidomycosis was reported in 1892, the skin has been identified as an important target of this disease. Knowledge of cutaneous clinical forms of this infection is important and very useful for establishing prompt diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of this infection, emphasizing its cutaneous manifestations, diagnostic methods and current treatment.

[Cutaneous manifestations of HIV]. / Manifestaciones cutáneas del VIH.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus member of the Retroviridae family, the clinical spectrum of which includes: primary infection, clinically asymptomatic stage, early symptomatic infection, and advanced immunodeficiency. The latter can present with complications associated to opportunistic infections, malignancies, and/or neurological diseases. The cutaneous manifestations of HIV are extremely common and include those related with early HIV infection and other infectious diseases (bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic) and noninfectious etiologies. These manifestations may be the first signs of immunosuppression and can lead to the HIV diagnosis. The higher frequency of skin diseases occurs when the CD4 count is less than 250 cells/mm3. The knowledge of these defining cutaneous conditions in patients infected with HIV is essential for an early diagnosis of infection, for establishing an early antiretroviral treatment, and improving the prognosis of these patients.

Left atrial myxoma: extraction by robotic and vacuum assistance.

We report a single case of left atrial giant myxoma excision using the da Vinci S surgical system in a 47-year-old woman. A vacuum extractor device was designed to avoid tumor fragmentation or embolization. The myxoma was entirely removed under aspiration through the extractor device, achieving all the surgical tenets of myxoma excision.

Evaluación de calcipotriol tópico en psoriasis / Assessment of topical calcipotriol in psoriasis

El calcipotriol es un análogo de la vitamina D3 con acción en la que queratinización, división celular y modulación de la respuesta inmune. Se realizó una evaluación de su efecto terapéutico en veinticinco pacientes psoriáticos con una superficie corporal afectada menor al 25 por ciento. Este producto fue aplicado tópicamente dos veces al día durante seis semanas en las áreas afectadas. Su evolución se evaluó mediante el análisis del PASI. El estudio inicial y terminal del PASI reveló una disminución en la actividad de la psoriasis que fluctuó entre el 25 y el 100 por ciento con un promedio del 61 por ciento. Se observó una reactivación de las lesiones a las dos semanas después de terminar el tratamiento, por lo que reinició la aplicación del calcipotriol durante cuatro semanas más, observándose una disminución en el PASI del 74 por ciento. En dos pacientes se detectó irritación mínima que se resolvió sin tratamiento. No se reportaron efectos adversos de importancia. El calcipotriol tópico es una importante alternativa en la terapéutica disponible para el tratamiento de la psoriasis en placas leve a moderada.

Granuloma inguinal: reporte de un caso / Inguinal granuloma: a case report

El granuloma inguinal es una infección bacteriana crónica, progresiva y destructiva que afecta principalmente la región genital y pertenece a las enfermedades de transmisión sexual. Reportamos un caso con granuloma inguinal en un paciente masculino de 18 años de edad, tratado con tetraciclina oral, logrando así la curación de sus lesiones

Panorama de la lepra en Nuevo León / Leprosy panorama in Nuevo Leon

Se presenta una estadística con 824 casos de pacientes atendidos desde 1955 hasta 1993. Se clasificaron según su lugar de origen, edad, sexo, residencia actual y de acuerdo a los municipios más afectados en Nuevo León. Se hace énfasis en que la enseñanza de esta enfermedad en la cátedra de dermatología es muy importante, ya que aumentó el número de casos. Para tratar de cambiar la opinión que sobre este padecimiento tiene la comunidad, se enseñaron, a las nuevas generaciones, los conceptos modernos sobre la enfermedad y también se instrumentó su difusión a través de los diversos medios de comunicación(AU)

Panorama de la lepra en Nuevo León / Leprosy panorama in Nuevo Leon

Se presenta una estadística con 824 casos de pacientes atendidos desde 1955 hasta 1993. Se clasificaron según su lugar de origen, edad, sexo, residencia actual y de acuerdo a los municipios más afectados en Nuevo León. Se hace énfasis en que la enseñanza de esta enfermedad en la cátedra de dermatología es muy importante, ya que aumentó el número de casos. Para tratar de cambiar la opinión que sobre este padecimiento tiene la comunidad, se enseñaron, a las nuevas generaciones, los conceptos modernos sobre la enfermedad y también se instrumentó su difusión a través de los diversos medios de comunicación

El laser de CO2 en dermatología / CO2 laser in dermatology

Presentamos 74 pacientes con diferentes patologías que fueron tratadas con laser de CO2. Describimos la técnica usada en cada patología. los resultados y evolución

Ketanserina en el tratamiento de heridas provocadas quirúrgicamente / Ketanserine in the treatment of surgery wounds

Se trataron un total de 20 pacientes portadores de heridas provocadas quirúrgicamente con katanserina tópica al 2 por ciento: 5 pacientes por biopsia en sacabocado, 10 por biopsia por rasurado. Uno de los siguientes: cirugía de laser de CO2 por excisión, por cirugía de Mohs, extracción de uña y dermoabrasión. Se obtuvo control iconográfico y se evaluaron el tamaño, profundidad, presencia y ausencia de infecciones locales. Los resultados encontrados fueron: 10 pacientes con éxito terapeútico, 6 con buenos resultados, 1 con ausencia de mejoría. 1 con deterioro, 2 excluidos. Concluimos que la ketanserina tópica al 2 por ciento es eficaz en el tratamiento de las heridas provocadas qurúrgicamente, ya que acorta el tiempo de la cicatrización y disminuye la morbilidad

Manifestaciones cutáneas en el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida: estudio de 183 pacientes / Cutaneous manifestations in HIV syndrome

En un total de 183 pacientes VIH (+), el sexo masculino predominó con el 93.4 por ciento y 6.6 por ciento el sexo femenino. Los homosexuales ocuparon un 41.5 por ciento, bisexuales 31 por ciento, heterosexuales 26.7 por ciento y 0.80 por ciento por transfusión sanguínea. Las dermatofitosis fueron las dermatosis más frecuentes presentándose en un 23.6 por ciento, seguida de candidiasis en 14.8 por ciento y dermatitis seborreica 14.5 por ciento. Nuevo León fue el lugar de origen en un 60 por ciento de los pacientes y el lugar de residencia en los últimos 5 años del 84 por ciento de éstos. Sólo en 5.4 por ciento había radicado en este periodo en el extranjero