Short-contact treatment at home with Micanol.

The efficacy of home treatment of psoriasis with a new dithranol formulation, Micanol, was investigated in three studies. They were carried out according to a randomized, within-patient comparison design. In a 4-week pilot study Micanol was compared with placebo (10 patients) and in two 6-week studies Micanol was compared with dithranol 1% in petrolatum (33 patients) and with dithranol 1% in Amitase stick (16 patients). Micanol was found to be effective and well suited for treatment at home in all studies. The vehicle itself did not improve the psoriasis plaques. The rate of clinical improvement was faster for dithranol in petrolatum and Amitase stick than for Micanol. The prevalence and severity of erythema, burning and staining of skin and clothing were far less for Micanol. Approximately half the number of patients preferred dithranol in petrolatum or Amitase stick and the other half preferred Micanol.

Halo dermatitis around tumours.

Circular dermatitis around different benign or malignant lesions were examined in 19 patients. The morphological picture was the same whether it occurred around an acquired naevus cell naevus, a congenital naevus cell naevus, a seborrheic keratosis, a stucco-keratosis, a keloid, a benign lentigo, an insect bite, a basal cell carcinoma, or a squamous cell carcinoma. The central lesions were macroscopically unaffected by the surrounding inflammation.

Hydrogen peroxide cream for the prevention of white pressure areas in UVA sunbeds.

A single application of 1% hydrogen peroxide in a stabilized lipid cream during 2 min before UVA exposure prevents white spots in anoxic pressure areas in sunbed use, causing an almost normal pigmentation. During maintenance exposure with UVA once a week this pigmentation will remain unchanged if the pressure areas are pretreated with hydrogen peroxide before each irradiation. White spots will appear 3-4 weeks after finishing hydrogen peroxide pretreatment in the pressure areas thus exposed to UVA alone.

A theory on the mechanisms regulating the bioavailability of mercury in natural waters.

A number of quantifiable properties of natural waters have been used by various scientists to 'explain' the Hg content in fish (e.g. pH, level of bioproduction, humosity, conductivity, calcium content, oxygen conditions, zinc and selenium content). This work presents a theory aimed at providing an explanation of the chemical mechanisms behind many established statistical relationships. The theory focuses on some equilibrium reactions and the causal relationships behind these reactions. The basic concept of the theory is that the activity of Hg(2+) in natural waters is essentially regulated by the activity of S(2-), which, in turn, is strongly affected by pH and redox conditions. Due to protonisation reactions, the S(2-) activity is very low at natural pH levels. The equilibrium between Hg(2+) and HgS(s) is given by the solubility constant Ks = 10(-52). This is an extremely low constant, which indicates that, in the presence of sulphide, essentially all Hg will appear as HgS(s). The Hg(2+) activity, and the Hg content in fish, can be increased if the S(2-) activity is decreased by lowering the pH and/or increasing the redox potential. Besides sulphide there are two other elements with a similar relationship towards Hg; namely, Se and Te (Ks = 10(-58) and Ks = 10(-70), respectively). The Hg(2+) concentration in natural waters varies quite widely, but is often about 5 ng litre(-1). This is a high concentration in these contexts. Such as high concentration can prevail only if the S(2-) (and/or the Se(2-)) activity is very small. In waters where the S(2-) and/or the Se(2-)) activity is high, e.g. from sulphide rocks in the drainage area, or if S(2-) and/or Se(2-) are added to the water, the Hg(2+) activity, and the Hg content in fish, will be effectively reduced.

Glass fibre irritation and protective creams.

5 commercial products were tested pairwise as prophylaxis against itching and irritation from glass fibres: a commercial cream for glass fibre itching, a silicone spray, an emollient cream, a fatty ointment, and a "cream-ointment". The preparations were found to have very limited value in protection against glass fibre irritation. Some workers even experienced exacerbated itching from all the preparations, including the cream marketed for protection against glass fibre irritation. Only 25% of a group of workers with severe glass fibre itching still used an emollient cream after 12 weeks.

Itching from wool fibres in atopic dermatitis.

In 24 girls with atopic dermatitis and a history of irritation to wool, more intense itching was provoked on normal skin on the abdomen by a material with coarse wool fibres (36 microns) than with thinner fibres (20 microns). The probability of the materials causing itching could be predicted by the girls by handling the materials.

Induction of UVA pigmentation in pressure areas by hydrogen peroxide.

Heavy external pressure, caused by the weight of the body when lying on a hard transparent surface during UVA irradiation, prevents pigmentation in pressure exposed skin areas. After percutaneous H2O2 administration a delayed pigmentation appeared on the pressure sites. This finding provides evidence for the role of oxygen in delayed pigmentation by UVA.

Glass fiber dermatitis.

Many workers exposed to glass fibers experience an intense pruritus (itching), sometimes accompanied by erythema, erosions, and dermatitis. Patch tests to glass fibers provoked a papulovesicular dermatitis in about 25% of normal persons. Workers in the glass wool industry, whether or not clinically symptomatic, had the same levels of patch-test reactivity. A battery of skin tests failed to identify persons with an increased susceptibility to glass fiber pruritus. Some workers' skin becomes hardened by continuous exposure. This hardening is lost after a one-month holiday but is quickly regained. Barrier creams had no protective value in preventing glass fiber dermatitis.

Erythema craquelé provoked by corticosteroids on normal skin.

The provocation of erythema craquelé after cessation of long-term continuous steroid application to normal skin was investigated in 58 healthy subjects, usually under occlusion. No correlation was demonstrated between the erythema craquelé and skinfold thickness measured with the Harpenden technique.

Clinical trial of a potent non-halogenated topical steroid, Budesonide.

In a double-blind, randomized multi-centre study, 116 patients with psoriasis have been treated for 1-3 weeks with budesonide ointment (Preferid, Draco/Tika; a subsidiary of AB ASTRA), a new non-halogenated topical steroid. In a series of 11 patients a 0.025% budesonide ointment was significantly superior to placebo. In a second series, of 54 patients, a 0.025% fluocinolone acetonide ointment (Synalar, ICI). In a third series, of 51 patients, a 0.010% budesonide ointment was compared with 0.025% fluocinolone acetonide ointment. No statistically significant difference between these two preparations was found to exist. No adverse reactions were observed.

Does occupational exposure to glass-fibres increase the general skin reactivity to irritants?

A total of 33 workers at a glass-wool factory were tested (patch tests with glass-fibres and chemical irritants, epicutaneous tests with Trafuril and intracutaneous tests with histamine) before starting to work at the factory and then re-tested after at least 4 weeks of exposure to glass-fibres. No statistically significant differences in the intensity of the skin reactions before and after exposure were found. Thus no general increased irritancy of the normal skin was induced by the continuous exposure to glass-fibres.

Relationship between intensities of skin test reactions to glass-fibres and chemical irritants.

A total of 98 workers at a glass-wool factory were patch tested with glass-fibres and six chemical irritants. A rubbing test with the fibres, a Trafuril test and provocation of dermographism were also performed. The subjects with strong patch test reactions to one quality of fibres also reacted strongly to the other types of fibres but did not show an increased sensitivity to other tests. The subjects with intense skin reactions to rubbing with the fibres showed an increased skin reactivity to Trafuril. A tendency towards increased reactivity to the patch tests with fibres was found in persons with fair skin and blue eyes.

Skin reactivity in workers with and without itching from occupational exposure to glass fibres.

98 workers at a glass-wool factory were divided into three comparable groups: those with persistent troublesome itching from the fibres, those without itching, and those who had become 'hardened' to the itching. The three groups were compared with respect to the results of patch testing with glass fibres and six chemical irritants, a rubbing test with fibres, the Trafuril test, and provocation of dermographism. Anamnestic data with respect to atopy, itching from wool and synthetic fibres, sweating, and reactions to the sun were evaluated, as also was the general skin pigmentation. No statistically significant differences between the three groups were found in respect of any of these tests or factors except for a subjectively increased sensitivity in the rubbing test with fibres for the itching group. It is possible that similar itch-provocation tests might be useful for pre-employment assessment to predict severe occupational itching from glass fibres.

Patch testing with mineral wool (Rockwool).

25% of 315 tested subjects exhibited skin reactions when patch tested with mineral wool. Coating of the mineral fibres with phenol-formaldehyde did not influence the skin reactions. The reactions seem to be induced mechanically, as the mineral without the fibres did not give any reactions. No allergic reactions to the chemical additives were demonstrated. Macroscopically, the reactions may simulate an allergic response; microscopically, they seem to be toxic, sometimes with prominent spongiosis.