ABSTRACT
A 16-year-old otherwise healthy girl developed a localized area of brittle, easily broken hairs on the scalp. In addition, the hair appeared to "come out in clumps," and the overall texture of the hair changed from soft and naturally curly to straight and stiff. An unusual hair shaft abnormality was demonstrated by routine light and electron microscopy, for which we can find no report of similar cases. The case and associated findings are presented.
Subject(s)
Hair Diseases/pathology , Adolescent , Female , Hair/pathology , Hair Diseases/etiology , Humans , Microscopy, Electron, ScanningABSTRACT
Although experimental studies in animals show that selenium may prevent cancer, case-control studies of internal human cancers have been difficult to interpret because neoplastic tissue sequesters selenium. We therefore conducted a case-control study to examine the association between plasma selenium level and skin cancer, a neoplasm with minimal tumor mass at the time of diagnosis. The mean selenium level among patients with either basal cell epithelioma (N = 142), squamous cell carcinoma (N = 48), or both (N = 50), was 0.141 micrograms/g. This was significantly lower than the mean plasma selenium level of the 103 control subjects, which was 0.155 micrograms/g. The noncancer control groups were drawn from current clinic patients and past clinic patients. The logistic estimate of the odds ratio for the lowest versus the highest decile of selenium for all cases combined versus the group of current patient controls was 4.39; for all cases combined versus the past patient controls, the logistic estimate of the odds ratio was 5.81.
Subject(s)
Selenium/blood , Skin Neoplasms/blood , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Carcinoma, Basal Cell/blood , Carcinoma, Basal Cell/etiology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/blood , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Probability , Reference Values , Risk , Skin Neoplasms/etiologySubject(s)
Growth Disorders , Hair/abnormalities , Ichthyosis , Infertility, Male , Intellectual Disability , Child , Hair/analysis , Humans , Male , Sulfur/analysis , SyndromeABSTRACT
Dermatitis due to members of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family of plants has been reported for many years from several parts of the world. Nevertheless, it seems to be overlooked by many present-day clinicians, undoubtedly because clinically it mimics photodermatitis or an airborne contact dermatitis of nonplant origin. This clinical review summarizes the rich literature on the subject, emphasizes the remarkably consistent clinical picture, and updates for readers relevant advances in botanical biochemistry and clinical implications, as well as current methods for diagnosis, attempts at treatment, and concepts of pathogenesis. It is hoped that the review will focus needed attention on this syndrome and will enhance prospects for accurate diagnosis, as well as further investigations into treatment and prevention.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis/etiology , Plants , Dermatitis/diagnosis , Dermatitis/therapy , Dermatitis, Contact/diagnosis , Desensitization, Immunologic , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Photosensitivity Disorders/diagnosisABSTRACT
There is an expanding list of syndromes that combine ichthyosis with neuroectodermal and mesodermal defects. We present the case of a young woman with the following features: lamellar ichthyosis, dwarfism, mental retardation, nail and dental abnormalities, unusual facies, poor sexual maturation, punctate cataracts, and hair shaft abnormalities. There were no neurologic or auditory defects. Hair examination revealed pili torti, trichoschisis, bright and dark bands with polarizing microscopy, and a low hair sulfur content. The patient did not have aminoaciduria or immunoglobulin abnormalities. We believe that this case is a link between the ichthyosis-associated syndromes and the group of syndromes that have in common abnormal hair with clean transverse fractures (trichoschisis) and low sulfur content. A more complete examination of the hair in other patients with ichthyosis and associated abnormalities will probably reveal more patients with this new syndrome.
Subject(s)
Dwarfism/diagnosis , Hair Diseases/diagnosis , Ichthyosis/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Adult , Female , Humans , Nails, Malformed/diagnosis , Sjogren's Syndrome/diagnosis , Syndrome , Tooth Abnormalities/diagnosisSubject(s)
Burns/metabolism , Skin/metabolism , Animals , Body Surface Area , Body Water , Body Weight , Contracture/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Female , RatsSubject(s)
Dermatology , Medical Records , Humans , Medical History Taking , Peer Review , Physical ExaminationSubject(s)
Hair/analysis , Protein Deficiency/diagnosis , Blood Proteins/analysis , DNA/analysis , Humans , Proteins/analysis , ScalpSubject(s)
Amides/pharmacology , Liver/drug effects , Lysosomes/drug effects , Skin/drug effects , Acid Phosphatase/metabolism , Aminohydrolases/metabolism , Animals , Blister/chemically induced , Cantharidin/pharmacology , Condiments , Erythema/chemically induced , Glucosamine , Glucuronidase/metabolism , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Liver/enzymology , Lysosomes/enzymology , Rats , Skin/enzymology , Surface-Active Agents/pharmacologySubject(s)
Hair/analysis , Protein Deficiency , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Animals , Deficiency Diseases/etiology , Hair/growth & development , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/complications , Middle Aged , Nutrition Disorders/etiology , Protein Deficiency/etiology , Proteins/metabolism , Scalp , Sheep , Time Factors , TransferrinSubject(s)
Arthrodermataceae/drug effects , Coumarins/pharmacology , Griseofulvin/pharmacology , Insect Repellents/pharmacology , Bacteriological Techniques , Coumarins/chemical synthesis , Culture Media , Epidermophyton/drug effects , Griseofulvin/chemical synthesis , Insect Repellents/chemical synthesis , Microsporum/drug effects , Mitosporic Fungi/drug effects , Trichophyton/drug effectsSubject(s)
Alopecia/complications , Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors/complications , Hair , Hamartoma/complications , Myasthenia Gravis/complications , Skin Neoplasms/complications , Adenosine Triphosphatases/metabolism , Adult , Aminopeptidases/metabolism , Antibodies, Antinuclear/blood , Antibody Formation , Biopsy , Black People , Female , Hamartoma/enzymology , Hamartoma/pathology , Histocytochemistry , Humans , Sella Turcica , Skin Neoplasms/enzymology , Skin Neoplasms/pathologySubject(s)
Cardiac Output , Psoriasis/physiopathology , Adult , Aged , Dermatitis, Exfoliative/physiopathology , Heart Failure/complications , Humans , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Amino Acids/analysis , Keratins/analysis , Molecular Weight , Animals , Cattle , Chromatography, Gel , Electrophoresis , Humans , Skin/analysisABSTRACT
1. Small amounts of phospholipids and cho- lesterol bound to major callus protein fractions during extraction have been quantitated. 2. Extraction with chloroform/methanol abolishes the requirement of these protein fractions for prolonged acid hydrolysis in order to release completely certain amino acid residues. 3. The binding capacity of lipid-free, isolated, keratinous proteins for cholesterol has been studied. 4. A plausible (though unproven) role for phospholipids, cholesterol, and keratin in the barrier functions of epidermis is re-emphasized.
