Investigating the neural correlates of smoking: Feasibility and results of combining electronic cigarettes with fMRI.

Cigarette addiction is driven partly by the physiological effects of nicotine, but also by the distinctive sensory and behavioural aspects of smoking, and understanding the neural effects of such processes is vital. There are many practical difficulties associated with subjects smoking in the modern neuroscientific laboratory environment, however electronic cigarettes obviate many of these issues, and provide a close simulation of smoking tobacco cigarettes. We have examined the neural effects of 'smoking' electronic cigarettes with concurrent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The results demonstrate the feasibility of using these devices in the MRI environment, and show brain activation in a network of cortical (motor cortex, insula, cingulate, amygdala) and sub-cortical (putamen, thalamus, globus pallidus, cerebellum) regions. Concomitant relative deactivations were seen in the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. These results reveal the brain processes involved in (simulated) smoking for the first time, and validate a novel approach to the study of smoking, and addiction more generally.

A rare cause of petechial rash in the 21st century.

Scurvy was first described by Hippocrates (460-370 BC) as a condition characterised by poor dental health, bruising, bleeding and fragile skin. Despite the widespread availability of foods rich in vitamin C in Australia, scurvy continues to afflict certain high-risk subgroups of the population. Cutaneous signs may be the only manifestation of the disease, as in the case presented below, and therefore scurvy continues to be relevant to dermatologists.

Hairdressers presenting to an occupational dermatology clinic in Melbourne, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Hairdressers constitute one of the largest occupational groups attending our occupational dermatology clinic in Melbourne, Australia. OBJECTIVES: To perform a retrospective review of the clinical assessments of hairdressers and trainee hairdressers attending our clinic, including patch testing results. PATIENTS/MATERIALS/METHODS: We used our clinic database to identify trainee and qualified hairdressers who had attended our occupational dermatology clinic between January 1993 and December 2010. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-four hairdressers and hairdressing apprentices were identified. One hundred and fifty-seven had a diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD), with allergic contact dermatitis being the primary diagnosis in 71% and irritant contact dermatitis in 20%. Involvement of more than one body part was suggestive of allergic contact dermatitis (p = 0.05). Sixty-five per cent of participants were found to have more than one factor contributing to their OCD. Allergic contact dermatitis was more common in apprentices than in qualified hairdressers. Ammonium persulfate, p-phenylenediamine, toluene-2,5-diamine and glyceryl monothioglycolate were the most common occupational allergens. Nickel allergy was seen in 31% of hairdressers, but considered to be occupationally relevant in only 3%. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple sensitizations and multiple factors contributing to OCD in hairdressers are common. More needs to be done to prevent the development of OCD in hairdressers in our geographical region.

Occupational dermatitis in hairdressers: do they claim workers' compensation?

BACKGROUND: Hairdressers are one of the largest occupational groups attending our Occupational Dermatology Clinic. However, few seek workers' compensation for their occupational dermatitis. OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively analyse and compare workers' compensation claims data and diagnosed disease data for occupational contact dermatitis in hairdressers from 1993 to 2009, for the state of Victoria, Australia. PATIENTS/MATERIALS/METHODS: Data from the Occupational Dermatology Clinic database, the Compensation Research Database and the Australian Bureau of Statistics were used in this study. RESULTS: The clinic database identified 157 hairdressers and apprentices with a confirmed diagnosis of occupational contact dermatitis assessed between 1993 and 2009. Forty-six unique claims for occupational contact dermatitis from 46 individuals were identified from the Compensation Research Database over the same time period. Hairdressers in the 15-24-year age group were significantly over-represented in the claims data relative to the diagnosed disease data (p < 0.01). The median cost per claim was AU$1421, and the median time off work per claim was 20 days. CONCLUSION: Increased efforts are needed to reduce the incidence of occupational contact dermatitis in hairdressers in Australia, and to ensure that hairdressers with occupational contact dermatitis are aware of their compensation entitlements. Reliance on workers' compensation data for disease surveillance may lead occupational health and safety regulators to underestimate the magnitude of the problem of occupational contact dermatitis in the hairdressing profession.

Allergic contact dermatitis to methacrylates in ECG electrode dots.

Acrylates are used widely in acrylic nails, dental restorative materials, paint, varnish, printing ink, adhesives, glue, orthopaedic prostheses, bone cement and diathermy pads. This is the first case of allergic contact dermatitis to methacrylates in electrocardiogram electrode dots reported in the literature.

The modulation of crossmodal integration by unimodal perceptual grouping: a visuotactile apparent motion study.

We adapted the crossmodal dynamic capture task to investigate the modulation of visuotactile crossmodal integration by unimodal visual perceptual grouping. The influence of finger posture on this interaction was also explored. Participants were required to judge the direction of a tactile apparent motion stream (moving either to the left or to the right) presented to their crossed or uncrossed index fingers. The participants were instructed to ignore a distracting visual apparent motion stream, comprised of either 2 or 6 lights presented concurrently with the tactile stimuli. More crossmodal dynamic capture of the direction of the tactile apparent motion stream by the visual apparent motion stream was observed in the 2-lights condition than in the 6-lights condition. This interaction was not modulated by finger posture. These results suggest that visual intramodal perceptual grouping constrains the crossmodal binding of visual and tactile apparent motion information, irrespective of finger posture.