Comparative efficacy of oral contraceptive versus local treatment versus intense pulsed light combined with vacuum in endocrine acne in women.

Acne is the most common affection of adolescents, although it can be also found in adult women. Our study was aimed at the comparative assessment of three different therapies over a three-month period, applied to women with moderate comedogenic and papulo-pustular endocrine acne. In the study 116 female patients with endocrine localized face acne were included and divided into three groups: group I with 42 patients was treated with a combination of contraceptive pill + local treatment + pulsed-vacuum light; group II with 38 patients was treated with contraceptives and pulsed-vacuum light and group III with 36 patients was treated only with local treatment. The acne evaluation was made using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). Statistical data processing was carried out using the STATA software. For the comedogenic form of acne, the good and very good results were superior in group I vs group II and III (83.33% vs 31.58% vs 5.56%) at the end of the three months of treatment. For the papulo-pustulous form of acne, good and very good results were similar in groups I and II (92.86% vs 73.68%) both after the first month of treatment and at the end of the study, well above the local treatment group (13.99%). Our study highlighted the superiority of laser treatment combined with hormonal treatment, compared to hormonal and local treatment in the comedogenic form of acne, and the superiority of hormonal treatment combined (or not) with laser treatment in the papulo-pustular form compared to local treatment.

Psoriasis Vulgaris in Children - Case Presentation.

A seven-year-old girl, with erythematous-squamous rash, was admitted to our clinic to decide upon the diagnosis and treatment, being transferred from a county hospital. Heredo-collateral antecedents - an aunt, related to her mother, with psoriasis. When admitted, the patient presented prominent non-pruriginous erythematous plaques, clearly marked and covered by thick, silvery-white scales, easily exfoliating, all over at the level of: scalp, earlobes, neck, torso, limbs, periungual, axillary and genital areas. The dermatological examination: psoriasis vulgaris in patches and plaques, a diagnosis also confirmed histopathologically. Using a local dermatologic treatment, the evolution was favorable, the patient initially presenting thick squamae, then, gradually, there occurred the psoriasis whitening. We presented this case since psoriasis is rarely met at this early age.

Severe Toxocariasis in Children-Diagnostic Difficulties.

We present the case of an 18-month-old girl, from rural area, admitted to our clinic for fever and cough. The anamnestic data and the clinical and radiological examinations initially suggested the diagnosis of acute interstitial pneumonia. During hospitalization, she repeatedly presented exacerbations with acute respiratory failure, but without fever. Paraclinic examinations revealed anemia, leukocytosis, inflammatory tests with highly increased values, low values of serum iron and serum calcium, hyperproteinemia with hypergammaglobulinemia, the values of IgE and IgG being highly increased. Repeated pulmonary x-rays-peribronchovascular interstitial thickening, at the level of peri-and right infrahilar area. Medullary puncture-increased percentage of eosinophils in several stages of maturity, approximately 20%, normal values for the other medullary series, without atypical cells; the fingertip hemogram showed anemia, leukocytosis, eosinophilia. The diagnosis turned to a possible toxocariasis-atc anti toxocara canis=55.6 NTU. In the third week of hospitalization, the patient presented short crises of nonfebrile seizures. Normal CT and EEG brain. The child was discharged after 5 weeks, the diagnosis being severe toxocariasis with pulmonary and neurological manifestations; she was recommended an antiparasitary treatment and remained in our clinic's records.

Evaluation of Angiogenesis in Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis is an important step in the process of cancer growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the neoangiogenesis with CD31, CD34 and CD105, and tried to observe the differences between these three antibodies. MATERIAL/METHODS: The blood vessels stained with CD31, CD 34 and CD105 were counted, and we reported their number per square millimeter to obtain microvascular density (MVD). For angiogenesis quantification we determined the neoformation blood vessels with CD105. The CD31 and CD34 were used as control markers, in order to observe the difference between neoformation blood vessels and mature vessels. RESULTS: Comparing the average effective vessels marked with the 3 markers, Student t test showed that the mean number of blood vessels market with CD 34 is higher than blood vessels market with CD31 and CD 105. The value of the Student t test was highly significant in all three cases (p<0.001). By calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient for the relationship CD31-CD105 we obtained a value r = 0.440, which corresponds to p = 0.0013 < 0.05, indicating a statistically significant direct correlation between the two factors. CONCLUSIONS: An important number of vessels (around 40%) that can be found in tumor area are neoformation vessels, this concept being an important assessment for the choice of the correct and effective treatment in colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Genetic Factors Involved in the Development and Progression of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to identify the possible involvement of adiponutrine polymorphysm and of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included in this study a total of 138 subjects with non-invasive diagnosis of non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis. The patatin-like phospholipase domain containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 (adiponutrine) polymorphism was genotyped by allelic discrimination TaqMan PCR assay (5' nuclease assay), using predesigned TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. Class I and II HLA antigens were determined by the polymerase chain reaction sequence specific oligonucleotide method (ADN-PCR-SSO). The results were compared with the same data from the control group subjects. RESULTS: For PNPLA 3 polymorphism we found [CC] genotype in 82 subjects (59,42%), [GC] genotype in 45 (32,61%) and [GG] genotype in 11 subjects (7,97%). The frequency of minor [G] risk allele was 0.25. We found class I and II HLA antigens HLA A24, HLA B15, HLA DR15, HLA DR16, HLA DQ3 and HLA DQ5 more frequent in subjects with hepatic steatosis without any other risk factor and HLA-A2, HLA-32, HLA B18, HLA B49 and HLA B53 in patients with obesity or metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the literature and show an association of PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism with hepatic steatosis. Regarding histocompatibility antigens, we studied for the first time in our country the relationship between HLA and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

[The evaluation of the measurement of serum fibronectin in pulmonary tuberculosis]. / Consideratiuni privind valoarea dozarii fibronectinei serice în tuberculoza pulmonara.

The investigation was carried out in 125 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in different stages of evolution. The treatment was that granted, used in triple and/or quadruple scheme twice a week. In the greatest part of the patients the concentration of serum fibronectine (sFN) was followed in its dynamics. A reasonable increase (statistical average) of the sFN was found in the patients with tuberculosis (tbc), active at the first treatment. The values regressed slowly, parallel to the favourable evolution under treatment. In the chronic forms, values situated at the normal or at the inferior limit were recorded. They were probably due to the sum of factors often met in these patients: protein-caloric malnutrition, chronic alcoholism with afferent hepatopathies, nonspecific chronic bronchial suppurations. No significant correlation of the sFN concentration was noticed in relation to the radiologic extension of the lesions, to the structure of the chemotherapeutic regimen, or to age. There exists a large variability of the sFN concentration in tbc, both at the beginning and during chemotherapy. The sFN level is not enough for the assessment of the disease stage or evolution; for increasing its informational value, the concentration of the immune circulatory complexes (ICC) and the lymphocytic subsets T were investigated.

[Correlations of ventilation measurements with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency chronic suppurative bronchopneumopathies]. / Corelatiile ventilometriei cu deficitul de alpha 1-antitripsina în bronhopneumopatiile supurative cronice

The corrleations of ventilometry and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency were studied in a lot of 105 patients with chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy associated with various forms of chronic pulmonary suppuration. Alpha-1-antitripsin deficiency was determined by Erikson's gelatin film test, simplified by Keith et al. Ventilation dysfunctions were found in 79% of the cases, predominantly obstructive, mixed, advanced or severe. Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency was detected in 11.4% of the patients as against 4.1% in the controls, the deficiency being more accentuated in the mixed (75%) and obstructive (25%) ventilation dysfunctions. Determination of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, corroborated with other investigations may supply useful information for detecting a predisposition and for the evolutive prognosis of these respiratory diseases.