[Treatment of trichiasis with a diode laser]. / Behandlung der Trichiasis mit einem Diodenlaser.

BACKGROUND: Various methods have been used in the treatment of trichiasis: epilation, excision, cryosurgery, thermocaustic needle, and argon laser. None of these is satisfactory. Based on the principle of selective photothermolysis for destroying specifically the hair follicle, we used a diode laser and evaluated its efficacy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nineteen eyes with 301 itching lashes were treated in three sessions at intervals of 1 week. In each session the single hair follicle received laser energy of 20 J/cm2 at a frequency of 806 nm for 15 ms. We used a bare fiber of 0.8 mm at a distance of 2 mm from the follicle. RESULTS: After 4 months two-thirds of the hairs were destroyed. The regrown lashes, however, are lighter and softer than the original ones. This treatment is less painful than all others. The laser is small, easy to use, and inexpensive. CONCLUSIONS: The diode laser is a useful tool for the treatment of trichiasis. The laser parameters, however, should be ameliorated.

[Effect of pulsed dye laser radiation on the capillary vessels of the skin]. / Uber die Wirkung gepulster Farbstofflaserstrahlen auf die Kapillargefässe der Haut.

Up to now microvaporization has been considered the basic mechanism of vascular damage induced by pulsed dye laser. Regarding the laser-tissue interaction, we present experimental results giving evidence of the significance of sound waves. Thus the transformation of photoacoustic energy is proved, facilitating the explanation of experimental and therapeutic effects.

Novel concept for a mucosal adhesive ointment.

Conventional adhesive ointments cause irritation to the mucous membranes. Therefore, a novel mucosal adhesive ointment based partly on neutralized polymethacrylic acid methyl ester was formulated. The flow curves of the ointment vehicle showed pseudoplastic properties. The rheological behavior as well as the adhesion on the mucosal membrane could be varied by the type and concentration of the polymer used and the base used for neutralization. During clinical studies, the ointment vehicle as well as a tretinoin (vitamin A acid) preparation for the treatment of lichen planus did not cause any local irritation or systemic side effects. Both vehicle and preparation were found to be pleasant for the patients to use. The new system of the mucosal adhesive ointment is not limited to the incorporation of tretinoin as the active agent; combined with other drugs the system could be applied to all types of mucosal membranes.

[New approach in the laser therapy of nevus flammeus]. / Uber einen neuen Ansatz in der Lasertherapie des Naevus flammeus.

The technical properties of the flashlamp-pumped dye laser are compared with those of other lasers already used in the therapy of port-wine stains. The advantages of the dye laser seem to be evident. The main reasons are the possibility of free choice of the wavelength and the small width of beam pulse. Short term results are presented. The therapeutical value of this method will be recognized not before lang term results are available.

[Formulation and clinical test of a novel mucosal adhesive ointment]. / Formulierung und klinische Erprobung einer neuartigen Schleimhauthaftsalbe.

A novel mucosal adhesive ointment on the base of partly neutralized polymethacrylic acid methyl ester (Eudispert) was formulated. The flow curves of the ointment show a pseudoplastic quality without any thixotropic effect. The viscosity depended on the kind and concentration of the base. During the clinical studies the pure ointment as well as a tretinoin-preparation for a lichen planus treatment showed no local irritation, good mucosal adhesion and suitable way of application for the patients.

[On the treatment of tattoos by argon laser (author's transl)]. / Uber die Behandlung von Tätowierungen mit dem Argonlaser.

Different laser systems have different effects on the human skin. During the treatment of tattoos the CO2 laser abrades thermically the skin in layers of 0,1-0,2 mm. The argon laser, however, is semiselectively absorbed by the dermal pigments which are vaporized and expelled through the rupturing epidermis. Remaining pigments are eliminated by the subsequent inflammatory reaction. The argon laser offers a feasible alternative to common methods with several useful advantages.

[A new dermato-surgical therapy for the Favre-Racouchot syndrome (author's transl)]. / Ein Beitrag zur Therapie der Elastéidose cutanée nodulaire à kystes et à comédons.

A new dermato-surgical method for the treatment of the Favre-Racouchot syndrome is introduced. The cysts and comedones are excised in parallel stripes by means of a small electrically driven dermatome. Thus a number of cysts is only partly cut. These remaining lesions are completely repelled with the eschar. This dermatomy gives excellent cosmetic results and should be considered for the therapy of the syndrome.

A new dermatome for surgical treatment of rhinophyma.

A new instrument is suggested for surgical treatment of rhinophyma. It is an electrically driven dermatome that has been used beneficially in surgery on the palate. Its use offers several advantages over other instruments and methods currently used for the management of rhinophyma. It avoids the danger of shaving too deeply because the depth of each sweep is both predictable and constant. The size of the blade allows fine sculpturing even in narrow spaces.

[On the physiology of the growth of nail plate (author's transl)]. / Ein Beitrag zur Physiologie des Nagelwachstums.

By following up histologically a localized storage of melanin in certain layers of the nail plate the differing theories on the cellular kinetics of the growth of human nail plate are checked up. Thus it turns out that the hitherto existing and even contradicting conceptions are not helpful to interpret uniquely the morphological phenomena of the concrete case. A plausible modification is presented.

[Adaptive modifications of cold pain. III. Communication: short-term experiments with 1-min-intervals (author's transl)]. / Adaptive Modifikationen des Kälteschmerzes. III. Mitteilung: Kurzzeitversuche mit 1-Min-Intervallen.

The subjective short-term habituation to pain-inducing cold stimuli is demonstrated for the first time by measuring the tolerated exposition time. It proves impossible to separate temporally a detection threshold of cold pain from the distress reaction level. The slope of subjective habituation is clearly dependent on the individual vegetative starting position. It is discussed why the blood pressure reaction may be used as a valid parameter for experienced intensity of a cold pain sensation only to a limited extent.

[Adaptive modifications of cold pain. II. Communication: long-term experiments with 24-h-intervals (author's transl)]. / Adaptive Modifikationen des Kälteschmerzes. II. Mitteilung:Langzeitversuche mit 14stündigen Intervallen.

Ten healthy subjects were exposed to a single cold pain stimulus at one hand on each of 21 successive days. In order to follow up the subjective adaptation every other day an abbreviated version of the McGill-Pain-Questionnaire was issued. The initially wide spread protopathic irradiation of cold pain sensation was decreased by adaptation to a strictly localized perception related to the really exposed area. The number of the chosen affective-protopathic adjectives was significantly reduced, the number of sensory-epicrtic descriptions, however, remained constant. The overall evaluative estimation of pain intensity was also diminished. The course of objective adaptation parallels that of subjective adaptation. The relation between the evaluative intensity ratings and the affective-protopathic experience descriptions is discussed.

[Adaptive modifications of cold pain (author's transl)]. / Adaptive Modifikationen des Kälteschmerzes

38 healthy subjects 22-28 years of age underwent the cold-pressor-test seven times on each of 21 consecutive days always at the same time of day. The subjective sensations of cold pain and the objective circulatory reactions were registered. There was observed only a very distinct subjective cold pain habituation from one exposition to the other. The habituation effect on blood pressure reaction however was of expected extent. The long term adaptation showed to have effect on the predominance of the two components of pain perception the epicritic and protopathic pain experience. Initially the cold stimulus produced an overwhelmingly protopathic sufferenig whilst at the end of the three weeks of adaptation there remained only a reduced and localized epicritic pain sensation. Typological differences of pain reactions and pain adaptation are discussed.

A study of the nycthemeral cycle of behavioural temperature regulation in man.

1. Four human subjects were rendered hyperthermic and hypothermic by immersion in warm and cool water, at 02.00, 08.00, 14.00 and 20.00 hr. Bath and oesophageal temperatures and pulse rate were recorded. Temperature preference was determined by operant behaviour and vote. The core temperature set-point for behavioural thermoregulation was estimated from the behavioural results. 2. The results are in accord with those of previous studies of the nyethemeral cycling of autonomic responsiveness to heat and cold with a heating up phase before noon and a cooling down phase during the early night. 3. Subjective sensations and behavioural responses were also found to follow a nycthemeral cycle with a minimum before noon and a maximum at 20.00 hr. 4. The core temperature set point was 0-7 degrees C higher after noon than before noon with a small phase advance from resting core temperature. This result suggests that the nycthemeral cyclic change in body temperature is due to a nycthemeral cyclic change in the set-point near to which body temperature is kept by both autonomic and behavioural thermoregulatory responses.