[Quartz--its relevance for dermatology]. / Quarz--seine Relevanz für die Dermatologie.

Next to oxygen silicium is the most common substance of our environment. It occurs mostly in form of quartz (SiO2). In the past silica was usually mentioned in connection with foreign body granulomas in dermatological papers. Recently relations between occupational silica exposure and several diseases were reported. Silica exposure was related to the development of scleroderma, lupus erythematodes and sarcoidosis. Pathogenetic connections may be due to a stimulating effect on fibroblasts and due to immunmodulating properties of silica.

[On the suitability of migration inhibition techniques in the in-vitro-diagnostics of chromium allergy (author's transl)]. / Zur Eignugn von Migrationshemmtechniken für die In-vitro-Diagnostik der Chrom-Allergie.

1. Under the conditions of cell culture potassium dichromate is reduced to trivalent chromium (diphenylcarbacid/fotometry). Trivalent chromium reacts with proteins more strongly than the hexavalent chromium (gelchromatography/atom absorption spectrophotometry) and presumably represents the actual hapten. 2. Because of this in-vitro-conjugation chromium salts are suitable in their unconjugated form for applying in migration inhibition tests (capillary/Clausen technique). 3. In migration inhibition tests potassium dichromate showed a better antigenicity than chromium chloride. The capillary method was more sensitive than the Clausen technique when using the same test concentration. 4. Correlations between the degree of the patch test and the value of the migration inhibition did not exist.