Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is considered to be an autoimmune disease of unknown aetiology that affects the mucosae, especially the oral cavity. Objective: We compared tacrolimus 0.1% ointment and clobetasol 0.05% ointment for the treatment of OLP. Patients and Methods: A total of 32 patients (20 females and 12 males; all white, Italian origin, mean age of 43.6 AE 18.4 years; 16 patients per treatment group) were treated with tacrolimus or clobetasol ointment for 4 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial. Pain severity, burning sensation, and mucosal lesion extension were assessed using a four-point scale.Results: At the end of the treatment period, symptom scores were significantly lower in the tacrolimus group than in the clobetasol group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that tacrolimus 0.1% ointment is more effective than clobetasol propionate 0.05% ointment in the treatment of OLP. However, other studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this treatment before it can be recommended for use in clinical practice.

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Diaporthe phaseolorum (syn. Phomopsis phaseoli) is a frequent fungal parasite of plants, present on all continents around the world. It has rarely been involved in human diseases. We report a case of eumycetoma with osteomyelitis of the forefoot caused by this fungus and diagnosed by molecular biology. The patient had positive HTLV-1 serology and was a farmer from French Guiana who walked barefoot. He was successfully treated with long-term oral itraconazole (400 mg/day). A review of the literature underlines the essential roles of plants and host immunosuppression in this infection and the favourable outcome with a triazole antifungal treatment.

LETTERSqnrS1, in nontyphoidal salmonellae in the United Kingdom. These data are in contrast to those of recent studies in the United States and France, which show low incidences of qnrS genes in larger strain collections (9,10). The qnr phenotype is in contrast to resistance mediated by mutations in the topoisomerase genes whereby 1 mutation confers low-level resistance to fl uoroquinolones and full resistance to nalidixic acid. Our previous study demonstrated that qnrS1 was sufficient to cause decreased susceptibility to ciprofl oxacin in the absence of mutations in gyrA (1). In this study, a qnr gene was suffi cient to increase the ciprofl oxacin MIC to 0.38-0.75 μg/mL. In addition, a qnr gene contributed to high-level ciprofl oxacin resistance in 10 isolates, thereby potentially jeopardizing fi rst-line treatment of vulnerable patient groups with ciprofl oxacin.

The maxillary tuberosity region is becoming increasingly involved in preprosthetic surgery as part of a comprehensive implant treatment planning. The lower success rates in osteointegrated implant placements seen in the posterior regions of the upper maxilla as compared to the anterior regions of the jaws, most often come from bone quality types and the presence of the maxillary sinus. In order to overcome these limitations and obtain a successful result in such a demanding area, several authors suggest that long implants (15.0 to 20.0 mm long) should be placed in the maxillary tuberosity region as an alternative to sinus floor elevation. The challenges frequently associated with the surgical placement of "maxillary tuberosity implants" (MTI), can be reduced through a "Ridge Expansion Osteotomy" (REO) procedure as described by Summers (1994). This indeed improves the recipient bed bone quality and causes no bone overheating. In order to improve this technique performed for MTI, in co-operation with Ing. Albanese G, authors have developed different prototypes of modified osteotomes. A case report using these new instruments is presented. Clinical and radiographic evaluations are obtained.