Local cytokine profiles in skin biopsies from allergic and irritant patch test reactions were determined by in vivo immunohistochemistry to differentiate between these 2 clinically identical afflictions especially at the time of final reading in diagnostic patch testing. Biopsies were taken from established allergic persons after specific allergic patch test.‐, to epoxy resin (1%) and formaldehyde (1%) and from non‐allergic individuals with irritant patch tests to sodium lauryl sulfate (10%) and formaldehyde (8%). At 72 h after application of the agents, significantly enhanced frequencies of dermal infiltrating cells, producing IL‐1α, TNF‐α. IL‐2. and IFN‐γ per 100 infiltrating cells in the dermis. were observed in allergic as well us irritant patch test reactions, as compared to normal skin. Significantly higher frequencies of IL‐ Iα‐producing cells were observed in biopsies from epoxy resin (1%) allergen‐affected and sodium lauryl sulfate (10%) irritant‐affected skin as compared to formaldehyde (1%) allergen‐affected skin. In addition, significantly higher frequencies of TNF ‐α reproducing cells were observed in epoxy resin allergen‐affected skin us compared to Formaldehyde (1%) allergen‐affected and formaldehyde (8%) irritant affected skin. The allergic and irritant patch test reactions showed similar levels of expression of the Thl cytokines IL‐2 and IFN‐γ in the dermis. confirmed by probe based detection of IL‐2 mRNA and IFN‐γ‐ mRNA, In conclusion, the described similarity shows that allergens and irritants can induce the same profile of IL‐la. TNF‐α. IL‐2. and IFN‐γ production, resulting in the near impossibility of discriminating between allergic and irritant contact dermal is at the lime of patch test reading.

Objectives-It has been reported that groups of workers in petrochemical industries who have been exposed to low concentrations of chemicals for prolonged periods have an increased urinary albumin excretion compared with unexposed controls. This increase, however, seemed to be unrelated to the extent, duration, and type of exposure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the suggestion that the small increase in albumin excretion might be due to differences in physical workload between the exposed and control groups or to the fact that the exposed workers are shift workers whereas the controls are employed on day duty. Methods-To elucidate the effect of shift work, again a series of renal and hepatic variables were studied in organochlorine workers but now with two different control groups. One control group comprised shift workers and the other only workers on day duty. The exposed and both control groups had roughly equal physical workloads, although one control group comprised shift workers and the other workers who work only during day time.Results-There were no significant changes in the results of the liver tests between the exposed group and either of the control groups, nor between the two control groups. No significant differences for any renal test were found between the exposed workers and control shift workers, but albumin was significantly lower in the control day workers than in the exposed workers and control shift workers.Conclusions-The results suggest that the previously reported small increase in albuminuria in industrial workers is due to alterations in circadian rhythms due to the shift work system rather than to prolonged exposure to low concentrations of potentially nephrotoxic chemicals. relate this small increase in albumin excretion to the duration of exposure. Urinary albumin, also, was not related to exposure to the different halogenated hydrocarbons. In this short report we present the results of a study in which we examined biochemical markers of kidney and liver damage in two different control groups of not occupationally exposed workers and in the same group of workers exposed to low concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons to find an explanation for their increased albumin excretion. Materials and methods POPULATION AND STUDY DESIGNThe exposed group comprised 94 men working in five shifts at the organochlorine plant. Of the 73 workers that attended the previous occupational health assessment, in which the rise in urinary albumin was detected,' 64 (88%) were still employed at the plant and attended the present occupational health assessment. For this subset of 64 workers the present results were compared with the results obtained two years earlier.In control group 1 were 60 men working in five shifts at the petroleum refinery. Control group 2 consisted of 50 men from the maintenance division employed on day duty. The workers from both control groups have no occupational exposure to halogenated hydrocarbons. The subjects of the exposed and control groups-participa...

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