No abstract

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis, a chronic recurrent disease, is frequently encountered in clinical practice. In the last 30 years, the prevalence of atopic dermatitis has rapidly increased due to industrialization. Therefore, there have been attempts in recent years to find new ways of treating and preventing atopic dermatitis.ObjectiveIn this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, a combination of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus salivarius strains were evaluated in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in pediatric patients.MethodsForty pediatric patients (23 males and 17 females) aged 1~13 years were enrolled. One eligible individual who was approached declined to participate. The probiotic group was administered a probiotic complex containing B. bifidum, L. acidophilus, L. casei, and L. salivarius for 8 weeks. The placebo group, on the other hand, was administered skim milk powder and dextrose. All of the parameters including serum cytokines, eosinophil cationic protein), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, and total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) were measured in both the probiotic group and the placebo group at the end of 8 weeks.ResultsProbiotic intervention in pediatric atopic dermatitis patients effectively reduced the SCORAD index and serum cytokines interleukin (IL)-5, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-γ, and total serum IgE levels, but did not reduce levels of serum cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, ECP, or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) compared to the placebo group.ConclusionOur study found probiotics to be effective in reducing atopic dermatitis patients' SCORAD index, serum IL-5, IL-6, IFN-γ, and total serum IgE levels but not effective in reducing serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, ECP, or TNF-α levels.

Background/Aim: To investigate the effects of acitretin treatment on insulin resistance (IR) and adipokines, particularly retinol-binding protein (RBP)-4. Methods: Thirty-four patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and a control group of 34 healthy volunteers were recruited in the study. Screening for the parameters was performed before starting and after 3 months of acitretin treatment in the psoriasis group. The control group was only evaluated at the beginning of the study and did not receive placebo. We could not compare our results with a placebo control group because of ethical reasons. Results: Basal adiponectin (p = 0.01), insulin (p < 0.0001) levels and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) IR (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in psoriasis patients. After the treatment, insulin (p = 0.014), C peptide (p = 0.011), RBP-4 (p < 0.0001) levels and HOMA-IR (p = 0.008) decreased significantly. Posttreatment leptin (p = 0.036) levels were significantly lower than those of the controls. Posttreatment adiponectin (p = 0.005) and insulin (p = 0.048) levels were higher than those of the controls. Conclusions: This study showed for the first time that RBP-4 levels and IR are decreased significantly with acitretin treatment. This finding is very important in psoriasis patients because psoriasis may cause insulin resistance and diabetes. Further experimental and clinical studies are needed to clarify the effect of acitretin on adipocyte structure and behavior.

ÖzetAmaç: Allerjik kontakt dermatit (AKD), alerjen madde ile daha önceden duyarlanm›fl kiflinin ayn› madde ile sonraki temaslar›nda meydana gelen, Tip IV (gecikmifl tip) reaksiyondur. Deri yama testi AKD'li hastalarda tan›y› do¤rulamakta kullan›lan en önemli araçt›r. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çal›flmaya poliklini¤imizde AKD tan›s› konarak Avrupa standart yama testi serisi (ASYT) ile deri yama testi yap›lan 115 hasta dahil edildi. Hastalar›n verileri retrospektif olarak incelenerek yafl, cinsiyet, lokalizasyon, ekzema tipi, meslek, atopi öyküsü, ailede atopi öyküsü, g›da alerjisi, ilaç alerjisi, yaflan›lan yer (flehir veya köy) ve deri yama testinde gözlenen reaksiyon bilgileri kaydedildi. Bulgular: Yüz on befl hastadan 54'ü (%47) kad›n, 61'i (%53) erkek idi. Hastalar›n yafl ortalamas› 33,42 y›ld› (7-69 y›l). Hastalar›n meslek gruplar› incelendi¤inde en büyük grubu ev han›mlar› (% 44,7) ve 2. olarak inflaat iflçileri (%17,6) oluflturmaktayd›. Hastalar›n 65'inde (%56,5) 1 veya daha fazla maddeye karfl› pozitif reaksiyon saptan›rken, 50 hastada (%43,5) herhangi bir maddeye karfl› reaksiyon saptanmad›. Hastalar›n lezyonlar› en s›k ellerde görülmekteydi (%67,1). Hastalar›n deri yama test sonuçlar› flu flekildeydi: Nikel sülfat %24,3, potasyum dikromat 16,5, thiuram kar›fl›m› %13, kobalt klorid %12,3, paraben kar›fl›m› %6,1, kolofoni %4,4, peru balzam› %4,4, parfüm kar›fl›m› %3,5, quaternium-15 %2,7, merkaptobenzothiazole %2,6, mercapto kar›fl›m› %2,6, formaldehit %1,8, paraphenylenediamin (PPD) %1,8, epoksi resin %0,9 ve klormetilizotiazolinon %0,9 pozitifli¤i saptand›. Hastalar›m›z›n hiçbirinde neomisin sulfat, butilfenolformaldehit reçineleri, yün alkolü, N-izopropil-N-Fenil P-Fenilendiamin (IPPD) ve benzokaine karfl› reaksiyon saptanmad›. Sonuç: Bölgemizde daha önce benzer bir çal›flma yap›lmam›fl olmas› nedeni ile deri yama testi uygulanan hastalarda elde etti¤imiz bu sonuçlar›n, bölgemizin alerjen özelliklerini ortaya ç›karmas› aç›s›ndan yararl› olabilece¤ini düflünüyoruz. (Türkderm 2011; 45: 19-23) Anahtar Kelimeler: Alerjik kontakt dermatit, deri yama testi Summary Background and Design: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a type IV allergic reaction, which occurs after re-exposure to a previous allergen. The patch testing (PT) is useful to confirm the diagnosis of ACD. Material and Method:The study included 115 patients diagnosed with ACD by using PT in our outpatient clinic. Medical records of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. The data including age, gender, place of residence, occupation, location and features of the skin lesions, history of food and drug allergy, family history of allergic skin reactions, personal history of allergic skin lesions, and the PT results were recorded. Results: Of the 115 patients, 54 (47%) were females and 61 (53%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 33.42 (range: 7-69) years and the majority of them were housewives (44.7%) and navvies (17.6%). In 65 patients, at least one allergen was identified. In 50 patients, no specific allergen was found. The most common...

Anthrax continues to be an endemic disease in Turkey, and should be considered in patients with a relevant contact history having a painless ulcer and vesicular skin lesions surrounded by a zone of oedema. Gram staining and simple culture methods are useful aids to diagnosis, but diagnosis may have to be based on clinical grounds in the majority of patients.