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Selected AbstractsPositive lymphocyte transformation test in a patient with allergic contact dermatitis of the scalp after short-term use of topical minoxidil solutionCONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 1 2005Tobias Hagemann Topical 2,4-diamino-6-piperidinopyrimidine-3-oxide (minoxidil) solution has been widely used for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia for over 15 years now and the substance is currently approved for this indication in 2% and 5% formulation. Typical side effects of this topical treatment include irritative dermatitis going along with pruritus, erythema, scaling and dryness, which occur especially at the onset of the therapy. In some cases, allergic contact dermatitis or exacerbation of seborrhoic dermatitis has been reported. While most of the patients with allergic contact dermatitis described in the literature showed a positive sensitization to the vehicle substance propylene glycol evaluated by patch testing, reactions to the active ingredient minoxidil are rare. Here, we report a case of allergic sensitization to minoxidil, which we evaluated and differentiated from an irritative reaction by a combination of patch testing and lymphocyte transformation test. The differentiation of allergic and irritative adverse effects and the identification of the causative allergen are of major relevance for the proceeding and adjustment of the therapy. Patients with sensitizations against propylene glycol are candidates for preparations with alternative solvents but can proceed treatment with minoxidil. In contrast, patients with allergies to the active ingredient itself are no longer candidates for treatment with minoxidil and should undergo alternative therapeutic options. [source] Altered membrane glycoprotein targeting in cholestatic hepatocytesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 5 2010Giuseppa Esterina Liquori Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (5): 393,400 Abstract Background, Hepatocytes are polarized epithelial cells with three morphologically and functionally distinct membrane surfaces: the sinusoidal, lateral and canalicular surface domains. These domains differ from each other in the expression of integral proteins, which concur to their polarized functions. We hypothesize that the cholestasis-induced alterations led to partial loss of hepatocyte polarity. An altered expression of membrane proteins may be indicative of functional disorders. Alkaline liver phosphatase (ALP), one of the most representative plasma membrane glycoproteins in hepatocytes, is expressed at the apical (canalicular) pole of the cell. Because the release of ALP protein in the bloodstream is significantly increased in cholestasis, the enzymatic levels of plasma ALP have major relevance in the diagnosis of cholestatic diseases. Here we assess the cholestasis-induced redistribution of membrane glycoproteins to investigate the ALP release. Materials and methods, We performed enzymatic histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, lectin histochemistry, immunogold and lectin-and immunoblotting studies. Experimental cholestasis was induced in rats by ligation of common bile duct (BDL). Results, The BDL led to altered membrane sialoglycoprotein targeting as well as to ultrastructural and functional disorders. Disarrangement of the microtubular system, thickening of the microfilamentous pericanalicular ectoplasm and disturbance of the vectorial trafficking of membrane glycoprotein containing vesicles were found. Conclusions, Altogether, results indicate that the cholestasis-induced partial loss of hepatocyte cell polarity leads to mistranslocation of ALP to the sinusoidal plasma membrane from where the enzyme is then massively released into the bloodstream. [source] Ion chemistry of chloroethanes in air at atmospheric pressureRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 20 2001Anna Nicoletti Ion chemistry at atmospheric pressure is of major relevance to novel methods for the abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that employ non-thermal plasmas. For this reason, positive and negative APCI (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization) mass spectra of all six di-, tri- and tetrachloroethanes diluted in air (500,1500,ppm) at atmospheric pressure were investigated at 30,°C and at 300,°C. Spectral changes due to collisional activation of the ions achieved by increasing ,V, the potential difference between sampling and skimmer cones, are informative of structures and ion-molecule reactions. Positive ion chemistry of the chloroethanes (M) can, in general, be ascribed to C-C and C-Cl cleavages of the molecular ion, M+·, never detected but likely formed via exothermic charge exchange from primary ions of the APCI plasma. Exceptions to this characteristic pattern were observed for 1,1-dichloroethane and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, which give [M,,,H]+ and [M,,,HCl]+· species, respectively. It is suggested that both such species are due to ionization via hydride transfer. Upon increasing ,V, the [M,,,HCl]+· ion formed from 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane undergoes the same fragmentation and ion-molecule reactions previously reported for trichloroethene. A nucleophilic reaction of water within the [C2H4Cl+](H2O)n ionic complexes to displace HCl is postulated to account for the [C2H5O+](H2O)m species observed in the positive APCI spectra of the dichloroethanes. Negative ion spectra are, for all investigated chloroethanes, dominated by Cl, and its ion-neutral complexes with one, two and, in some cases, three molecules of the neutral precursor and/or water. Another common feature is the formation of species (X,)(M)n where X, is a background ion of the APCI plasma, namely O2,,O3, and, in some cases, (NO)2,. Peculiar to 1,1,1-trichloroethane are species attributed to Cl, complexes with phosgene, (Cl,)(Cl2C=O)n(n,=,1,2). Such complexes, which were not observed for either the isomeric 1,1,2-trichloroethane or for the tetrachloroethanes, are of interest as oxidation intermediates in the corona-induced decomposition process. No conclusions can be drawn in the case of the dichloroethanes, since, for these compounds, the ions (Cl,)(Cl2C=O)n and (Cl,)(M)n happen to be isobaric. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Airway cell and cytokine changes in early asthma deterioration after inhaled corticosteroid reductionCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 8 2007Y. H. Khor Summary Background Back-titration of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose in well-controlled asthma patients is emphasized in clinical guidelines, but there are few published data on the airway cell and cytokine changes in relation to ICS reduction. In our study, 20 mild-to-moderate persistent (inspite of low-moderate dose ICS treatment) asthmatic subjects prospectively rendered largely asymptomatic by high-dose ICS were assessed again by clinical, physiological, and airway inflammatory indices after 4,8 weeks of reduced ICS treatment. We aimed at assessing the underlying pathological changes in relation to clinical deterioration. Methods Patients recorded daily symptom scores and peak expiratory flows (PEF). Spirometry and airways hyperreactivity (AHR) were measured and bronchoscopy was performed with assessment of airway biopsies (mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and T lymphoctyes), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) IL-5 and eotaxin levels and cellular profiles at the end of high-dose ICS therapy and again after ICS dose reduction. Baseline data were compared with symptomatic steroid-free asthmatics (n=42) and non-asthmatic controls (n=28). Results After ICS reduction, subjects experienced a variable but overall significant increase in symptoms and reductions in PEF and forced expiratory volume in 1 s. There were no corresponding changes in AHR or airways eosinophilia. The most relevant pathogenic changes were increased CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio, and decreased sICAM-1 and CD18 macrophage staining (potentially indicating ligand binding). However, there was no relationship between the spectrum of clinical deterioration and the changes in cellular profiles or BAL cytokines. Conclusions These data suggest that clinical markers remain the most sensitive measures of early deterioration in asthma during back-titration of ICS, occurring at a time when AHR and conventional indices of asthmatic airway inflammation appear unchanged. These findings have major relevance to management and to how back-titration of ICS therapy is monitored. [source] | ||||||||||