Necmettin Akdeniz

Cutaneous anthrax in Eastern Turkey: a review of 85 cases

Background.  Anthrax is a zoonotic disease diminishing worldwide. Although a very rare disease in developed countries, anthrax is still endemic in developing countries.

Oesophageal involvement during attacks in pemphigus vulgaris patients.

Background.  Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare autoimmune bullous skin disorder characterized by frequent involvement of the mucous membranes, usually beginning at the mouth.

A case of irritant contact dermatitis with leech

Medicinal leeches are invertebrated parasites that have been used for medical purposes for centuries as one of the traditional treatment methods. Medicinal leeches are used for wound and flap healing in the plastic and reconstructive surgery, in the treatment of venous insufficiency, varicosities, hemorrhoids, and in many other diseases. However, due to medicinal leech therapy (hirudotherapy) complications such as anaphylaxis, local allergic reactions, anemia, and mucosal synechiae can occur. In this article, we report a case of an irritant contact dermatitis in a patient who experienced severe redness and itching after applying leeches for the relief of head and neck pain. Leeches are being used widely in some regions in the world and if people are informed about the leeches, it may be helpful in preventing complications that may occur.

Visual evoked potential findings in Behcet's disease without neurological manifestations.

Behçets disease (BD) is a chronic, recurrent multisystem inflammatory disorder firstly described by Turkish dermatologist Dr. Hulusi Behçet in 1937. The classic triad consists of recurrent oral and genital ulcerations and uveitis. The article presents the value of visual evoked potential findings of a series of 44 patients with BD without neurological manifestations seen at the Medical Hospital in Neurology and Dermatology clinics over the past 8 years. The mean latency value of positive peak P100 in BD patients was significantly delayed compared to that of control subjects (patientss mean: 105.6 ms in right eye and 107.7 ms in left eye; control subjects mean: 101.4 ms in right eye and 101.7 ms in left eye).

Phytodermatitis from Ceratocephalus falcatus

Ceratocephalus falcatus (L.) Pers. (Ranunculaceae) is a wild plant. It grows abundantly in the Van province. The species of Ceratocephalus genus possess irritant properties from the presence of an innocuous glycoside, ranunculin. Here, we document 3 patients who were admitted to our clinic in different times from different districts with a common complaint of a large irritant contact dermatitis, resembling second‐degree burn injury after application of a plant poultice. The plant specimens in all patients were identified as C. falcatus and it was assessed worthwhile to report.

Anti-inflammatory effects of tretinoin (all-trans-retinoic acid) 0.1% and adapalene 0.1% in rats

In this study, the anti‐inflammatory effects of tretinoin (all‐trans‐retinoic acid) 0.1% cream and adapalene 0.1% gel were compared in rats to determine whether there was a difference between these agents. Thirty‐six rats of either sex were divided into six groups (two control groups, and an etodolac, indomethacin, tretinoin and adapalene group) of six animals each. Each group was given different drugs or chemicals. The inhibitory activities of the drugs were determined on carrageenan‐induced rat‐paw oedema. The inhibition rate (53.48%) in the tretinoin group was found to be higher than adapalene and controls (P < 0.05). Adapalene was found to have an inhibition rate of 10.28%, and when compared with the other groups, was found to have no statistically significant anti‐inflammatory activity. We conclude that tretinoin has a higher anti‐inflammatory activity than adapalene and thus should be preferred for the treatment of inflammatory lesions.

Phototoxic dermatitis due to Chenopodium album in a mother and son

Chenopodium album L. subs. album (Chenopodiaceae) is an annual herb with fibrous roots. The plant grows worldwide and frequently in moist areas. Sometimes, the young parts of this plant can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. In this article, we report a mother and her adult son, in whom phototoxic reaction developed on the sun‐exposed body areas after eating this plant of Chenopodiaceae family because of rare presentation. We thought that this reaction was probably due to furocoumarins constituent within the plant.

Thyroid autoimmunity associated with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Background  Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the periodic appearance of aphthous lesions on the oral mucosa. TH1 cytokines plays a key role in the aetiopathogenesis. Autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) is the most common autoimmune disease and is frequently accompanied by various other autoimmune diseases.

Development of Phytophotodermatitis in two cases related to Plantago lanceolata

Plantago lanceolata, also known as snake’s tongue, is a perennial herbaceous plant from the family Plantaginaceae. It is a species widely distributed both in Turkey and all over the world. Today, its fresh leaves are still used to soothe and suppress cough, externally for wound healing and draining abscesses. Phytophotodermatitis (PPD) is a dermal photosensitive reaction induced by the contact to or oral intake of a plant and subsequent exposure to sunlight. Its acute course is called phototoxic. In this paper, two cases developed phototoxic reaction with the consumption of Plantago lanceolata and subsequent exposure to the sunlight. These cases were presented since such effect of the plant has not been known previously and there is no resembling case in the literature.

Purpura Fulminans Secondary to Transient Protein C Deficiency as a Complication of Chickenpox Infection

ogy has not been widely reported in the literature. Nistal et al (4) reported a child diagnosed as having NS with testicular lymphangiectasia confirmed on histology. Subsequently, Chery et al (5) reported a patient with scrotal chylorrhea, which resolved after a complex surgical operation. The lymphedema in NSmay be due to a large variety of primary alterations such as aplasia or hypoplasia of the lymphatic vessels and lymphangiectasia (6,7). In patients with NS, orchidopexy to correct cryptorchidism may contribute to the development of scrotal lymphedema. The surgical operation causes localized damage with fibrosis and this, in an area that is already predisposed because of alterations in its lymphatic vessels, leads to increased obstruction of the lymphatic fluid and therefore to the formation and worsening of lymphedema. In everyday practice it would not seem worthwhile to carry out lymphographic studies in these patients to detect structural lymphatic anomalies as, for one thing, some instances of generalized lymphatic vessel dysplasia have no clinically detectable lymphedema and, for another, even when lymphedema is detected there is no effective treatment available. However, the imaging techniques used to rule out obstructive disorders would be the most useful diagnostic procedures if these were required. There is no satisfactory treatment for lymphedema in those affected. To date, manual lymphatic drainage and presotherapy have not shown good results. Surgical treatment is reserved for instances of progressive lymphedema that are resistant to conservative measures. Several surgical techniques have been described for the treatment of scrotal edema, with variable results; those involving excision have been found to be the most effective (with excision of the skin and subcutaneous tissues in stages with or without grafts) (9,10). Each patient should be considered for surgery on individual merit since, apart from not being curative, serious complications such as skin necrosis and infectionsmay occur. We report a child with NS who had scrotal lymphedema, an unusual feature causing severe morbidity as there is currently no satisfactory treatment for it.We also considered the effect of surgery on the appearance of the testicle and the possibility of the development of lymphedema.