Rebiay Kiran

Dermoscopy is a suitable method for the observation of the pregnancy-related changes in melanocytic nevi

Background  It is a common opinion that expansion and darkening in melanocytic nevi may occur during pregnancy. The main problem is that whether it is a usual finding, or it is a condition that requires suspicion about melanoma.

Nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels in plasma and tissue of psoriasis patients

Background  The pathogenesis of psoriasis has not been known exactly yet. Recently, it has been suggested that increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) may play a part in the pathogenesis of various skin diseases, including psoriasis.

Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for alopecia areata

Although narrowband ultraviolet B (NB UVB) phototherapy is a well‐established treatment in many dermatosis, there is little evidence of efficacy of this method for alopecia areata (AA) treatment in the literature. We undertook a retrospective review of the 25 AA patients treated with NB UVB. Intramuscular triamcinolone acetonide injections per month were used as concomitant treatment in some patients who did not have any contraindication. Eight patients (32%) received monthly intramuscular corticosteroid injections. Four (22.2%) and two (20%) patients achieved excellent response in extensive patchy hair loss patients and entire scalp hair loss patients, respectively. Four of six patients who achieved excellent response also received monthly intramuscular corticosteroid injections. When patients receiving systemic corticosteroid injections were compared with patients given only NB UVB with respect to the treatment responses, a statistically significant difference was seen in patients who achieved excellent response. NB UVB is not an effective treatment with only 20% excellent treatment responses in patients with severe AA, most of whom were also treated with systemic corticosteroids.

The effects of isotretinoin on the ovarian reserve of females with acne

Abstract There are some side effects of isotretinoin in many organs. However, a study investigating the effects of isotretinoin on the human ovarian reserve has not been reported previously. The study was conducted to investigate possible effects of isotretinoin on ovarian reserve. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were measured at the beginning and at the end of isotretinoin treatment in 22 patients with acne and in 22 women without. The mean AMH level before treatment was 5.77 ng/mL in the study group and 3.79 ng/mL in the control group (p = 0.008). Following treatment, the mean AMH level was 4.69 ng/mL in the study group. This mean AMH level after treatment was statistically lower than the AMH level before treatment (p = 0.012). There was no significant difference between the mean AMH level at the end of treatment and that of the control group (p = 0.20). The high level of pre-treatment AMH levels could be an evidence of hyperandrogenism in women with acne, even if they are not identified as having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or hyperandrogenism. Decrease in AMH levels following exposure to isotretinoin may suggest that it has a detrimental effect on the ovaries.

Comparison of effects of 5 and 10 mg oral desloratadine and levocetirizine on histamine-induced wheal and flare response in healthy volunteers

Background: Levocetirizine and desloratadine are mostly used as H1-antihistamines in the treatment of allergic disease in 5 and 10 mg doses. Objective: In this study, the efficacy of single oral dosages of 5 and 10 mg desloratadine and levocetirizine were compared by using histamine-induced wheal and flare reactions. Methods: Eighty healthy volunteers were randomized for four double-blinded treatment with desloratadine 5 and 10 mg and levocetirizine 5 and 10 mg. Wheal and flare responses were produced by histamine. Measurements were performed just before the ingestion of antihistamines (baseline) and afterward at 30, 60, 240 min and 24 h. The values obtained for each antihistamine were compared with baseline values. Results: It was found that except the flare reactions at 30th min, levocetirizine 5 and 10 mg suppressed histamine-induced wheal and flare reactions more than desloratadine 5 and 10 mg did. There were not any significant differences between desloratadine 5 and 10 mg in all periods. Levocetirizine 10 mg suppressed wheal and flare reactions significantly more than levocetirizine 5 mg only at 24th h. Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that levocetirizine 5 and 10 mg had a higher activity than desloratadine 5 and 10 mg.

Effects of isotretinoin on serum vitamin E levels in patients with acne.

Anecdotal reports suggest that using retinoids with vitamin E leads to improvements of some side effects due to isotretinoin. However, vitamin E blood levels have not been reported previously in patients with acne treated with isotretinoin. We aimed to investigate the serum vitamin E levels before and after isotretinoin therapy in patients with acne. A total of 70 patients treated with isotretinoin for acne in our dermatology department were included in this study. The serum vitamin E levels were measured as baseline before isotretinoin treatment. All patients received 0.6–0.8 mg/kg/d isotretinoin. The treatment was finished within 5–7 months while ensuring that the cumulative dose was 120 mg/kg. Serum vitamin E levels were measured again in the last month of treatment. The mean serum vitamin E levels before and after treatment were compared. Forty‐six patients completed the study. It was detected that the mean serum vitamin E level was 20.22 mg/dl before isotretinoin treatment. In the last month of treatment, the mean serum vitamin E level was 16.24 mg/dl. Serum vitamin E levels decreased in all patients except three. The mean serum vitamin E level after treatment was statistically decreased in comparison with the mean serum vitamin E level before treatment. Our results showed that vitamin E levels decreased during isotretinoin treatment. We considered that some of the side effects due to isotretinoin treatment might be related to this, and supplementation vitamin E may be useful during isotretinoin treatment.

The increase rates of syphilis in Turkey in the beginning of the third millennium

Editor Syphilis remains a major health problem throughout the world at present. The incidence of syphilis increased disproportionately among socioeconomically disadvantaged minority populations, especially in major cities. The purpose of this study was to estimate with these data whether syphilis rates were increased during the year 2000 in five major cities of Turkey. The syphilis prevalence documents were provided by the Turkey Ministry of Health and subdivided for each year from 1994 to 2000. Five big cities of various geographical regions visited especially for tourism or commercial purposes, such as _ Istanbul, _ Izmir, Ankara, Antalya and Trabzon, were chosen. The number of the syphilitic cases in Turkey according to years (1994–2000) is shown in Table 1 and Fig. 1. The incidence of syphilis decreased from 4.61 to 4.43 per 100 000 people from 1994 to 1996 in Turkey; however, it increased from 4.43 to 4.95 per 100 000 people from 1996 to 2000 (increasing rate: 1%). However, in _ Istanbul, the increase rate of incidence of syphilis is 48%. In Trabzon, it increased from 6.58 to 8.50 per 100 000 people from 1994 to 1999. This rate is determined as 5.01 in 2000 in Trabzon. The rate of syphilis increased from 3.92 to 4.70 per 100 000 people in _ Izmir from 1994 to 2000. It decreased from 4.32 to 3.27 and from 3.47 to 2.95 in Ankara and in Antalya, respectively. The World Health Organization reported that syphilis began to increase worldwide in the 1980s. The rate of syphilis increased from 2001 to 2005 in the United States. Overall increases were observed primarily among homosexual men. On the other hand, there was an increase in the notification rate for syphilis in the Russian Federation in the 1990s. In Russian federation, the prevalence of syphilis was 277 per 100 000 total population in 1990s, a 43-fold increase over the 1989 levels. Borisenko et al. reported that these sexually transmitted disease epidemics cause direct suffering and may be important in significantly enhancing the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), alteration in sexual behaviour and epidemics of drug use via injection and association with HIV transmission. In Turkey, the prevalence of syphilis decreased from 8.10 to 4.86 per 100 000 people between1985 and 1996. In addition, it the number of the cases of syphilis increased in Trabzon after 1992 and reached a peak in 1994 because of alteration in sexual behaviour and a great number of people from former Soviet Union visited Turkey in the 1990s. Therefore, the average syphilis rate was determined as 8.5 cases per 100 000 persons in 1999. This value is higher than the prevalence in Turkey. Smacchia et al. showed that immigrates from the former Soviet Union had a high rate of active syphilis. After opening the border between Turkey and the former Soviet Union, a great number of people from these countries visited Turkey for tourism or commercial purposes, especially Trabzon, which is a trade city in the eastern part of the Black Sea region and _ Istanbul. We think that this situation is the most important cause of the increase in syphilis in Trabzon and _ Istanbul. This increase was especially prominent

Angioma serpiginosum with sole involvement

Angioma serpiginosum, which is characterized by multiple, minute, angiomatous puncta, is mainly located on the lower extremities of girls under the age of 16. Although any region of the body may be involved, lesions located on the palms and soles have never been reported. The lesions occur in groups, forming serpiginous patterns and rarely follow Blaschkos lines. Increased levels of estrogens have been proposed in the development of angioma serpiginosum. Here, we describe a 16-year-old girl with AS following the Blaschkos lines along the whole left lower extremity, also involving the left sole. Immunohistochemical studies showed the absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors within the involved blood vessels, indicating no role of hormonal stimuli in the initiation of this clinical picture.

Contact sensitivity in Behçet's disease

Context: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology. Many immunological changes were reported in BD previously and these changes may affect the frequency of contact sensitivity in these patients. Objective: We aimed to identify whether there is an interaction between contact sensitivity and BD. Methods: The ‘European standard series’ with 27 allergens were performed on the upper backs of patients and healthy volunteers according to international standards using the IQ-Chamber. The test-units which contain these allergens were removed after 2 days. According to International Contact Dermatitis Research Group Recommendations test areas were evaluated on days 2, 3 and 7 to detect any delayed allergic reactions. The results of both groups were compared by using chi-square test. Results: One hundred adult persons (50 BDs and 50 healthy controls) were tested. Positive patch test reaction to 1 or more allergens was observed in 7 (14%) patients in BD group and in 12 (24%) persons in control group. There was no statistically significant difference between these two groups. Conclusions: The frequency of contact sensitivity in BD is not different from healthy persons.

Comedogenic acne following radiation therapy

ejd.2011.1537 Auteur(s) : Evren Odyakmaz Demirsoy1 evrenodyakmaz@yahoo.com, Rebiay Kiran1, Burcu Ozturk1, Sevgiye Ozkara Kacar2, Aysun Şikar Akturk1 1 Department of Dermatology 2 Department of Pathology, Kocaeli University Medical Faculty Kocaeli, Turkey Different types of radiation may induce acneiform eruptions. Favre-Racouchot syndrome, which is characterized by yellow atrophic plaques with large comedones, wrinkles and furrows on sun-exposed areas, is the most commonly seen form of radiation-induced [...]