Ružica Jurakić Tončić

Occupational contact urticaria caused by squid

For 2 years, a 20-year-old restaurant worker had suffered from recurrent localized urticaria within 15 min after contact with squids (Fig. 1). Her symptoms worsened during the working week, and improved at weekends and when she was on vacation. She had no history of atopy. Although protective gloves were provided by her employer, she did not wear them; thereby, she had direct skin contact with water and the foodstuff that she was handing. She tolerated eating or handling cooked or grilled squid or other shellfish, but nevertheless avoided eating such seafood. She had no problems when handling oysters, lobsters, or crabs, but she noted burning and itching when handling octopus. Laboratory findings

Skin barrier and dry skin in the mature patient

Dry skin is the most common clinical manifestation of dermatologic diseases, and it presents with itching, redness, and desquamation-signs and clinical manifestations that are not only physically uncomfortable but also affect patients psychologically. The water content in the stratum corneum is largely dependent on the composition and amount of the intercellular lipids, which regulate the loss of water from the skin, and on the levels of hygroscopic substances of the natural moisturizing factors, which are responsible for retention of water in the stratum corneum. Prevention of water loss and penetration of potentially toxic substances and microorganisms into the body are the most important functions of the skin, which acts as a natural frontier between the inner organism and the environment. Skin barrier defects occur in several skin diseases, but the influence of aging on the skin barrier function is largely unknown and conflicting results have been reported. In this review, the structure and function of the barrier in relation to the aging process are discussed.

Erythema of the penis after use of a latex condom - latex allergy or something else?: CONTACT ALLERGY TO BENZOCAINE

Suzana Ljubojević Hadžavdić1, Sanda Gojčeta Burnić2, Ayla Hadžavdić3, Sandra Marinović Kulišić1 and Ružica Jurakić Tončić1 1Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, 2Department of Dermatology and Venereology, General Hospital Varaždin, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia and 3University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia