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On the occasion of the "Journées Dermatologiques de Paris", in March 1988 we designed a survey to evaluate the sterile practices of French dermatologists in the "AIDS era". During the two days meeting, attended by 2,584 participants, 472 questionnaire forms were filled in (answer rate 18.5 p. 100). Among responders 43 p. 100 were exclusively office-based, 13 p. 100 only worked in hospitals, and 44 p. 100 were practicing both in office and hospital. The overall utilisation of gloves by French dermatologists remained highly variable, depending on the procedure. For example 6.7 p. 100 of responders reported never using gloves for excisions, 13 p. 100 for shave biopsies, 18 p. 100 for punch biopsies, 40 p. 100 for curettage and 47 p. 100 for electrocoagulation. Five per cent of the dermatologists surveyed did not sterilize their curettes regularly and 42 p. 100 their electrocoagulation needles. Heat sterilization was the most commonly used, in 69 p. 100 of cases for curettes and 42 p. 100 for electrocoagulation needles. On the other hand, chemical tray sterilization was used in 58 p. 100 of the cases for electrocoagulation needles, and in 31 p. 100 for curettes. For chemical sterilization, 63 p. 100 of responders used alcohol, 15 p. 100 glutaraldehyde, 15 p. 100 sodium hydrochloride, and 7 p. 100 other agents, mainly quartenary ammonium compounds. Twelve per cent of the physicians surveyed have adopted the practice of using a single electrocoagulation needle, belonging to each patient, for long term repeated procedures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Detailed investigations of 9 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis are presented. In all cases cutaneous lesions were controlled by dapsone alone or by dapsone and gluten free diet. Granular IgA deposits were found in 7 patients, linear IgA deposits in one, and C3 component of complement in one. 3 patients out of 8 tested, carried the specific HLA-B8 antigen. Despite an extensive investigation, no malabsorption was detected. Jejunal biopsies were performed in 8 cases. Jejunal villous flattening was observed in one patient. It improved after a 2 months gluten free diet on subsequent jejunal biopsies. D. H. seems peculiar in France as compared with case reports from other countries: low prevalence of gluten sensitive enteropathy; rare occurrence of the specific HLA-B8 antigen; incidence of D. H. seems to be low in France. It is noticeable that french incidence of coeliac disease is low as well. This suggests a genetic difference in the investigated population (low prevalence of HLA-B8 antigen) and/or different alimentary habits, particularly a low dietary gluten amount.

We have studied the incidence of internal malignant neoplasms on patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This incidence has been compared to expected number of malignant neoplasm in that population by a precise statistical analysis. Two-hundred and eighty-three SCC confirmed by histology are diagnosed on 235 patients (159 men, 76 women). These patients have been followed between December 1970 and November 1982 at the specialized consultation on cutaneous tumors. We have examined all these patients, questioned their doctors, consulted their medical case history, to search an internal malignant neoplasm. Twenty-eight patients had a malignant neoplasm: this malignant tumor has been found 11 times before and 17 times at the same time or after SCC. These 17 malignant neoplasms are the only statistically interesting cases. The annual incidence of malignant neoplasms related to age and sex has been evaluated by consulting French registers. The French incidence has been compared to foreign incidences. This incidence enables us to calculate the expected observed numbers (12 and 5). The expected numbers are 9.15 for men and 2.1 for women. These numbers are not statistically different from observed numbers (12 and 5). The incidence of internal malignant neoplasms on patients with SCC is not different from the incidence of general population.

A case of syphitic hepatitis is reported. This rare manifestation during the second stage, is characterised by a important cholestasis and a moderated cytolysis. The biologic pattern and the histologic findings allow the difference with viral hepatitis. The manifestation is more frequent in homosexual people. The specific treatment is quickly effective and the short and long-term prognosis is good.

Case records of 26 patients with Lyell Syndrome were reviewed for studying haematologic abnormalities. Eosinophilia, neutropenia, thrombopenia were uncommon. Circulating immature granulocytic cells were frequently encountered during the second week of evolution, mostly when leucocytosis was present. Anemia was frequent, the lowest haemoglobin titer beeing reached by the 15th day. Reticulocytosis was initially low and reached a peak during the second week. At that time biological markers of inflammatory syndrome were getting worse. So the originating anemia seems primarily of medullary origin and independent of inflammatory syndrome. Lymphopenia was constant and sometimes marked, with no circulating lymphocytes in two cases. The lowest numbers of lymphocytes were observed during the first week. These haematological abnormalities may have some pathogenic significance.

Screening tests for circulating anticoagulant were performed systematically in fifteen patients with different stages of syphilis. The lupus-type anticoagulant, an inhibitor of the prothrombin activator complex, was demonstrated in one primary and three secondary stages, without any hemorrhagic complications. The possible relationship between the occurrence of this type of inhibitor and positive antilipoidal tests is discussed in reference to the well-known association of circulating anticoagulant and biologic false positive serologic tests for syphilis observed in patients with SLE.

The occurrence of morphea has been attributed to Borrelia, burgdorferi infection, but the relationship between localised scleroderma and borreliosis remains controverted. Antibodies directed against B. burgdorferi were looked for in 21 patients (18 female and 3 male, aged from 8 to 63 years) whose disease had been present for 6 weeks to 13 years. One patient had a single morphea, two had monomelic scleroderma and 18 had multiple localised morpheas. The search for antibodies was conducted in these 21 patients and in 200 blood donors from the Paris region by indirect immunofluorescence techniques, using the CDC method where only antibody titers of 1/256 or more are significant. Serology was lower than 1/256 in 20 cases and equal to 1/256 in one case. Among the 200 blood donors, five (2.5%) had antibody titers of 1/256 or more. None of the patients studied had been exposed to tick bite due to their occupation or place of residence. We therefore found no evidence of a link between B. burgdorferi infection and morphea in the Paris region.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Seven patients ingested (2.5 mg/kg) daily dapsone. Their serum samples were analyzed daily during the first week by spectrophotometry for methaemoglobinemia and weekly blood samples for red blood cells, reticulocytes count and haptoglobin level. The acetylator phenotype of each patient was estimated on the capacity to acetylate isoniazid. Methaemoglobinemia was always observed within the 48 hours after drug intake. The dapsone induced anemia was moderate being maximum between day 25 and 40 after the beginning of treatment. Reticulocytemia appeared in the second week and haptoglobin levels decreased between day 5 and 8 of therapy in 5 patients and at day 15 for the two others. The seven patients are divided in 4 rapid acetylator and 3 slow acetylator. The acetylator phenotype was not correlated with methaemoglobin, haptoglobin levels or RBC counts.

87 cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis treated by Ir 192 interstitial radiotherapy are studied. The 5 years survival rate, estimated on a 51 patients group, is 61 p. 100. Among these 51 patients, 12 had a local recurrence. The post-radiotherapy early reaction is estimated on a 79 patients group, with a mean duration of 3, 4 months. The early reaction is correlated to tumor size and not correlated to number of radio-active lines. The later dermatologic evolution is studied in 59 patients. In 22 cases, the scar remained supple, without any further local change. Local changes occurring in the 37 other cases are studied in their clinical aspect, signification and frequency. Of 34 patients followed longer than 40 months, 14 had local complications with 4 cases of local recurrence. The carcinologic reliability of this method is similar to that by surgery. It seems however it must be restricted to tumors limited to glans penis.

The mucous lesions are customary in toxic epidermal necrolysis. The acute ocular lesions have led to definitive sequelae. 22 out of 32 patients surviving to a Lyell's syndrome lend themselves to an ophthalmological supervision. 13 of these 22 patients (59 p. 100) presented a sicca syndrome with a decrease of the lacrimal secretion (12 cases) and/or salivary secretion (8 cases). The sicca syndrome appeared sometimes from the beginning of the acute phase of the Lyell's syndrome or more often a few weeks later. This decrease of the lacrimal flux went along with objective corneal lesions among 11 patients, and 6 of them had a change of the visual function. A biopsy of the accessory salivary glands was performed on 7 of these patients having a reduction of the salivary flux. 5 of these 7 biopsies showed lymphocytic infiltrates giving in 2 cases a nodular aspect, grade III of Chisholm's classification, held to be pathognomonic of Sjögren syndrome. The 13 patients having presented a sicca syndrome differed from the other 9 patients (without sicca syndrome) by a higher severity of their Lyell's syndrome and by a higher age. None of our patients with dry syndrome had antinuclear antibody detected by immunofluorescence on sections of rat's livers. Sicca syndromes with sometimes lymphocytic infiltrate similar to those of Sjögren's syndrome were occasionally imputed to drug reactions. The occurrence of "Sjögren like's syndrome" after a toxic epidermal necrolysis suggests the intervening of autoimmune phenomena in the pathogenesis of this toxic epidermal necrolysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A remarkable increase in the number of recognized clinical abnormalities of neutrophil function has occurred within the 8 years past. Of major importance in the delineation of these disorders is the establishment of appropriate methodology of their characterization. This review discusses phagocytosis and its disorders by dividing it into stages that encompass the way in which phagocytes ferret out injection, how they recognize pathogens and the intracellular events leading to engulfment and killing of micro-organisms. The pathology of chemotaxis and random mobility is described: the lazy leukocyte syndrome, the Chediak-Higashi syndrome, the familial chemotaxis pecular dermatosis, and a variety of serum abnormalities of the serum complement system associated with deficient generation of chemotactic activity. The second part of these disorders is dailing with the inherited abnormalities of the oxygen dependent killing mechanisms of phagocytes, the chronic granulomatous disease, the glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase deficiency, the myeloperoxydase deficiency and the glutathione peroxydase deficiency.

A case, the first French observation of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (Ofuji) is reported. The long lasting condition of unknown etiology is characterized by slightly indurated erythematous plaques and formation of follicular small papules and pustules. The lesions have a tendency to central healing and peripheral extension and proceed with remissions and exacerbations. Histological features are pustular folliculitis composed chiefly of eosinophiles. Blood eosinophila is often founded. Local corticotherapy and dapsone are sometimes a effective treatment.

Piroxicam (Feldene) and isoxicam (Vectren) form a part of a new family of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) highly used in France: the oxicams. The cutaneous accidents of all kinds are frequent, estimated from 1 to 3 p. 100 of the patients with piroxicam (16, 20). In addition to the maculo-papular eruptions, there has been reported: lichenoid eruption (21), erythroderma (7), purpuric vasculitis (1, 10, 21), pemphigus (12, 14), bullous dermatosis difficult to classify (15), erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson's syndrome (3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 21, 23) and at last many photosensitization accidents (3, 8, 11, 19, 20, 21). We report 11 observations of Lyell's syndrome (8 cases) or Stevens-Johnson's syndrome (3 cases) occurred during treatments by isoxicam or piroxicam. Eight women and 3 men aged from 35 to 80 years begin a Lyell's syndrome or a Stevens-Johnson's syndrome after 9 to 45 days (at an average of 16 days) of a treatment by isoxicam (6 cases) or piroxicam (5 cases). Five patients attacked by a Lyell's syndrome are intubated and ventilated and 2 patients die of a septic shock at the ninth and the thirteenth day of evolution: the duration of hospitalization is from 11 days to 3 and a half months for the Lyell's syndromes survivors and from 7 to 19 days in the cases of Stevens-Johnson's syndrome: 7 surviving patients have ocular sequelae with in 2 cases a complete or partial blindness. A slight hepatic cytolysis is observed 5 times and a neutropenia mainly as a lymphopenia 4 times. In 2 observations, the CMV serology is positive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We report a new case of acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a 43 year-old white homosexual man, characterized by the association of disseminated cutaneo-mucous Kaposi's sarcoma and cerebral toxoplasmosis. This man had Kaposi's sarcoma for about 10 years but evolution became quickly extensive in July 1981. Chlorambucil was prescribed at that time and was the cause of a pancytopenia. Death occurred in July 1982 due to a cerebral mass identified as toxoplasmosis on a left temporal biopsy. This observation is typical of AIDS, a new syndrome which suddenly developed in the last 2 years in the United States in homosexual men, Haitians and hemophiliacs, and is characterized by disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma and/or opportunistic infections, with a very high mortality rate. Severe toxoplasmosis of CNS has been reported in AIDS and appears to result from defects in cellular immunity which permit recrudescence of latent infection. Cerebral biopsy is necessary for the diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis as seroconversion occurs infrequently in immuno-suppressed hosts. AIDS appeared in Western Europe in 1982. Most of the cases were reported in France, Denmark, Belgium and Great Britain. These cases differ from reported cases in the USA: fewer drug or poppers users, fewer homosexual men, an important number of people having lived or travelled in the Kaposi's endemic area (Mediterranean basin and Central Africa). The immunological profile of patients presenting AIDS in Europe doesn't seem to differ from the american profile: serious cellular immunodeficiency and marked increase in the suppressor/cytotoxic cell population. As in the United States, one may suspect, among several hypotheses, that it is caused by one or several transmissible agents now present in France. The nature of these agents, transmissible by sexual contacts and blood, is not yet known: the role of the CMV is now less probable and most of the studies look for the role of other factors such as the HTLV.

A 48-year-old woman with poikiloderma atrophicans vasculare was treated with topical mechlorethamine, applied three times weekly, for eight years. After five years treatment she developed nine melanocytic naevi on covered skin. The naevi spread for the next three years and a surgical excision was performed. Pathological examination revealed one level II SSM, one level I SSM and seven junctional naevi with focal dysplasia or melanocytic hyperplasia. The development of melanoma and dysplastic naevi after topical mechlorethamine has not been previously reported. However it seems likely that mechlorethamine was the causative agent. As for the mechlorethamine's imputability in this case, we have used a method combining intrinsic identification of adverse drug responsibility's score, based on the clinical case and on extrinsic identification based on literature evaluation. We suggest that mechlorethamine could act as UV light.

The results of treatment of 16 cases of alopecia areata with dinitrochlorobenzene (D.N.C.B.) are reported. The chemical is applied to the scalp once a week, beginning three weeks after sensitivation (patch-test 1/50). We have available to us a battery of D.N.C.B. solutions of various concentrations (11 solutions ranging from 1/20,000 to 1/25). The concentration used varies at each application with the desired result being a contact dermatitis. In the 16 cases studied, 4 were classified as good results, 8 as poor and 4 as failures. Hairgrowth begins with three weeks following the first D.N.C.B. application to the scalp. Good prognostic signs include the facility in sensitizing the patient as well as the intensity of this reaction. The reasons for this treatment's efficacy being as yet unknown, the standardization, as well as the actual technique are, at the present time difficult and hazardous.