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Twenty-five patients with clinically proven, patch test positive nickel dermatitis were studied with the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT). Serial dilutions of NiSO4 were present in the lymphocyte culture. None of the controls showed lymphocyte blast transformation. In fourteen patients maximal incorporation of thymidine occurred at the highest dilutions (1:50,000-1 :100,000). In eleven patients the highest incorporation occurred at the lower dilutions. The nature of the antigen responsible for the specific reaction remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the use of the European Standard Series on 800 patients suffering from Contact Dermatitis, including occupational Dermatosis is reported. This work also attempts to provide insight into the interests and difficulties of carrying out an epidemiological study in an Allergy Centre and Immunology Clinic. All the patients underwent a Patch Test following the guidelines laid out by the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group. The results of the patch tests were positive in 462 patients (57.7%) and negative in 338 cases (42.3%). The agents responsible for the symptoms in our study were as follows: metals (33%), parafenilen-diamine (13.9%), cobalt (13.3%), perfumes (5.5%), benzocaine (5.4%) and potassium dichromate (5.4%). In this study 72 patients were verified to have Occupational Dermatosis, corresponding mainly to the following occupational sectors: metal industry workers, hairdressers and bakers and pastry makers.

Twenty-one patients with fixed drug eruption were studied with the lymphocyte transformation test. In no patient was there blast transformation when the responsible drug (1:10,000 dilution) was added to the lymphocyte culture. The addition to the lymphocyte culture of 0.4 ml of autologous serum, taken at the acme of the clinical reaction, produced blast transformation of the lymphocytes, and when the responsible drug (1:10,000 dilution) was added to this system, blast transformation increased by several times. The addition of the responsible drug to autologous serum obtained during clinical remission produced a minimal or negative response. These findings suggest that during fixed drug eruptions a blast transforming factor appears temporarily in the serum and increases its activity in the presence of the responsible drug. This factor spontaneously diminishes or disappears a few days after clinical exacerbation.