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This article focuses on case studies of two patients suffering from contact dermatitis caused by cobalt naphthenate. The first patient was a 41-year-old nurse required to wear a black rubber mask when sterilizing instruments with ethylene oxide in a hospital. The second patient was a 21-year-old woman employed to insert windscreen wiper blades into their metal supports, who had dermatitis of her hands. Patch testing was performed with the ICDRG standard rubber chemicals and metal salts, 5% nickel sulphate, 1% cobalt sulphate and 0.5% potassium dichromate in pet. Both patients were positive to cobalt sulphate and naphthenate.

Patch tests were carried out to evaluate the presence of a sensitization to some components of dialytic circuits in 17 uremic patients complaining of pruritus of unknown origin. Fragments of different dialyzer membranes, of tubing sets, of dialyzer membranes recently resterilized with ethylene oxide and the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group standard series substances were tested. Neither patients nor healthy subjects reacted positively to patch tests, which leads us to question the role of contact allergy in the determination of uremic pruritus.

We report a case of secondary skin tuberculosis due to endogenous secondary infection in a 27-year-old subject affected by ulcerative colitis. The clinical appearance the lesion was atypical and its classification uncertain. The morphology of the lesion and the fact that the primary tubercular complex, at pulmonary level, was masked by a simultaneous candidiasis infection were probably due to cell-mediated immunodeficiency consequent to the ulcerative colitis and on-going therapy (Salazopyrin and prednisone). Rapid remission of cutaneous and pulmonary lesions was achieved following specific therapy (rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol).

The Authors describe two cases of Sporotrichoid infection characterized by the onset, above previous skin accidental injuries, of a papulo-pustular lesion, with further development of centripetal satellite lesions similar to the first one. A precise etiological definition was possible only after the cultural,l mycological and bacteriological examination of biopsy material. The very similar clinical features of the two cases were due to different etiological pathogens: Sporothrix schenckii in one case and Mycobacterium marinum in the other case. A complete healing of the skin lesion was obtained with Itraconazole in the first case and Rifampin in the second case.

The presence of candida and other fungi was investigated in 300 patients referred with anal problems of diverse aetiology. Candida was present in 13% and played a pathogenic role in about 50% of all positive cultures. It is concluded that cultural tests for fungal pathogens should always be performed in cases of anal itching or burning combined with other anal skin problems.

The Authors describe two cases of notalgia paresthesica, a disorder with localized pruritus of the back and hypesthesia for touch possibly due to a sensory neuropathy involving the posterior primary rami of thoracic nerve T2 through T6. The condition is not rare, but underdiagnosed for the poor clinical relevance. The possible X-linked hereditary transmission and other pathogenetic hypotheses are discussed.