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Biomedical subjects

H Mensing

Publications and source records attributed to H Mensing.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Bowenoid actinic keratosis: therapy with intralesional injection of recombinant beta-interferon].

Biopsy-proven bowenoid actinic keratosis located in the pretibial region in each of two elderly women (61 and 81 years) were treated with intralesional injections with a new recombinant beta-interferon. The treatment took the form of intralesional injections three times a week over 3 consecutive weeks. The dose per single injection was 1.5 or 1.0 MU interferon, respectively. Clinical and histological examinations showed a complete response in both patients. Controls up to 18 months showed no relapse. There were no flu-like side-effects. Leukocyte counts decreased by 2700 and 500 cells per microliter during therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Thioredoxin reductase activity at the surface of human primary cutaneous melanomas and their surrounding skin.

Plasma membrane-associated thioredoxin reductase activities have been determined on primary melanoma tissues and their surrounding skin in 29 patients. Compared to patient's normal skin, enzyme activities in melanoma were higher in some patients (n = 24) and lower in others (n = 5). Those melanomas with high TR activities yielded low activities in the adjacent epidermis, reaching normal activity 3 to 5 cm away from each primary site (n = 4). Tumors with low activities showed higher than normal activities on the immediate surrounding skin (i.e., 1 cm away from the tumor) compared to the normal skin (n = 3). Earlier it was shown that in both keratinocytes and melanoma cells, calcium regulates thioredoxin reductase activity by an allosteric mechanism. The differences in TR activities within the high and low groups may be caused by a calcium flux between the primary tumor and the surrounding epidermis, and vice versa. A comparison of TR activities to tumor invasiveness (Breslow level) in 28 primary melanomas showed a significant correlation using regression analysis (p = 0.031). A 4-fold difference in TR activity corresponds to a one-unit change in Breslow determination. These preliminary results suggest that TR activity may be another useful and sensitive assay for melanoma spread.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1991

High density of beta 2-adrenoceptors in a human keratinocyte cell line with complete epidermal differentiation capacity (HaCaT).

A non-tumorigenic keratinocyte cell line with complete epidermal differentiation capacity (HaCaT) was used in radioligand binding experiments to determine the number of beta-adrenoceptors. Intact cells were saturated with 3H-labelled (-)CGP-12177 (CGP), a hydrophilic non-selective beta-adrenergic antagonist as radioligand. In order to investigate the beta-adrenergic subtype selectivity, displacement experiments were performed with different antagonists and agonists. Binding of CGP to keratinocytes has been shown to be reversible and saturable and to have high affinity (Bmax = 114.0 +/- 8.8 fmol/10(7) cells with 6866 receptors/cell, KD = 0.095 +/- 0.017 nmol/l; n = 11). Beta-adrenergic antagonists inhibited binding yielding monophasic displacement curves. IC50-values (nmol/l) were: propranolol (non-selective) 1.68; CGP-12177 (non-selective) 1.08; ICI 118,551 (beta 2-selective) 2.92; bisoprolol (beta 1-selective) 1230; and CGP-20712 (beta 1-selective) 24,980. Agonists displaced CGP in the order isoprenaline greater than adrenaline greater than noradrenaline. We conclude that HaCaT cells express a high density of beta2-adrenoceptors providing a good model system to study adrenergic receptor mechanisms under reproducible experimental conditions in keratinocytes.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1991

Local treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastatic malignant melanoma with fotemustine.

Fotemustine is a highly reactive chloroethyl-nitrosourea anti-tumor drug that is currently undergoing phase III clinical trials in stage IV metastatic malignant melanoma. The drug is a potent alkylating agent and rapidly chloroethylates the active sites of the important thioproteins thioredoxin reductase (TR), glutathione reductase (GR) and ribonucleotide reductase (RR). These enzymes control ribonucleotide reduction and, consequently, DNA synthesis in the S phase of the cell cycle. Side effects are minor due to the rapid metabolism of the drug. [14C]Fotemustine exhibited a half-life of 90 min in the vascular system after the administration of 100 mg/m2. Fotemustine was shown to yield the volatile degradation product acetylene (a) in distilled water (4.1%/h), (b) in melanoma cell culture medium (MCDB) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (33%/h) and (c) in fotemustine-sensitive human melanoma cells in culture medium (70.5%/h). Due to its rapid metabolism and its low toxicity, high concentrations of fotemustine (55 x 10(-3) M) were injected directly into cutaneous and subcutaneous melanoma metastases (n = 36) of seven patients, resulting in minor necrosis followed by total remission of the metastases. Untreated metastases adjacent to the treated tumors were not affected by fotemustine, confirming that rapid local metabolism of this drug occurs only in the vicinity of injected tumors without producing any systemic effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Constitutively increased micronuclei are predominantly caused by acentric fragments.

The frequency of kinetochore (centromere)-positive micronuclei (MN) was determined in 32 fibroblast cell lines. We tested 16 probands with spontaneously high MN levels (greater than or equal to 20 MN/500 cells (4%] and 8 probands (controls) with low MN levels (less than or equal to 13 MN/500 cells (2.6%]. To study whether the elevation of MN levels is due to increased chromosomal breakage we used the antikinetochore antibody fluorescent staining method. Probands with spontaneously high MN had kinetochore-positive MN increased by a factor 2.1 compared to the controls whereas the kinetochore-negative MN were increased by a factor 6.14. This shows that spontaneous elevation of MN is mainly caused by increased chromosomal breakage and only in a minor proportion by chromosome segregation errors as a consequence of spindle defects.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A double-blind, multicenter comparison between 0.05% halobetasol propionate ointment and 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate ointment in chronic plaque psoriasis.

In a double-blind, parallel-group, multicenter comparative trial on 104 evaluable patients with severe, localized plaque psoriasis, 0.05% halobetasol propionate ointment demonstrated an 88.7% success rate assessed as "healed" or "marked improvement" compared with 78.5% for 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate ointment. Healing was observed within 24 days of the start of treatment in 40% and 25% of the patients who received halobetasol propionate and betamethasone dipropionate ointments, respectively. After 4 weeks' treatment, tolerability of both ointments was good. Neither skin atrophy nor systemic adverse effects were observed. Patient acceptance of halobetasol propionate ointment, based on cosmetic acceptability and ease of application, was significantly better (p = 0.02) than that of betamethasone dipropionate ointment.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1991

Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet's syndrome) caused by minocycline.

Sweet's syndrome (acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis) occurred in a 29-year-old woman with acne. Although Sweet's syndrome initially seemed to be triggered by an acute acne flare, minocycline could later be identified as the causal agent. Because this could be confirmed in an oral provocation test, this seems to be the first case of a true connection between Sweet's syndrome and its induction by a drug, namely minocycline.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1991

[Therapy of progressive scleroderma with gamma-interferon].

In an open study conducted over 6 months, gamma interferon was administered to 12 patients suffering from progressive systemic sclerosis. The dosage used was three injections, each of 50 micrograms s.c. in the first 2 weeks, followed by 50 micrograms twice a week. All patients fulfilled the criteria required for classification as type II in the ADF system or the major criterion of the ARA (proximal sclerosis). Therapeutic effects were noted as a decrease in of skin thickness (10/12 = 83%), improvement in muscle and joint pains (5/8 = 63%) and reduction of the procollagen-type III peptide in serum by more than 20% (8/12 = 66%). No effects on fibrosis or dysfunction of internal organs were seen. Disease progression did not occur in any of the patients. Side-effects of gamma interferon were noted in 4 patients, in the form of slightly elevated body temperature and transient influenza-like symptoms, but these occurred only at the beginning of therapy and soon passed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Primary cutaneous leiomyosarcoma].

Primary leiomyosarcomas of the superficial soft tissues are very rare neoplasms. Because of the different biological behaviour, they should be divided into cutaneous and subcutaneous tumours. Differential diagnosis includes leiomyomas, skin metastases from extracutaneous leiomyosarcomas, and other spindle-cell tumours of the skin. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical investigations are useful when light microscopic features do not allow an unequivocal diagnosis. Although local recurrences develop in almost half the patients with cutaneous leiomyosarcomas, the prognosis is predominantly good. In contrast, metastatic spread is more common in patients with subcutaneous leiomyosarcomas. Treatment for superficial leiomyosarcomas consists in wide excision. We report on a 76-year-old women with a local recurrence of a primary cutaneous leiomyosarcoma.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[Therapy of bullous pemphigoid with erythromycin].

Bullous pemphigoid is the most common autoimmune mediated bullous disease in men. Erythromycin combined with a low dose methylprednisolone was tested in eleven patients in a prospective study. A historical collective of the last 33 patients treated before this study was started served as the control group. The duration of hospitalization as an expression of therapeutic response, but also of lowered side effects dropped down from 43 to 33 days in the erythromycin treated group. The study further shows a responder rate of about two thirds of the patients, one third, however, required a high dose regimen of corticosteroids in order to ameliorate. From this could be concluded, that two different subtypes of bullous pemphigoid exist concerning their therapeutic response.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Radioligand binding characteristics of beta 2-adrenoceptors of cultured melanoma cells.

The existence of beta-adrenoceptors on intact cells of the human malignant melanoma cell line A-375 was investigated using the binding properties of the tritiated radioligand (-)-[3H]CGP-12177, a hydrophilic non-selective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. Displacement experiments of the radioligand from its binding site were performed with antagonists and agonists to determine the beta-adrenoceptor subtype selectivity. The binding of (-)-[3H]CGP-12177 was saturable, of high affinity (KD = 0.025 nmol/l, n = 12) and was rapid and readily reversible. The maximal number of binding sites (Bmax) was 33.5 +/- 1.9 fmol/10(7) cells or 2018 +/- 114 receptors per cell. beta-adrenoceptor antagonists inhibited binding of the radioligand with monophasic displacement curves. IC50 values were (nmol/l): propranolol (non-selective) 2.82, alprenolol (non-selective) 2.0, ICI 118,551 (beta 2-selective) 3.5 and bisoprolol (beta 1-selective) 2200. Agonists inhibited binding in the order of potency of isoprenaline greater than adrenaline greater than noradrenaline. It is concluded that cells of the melanoma cell line A-375 contain a homogeneous population of beta 2-adrenoceptors.

4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan↗
PubMed1990

[L-tryptophan-induced eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome with features of diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia].

Two female patients developed localized scleroderma on the trunk and the thighs after oral ingestion of L-tryptophan for some years. Both patients reported acute progressive myalgia and weakness of the proximal parts of the extremities. On laboratory evaluation, the leucocyte count was approximately 20,000/mm3, with 38% blood eosinophils in one patient and 53% in the other. The ESR was slightly elevated; electrophoresis and muscle enzymes were normal. Skin and muscle biopsies revealed characteristic features of diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia. High-dose glucocorticoid therapy resulted in a rapid normalization of the ESR and blood eosinophilia, whereas the scleroderma showed little improvement. The diffuse edema observed in one patient receded within a few days. A correlation between oral ingestion of L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome has been reported recently, and the present case reports must be discussed in the light of this observation. Both patients developed a tryptophan-induced scleroderma-like illness resembling diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia (Shulman's syndrome).

Eosinophilia↗
PubMed1989

[Skin and genital infections caused by gram-negative bacteria].

We discuss the classification of gram-negative bacteria as well as the most common dermatological disorders and reactions due to these germs. In addition, we give some information both on the bacteriological identification and the therapeutical concepts in these dermatoses.

Gram-Negative Bacteria↗
PubMed1989

[Experiences with percutaneous anesthesia using a lidocaine-prilocaine cream (EMLA 5% cream)].

Using an percutaneous anesthetic Lidocaine ointment (EMLA cream 5%), we treated patients with mollusca contagiosa, condylomata acuminata, and verrucae plantaris by superficial curettage or electrocaustic surgery. The same presurgical procedure was applied in taking biopsies from the glans penis. The analgesia achieved was complete in all patients with mollusca contagiosa, condylomata acuminata, and penal biopsies. In those with verrucae plantaris, the anesthesia was incomplete but tolerable, also in children. We discuss the pharmacological effects of and further indications for this new percutaneous anesthetic ointment.

Anesthetics, Local↗
PubMed1989

[Primary neuroendocrine Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin].

A 78-year-old woman noticed a nodule on the dorsal aspect of the left lower leg which caused no symptoms but gradually increased in size. The raised, brown-red nodule, about 1.5 cm in diameter, was widely excised because malignancy was suspected. Light and electronmicroscopy revealed changes typical of Merkel-cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated neuron-specific enolase and cytokeratin. No metastases were found. Together with Langerhans cells and melanocytes, Merkel cells belong to the three non-keratinocyte cell types of the epidermis.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Clofazimine--therapeutic alternative in necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma anulare].

Twenty patients, ten suffering from disseminated granuloma anulare and ten from necrobiosis lipoidica, were treated with clofazimine 200 mg p.o. daily. Six patients in each group (60%) responded to this regimen, and three of the responders in each group achieved complete remission of the dermatosis. In eight patients (40%) no improvement at all was observed. All the patients treated had reddening of the skin, but this was reversible after the end of therapy, as were the other side-effects, i.e. diarrhoea and dryness of the skin, which were not experienced by all patients.

Administration, Oral↗