Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V Ruocco.
Kaposi's sarcoma appeared on a chronically lymphedematous leg of a 75-year-old man. Immunologic investigations revealed a lack of cellular immune response confined to the involved lower limb. Regional disorders of immune surveillance are thought to play an important role in the early stages of Kaposi's sarcoma.
This paper describes the basic concepts of dermoscopy, the various dermoscopic equipments and the standard criteria for diagnosing pigmented skin lesions. In assessing dermoscopic images, both global and local features can be recognized. These features will be systematically described and illustrated in Part I of this article. First, we will focus on 8 morphologically rather distinctive global features that allow a quick, preliminary categorization of a given pigmented skin lesion. Second, we will describe various local features representing the letters of the dermoscopic alphabet. The local features permit a more detailed assessment of pigmented skin lesions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The authors report the natural history of HIV infection in a patient with severe hemophilia A who became HIV-seropositive in 1983 and, four years later, developed full-blown AIDS associated with a disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma. Neutralizing antibody titers against HIV were shown to be inversely disease-associated, while the progression of clinical symptoms was directly related to the decline of T4 cells and the increase of urinary neopterin levels. It is suggested that the presence of an HLA DR 5 phenotype and repeated CMV infection could have been crucial for the development of KS.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A study was undertaken to verify the reliability of the Tzanck test, performed both by traditional cytomorphology and by a direct immunofluorescence technique, for the diagnosis of oral pemphigus vulgaris. Cytologic smears were obtained from oral erosions of 129 patients with various bullous diseases of the oral mucosa, clinically suspected of being oral pemphigus, as well as from 30 healthy subjects. The 40 cases with subsequent histologic proof of oral pemphigus were cytologically diagnosed as such, based on the significant cytomorphologic findings of acantholytic cells or on the pericellular deposition of IgG (which persisted after cytocentrifugation) in epithelial cells, as studied by direct immunofluorescence. Cytomorphology gave positive results in 37 patients with pemphigus and in one patient with a final diagnosis of herpetic stomatitis and gave negative results in all other cases. Immunocytology gave positive results in all patients with pemphigus and negative results in all other cases. The findings indicate that cytomorphologic studies may be useful in screening suspected cases of oral pemphigus vulgaris while the immunocytologic test may provide a reliable definitive diagnosis.