Solar uticaria. Photoallergen in a patient's serum

A 45-year-old man had solar urticaria that was activated by visible light. Passive transfer of the reactivity with the patient's serum to the skin of normal recipients was accomplished. Results of reverse passive transfer studies were negative. The patient developed an urticarial wheal at the site of injection of his own serum that had been previously exposed to light in vitro. The experimental data suggested that his condition was attributable to an allergic response. Systemic administration of reserpine was of some therapeutic value, and increasing exposure to natural sunlight was associated with substantial in crease in his tolerance to sunlight. Unfortunately, the possible loss of reactivity that may occur in the natural course of the disease makes substantiation of the therapeutic effects difficult.

A case of chromomycosis treated with 5-fluorocytosine

A 46-year-old housewife was treated orally with 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). She was almost cured at 15 weeks after the administration. Under histological and electron microscopical examination, spores in the lesions were observed to be markedly decreased in number, and all of them had suffered a change of shape or had been destroyed. At the end of 33 weeks, however, the patient had a complete relapse.

An epidemic of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Sendai area, 1973-1974

In 1973 and 1974, an epidemic of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) with a tendency of less frequent conjunctival hemorrhage occurred among the staff of the National Railways and their family in Sendai area. Four strains of AHC virus and 4 strains, 1 of type 7 and 3 of type 8, of adenoviruses were isolated from 22 conjunctival swabs of the patients. Thirty-six (66%) out of 55 cases examined were proved serologically to be of AHC virus infection, and 7 cases (13%) were of adenovirus infection. Clinically, infrequent association of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis was most remarkable. Only 10 cases (28%) had detectable signs of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. There were no substantial changes in antigenicity and optimum temperature for virus multiplication between prototype and isolated strains. The isolated strains, however, seemed to be less neutralizable and less producible at 29 degrees C than prototype strain.

[Treatment of dermatological cases with BB-K8 (author's transl)]

Twenty-seven cases were treated with BB-K8, a new derivative of kanamycin acylated with l-(-)-gamma-amino-alpha-hydroxybutyric acid at the C-1 amino group of the 2-deoxystreptamine moiety. The majority of them were acute primary pyoderma and acute secondary pyoderma. BB-K8 was effective in 23 cases (85.2%) out of 27 cases treated and no side effect was encountered. BB-K8 had antibacterial activity against not only Staphylococcus but also Pseudomonas and Klebsiella. Thus, BB-K8 was considered to be effective in acute pyodermic condition.