Surgical treatment of granuloma inguinale

Granuloma inguinale is an indolent, progressive, ulcerative and granulomatous skin disease caused by Calymmatobacterium granulomatosis. It is generally treated with antibiotics. However, long-standing and complicated disease requires surgical treatment. Two patients with extensive and multiple perianal fistulas and abscesses unresponsive to medical treatment were managed with radical surgical resection, The first patient healed by primary intention, but a diverting colostomy was made for the second patient and the tissue defect was closed with a rotation flap, Follow-up at 4 years revealed the disappearance of the symptoms and the absence of recurrence in both patients

Sexually transmitted infections in Turkey

Turkey is a Moslem country where lay knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is poor. Surveillance arrangements are limited, and frequently ignored, with the result that the true incidence of STIs is unknown. The prevalence of syphilis is definitely increasing, and probably that of the other infections is too. Modern diagnostic techniques are not widely deployed and there is little standardization of medical arrangements. Howe,er, there has been a high level of governmental involvement in HIV prevention in recent years and it is now believed that most HIV transmission in Turkey is by the heterosexual route

Drug related clinical pattern in fixed drug eruption.

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) represents a frequent type of drug eruption in Turkey. The aim of this open study is to analyze the clinical features with special emphasize on drug related pattern in our case series

Topical provocation in 27 cases of cotrimoxazole-induced fixed drug eruption.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of topical provocation in the diagnosis of cotrimoxazole-induced fixed-drug eruption (FDE). 27 patients with established cotrimoxazole-induced FDE by oral provocation and 20 healthy controls were tested with drugs at increasing concentrations in white petrolatum and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) both on previously involved and uninvolved skin sites. Tape-stripping occlusive patch testing in petrolatum remained negative in 19 tested patients. Open testing with drug preparations in DMSO revealed positive results in 25 of 27 tested patients. I patient showed an additional positive reaction on previously uninvolved skin. Lesions on male genitalia and on face reacted to testing once with 10% or 20% of the suspected drug, whereas repeated testing with concentrations up to 50% was necessary in lesions on trunk & extremities. Open testing with drug preparations in DMSO at concentrations of 10%, 20% and 50% and pure DMSO remained negative in 20 healthy controls. The present study shows that repeated open testing with graded concentrations of the drugs up to 50% in DMSO is a reliable test method in sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim-induced FDE. Patients and physicians should be aware of the transient irritant reaction to DMSO that is not infrequent, so as to avoid false-positive interpretations

HLA in alopecia areata

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) characteristics of Turkish alopecia areata patients, and the correlation of the HLA profile with age of onset, severity and duration of the disease, presence of ophiasis, and family history