Shingles Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Shingles, including details on symptoms, treatment, causes, virus. | ||||||
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Bilateral Acute Depigmentation of the Iris: Report of 26 New Cases and Four-year Follow-up of Two Patients.Tugal-Tutkun I, Araz B, Taskapili M, Akova YA, Yalniz-Akkaya Z, Berker N, Emre S, Gezer A Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul, Turkey. PURPOSE: To report new cases of bilateral acute depigmentation of the iris (BADI), a recently described clinical entity, and to report the 4-year follow-up of 2 patients that was published previously. DESIGN: A retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six Turkish patients who were diagnosed with BADI between 2006 and 2008 and 2 patients who were reported previously. METHODS: We reviewed the patients' charts and clinical photographs. Observation procedures included clinical examination, anterior segment color photography, laser flare photometry, and pupillometry. We performed an anterior chamber tap in 2 patients for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to demonstrate the DNA of herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the aqueous samples. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic features, presenting symptoms, laboratory findings, changes in iris stromal pigment and architecture, and time to resolution of pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were female, and 7 patients were male. Mean age was 32.3+/-8.6 years. All had bilateral involvement. Twenty patients (76.9%) presented with photophobia and red eyes, and 4 patients (15.4%) presented with a recent change in eye color. Ten patients (38.5%) had flu-like symptoms preceding the onset of ocular symptoms. Diagnostic laboratory workup, viral serology, and PCR analysis of the aqueous humor were unrewarding. Diffuse depigmentation of the iris stroma from the collarette to the iris root was seen in 16 patients, and geographic areas of depigmentation were seen in 10 patients. There was heavy pigment deposition in the trabecular meshwork in all patients. Anterior chamber flare was elevated in eyes with circulating pigment. The pupil was not affected. Twenty patients received topical corticosteroids. Pigment dispersion resolved in 1 to 16 weeks (median, 9 weeks). The intraocular pressure was elevated in 8 steroid-treated eyes but was controlled with antiglaucomatous medications. In 2 patients reported previously, the depigmented iris stroma became repigmented after 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BADI present with bilateral, symmetrical, nontransilluminating depigmentation of the iris stroma and pigment discharge into the anterior chamber. Young female persons are more commonly affected. The cause remains unknown. After 4 years, the ocular findings in 2 patients normalized. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. Published 23 June 2009 in Ophthalmology. Articles on Shingles published 22 June 2009: Immune therapy for age-related diseases. Trends Immunol. Human aging is reaching epidemic proportions as life expectancy increases and birth rate decreases. These demographic trends have led to a sharp increase in the diseases of aging, and an understanding of immune senescence promises to limit the development and progression of these diseases. In this review, we discuss three of the most important diseases of aging: shingles, Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. All of these diseases have significant immunological ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Acupuncture in dermatology: an historical perspective. Int J Dermatol, 48(6): 648-52. Classical acupuncture focuses primarily on treating the person, and secondarily treating the illness. The "symptoms" are regarded as "branch" expressions of a "root" (constitutional) imbalance. Different root imbalances can produce the same symptoms. Five patients with eczema, for example, may reveal five distinct root imbalances and would all be treated very differently. Because acupuncture treats the whole person, it has something to offer almost every condition. ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Shingles published 18 June 2009: The Incidence and Clinical Characteristics of Herpes Zoster Among Children and Adolescents After Implementation of Varicella Vaccination. Pediatr Infect Dis J. BACKGROUND:: The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine strain may reactivate to cause herpes zoster. Limited data suggest that the risk of herpes zoster in vaccinated children could be lower than in children with naturally acquired varicella. We examine incidence trends, risk and epidemiologic and clinical features of herpes zoster disease among children and adolescents by vaccination status. METHODS:: Population-based active surveillance was conducted among <20 years old residents in ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Shingles published 17 June 2009: Adverse Events Associated With Common Therapy Regimens for Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease. Am J Gastroenterol. OBJECTIVES:We sought to determine whether treatment with steroids, immunosuppressives (ISs), and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is associated with an increased risk of adverse events in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).METHODS:This study analyzed claims from patients with CD and controls without CD from the United States with private insurance (2002-2005). Patients were classified by treatment with steroids, ISs, anti-TNF agents, combinations of two or three, and none of these ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Shingles published 15 June 2009: Serological microarray for detection of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, and CMV antibodies. J Virol Methods. The seroprevalence of human herpesviruses is high and reactivations occur frequently. A microarray was designed and tested for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies for Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) and IgG antibodies against four herpesviruses. Initially, a microarray platform was set up using an unrelated in-house antigen, PUUV recombinant nucleocapsid protein, to optimize the protocol for the detection of antibodies. Detection of the four herpesviruses was set up in a microarray using the ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Meningitis in elderly patients. Eur J Emerg Med. Meningitis is uncommon in elderly patients in emergency department (ED). The characteristics of bacterial meningitis (BM) and nonbacterial meningitis (NBM) occurring in older patients are compared. A prospective multicenter study was conducted in the EDs of three teaching hospitals. Consecutive adult patients (n=159) with a confirmed meningitis [cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte count greater than 5 mm] were included in this study. Eighteen consecutive patients (11%) aged more than or equal ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Brachial plexopathy following herpes zoster infection: Two cases with MRI findings. J Neurol Sci. There are few reports of brachial plexopathy following the onset of a herpes zoster skin rash. Moreover, the MRI findings of zoster-induced brachial plexopathy have rarely been described. In the present study, we describe two cases of zoster brachial plexopathy and their MRI findings. MRI of the brachial plexus demonstrated T2 hyperintensity and contrast enhancement in the part of the brachial plexus that was compatible with both the clinical symptoms and the electrophysiological findings. ... [Abstract] [Full-text] Articles on Shingles published 12 June 2009: Does varicella-zoster virus infection of the peripheral ganglia cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Med Hypotheses. This article posits that infection of the peripheral ganglia causes at least some cases of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), with a neurotropic herpesvirus, particularly varicella-zoster virus (VZV), as the most likely cause of the infection. Virtually all CFS symptoms could be produced by an infection of the peripheral ganglia, with infection of the autonomic ganglia causing fatigue, postural hypotension, and sleep disturbances, and infection of the sensory ganglia causing sensory symptoms such ... [Abstract] [Full-text] © 2005-2009 Shingles Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
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