BACKGROUND Onychomycosis is a type of fungal infection that accounts for over 50% of all onycopathies. Some authors consider superficial mycosis the most difficult to be treated. Very few studies have been carried out in order to assess the epidemiology of onychomycosis in Brazil. OBJECTIVE To describe the epidemiological profile of onychomycosis in Brazilian dermatology offices and to assess...

Therapy of chronic recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) caused by Candida glabrata is still rare in comparison to C. albicans infection, but therapy remains more difficult. Combination therapy with topical antifungals may improve therapy outcome, but still standard agents as fluconazole or itraconazole often fail. Posaconazole is a new systemic triazole with a wide antifungal spectrum inclu...

Ciclopiroxolamine (CPO) and Zinc Pirythione (ZP) antifungals are efficient at treating scalp seborrheic dermatitis. This multicentre, single-blind, clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a shampoo containing the 1.5% CPO/1% ZP association compared to the vehicle shampoo and to 2% ketoconazole foaming gel in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. In 189 patients randomised to ...

Physiological and environmental stresses have been shown to alter the catecholamine metabolism of brain. For example, electric shocks (1) and cold exposure (2) significantly reduce the brain content of norepinephrine. In mice, psychosocial stimulation leads to a marked increase in the catecholamine content and in the enzymatic activities of phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT), monoam...

BACKGROUND Elevation of the transcription factor HIF-1 is a prominent mediator of not only processes that accompany hypoxia, but also the tumor microenvironment and tissue regeneration. This study uses mediators of "chemical hypoxia" to ask the question whether HIF-1α elevation in a healthy epithelial cell layer leads to leakiness in its tight junctional seals. METHODS Transepithelial electri...

A 68-year-old woman who had had pemphigus foliaceus for 13 years, presented for initiation of more aggressive therapy due to gradual continuous clinical worsening in the last 3 months despite potent topical steroid and long-standing systemic therapy with prednisolone 50 mg/day for one year. At the time of presentation desmoglein-1 antibodies were detectable to a low grade using enzyme-linked im...