Clinical effectiveness of barrier preparations in the prevention and treatment of nappy dermatitis in infants and preschool children of nappy age

Nappy dermatitis is a broad term used to describe an acute inflammatory reaction of the skin in the nappy area because of irritation from urine, faeces, moisture or friction. The prevalence is estimated to be between 7% and 35% in infants. Regular application of a barrier preparation at every nappy change may be a valuable component of nappy dermatitis prevention and/or treatment.

Are material safety data sheets (MSDS) useful in the diagnosis and management of occupational contact dermatitis?

This study assesses both the success of medical practitioners in accessing hazardous substances' information from product manufacturers and the accuracy and clinical usefulness of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) presented by workers with suspected occupational contact dermatitis (OCD). 00 consecutively presented MSDS were collected from 42 workers attending an occupational dermatology clinic. Product manufacturers were contacted to verify ingredients. MSDS were evaluated for compliance with the Australian criteria for listing of OCD relevant information (sensitizers present at a concentration > or =1%, irritants present at a concentration > or =20%), and for clinical usefulness. All sensitizers were checked for clinical relevance to the worker's dermatitis. Manufacturers supplied product constituents for 77/100 MSDS. 58 MSDS satisfied the Australian standard. 57/58 MSDS were deemed clinically useful. Irritants were listed for 19/23 MSDS and sensitizers were listed for 30/68 MSDS (P = 0.001). 3 MSDS contained sensitizers, which were clinically relevant to the presenting worker's dermatitis, 1 appropriately listed, 1 present at > or =1% but not listed, and 1 present at <1% in the product and therefore, not required to be listed. Sensitizers are frequently omitted from MSDS and clinicians are often unsuccessful in obtaining crucial information from manufacturers. MSDS are inadequate for the protection and diagnosis of workers with suspected OCD.

Fluoxetine treatment of acral lick dermatitis in dogs: a placebo-controlled randomized double blind trial.

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of fluoxetine treatment of acral lick dermatitis (ALD) in dogs and to investigate ALD as an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Sixty-three dogs with ALD were treated with fluoxetine 20 mg daily, or placebo, for 6 weeks. In the fluoxetine group, owners rated both appearance of the lesion (t = 10.2, df = 29, P < 0.0001) and licking behavior (t = 10.2, df = 29, P < 0.0001) as significantly improved by the end of the trial. Veterinarian-rated pre- and post-treatment photographs showed statistically significant improvement in the fluoxetine group (mean = 2.55). There were no significant changes in the placebo group as rated by owners and veterinarians. These results demonstrate the efficacy of fluoxetine in the treatment of ALD and lend further support to ALD as an animal model of OCD.