Behçet's disease is a chronic relapsing multisystemic inflammatory disorder characterized by four major symptoms (oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, skin lesions, and ocular lesions) and occasionally by five minor symptoms (arthritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, epididymitis, vascular lesions, and central nervous system symptoms). Although the etiology of Behçet's disease is still unknown, ther...

Venous ulcers are seen following postthrombophlebitic syndrome with venous insufficiency and can begin as a result of minor trauma. In this retrospective study the authors examined the value of external intermittent pneumatic compression therapy in chronic venous ulcers. Results in 1,250 patients with postthrombophlebitic syndromes, 235 of these patients with leg ulcers, revealed that this moda...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to diagnosis oral lesions related to HIV infection in individuals followed in the General Hospital of the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil. The presence of oral lesions was correlated with gender, age, smoking habit, levels of CD4 lymphocytes, HIV load, time of HIV seropositivity, AIDS condition, use of removable dental p...

The clinical features, etiology, and treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) are discussed. Aphthous ulcers are among the most common oral lesions in the general population, with a frequency of up to 25% and three-month recurrence rates as high as 50%. The ulcers, which usually occur on the nonkeratinized oral mucosa, can cause considerable pain and may interfere with eating, speaking, and...

An open, pilot study tested the safety and efficacy of an acid stable form of the angiogenic protein basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for healing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) associated gastric ulcers in five patients with nine gastric ulcers that were resistant to conventional treatment (4) or had relapsed (5). Oral bFGF treatment for four weeks was safe and well tolera...

Test ulcers with culture or PCR Genital and oral lesions consistent with herpes simplex lesions are relatively common in my practice. Before PCR testing was available, ulcers could be tested via culture—which took too long to be immediately useful—or via Tzanck smear, which helped greatly if multinucleated giant cells were seen. However, both tests were relatively insensitive. As this Clinical ...

Since William Beaumont's classic description of gastric physiology in 1847, the focus of clinical practice and basic research concerning gastric and duodenal ulcers has centered on the secretion of acid and pepsin. In addition to these well-known factors (largely determined by heredity, age, and oral intake), the search for other agents that alter the mucosal barrier has identified a bacillus, ...