Causes
In children the primary source of infection is the orofacial area, and it is commonly inferred that the virus (in this case commonly HSV-1) is transferred by the cutting, chewing or sucking of fingernail or thumbnail.In adults, it is more common for the primary source to be the genital region, with a corresponding preponderance of HSV-2. It is also seen in adult health care workers such as dentists because of increased exposure to the herpes virus.Contact sports are also a potential source of infection with herpetic whitlows. Treatment
Although it is a self-limited illness, oral or intravenous antiviral treatments, particularly acyclovir, have been used in the management of immunocompromised or severely infected patients. It is usually given when the condition fails to improve on its own. Topical acyclovir has not been shown to be effective in management of herpetic whitlow. Famciclovir has been demonstrated to effectively treat and prevent recurrent episodes. Lancing or surgically debriding the lesion may make it worse by causing a superinfection or encephalitis. Prognosis
Even though the disease is self-limiting, as with many herpes infections, the virus lies dormant in the peripheral nervous system. The disease recurs in about 20-50% of people. The most severe infection is usually the first one, with recurrences subsequently getting milder. The lesions the disease makes will either dry out, or burst, followed by healing. If the infected area is not touched, scars usually do not occur. The immunocompromised may have a hard time recovering, and have more frequent recurrences.
These pale colors were once considered undesirable, but have recently become popular due to intensive marketing.Green quartz is sometimes incorrectly called green amethyst, which is a misnomer and not an appropriate name for the material, as the proper terminology is prasiolite. Other names for green quartz are vermarine or lime citrine. Amethyst frequently shows color zoning, with the most intense color typically found at the crystal terminations. It is the most prized variety of quartz. One of a gem cutter’s tasks is to make a finished product with even color. Sometimes, only a thin layer of a natural, uncut amethyst is violet colored, or the color is very uneven. The uncut gem may have only a small portion that is suitable for faceting.The color of amethyst has been demonstrated to result from substitution by irradiation of trivalent iron (Fe3+) for silicon in the structure, in the presence of trace elements of large ionic radius, and to a certain extent, the amethyst color can naturally result from displacement of transition elements even if the iron concentration is low. Natural amethyst is dichroic in reddish violet and bluish violet, but when heated, turns yellow-orange, yellow-brown, or dark brownish and may resemble citrine, but loses its dichroism, unlike genuine citrine. When partially heated, amethyst can result in ametrine. Amethyst can fade in tone if overexposed to light sources and can be artificially darkened with adequate irradiation. It does not fluoresce under either short-wave or long-wave UV light. Geographic distribution
Amethyst is found in many locations around the world.