Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2012 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 11 Articles
Mono- or combine immunosuppressants are commonly used for psoriasis; however the side effect caused by potent systemic\r\nimmunosuppressants frequently incurred; moreover the inflammation flares up shortly after immunosuppressants are discontinued.\r\nAn alternative nonimmunosuppressive therapy was introduced to psoriasis subjects. A retrospective observational study\r\nconsisted of 1583 psoriasis patients who were treated with Herose Psoria capsule 1440 mg three times daily at two clinical centres,\r\none in China, the other in Singapore, from 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2011. Psoriasis lesion evolution was photographed\r\nat monthly visit, and efficacy and safety were assessed using psoriasis area severity index PASI score grading, renal and liver\r\nfunction testing, and adverse event reporting and supplemented by information obtained during targeted telephone interviews.\r\nThe effectiveness of Herose on psoriasis was inversely associated to prior immunosuppressants exposure (r = 0.9154), significant\r\nimprovements occurred in non-immunosuppressants subjects, and complete clearance was achieved in 8 months (87.5%, 14 of\r\n16); the wavelike evolution of psoriatic lesion appeared in prior immunosuppressants subjects....
Many serum biomarkers have been evaluated in melanoma but their clinical significance remains a matter of debate. In this paper,\r\na review of the serum biomarkers for melanoma will be detailed and will be discussed from the point of view of their practical\r\nusefulness. The expression of biomarkers can be detected intracellularly or on the cell membrane of melanoma cells or noncancer\r\ncells in association with the melanoma. Some of these molecules can then be released extracellularly and be found in body fluids\r\nsuch as the serum. Actually, with the emergence of new targeted therapies for cancer and the increasing range of therapeutic\r\noptions, the challenge for the clinician is to assess the unique risk/response ratio and the prognosis for each patient. New serum\r\nbiomarkers of melanoma progression and metastatic disease are still awaited in order to provide efficient rationale for followup\r\nand treatment choices. LDH as well as S100B levels have been correlated with poor prognosis in AJCC stage III/IV melanoma\r\npatients. However, the poor sensitivity and specificity of those markers and many other molecules are serious limitations for their\r\nroutine use in both early (AJCC stage I and II) and advanced stages of melanoma (AJCC stage III and IV). Microarray technology\r\nand proteomic research will surely provide new candidates in the near future allowing more accurate definition of the individual\r\nprognosis and prediction of the therapeutic outcome and select patients for early adjuvant strategies....
Melanoma is a human neurocristopathy associated with developmental defects in the neural crest-derived epidermal melanocytes.\r\nAt the present time, at least three hypotheses were identified that may explain melanoma aetiology, as follows: (1) a model of linear\r\nprogression from differentiated melanocytes to metastatic cancer cells (2) a model involving the appearance of melanoma stemlike\r\ncells, and (3) an epigenetic progenitor model of cancer. Treating metastatic melanoma is one of the most serious challenges\r\nin the 21st century. This is justified because of a subpopulation of cells presenting a remarkable molecular heterogeneity, which is\r\nable to explain the drug resistance and the growing mortality rates worldwide. Fortunately, there are now evidences sustaining the\r\nimportance of genetic, epigenetic, and metabolomic alterations as biomarkers for classification, staging, and better management\r\nof melanoma patients. To illustrate some fascinating insights in this field, the genes BRAFV600E and CTLA4 have been recognized\r\nas bona fide targets to benefit melanoma patients. Our research attempts to carefully evaluate data from the literature in order to\r\nhighlight the link between a molecular disease model and the key contribution of biomarkers in treating malignant melanoma\r\nmetastases....
At present, immunohistochemistry is taken for granted in the establishment of malignant melanoma (MM) diagnosis. In recent\r\nyears, molecular diagnosis in dermatopathology has benefited from a vast array of advances in the fields of genomics and\r\nproteomics. Sensitive techniques are available for detecting specific DNA and RNA sequences by molecular hybridization. This\r\npaper intends to update methods of molecular cytogenetics available as diagnostic adjuncts in the field of MM. Cytogenetics\r\nhas highlighted the pathogenesis of atypical melanocytic neoplasms with emphasis on the activation of the mitogen-activated\r\nprotein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway during the initiation step of the neoplasms. 20 to 40% of MM families have mutations\r\nin the tumour suppressor gene p16 or CDKN2A. In addition, somatic mutations in p16, p53, BRAF, and cKIT are present in\r\nMM. Genome-wide scan analyses on MM indicate positive associations for genes involved in melanocytic naevi, but MM is likely\r\ncaused by a variety of common low-penetrance genes. Molecular dermatopathology is expanding, and its use in the assessment of\r\nmelanocytic neoplasms appears to be promising in the fields of research and diagnosis.Molecular dermatopathology will probably\r\nmake its way to an increased number of diagnostic laboratories. The expected benefit should improve the patient management.\r\nThis evolution points to a need for evolution in the training requirements and role of dermatopathologists....
Background. Cutting nerve during operations like saphenous vein grafting and knee joint surgery are common surgical procedures.\nObjective. To report cases of dermatitis at the site of neuropathy following skin incision for saphenous vein grafting and knee joint\nsurgery. Patients and Methods. This case report work was done in the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital,\nduring 2009-2010, seven cases were recorded, six following saphenous vein grafting and one case after knee surgery. Five males\nand two females, their ages ranged from 50 to 66 (58�±5.033223) years. Detailed history and full clinical examination were done\nfor each patient regarding all points related to their conditions. Results. All cases presented around 2-3 months following the\noperation with dermatitis at the site of operational incision. The dermatitis appeared on one side of the operational scar and at\narea of neuropathy, and the rash did not cross to contralateral side. The dermatitis was well-defined plaque or patch erythematous\nslight scaly and nonitchy and subsided within few weeks with or without topical therapy. Conclusions. Neuropathy dermatitis is\napparently a new variant of dermatitis that follows nerve cut during surgery....
This paper reported a case of onychomadesis which appeared on the nails after heal of cutaneous lesions of hand-foot-mouth\r\ndisease (HFMD). There were a few reports describing onychomadesis after HFMD; however, the mechanism is still unclear. The\r\npresent case was prospectively observed, and onychomadesis was found to develop only on the nails having cutaneous lesions of\r\nHFMD. We considered that nail dysfunction due to direct inflammation spreading from skin eruptions around nail is one of the\r\ncauses of onychomadesis linked to HFMD....
Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous units. Although the acne isnot a life threatening disease, studies have\r\nrevealed that it has significant effect on self-image and quality of life. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the health-related\r\nquality of life in patients with acne in an Iranian context. Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Cardiff Acne Disability Index\r\n(CADI) were used for measuring quality of life, and severity of acne was measured by Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). The\r\nmean (�±SD) of DLQI and CADI scores was 6.42 (�±4.77) and 5.97 (�±2.97), respectively. Acne influenced the quality of life in\r\n51.8% of patients from moderate to very much, and the quality of life was affected by the severity of acne (P < 0.01). Since acne\r\nhas significant effects on patientâ��s quality of life, the management of patients with acne requires more attention to different aspects\r\nof quality of life....
The fund of knowledge regarding the versatility of presentation of MM metastases is still quite incomplete. The recent literature\r\npertaining to the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying two special features of MM metastasis is reviewed. On\r\nthe one hand, a long disease-free interval (MM dormancy) may occur before the surge of overt metastases. On the other hand,\r\nthe so-called MM smouldering phenomenon refers to the condition where regional metastases wax and wane for long periods\r\nof time on restricted skin regions. It is important to emphasize that local micrometastases often predict sentinel lymph node\r\ninvolvement but may not reflect progression of the primary MM to full-blown visceral metastatic competence. It is likely that\r\na combination of factors impacts the versatile MM metastasic progression. Among the main factors, one has to mention the\r\nphenotypic heterogeneity and variability in the phenotype ofMMcells, the presence ofMMstemcells andMMcells engaged in an\r\namplification proliferation pool, as well as the host immune response, and possibly the induction of a particular stromal structure\r\nand vascularity....
Although advances in cytotoxic treatments have been obtained in several neoplasias, in metastatic melanoma there was no\r\ndrug able to significantly change the natural history of the disease in the last 30 years. In the last decade, translational research\r\nidentified important mechanisms in malignant transformation, invasion, and progression. Signaling pathways can be abnormally\r\nactivated by oncogenes. The identification of oncogenic mutated kinases implicated in this process provides an opportunity for\r\nnew target therapies. The melanoma dependence on BRAF-mutated kinase allowed the development of inhibitors that produced\r\nmajor responses in clinical trials. This is the beginning of a novel class of drugs in metastatic melanoma; the identification of\r\nthe transduction signaling networking and other ââ?¬Å?druggableââ?¬Â kinases is in active research. In this paper, we discuss the ongoing\r\nresearch on cellular signaling inhibition, resistance mechanisms, and strategies to overcome treatment failure....
The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical aspects of vitiligo in the largest dermatology department\nof Senegal. A cross-sectional and descriptive study in a period of 5 months was performed covering all the vitiligo cases. Fifty\npatients were identified (26 women and 24 men). The mean age was 26.5 years. A family history of vitiligo was found in 11 cases\nand a psychoaffective disturbance in 6 cases. The clinical forms distinguished were generalized vitiligo (n = 33), localized vitiligo\n(n = 16), vitiligo universalis (n = 4), and segmental vitiligo (n = 1). The Koebner phenomenon was found in 7 cases. Associated\ndiseases were atopic dermatitis (n = 2), contact dermatitis (n = 1), diabetes (n = 1), and Graves� disease (n = 1). The disgraceful\ncharacter of Vitiligo was the predominance of generalized forms and the elective localization in sun-exposed areas. The family\ncharacter, the psychoaffective disturbances, the Koebner phenomenon increased by the lifestyle and the itching dermatosis were\nthe aggravating factors....
During malignant melanoma (MM) progression including incipient metastasis, neoplastic cells follow some specific migration\npaths inside the skin. In particular, they progress along the dermoepidermal basement membrane, the hair follicles, the sweat\ngland apparatus, nerves, and the near perivascular space. These features evoke the thigmotropism phenomenon defined as a\ncontact-sensing growth of cells. This process is likely connected to modulation in cell tensegrity (control of the cell shape). These\nspecifically located paucicellular aggregates of MM cells do not appear to be involved in the tumorigenic growth phase, but rather\nthey participate in the so-called ââ?¬Å?accretiveââ?¬Â growth model. These MM cell collections are often part of the primary neoplasm, but\nthey may, however, correspond to MM micrometastases and predict further local overt metastasis spread....
Loading....