Paquidermodactilia, engrosamiento digital proximal. Pachydermodactyly, digital proximal thickening.

We report a case of pachydermodactyly (PDD). PDD is a benign, asymptomatic soft tissue swelling affecting the skin of the lateral aspects of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, mostly in young adolescent males. It has often been interpreted as a consequence of tic-like behavior as part of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although the diagnosis is essentially clinical, skin biopsy shows compact orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis, increased numbers of collagen fibers and fibroblasts, and no inflammatory changes. A rapid clinical recognition of PDD should avoid many unproductive and expensive diagnostic tests.

Nódulos subcutáneos faciales de 3 meses de evolución.

Siliconomas are subcutaneous nodules that usuallyappear as a consequence of the migration of freesilicon implanted in other locations. They are morefrequent in women with abnormal breast implants,such as poly implant prostheses (PIP), but they may alsoappear after illegal injection of free silicone. We reporta 57-year-old woman who attended our Dermatologyclinic complaining of relapsing facial panniculitis ofunknown origin. After a thorough work-up, thesenodules were determined to be the consequence ofdermal filler made with fluid silicone, which had beeninjected 20 years prior. High frequency skin ultrasoundof one of the nodules showed a hyperechoic image,also known as "snowstorm," which was located in thesubcutaneous tissue. The disposition of silicone in thisplane obscures the view of any sonographic structurein the underlying plane. Cutaneous sonographyhas become one of the most useful non-invasivetechniques in diagnosis of filler complications andother inflammatory diseases. Combined treatmentwith prednisone and allopurinol was successful, withno recurrence after 1 year of follow-up.

Study of shrinkage of cutaneous surgical specimens.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of discrepancies between surgical and histopathological measurements of specimens is important in order to avoid repeat surgery and unnecessary follow-ups. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to quantify the degree, time and influential factors of shrinkage of cutaneous surgical specimens. METHODS: Data of 111 patients were gathered on age, sex, localization, diagnosis and specimen width and length before surgical excision (in vivo), at 5 min postsurgery (ex vivo) and after 24 h of fixation in 10% buffered formalin (postfixation). RESULTS: The length and width were significantly lower in the postfixation vs. in vivo specimens, with a mean shrinkage of 17.0% in the length (p < 0.01) and 9.5% in the width (p < 0.01). 81.8% and 92.3% of the total shrinkage in length and weight was observed between in vivo and ex vivo measurements. No significant differences were observed as a function of sex, age or diagnosis. A greater shrinkage in length between in vivo and postfixation was found in specimens from the trunk. LIMITATIONS: The most of the skin samples were diseased. CONCLUSION: The largest proportion of specimen shrinkage occurred within 5 min of its excision and the shrinkage was greater in specimens from the trunk.

[Utility of skin ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of blue lesions, hydrocysts]. / Utilidad de la ecografía cutánea en el diagnóstico diferencial de las lesiones azules, hidrocistoma.

Many skin diseases may present as blue papules and nodules; the differential diagnosis includes such different entities such as metastatic melanoma, angioma, lipoma, epidermoid cyst, pilomatrixoma, blue nevus, glomus tumor, or hidrocystoma. Cutaneous ultrasound can be a complementary diagnostic technique of great value in these cases.

Histological Changes Related to Symptomatic Improvement of Spontaneous Keloids Treated with a Low-Dosage Regimen of UVA-1 Phototherapy.

Keloids are a difficult-to-treat disease characterized by an imbalance in mechanisms of tissue reparation. We present the case of a middle-aged woman with spontaneous keloids which histologically and clinically improved after UVA-1 phototherapy treatment. There are few reported cases of keloids treated with high doses of UVA-1 phototherapy. We used a low-dosage regimen with a good response in only one cycle, which could diminish the risk of skin cancer development.

Photoletter to the editor: Psoriatic erythroderma associated with bullous pemphigoid: clinical appearance and histopathology.

Psoriasis and bullous pemphigoid represent two clinically well-characterized, chronic, inflammatory skin conditions. The concomitant occurrence of these two entities in a patient is rare. We report a 62-year-old male with personal history of psoriasis vulgaris who developed disseminated bullous pemphigoid associated with psoriatic erythroderma. Skin histopathology from a scaly plaque was consistent with the diagnosis of psoriasis and showed subepidermal blister with inflammatory infiltrate of eosinophils with some neutrophils.

[In vitro evaluation of the chemopreventive potential of saffron]. / Evaluación in vitro del potencial quimiopreventivo del azafrán.

UNLABELLED: Cancer is a very important national health problem in Mexico, while a significant increase in the total and childhood cancer mortality has been recorded during the last decades. Chemoprevention, defined as the use of natural or synthetic agents to prevent or to block the development of cancer in human beings, is a new and promising strategy in the battle against cancer. Saffron, obtained from the dried red-dark stigmas of Crocus sativus L., an important spice rich in carotenoids, is commonly consumed in different parts of the world and used as a medical drug to treat numerous diseases. OBJECTIVE: To test the toxicity of saffron extract in vivo; to separate different ingredients in saffron extracts; to examine the cytotoxic effect of saffron and its main components on the growth of different human malignant cells in vitro; to evaluate the mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of saffron extract. METHODS: HPLC with photodiode-array detection was used for semi-preparative separation of different ingredients of saffron crude extract. Colony formation assay was used to determinate the cytotoxic activity of saffron extract and its components on human tumor cells in vitro. Mutagenicity and antimutagenicity assays were performed by the Ames method. RESULTS: Saffron is not toxic, non-mutagenic, non-antimutagenic and non-comutagenic. Twelve components were isolated: crocin-1, crocin-2, crocin-3, picrocroein, acid form of picrocrocin, HTCC-diglycosil-kaempferol trans-crocin-4, trans-crocin-2, trans-crocin-3, safranal, crocetin and cis-crocin-3. Saffron extract itself and some of its ingredients displayed a dose-dependent inhibitory activity against different types of human malignant cells in vitro. HeLa cells were more susceptible to saffron than other tested cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results and literature data indicate that saffron could be used as a potential cancer chemopreventive agent in clinical trials.