Postirradiation Morphea: A Case Report With a Review of the Literature and Summary of the Clinicopathologic Differential Diagnosis.

: Postirradiation morphea is a rare complication of radiation therapy which often presents as an erythematous indurated plaque and may be mistaken for recurrent or metastatic carcinoma. Histologic examination is essential for distinguishing postirradiation morphea from malignant processes and from other types of radiation dermatitis and infectious cellulitis. We report a case of postirradiation morphea and review the postirradiation morphea literature. In addition, we summarize the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of the various forms of postirradiation skin disease, including postirradiation morphea; acute, subacute, and chronic radiation dermatitis; and radiation recall dermatitis.

Interstitial lung disease in classic and skin-predominant dermatomyositis: a retrospective study with screening recommendations.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To determine the prevalence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and isolated low diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in a large cohort of outpatients with dermatomyositis. (2) To compare the pulmonary abnormalities of patients with classic dermatomyositis and those with skin-predominant dermatomyositis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University hospital outpatient dermatology referral center. Patients Medical records of 91 outpatients with adult-onset dermatomyositis seen between May 26, 2006, and May 25, 2009, were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of ILD on thin-slice chest computed tomographic (CT) scans and DLCO. RESULTS: Of the 71 patients with dermatomyositis who had CT or DLCO data, 16 (23%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13%-33%) had ILD as defined by CT results [corrected]. All patients with ILD had a reduced DLCO, and the ILD prevalence was not different between patients with skin-predominant dermatomyositis (10 of 35 [29% ]) and those with classic dermatomyositis (6 of 36 [17% ]) (P = .27). Eighteen of 71 patients with dermatomyositis (25%; 95% CI, 15%-36%) (7 of 35 [20%] with skin-predominant dermatomyositis; 11 of 36 [31%] with classic dermatomyositis; P = .41) had a low DLCO in the absence of CT findings showing ILD. The prevalence of malignant disease was higher in patients with classic dermatomyositis than in those with skin-predominant dermatomyositis (P = .02), and no patients with skin-predominant dermatomyositis had internal malignant disease. CONCLUSIONS: Radiologic ILD and isolated DLCO reductions, which may signify early ILD or pulmonary hypertension, are common in dermatology outpatients with both classic and skin-predominant dermatomyositis. Because DLCO testing is both inexpensive and sensitive for pulmonary disease, it may be appropriate to screen all patients with dermatomyositis with serial DLCO measurements and base further testing on DLCO results.

Mycophenolate mofetil for interstitial lung disease in dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience using mycophenolate mofetil as first-line treatment for dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease. METHODS: We examined the medical records of all 16 dermatomyositis patients with interstitial lung disease seen in our outpatient university hospital dermatology clinic between May 26, 2006, and May 25, 2009. In this retrospective case series, we describe the clinical course of the 4 patients with definitive evidence of interstitial lung disease on radiologic imaging who were treated with mycophenolate mofetil and had pulmonary data available to document their outcome. All of the patients also received prednisone. RESULTS: All 3 patients with at least 1 year of followup receiving mycophenolate mofetil experienced complete normalization of pulmonary function tests (including diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide) and resolution of dyspnea. They were also able to reduce their prednisone doses. The only patient with pre- and posttreatment chest computed tomography imaging had total resolution of her interstitial opacities. The patient with only 5 months of posttreatment followup experienced an improvement in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide from 44% to 77% predicted, but no change in dyspnea. CONCLUSION: These promising data indicate that mycophenolate mofetil may be a useful therapy for interstitial lung disease in patients with dermatomyositis, but larger studies are needed to more definitively evaluate the role of this medication in therapy.

Cutaneous lupus and the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index instrument.

This article provides an overview of cutaneous lupus erythematosus, including classification schemes, disease subtypes, and therapy. It also describes the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index, a novel clinical outcome instrument that quantifies cutaneous activity and damage in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

A randomized, double-blind comparison of the total dose of 1.0% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine versus 0.5% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine required for effective local anesthesia during Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancers.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare total lidocaine dose and patient comfort when using 1.0% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine versus 0.5% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine during Mohs micrographic surgery. METHODS: In all, 149 patients were randomized to receive 1.0% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine or 0.5% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine during Mohs micrographic surgery. The total dose of lidocaine and measures of patient comfort were recorded. RESULTS: Compared with the 1.0% lidocaine group, there was a 52% reduction in lidocaine dose in the 0.5% group (mean difference, 147.85 mg; 95% confidence interval, 108.15-187.55; P < .001). Patient comfort was equivalent in both groups, as evidenced by the similar mean visual analog scale scores (P = .48) and mean volumes of rescue lidocaine administered (P = .18). LIMITATIONS: No lidocaine blood levels were measured, and one Mohs surgeon performed all surgeries. CONCLUSION: The dose of 0.5% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine provides pain control equivalent to 1.0% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine at approximately half the total lidocaine dose.

Role of DNA replication and repair in thymineless death in Escherichia coli.

Inhibition of DNA replication with hydroxyurea during thymine starvation of Escherichia coli shows that active DNA synthesis is not required for thymineless death (TLD). Hydroxyurea experiments and thymine starvation of lexA3 and uvrA DNA repair mutants rule out unbalanced growth, the SOS response, and nucleotide excision repair as explanations for TLD.