Clinical and noninvasive instrumental evaluation of the efficacy of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 8-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream for the treatment of erythema in rosacea.

Rosacea is a very common chronic facial dermatosis characterized by a multiphase evolution. Inflammation is an important reaction in rosacea not only due to inflammatory reactions to cutaneous microorganisms, such as Demodex follicolorum, but also to ultraviolet damage that generates reactive oxygen species. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream for the treatment of mild rosacea by means of noninvasive methods. A total of 24 subjects suffering from erythemato-telangiectatic or mild papulo-pustular rosacea were recruited in the trial. Twelve patients applied an anti-inflammatory cream with 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid twice daily for 20 days and 12 patients, recruited as control, applied the same formulation without 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid. After 10 days of treatment, a significant reduction of erythema was recorded in the patient sample who applied the 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream, the mean change from baseline showed an increase in hydration level of the skin surface but it was not statistically significant. The use of 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid cream can be helpful in managing symptoms and condition of rosacea skin, especially in the management of erythema.

Clear-cell variant of superficial cutaneous leiomyosarcoma associated with RB1 mutation: Clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathological characteristics.

Leiomyosarcoma is a relatively rare soft tissue tumor whose clear-cell variant has only been reported in leiomyosarcomas of the uterus. We report here for the first time a primary cutaneous clear-cell leiomyosarcoma in the trunk skin of a 49-year-old man, characterized by a very indolent clinical and dermoscopic presentation, mimicking a dermatofibroma. Genetic analysis of the otherwise healthy patient revealed a germline mutation in the retinoblastoma 1 gene (RB1); the same mutation was found in his son, who had previously developed retinoblastoma. Moreover, the mother of the patient had died of uterine leiomyosarcoma with clear-cell changes. Mutations in the RB1 gene occur commonly in human neoplasms. In this patient, we were able to link his clear-cell variant of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma with the loss of retinoblastoma protein expression, as revealed by immunohistochemical staining analysis.

Late-Onset Nevus Comedonicus With Follicular Epidermolytic Hyperkeratosis-Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Nevus comedonicus is a rare cutaneous follicular hamartoma, characterized by the clustering of papules with firm, blackened horny buffers. It is usually present at birth or during childhood, although few cases of late-onset disease have been described. We present a case of postmenopausal-onset nevus comedonicus in a 55-year-old white woman without relevant medical history. Skin biopsy showed the typical features of several cyst-dilated follicular structures occupied by keratotic material and the peculiar finding of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis of the follicular epithelial walls. A brief review of the clinical and histological features of other similar cases published in the literature is performed.

Serum levels of functional T-regs in vitiligo: our experience and mini-review of the literature.

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentary skin disorder due to the loss of cutaneous melanocytes or alteration in melanocyte function, affecting over 0.5% of the world population. The exact cause of melanocyte loss in non-segmental vitiligo is still debatable, but many observations have pointed to the main role of cellular immunity. Earlier evidence has shown that depigmenting vitiligo skin is accompanied by CD8+ T cytotoxic lymphocytes infiltrates at the dermal-epidermal junction. Dysregulation of Tregs may be one of the factors that can break tolerance to melanocyte self-antigens and contribute to the pathogenesis of vitiligo. The objectives of the present study were to provide evidence of the presence of a functional defect and decrease of peripheral regulatory T cells in patients affected by vitiligo, supporting the hypothesis of their involvement in the pathogenesis of the disease, opening new possibilities to advance therapeutic approaches.

Gemcitabine-induced extensive skin necrosis.

An 82-year-old woman presented with oedema and extensive necrotic ulcerative lesions on the back side of her lower limbs, emerging after the second cycle of chemotherapy consisting of Gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. The absence of any convincing argument in favor of cardiovascular or autoimmune disease led us to attribute the onset of skin necrosis to chemotherapy administration. Although skin ischemia has also been described as a paraneoplastic syndrome, in this case we could observe a temporal and causal relationship to Gemcitabine infusion. Recently, this drug has been associated with important vascular side effects; its vascular toxicity is in fact higher than previously estimated. To our knowledge, careful attention should be reserved to neoplastic patients candidated to Gemcitabine administration, especially if previously affected by arterial vascular disease, venous thromboembolism, or collagenoses.