Does influenza subtype H1N1 have a place in the etiology of pityriasis rosea?

INTRODUCTION: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute, inflammatory skin disease of unknown cause. Various infectious agents including viruses have been proposed as causative agents and presence of influenza subtype H1N1 was shown in case reports with PR, but the relation was not conclusive. We hypothesited that there may be a relation between PR and H1N1, since both of them are prevalent in the same period as winter or season transitions. AIM: To investigate the effect of the H1N1 virus in PR in this study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-one female and 12 male PR patients who applied to Kirikkale University Faculty of Medicine Hospital Dermatology Outpatient Clinic were included in the study. Influenza subtype H1N1 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in sera of patients; tissue biopsy specimens were examined for influenza subtype H1N1 RNA by PCR. RESULTS: Seven (23%) of the 33 patients had positive IgM and IgG antibodies. Influenza subtype H1N1 RNA was not detected in the tissue samples of 33 PR patients. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, we can say that influenza subtype H1N1 does not play a role in PR etiology.

Clinical significance of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in malignant melanoma.

PURPOSE: Nutrition and inflammation play a crucial role in the development of cancer. The prognostic value of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been confirmed in some types of human cancers. However, few studies are available indicating its prognostic power in patients with malignant melanoma (MM). Thus, we aimed to identify baseline peripheral blood biomarkers to predict the outcome of MM patients MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data of 101 patients with MM were evaluated retrospectively. Associations between clinical and histopathological parameters with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared by the log-rank test. The optimal cutoff values were determined by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and PNI were grouped based on a cutoff points 2.18, 547.1, and 40.1, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess their prognostic values for overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Lower NLR ( < 2.18), SII ( < 547.1) and higher PNI ( ≥ 40.1) were linked with a longer PFS and OS in patients with MM, as reflected in the Kaplan-Meier analyses. In univariate analysis, TNM stage, Breslow thickness, Clark stage, ulceration, Ki67 status, LDH, NLR, SII, and PNI were significantly associated with OS. Multivariate analysis identified TNM stage, ulceration, LDH and PNI as an independent predictor of OS in patients with MM. CONCLUSION: PNI can be regarded as a novel independent prognostic factor for predicting OS in MM.

Treatment of multiple eccrine hidrocystoma with oral isotretinoin following erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser.

Eccrine hidrocystomes (EH) are benign cystic tumors of dermal eccrine ducts. There is still no gold standard treatment option for EH because of the large number of lesions, the risk of cicatrization and the different treatment options offered. We offer combined oral isotretinoin and following erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser treatment as an alternative treatment option in difficult patients with EH.

Hughes-Stovin Syndrome as an Outcome of Behçet Disease or as a Different Entity.

Hughes-Stovin syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown etiology. Although the association between multiple pulmonary artery aneurysms and venous thrombosis of the lower limbs was reported by Beattie and Hall in 1911, it was not until 1962 that the eponym "Hughes-Stovin syndrome" was formally introduced in the medical literature. We describe 2 patients with Hughes-Stovin syndrome who presented with pulmonary artery aneurysm, thrombophlebitis, hemoptysis, and oral ulcers, review the manifestations of the disease, and compare its similarities with and differences from Behçet disease.

Macroglossia as a presenting feature of multiple myeloma.

Macroglossia has been very rarely reported as a first clinical sign of multiple myeloma.

The investigation of antimicrobial peptides expression and its related interaction with methotrexate treatment in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory and immune-mediated disease. Recently, the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as human beta defensins (hBDs) in the pathogenesis of psoriasis has been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the expression profiles of hBD-1 and hBD-2 in psoriatic skin before and after methotrexate (MTX) therapy and to compare healthy controls. METHODS: Immunohistochemical expressions of hBD-1 and hBD-2 were assessed in 16 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 20 normal skin biopsies from healthy controls. The patients were administered a 12 week of MTX and skin biopsy samples were obtained from the lesional skin of the patients pre-/posttreatment and normal body of the healthy controls. RESULTS: The median (range) Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) value was 21.6 (8.2-27.7) before the treatment whereas; 3.05 (1-23.4) after the treatment. hBD-1 expression in psoriasis patients was significantly higher as compared to the healthy controls before treatment (p < 0.01). No significant difference was observed between psoriasis patients and healthy controls in terms of hBD-2 expression before treatment (p > 0.05). No significant difference was observed between before-after MTX treatment in terms of hBD-1 and hBD-2 expression levels in psoriasis patients (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a role for hBD-1 in psoriasis pathogenesis. But MTX treatment does not affect on hBD-1 and hBD-2 expressions. Further studies are needed to assess the roles of these AMPs in psoriasis etiopathogenesis.

Management of a Recurrent Pyogenic Granuloma of the Inferior Lip with Pulsed Dye Laser: A Case Report.

Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a common, acquired, benign vascular reactive proliferation. This article presents the unique and successful pulsed dye laser treatment of a labial PG on a 60-year-old patient.

Signet-ring Cells in the Skin: A Case of Late-onset Cutaneous Metastasis of Gastric Carcinoma and a Brief Review of Histological Approach.

Up to 10% of patients with visceral malignancies develop skin metastases during their clinical course and these metastases constitute about 2% of all skin cancers. Skin metastasis may be the first sign of a clinically silent visceral cancer or represent recurrence of an internal malignancy. In both situations, they are associated with poor prognosis, which can partly be attributed to underdiagnosis. In this paper, a case of relapsing gastric adenocarcinoma, which manifested itself as asymptomatic cutaneous papules and nodules on a patient's head and neck, is reported and histopathological approach to the cutaneous lesions containing signet-ring cell is briefly reviewed.