Evaluation of safety and efficacy of topical 4% nicotinamide in treatment of psoriasis; among a representative sample of Egyptians (an analytical observational study).

To assess and evaluate the efficacy and safety of nicotinamide 4% topical formulation for the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis. This study was conducted on 60 patients aged 18-65 years, with mild to moderate psoriasis vulgaris. Nicotinamide 4% in a cold cream base was used twice daily for 12 weeks. Nicotinamide 4% topical treatment shows satisfactory results, more in males than in females. Some patients report disturbing irritation (burning, itching, and redness) upon the usage of topical nicotinamide treatment and were advised to wash out the treated area after 1 h of cream application, which solved the issue. No other adverse effects of treatment were reported by patients during the study period. Unicentral base, a limited amount of sample size, and 12 weeks duration of therapy and follow-up period, which may not be sufficient to demonstrate the complete therapeutic properties and side effects of using nicotinamide as a long-term treatment for psoriasis. This study reveals statistically reliable evidence of the positive impact of topical 4% nicotinamide preparation used alone on the treatment of psoriasis with minimal side effects. Thus, we can conclude that topical nicotinamide preparation may be a good adjuvant to the current treatment regimens used alone or alternate currently used topical therapeutical regimens if used in combination.

Comparison between 308-nm excimer light alone versus 308-nm excimer light and platelet-rich plasma in the treatment for localized vitiligo.

BACKGROUND: Monochromatic excimer light (MEL) is a safe and effective treatment for localized stable vitiligo. Previous reports of the combination of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) or excimer laser yielded conflicting results. AIMS: This prospective, self-controlled, randomized, comparative study aimed to assess whether the addition of PRP to MEL therapy would be of an additive benefit in the treatment for localized stable vitiligo. Patients/Methods The current study included 36 patients with at least 2 more or less symmetrical patches of localized stable vitiligo (72 patches). For each patient, each of the 2 vitiligo patches was randomly assigned to receive either MEL therapy (twice weekly) with bi-weekly intradermal PRP (group A) or MEL therapy alone (group B) for a maximum of 4 months or till complete repigmentation. The degree of repigmentation was categorized as absent (0%), poor (1-25%), moderate (26-50%), good (51-75%), or excellent (>75%). Patients were asked about their level of satisfaction (not satisfied at all, partially satisfied, satisfied, or completely satisfied). Side effects were recorded, and follow-up for 3 months was done. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed between the 2 groups regarding the degree of repigmentation, the patients' level of satisfaction, and the frequency of side effects (p = 0.504, 0.490, and 0.912, respectively). At the end of the follow-up period, recurrence was observed in only 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed no statistically significant difference between using MEL alone or with intradermal PRP in the treatment for localized stable vitiligo.

Superficial Morphea: Clinicopathological Characteristics and a Novel Therapeutic Outcome to Excimer Light Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Superficial morphea (SM) is an uncommon entity that was described in the literature without definitive correlation to localized scleroderma (LS) or other atrophoderma diseases. AIM: To demonstrate the clinicopathological features of SM and evaluate the efficacy of different therapeutic modalities in its management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 28 patients with SM were studied during the period from 2010 to 2015. Clinicopathological features and therapeutic outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Clinically, SM was predominant in females (71.4%) with an average onset at 33 years of age and an average duration of 15 months. It was commonly presented as asymptomatic, darkly pigmented, and multiple and slightly indurated patches. The lesions were mostly ill-defined, large-sized, and located more on the trunk. Histologically, thickening of collagen fibers was observed either localized to the papillary dermis only (38.9%) or extended into the upper reticular dermis (61.1%). Elastic fibers were generally diminished in the upper reticular dermis while the number of fibroblasts and basal melanin pigmentation were increased in the majority of cases (92.9% and 96.4%, respectively). The most commonly associated diseases were diabetes mellitus (50%) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (42.8%), and their incidence was significantly higher than that in patients with LS. Excimer light showed promising effective results in the treatment of most cases (78.9%) while the response to other modalities such as topical corticosteroid alone or in combination with tacrolimus or treatment with UVA1 alone was less effective (7.1%, 23.1%, and 5%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our results proposed that SM is a distinctive clinicopathological variant and not a stage in the spectrum of LS. The novel response of SM to excimer light and not for UVA1 therapy also suggests the different therapeutic outcome of SM from LS. Although SM has a significant association with DM and HCV infection, they seem not to affect the course of the disease.

Clinicopathologic, immunophenotyping and cytogenetic analysis of Sweet syndrome in Egyptian patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Sweet syndrome (SS) is an uncommon dermatologic disorder that could be associated with hematologic malignancies. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinicopathologic, immunophenotyping and cytogenetic characteristics of SS in Egyptian patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: The study was conducted during the period from April 2011 to March 2015. For each patient, a clinical evaluation and histological assessment of cutaneous lesions were recorded. Diagnostic investigations, immunophenotyping and cytogenetic features of leukemia were analyzed. Therapeutic monitoring and follow up of both diseases were registered. RESULTS: The study included 13 patients (7 males and 6 females) with a mean age of 44.4±17.49years. Fever was recorded in 10 cases and most of the lesions (61.5%) appeared during the post remission period. Clinically, the lesions were more frequently located on the extremities (61.5%), presented as solitary lesion (53.8%) and mostly tender (69.2%). Atypical presentations were observed in 5 cases and included ulcerative lesion, indurated mass and a gangrenous mass. Histological assessment revealed two patterns of inflammatory reactions described as classic (dermal) form (38.5%) and deep (subcutaneous) form (61.5%). Laboratory investigations showed leukocytosis in 61.5%, neutropenia in 38.5%, anaemia in 92.3%, and thrombocytopenia in 84.6%. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy showed suppressed trilineage hematopoesis in 84.6% and blast cell count >50% in 69.2%. The common subtypes of AML included M2 and M4 (23.1% for each). Cytogenetic studies revealed genetic abnormalities in 69.2% of cases. Most of the cases (76.9%) showed a poor response to oral prednisolone but responded well to alternative therapies, including dapsone, colchicine and cyclosporine. CONCLUSION: Sweet syndrome associated with AML may show atypical clinical forms that have an aggressive course and is mostly associated with subcutaneous involvement. Although chemotherapy of AML may play a significant role in the development of SS, the exact mechanism remains unclear. The disease is considered a steroid refractory and genetic abnormalities may have a role in altering the classic nature of the disease.

Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides in Egyptian patients.

Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides (HMF) is uncommon clinical variant that was commonly observed in dark-skinned individuals. We described the clinical characteristics, pathological features, immunohistochemical profile and prognosis of HMF in Egyptian patients. During the period from January 2004 to December 2011, we were able to diagnose and follow up 27 patients with HMF. The study included 18 males (66.7%) and 9 females (33.3%) with a mean age of 35.39 ±13.13 years. The duration ranged from 1 to 6 years with a mean of 3.26 ±1.7 years. The majority of patients were skin type IV (63%) and presented with multiple (88.9%), asymptomatic (74.1%), ill-defined (70.4%) and non-scaly (77.8%) lesions distributed on the trunk (81.5%). Histologically, epidermotropic lymphocytes were observed in 100%, basal alignment of lymphocytes in 81.5%, Pautrier's microabscesses in 29% and folliculotropism in 18.5%. Immunostaining showed predominance of epidermal CD8+ cells in 51.9% while in 29.6% CD4+ cells were predominant. Phototherapy was effective in 86.7% of patients with success rate 66.7% of narrow band (NB) ultraviolet-B and 80% of psoralen ultraviolet-A. HMF among Egyptians could be classified as non-aggressive epidermotropic cytotoxic CD8+ variant. It is common among middle age males with skin type IV and mostly well respond to phototherapy.