Coexistence of onychomycosis and nail psoriasis and its correlation with systemic treatment.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies indicate that onychomycosis may affect up to 79% of psoriatic patients. Onychomycosis in psoriatic patients is more commonly caused by yeasts comparing with non-psoriatic. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the prevalence of fungi in nail psoriasis. Evaluate the association between direct mycological examination (DME) and mycological culture, Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) and systemic treatment for psoriasis. METHODS: Of 133 nails from 20 patients with nail psoriasis were evaluated as follows: 9 patients were using topical treatment and 11 were on systemic treatment. The assessment of psoriasis severity using NAPSI was performed in all psoriatic nails. The presence of fungi was confirmed in DME and culture. RESULTS: DME showed the presence of fungal elements in 45 nails (33.83%) with a predominance of blastoconidia (95.5%) No septate hyphae were seen. Mycological culture was positive in 36 (27.06%) samples. Among them, Candida grew in 31 (86.1%): Candida parapsilosis in 15 (48.38%), Candida spp in 14 (45.16%). No growth of dermatophytes was observed. Patients with systemic treatment showed a higher frequency of positive test (DME and culture) for fungi when compared to topic treatment (p:.006). There was a positive correlation between NAPSI, mycological culture and systemic treatment (p:.0063); the risk was four times higher (OR:4.0). LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: Sample size. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with some previous reports, Candida was the fungus with higher frequency on the psoriatic nails, however, the role of these fungi is controversial (contamination x colonisation x infection). The fact that the immunosuppressive treatment increases the chance of fungal infection leads us to a greater attention to this patient profile, to prevent the intensification of nail psoriasis (Köbner phenomenon).

Basal cell carcinoma arising on a verrucous epidermal nevus: a case report.

We report a case of basal cell carcinoma that appeared from an epidermal verrucous nevus in a 61-year-old patient. The onset of basal cell carcinoma in sebaceous nevi, basal cell nevi and dysplastic nevi is relatively common, but it is rarely associated with epidermal verrucous nevi. There is no consensus on whether the two lesions have a common cellular origin or whether they merely represent a collision of two distinct tumors. Since this association - as with other malignant tumors - is rare, there is no need for prophylactic removal of epidermal verrucous nevi.

Granulomatous reaction to red tattoo pigment treated with allopurinol.

Granulomatous reactions to tattoo ink are most commonly associated with mercury sulfide, a component of red pigments. Treatment options show limited results. Allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, has been reported as a successful alternative treatment to granulomatous disorders, such as sarcoidosis and granulomatous reactions to fillers and tattoos. We report a case of granulomatous reaction to red tattoo pigment treated with allopurinol for 6 months. Good clinical improvement could be noticed during this time. Two months after we stopped the treatment, the lesion recurred. Allopurinol emerges as an important drug for the management of granulomatous reactions caused by tattoo pigments. Based on the significant clinical improvement noticed during its use, we recommend new studies to elucidate all the potential benefits of the use of allopurinol for the treatment of granulomatous reactions to tattoo ink.

Miliary osteoma cutis: a case report.

The authors present a rare case of osteoma cutis miliaris and briefly update the current knowledge about its clinic, pathogenesis, and therapeutic options.

Sporotrichosis with bone involvement: an alert to an occupational disease.

Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic mycosis caused by a fungus of the genus Sporothrix, which is found in soil. It can be acquired by trauma to the skin. Bone and joint lesions are very rare. The city of Rio de Janeiro is undergoing an epidemic transmitted by cats, and this should be an alert for the risk to professionals in contact with these animals. The patient was a veterinarian who developed occupational sporotrichosis with osteoarticular involvement transmitted by a cat during a consultation.