Adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma syndrome-the clue to early diagnosis of polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes: A case series and literature review.

Importance: Adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma syndrome is a paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by a cutaneous vascular patch overlying a plasmacytoma and systemic manifestations. It is thought to be an early stage of polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes syndrome, which is a rare, but potentially fatal multisystemic disease that is associated with plasma cell dyscrasia. Thus, a high index of suspicion is required to identify patients with adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma as they may present with early polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes, which is curable if detected early. Objective: To report additional cases of adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma syndrome, describe dermatoscopic and histologic findings of the cutaneous patch and review all up to date literature on adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma syndrome. Design: Case series from a single tertiary care center. Participants: Here, we present the second case series of three patients with adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma syndrome who all meet the diagnostic criteria for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes. The diagnosis was suspected based on the presence of the violaceous cutaneous patch along with symptoms of systemic involvement (fatigue, weight loss, weakness). Dermoscopy revealing regular dilated parallel capillaries was suggestive of a benign/reactive vascular process. Histopathology in all three cases showed reactive vascular proliferation with a characteristic 90° branching. To date only 20 cases of adenopathy and extensive skin patch overlying plasmacytoma have been published, including ours. All patients presented with cutaneous lesions (violaceous patch and others) and most, at least 15/20, met the diagnostic criteria for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes. When clinical follow-up was reported, most patients had a favorable prognosis with partial or complete symptom resolution following treatment of the underlying plasmocytoma.

International registry of dermatological manifestations secondary to COVID-19 infection in 347 Hispanic patients from 25 countries.

BACKGROUND: The infection by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with multiple cutaneous manifestations, although characterization of them in Hispanic patients with darker skin phototypes is lacking. The objective of this study is to characterize the clinical dermatological manifestations associated with COVID-19 infection in cases with few or without general symptoms in patients from Latin America. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using a questionnaire that was made for health professionals (physicians with a specialty in dermatology) to investigate dermatological lesions associated with COVID-19 infection in patients from 25 countries of Latin America. The survey was active from June 9 to July 30, 2020. RESULTS: In this study, information was collected from a total of 347 patients. We found a female gender predominance: 179/347 (51.6%). The mean age at presentation was 40.87 years. The most frequent dermatological manifestations were maculopapular rash and urticarial lesions, followed by papulovesicular lesions, vesicular lesions, chilblain-like lesions, papular lesions, ecchymosis, petechial purpura, pityriasis rosea-like lesions, pruritus, palmoplantar dysesthesias, transient livedo, acral necrosis, palpable purpura, livedo racemosa, and retiform purpura. As far as we know, there are no previous reports of pruritus and palmoplantar dysesthesias. CONCLUSIONS: This registry emphasizes skin manifestations as an important criterion for establishing the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection in Latin American countries. This information will be useful for the early identification of suspected cases by health professionals (dermatologists and nondermatologists) and will allow contact tracing to mitigate the impact on health systems at different levels.

The CILAD, a model of an international dermatologic society, united by geographic, linguistic, and cultural nexus.

The Ibero Latin American College of Dermatology, CILAD, the largest dermatologic organization in the region, was established in 1948 during the course of the V International Congress of Leprosy held in Havana, Cuba. Constituted in its beginning with fewer than 100 dermatologists from nine countries, its growth has been exponential, reaching now around 4000 members spread throughout Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and other regions of the world. In recent years, academic activity has been intense, such as the development of several institutional programs, like its community health care program, designed for geographic areas lacking dermatologic care in the Latin American region. This contribution presents a review of its history, noting the dermatologists and personalities who ennoble the institution. The multiple areas of interest of this growing dermatologic organization are described, and the projections toward the future are discussed.

Eruptive disseminated pyogenic granulomas following lightning injury.

BACKGROUND: Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a common benign acquired vascular tumor. It classically presents as a solitary friable nodule on the face or distal extremities. Disseminated eruption is rare and can occur spontaneously or secondary to various triggers, including burn injury. To date, the literature reports only 13 cases of eruptive PGs following burn injury, most from exposure to boiling milk or water. We report the first case of disseminated eruptive PGs following a lightning injury. CASE: A 17-year-old previously healthy boy developed second- and third-degree burns following lightning injury. Two weeks later, he developed widespread dark-purple polypoid exophytic tumors ranging from 1 to 10 cm in diameter extending beyond the limits of the initial burn injury. The lesions were friable and often formed erosions and crusts. The patient was otherwise well and laboratory and microbiological investigations were normal. Excisional biopsy of a lesion was diagnostic of PG and the patient was treated with surgical excision of the lesions, without recurrence. CONCLUSION: The exact pathogenesis of multiple PGs remains unknown. Several pathogenic mechanisms have been suggested, including production of angiogenic factors that stimulate endothelial proliferation and formation of minute arteriovenous fistulas by trauma.

Cutaneous gnathostomiasis: report of 6 cases with emphasis on histopathological demonstration of the larva.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous gnathostomiasis is an emerging food-borne parasitic zoonosis. Histopathological demonstration of the larva on random biopsy specimen of erythematous plaques is infrequent because of its migrating nature. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether medical treatment with albendazole or ivermectin increases the diagnostic yield of skin biopsy specimen. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted in a private dermatology practice in Lima, Peru. Cases with a clinical diagnosis of nodular migratory panniculitis and pathological diagnosis of eosinophilic panniculitis or gnathostomiasis were reviewed. Only cases with definitive diagnosis confirmed by histopathology or parasite isolation were included in the study. RESULTS: A definitive diagnosis of gnathostomiasis was rendered in 6 of 55 reviewed cases. Histopathological or gross identification of the nematode's larva was made obtaining a biopsy specimen of papules or pseudofuruncles that developed after oral antiparasitic treatment. LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective case series study and no serologic testing was available. CONCLUSION: Biopsy of a papule or pseudofuruncle subsequent to oral treatment increases the likelihood of demonstrating the larva on skin biopsy specimen, which allows definitive diagnosis and may have therapeutic benefit.

Discovering mammography-based machine learning classifiers for breast cancer diagnosis.

This work explores the design of mammography-based machine learning classifiers (MLC) and proposes a new method to build MLC for breast cancer diagnosis. We massively evaluated MLC configurations to classify features vectors extracted from segmented regions (pathological lesion or normal tissue) on craniocaudal (CC) and/or mediolateral oblique (MLO) mammography image views, providing BI-RADS diagnosis. Previously, appropriate combinations of image processing and normalization techniques were applied to reduce image artifacts and increase mammograms details. The method can be used under different data acquisition circumstances and exploits computer clusters to select well performing MLC configurations. We evaluated 286 cases extracted from the repository owned by HSJ-FMUP, where specialized radiologists segmented regions on CC and/or MLO images (biopsies provided the golden standard). Around 20,000 MLC configurations were evaluated, obtaining classifiers achieving an area under the ROC curve of 0.996 when combining features vectors extracted from CC and MLO views of the same case.

Manifestaciones cutáneas de pacientes en hemodiálisis crónica intermitente (HDCI) en 3 centros de Lima Metropolitana / Cutaneous manifestations of patients who are in intermittent chronic hemodialysis (ICHD) in 3 centers of metropolitan Lima

Objetivo: Describir la frecuencia y características de las manifestaciones cutáneas de pacientes en HDCI y su asociación con variables demográficas, clínicas, de laboratorios e impacto en calidad de vida. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo y transversal. Se revisaron las historias clínicas, se realizó un examen físico dermatológico y aplicó la encuesta SF36. Resultados: Todos tuvieron al menos una manifestación cutánea atribuida a enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) y/o HDCI. Los cambios más frecuentes fueron: alteraciones en la pigmentación (100%), alteraciones ungueales (85%), prurito y xerosis (ambos 68%). En alteraciones ungueales: onicolisis (23%), uñas mitad y mitad (16%) y estrías longitudinales (15%). En cambios en cabello: cabello fino, opaco y quebradizo (20%) y alopecia difusa (18%). El prurito y la xerosis fueron más frecuentes en diabéticos y pacientes de edad promedio mayor. Las alteraciones ungueales estuvieron asociadas a diabetes y el cambio más frecuente fue onicolisis. La calidad de vida mental fue menor en pacientes con prurito. Conclusión. Todos los pacientes en HDCI tienen al menos una manifestación cutánea. El prurito y la xerosis fueron el síntoma y el signo más importantes, relacionados uno con el otro, diabetes y edad. Además el prurito se asoció a reducción en la calidad de vida mental.

Objective: To describe the frequency and characteristics of the cutaneous manifestations of HDCI patients and its association with demographic, clinical, laboratory and impact on quality of life. Methods: Descriptive and transversal. We reviewed the medical records, physical examination was performed and applied dermatological SF36 survey. Results: all had at least one cutaneous manifestation attributed to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or HDCI. The most frequent changes were alterations in pigmentation (100%), nail changes (85%), pruritus and xerosis (both 68%). Changes in nails: onycholysis (23%), half and half nail (16%), longitudinal grooves (15%). Changes in hair: fine hair, dull and brittle (20%), alopecia (18%). Xerosis and pruritus were more frequent in diabetic patients, and average age older. The nail changes were associated with diabetes and onycholysis was the most frequent change. The quality of mental life was lower in patients with pruritus. Conclusion: All patients in HDCI have at least one skin manifestation. Pruritus and xerosis were the most important symptom and sign, related to each other diabetes and age. Besides pruritus associated with reduced quality of mental life.

Enfermedad del suero / Serum sickness

La enfermedad del suero es una enfermedad alérgica rara que se produce por la administración de material antigénico exógeno. Históricamente causada por suero heterólogo; corresponde a una reacción de hipersensibilidad tipo III mediada por depósitos de complejos inmunes circulantes en los pequeños vasos sanguíneos, la cual induce la activación del complemento y subsecuente inflamación. Las características clínicas son fiebre, erupción cutánea, artralgias y linfadenopatías, pudiendo llegar a producir glomerulonefritis o compromiso de otro órgano. Presentamos el caso de un paciente que desarrolló enfermedad del suero posterior a la administración de suero antiofídico.

Serum sickness is a rare allergic disease, produced by the administration of exogenous antigenic material. Historically caused by heterologous serum, it corresponds to a type III hypersensitivity reaction mediated by deposits of circulating immune complexes in small blood vessels, which induces complement activation and subsequent inflammation. Clinical features are fever, rash, arthralgia and lymphadenopathy; this pathology may lead to glomerulonephritis or other organ involvement. We report a patient who developed serum sickness after antivenom administration.

Leishmaniasis cutánea zosteriforme: reporte de un caso / Zosteriform cutaneous leishmaniasis: report of a case

La leishmaniasis cutánea es una enfermedad por protozoarios muy común en nuestro país, causada por diferentes especies de Leishmania. La presentación clínica tipo nódulo y pápula es la más común, aunque también se reportan variantes clínicas poco frecuentes. Las lesiones inusuales se atribuyen a alteraciones en la respuesta del huésped y a la cepa del parásito involucrado. Se reporta el caso de un paciente quien presentó compromiso en la región frontal, unilateral, con histopatología confirmatoria de leishmaniasis cutánea; lo cual ha sido descrito en la literatura como leishmaniasis cutánea variedad zosteriforme y es una forma poco frecuente de presentación.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a common protozoal disease very common in our country, caused by several species of Leishmania. The usual clinical presentations are the nodular and papular types, but rare variants have also been reported. Unusual lesions are attributed to alterations in host response and to an atypical strain of parasites involved. We report the case of a patient with unilateral compromise of the forehead with confirmatory histopathology of cutaneous leishmaniasis, which has been described in the literature as zosteriform type cutaneous leishmaniasis and is a rare form of presentation.

Sarcoidosis: síndrome de Lõfgren / Sarcoidosis: LõfgrenÆs syndrome

La sarcoidosis es una enfermedad sistémica, inmunológica y de etiología desconocida, caracterizada por la presencia de granulomas no caseificantes. Todos los tejidos pueden verse afectados, pero el órgano que se daña con más frecuencia es el pulmón, seguido de los ganglios linfáticos, piel, ojos, aparato locomotor y sistema nervioso. Habitualmente tiene un curso agudo o subagudo que suele remitir, pero puede ser crónico, progresivo y dejar graves secuelas. El diagnóstico se basa en la combinación de datos clínicos, radiológicos e histológicos, junto con la exclusión de otras afecciones granulomatosas. El síndrome de Lõfgren es una presentación aguda de sarcoidosis, caracterizada por la presencia de artritis, artralgia, eritema nodoso y linfadenopatías. Se presenta el caso de una paciente joven con clínica compatible con síndrome de Lõfgren.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic and immunologic disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the presence of noncaseating granulomas. Any tissue can be affected, but the lung is the most frequently compromised organ, followed by lymph nodes, skin, eyes, musculoskeletal and nervous system. Usually it has an acute or subacute course that heals itself, but it may also have a chronic and progressive course, causing serious consequences. Diagnosis is based on the combination of clinical, radiological and histological studies, along with the exclusion of other granulomatosus diseases. LõfgrenÆs syndrome is an acute presentation of sarcoidosis, characterized by the presence of arthritis, arthralgia, erythema nodosum and lymphadenopathy.

Queratoacantomas múltiples: un reto diagnóstico y terapéutico / Multiple keratoacanthoma: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

El queratoacantoma (QA) es una neoplasia cutánea que por lo usual remite espontáneamente. Muchos queratoacantomas son solitarios pero también se conocen las formas múltiples: del tipo Ferguson Smith, QA eruptivos, QA múltiples persistentes, QA en el síndrome de Muir-Torre y QA centrifugum marginatum, entre otros. Se reporta el caso de una estudiante mujer de 20 años, sin antecedentes patológicos de importancia, que presentó lesiones nodulares de base eritematosa y centro costroso en ambas piernas, de tres meses de evolución. Dada la clínica e histopatología compatible se realizó el diagnóstico de queratoacantomas múltiples recibiendo diferentes tratamientos sin éxito, para finalmente responder a acitretin en una dosis de 0.5mg/kg/día, con involución de las lesiones después de cuatro semanas.

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a cutaneous neoplasm that usually heals spontaneously. Most KA lesions are unique, but there can also occur as multiple lesions: Ferguson Smith type KA, eruptive KA, multiple persistent KA, KA in Muir-Torre syndrome, and KA centrifugum marginatum, among others. We report the case of a 20 year-old female student, with no significant previous medical history, who presented nodular lesions with erythematous base and crusted center in both legs, for the past three months. Given both the clinical and histological evidence, a diagnosis of multiple keratoacanthomas was made. The patient received different treatments without success until acitretin was administered at a dose of 0.5mg/kg/day, with involution of lesions after four weeks.

Leishmaniasis cutánea difusa transformada por corticoides / Cutaneous leishmaniasis diffuse transformed by corticoids

Las leishmaniasis cutáneas son un grupo de enfermedades parasitarias con gran polimorfismo clínico, producidas por protozoarios del género Leishmania; los cuales son transmitidos al hombre por la picadura de un mosquito (Lutzomia). El Perú sigue siendo una zona endémica, por lo que se presenta el caso de un paciente cuya enfermedad tuvo una evolución prolongada, con cuadro clínico atípico, el cual fue modificado por el uso de corticoides. El caso constituyó un reto diagnóstico, que requirió del estudio histopatológico de las lesiones, donde se observaron múltiples macrófagos vacuolados conteniendo amastigotes de Leishmania. El paciente recibió tratamiento con anfotericin B con remisión del cuadro.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease with great clinical polymorphism, caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of mosquito (Lutzomia). Peru remains an endemic area, and for that reason we present the case of a patient whose disease had a prolonged course, with atypical clinical picture sintomatology, which was modified by the use of corticosteroids. The case was a diagnostic challenge, requiring the histopathology study of the lesions, which showed multiple vacuolated macrophages containing amastigots of Leishmania. The patient was treated with amphotericin B with remission of the lesions.

Reacción a drogas con eosinofilia y compromiso sistémico (DRESS) / Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome (DRESS)

Desde que se definió la reacción a drogas con eosinofilia y síntomas sistémicos (DRESS) como un síndrome asociado a una gran variedad de medicamentos y de etiología multifactorial, se han reportado numerosos casos. Dicho síndrome cumple con criterios clínicos, alteraciones hematológicas y compromiso sistémico, con una tasa de mortalidad del 10%, secundaria a toxicidad hepática o miocarditis. En nuestro país se encuentra generalmente asociado a fármacos antituberculosos, como es el caso que presentamos a continuación.

Since the drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) was first described as syndrome associated with a variety of medications of diverse etiology, numerous cases have been reported. This syndrome meets clinical, haematological and systemic involvement, with a mortality rate of 10%, secondary to liver toxicity, or myocarditis. In our country it is generally associated with antituberculosis drugs, as is the case presented below.

Hallazgos histopatológicos de los nevus epidérmicos en el Servicio de Patología del Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia y la Clínica Medica Cayetano Heredia en 10 años / Histopathologic features of epidermal nevi from the Pathology Department of Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia and Clínica Médica Cayetano Heredia, in 10 years

Objetivo: describir los hallazgos histopatológicos de los nevus epidérmicos y sus variantes histológicas. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo. Se revisaron las láminas histopatológicas del servicio de patología del Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia y la Clínica Médica Cayetano Heredia desde enero 2001 a diciembre del 2010. Se incluyeron todas aquellas láminas con el diagnóstico de nevus epidérmico. Se empleó el programa Ms Excel versión 7.0 para el análisis descriptivo. Resultados: se recolectaron 188 láminas histológicas. Los hallazgos histológicos más frecuentes de los nevus epidérmicos fueron hiperqueratosis (92.6%), acantosis (90.4%) y papilomatosis (53.2%). Las variantes histopatológicas observadas fueron: patrón con hiperplasia sebácea (39.4%), psoriasiforme (18.6%), clásico (12.2%), verrucoide (11.7%), queratosis seborreica-símil (8.5%), hiperqueratosis epidermolítica (5.3%), acroqueratosis verruciforme-símil (1.6%), poroqueratósico (1.6%), hipergranuloso (0.5%) y disqueratosis acantolítica focal (0.5%). Conclusión: existen diferentes variantes histopatológicas en pacientes con clínica típica de nevus epidérmicos, por lo que el médico patólogo debe estar familiarizado con las características clínicas de los nevus epidérmicos así como conocer sus diferentes variantes histopatológicas para un diagnóstico histopatológico certero.

Aim: to describe the histopathological features of epidermal nevi and its histopathologic variants. Methods: descriptive study. Histopathological slides from the Pathology department from January 2001 to December 2010 were reviewed at the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia and the Clínica Medica Cayetano Heredia. We included all those films with a diagnosis of epidermal nevus. We used the MS Excel version 7.0 forthe descriptive analysis. Results: 188 histological slides were evaluated. The most common histopathological patterns of epidermal nevi were hyperkeratosis (92.6%), acanthosis (90.4%) and papillomatosis (53.2%). Histopathological variants included sebaceous hyperplasia pattern(39.4%), psoriasiform (18.6%), classical (12.2%), verrucoid (11.7%), seborrheic keratosis-like (8.5%), epidermolytic hyperkeratosis (5.3%), acrokerathosis verruciformis-like (1.6%), porokeratotic (1.6%), hypergranulous (0.5%) and focal acantholytic dyskeratosis (0.5%). Conclusion: there are different histopathological variants in patients with clinically typical epidermal nevi; therefore the pathologist should be familiarized with the clinical features of epidermal nevi, as well as its multiple histopathological variants for an accurate diagnosis.

Queratoacantoma centrifugum marginatum: reporte de caso / Keratoacanthoma centrifugum marginatum: a case report

El queratoacantoma centrifugum marginatum es una rara variante de queratoacantoma caracterizado por la presencia de un crecimiento periférico progresivo de la lesión con la concomitante curación del área central del tumor. Se presenta el caso de una paciente mujer de 69 años de edad con un tiempo de enfermedad de tres anos, cuya lesión fue compatible clínica e histológicamente con un queratoacantoma centrifugum marginatum.

Keratoacanthoma centrifugum marginatum is a rare variant of keratoacanthoma, characterized by the presence of a progressive peripheral growth of the lesion with concomitant healing of the central area of the tumor. We report the case of a 69 year old female patient with a lesion for the past three years, which was clinical and histological consistent with a keratoacanthoma centrifugum marginatum

Síndrome de dedos azules asociado a síndrome antifosfolipídico secundario a sífilis / Blue toe syndrome related to antiphospholipidic syndrome secondary to syphillis

El síndrome de dedos azules o fenómeno de acrocianosis, descrito en la literatura, se presenta secundario a una alteración en la vasculatura periférica que puede obedecer a fenómenos inflamatorios o vasculopatías oclusivas, de etiología infecciosa (directa o inmunológica por inmunocomplejos) así como no infecciosa (trastornos de la coagulación, enfermedades autoinmunes primarias o secundarias). Se presenta el caso de un paciente con acrocianosis secundaria a síndrome antifosfolipídico cuya etiología fue la infección por sífilis. El diagnóstico y tratamiento oportuno tuvo un desenlace favorable sin secuelas discapacitantes para el paciente.

Blue toe syndrome or acrocyanosis phenomenon have been previously described in the literature; it is secondary to peripheral vasculature dysfunction due to inflammation or occlusive vasculopathies which can also be secondary to infectious etiologies (directly or immunologically by immunocomplexes) and non infectious etiologies (coagulation disorders, primary or secondary autoimmune diseases). We report the case of a patient with acrocyanosis secondary to antiphospholipidic syndrome which etiology was syphilis. Prompt diagnose and treatment had a favorable outcome without dysfunctional consequences.

Sarna costrosa / Crusted scabies

La sarna costrosa es una forma infrecuente y contagiosa de escabiosis que se caracteriza por la infestación masiva de ácaros en la superficie de la piel. Muy raras veces se ha descrito esta enfermedad en la población general, por lo general asociada a estados de inmunosupresión o trastornos genéticos con alguna inmunodeficiencia como base. Se describe el caso de dos pacientes con sarna costrosa, el primero correspondiente a una mujer portadora de infección por HTLV-1 y el segundo a una paciente con Síndrome Down.

Crusted scabies is a rare and contagious form of scabies characterized by the massive infestation of mites on the surface of the skin. It has been very rarely described in general population, usually associated to immunosuppression and genetic disorders with an immunodeficiency base. We describe the case of two patients with crusted scabies, the first, a woman with HTLV-1 and the second a patient with Down syndrome.

Balamutiasis primaria cutánea / Primary cutaneous balamuthiasis

La balamutiasis primaria cutánea fue descrita por primera vez por Reed como una placa asintomática localizada en zona centro-facial, que en ocasiones puede también presentarse en zonas periféricas como extremidades (generalmente rodilla) o tronco y suele progresar a una lesión infiltrativa que ocasionalmente se ulcera. Tiene un curso clínico imprevisible, ya que puede diseminarse a cerebro en semanas a anos. El tratamiento hasta la fecha no está definido aunque se han ensayando múltiples opciones de acuerdo al escenario clínico. Se presenta el caso de un paciente varón de 46 años de edad aficionado de la jardinería, quien presento lesión en rodilla derecha correspondiente a balamutiasis, la cual respondió favorablemente al tratamiento con miltefosin, itraconazol y albendazol.

Primary cutaneous balamuthiasis was first described by Reed as a centro-facial asymptomatic plaque, which sometimes can also appear in peripheral areas such as extremities (usually knee), or trunk, and often progresses to an infiltrative lesion that occasionally becomes ulcerated. It has an unpredictable clinical course, since it can spread to the brain, in weeks or years. Treatment to date is undefined, although multiple options have been tested according to the clinical setting. We present the case of a male patient aged 46 years, gardening enthusiast, who had a knee injury diagnosed as balamutiasis, and which responded favorably to treatment with miltefosine, itraconazole and albendazole.

Características clínicas y epidemiológicas de la dermatitis de contacto de manos en una clínica médica de la ciudad de Lima, enero 2004 - diciembre 2008 / Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hand contact dermatitis at a clinic in Lima, January 2004 - December 2008

Objetivos: determinar las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los pacientes con dermatitis de contacto en manos diagnosticada en una clínica médica de Lima, así como determinar los alérgenos más frecuentes y relevantes en el grupo de pacientes con dermatitis de contacto alérgica. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo de serie de casos. Se revisaron las fichas clínicas y resultados de pruebas de parche epicutáneo de pacientes atendidos por dermatitis de contacto entre los meses de enero del 2004 y diciembre del 2008 en la clínica médica Cayetano Heredia de la ciudad de Lima. Se recogió información demográfica, clínica y relacionada a la prueba del parche epicutáneo. Resultados: se observó un total de 118 pacientes de 32,5 +/- 15.8 años, 70.3% de sexo femenino, 87.3% presentaban dermatitis de contacto alérgica. Ser ama de casa y estudiante universitario fueron las ocupaciones más frecuentes (22.0% cada una). La media del tiempo de enfermedad fue de 56.8 +/- 7.5 meses, 78% de casos tenían un tiempo de enfermedad mayor a seis meses. El prurito fue el síntoma más frecuente (75.4%), la localización más común fue las palmas (87.3%) y la historia de alergias el antecedente personal más reportado (31.1%). Las sustancias de contacto más frecuentes fueron los detergentes, perfumes y cosméticos. Los cinco alérgenos más frecuentes con la prueba de parche y clínicamente relevantes fueron el sulfato de níquel (61% y 58% respectivamente), dicromato potásico (41.7% y 40.8%), cloruro de cobalto (34% y 33%), mezcla de fragancias a 18% (12.6% y 8.7%) y mezcla de fragancias al 14% (10.7% y 7.8%). Conclusiones: la dermatitis de contacto alérgica fue la forma más frecuente de dermatitis de manos en este estudio. Los alérgenos más relevantes fueron sulfato de níquel...

Objective: to determine the clinical epidemiological characteristics of patients with hand contact dermatitis diagnosed in a clinic in Lima, and to identify the most common and relevant allergens in a group of patients with allergic contact dermatitis. Methods: descriptive case series study. We reviewed clinical charts and results of epicutaneous patch test from patients seen by contact dermatitis between January 2004 and December 2008, at Cayetano Heredia Clinic in Lima. We collected demographic and clinical information and also information related to epicutaneous patch test. Results: we obtained a total of 118 patients with hands contact dermatitis with a media of 32.5 +/- 15.8 years of age, 70.3% were female, and 87.3% had allergic dermatitis. Being a housewife and a college student were the most frequent occupations (22.0% each). The mean disease duration was 56.8 +/- 7.5 months, 78% of cases had disease duration longer than six months. Pruritus was the most common symptom (75.4%). the most common location was the palms (87.3%) and history of allergies most reported personal history (31.1%). The most frequent contact substances were detergents, perfumes and cosmetics. The five most common allergens to the patch test and clinically relevant were nickel sulphate (61% and 58% respectively), potassium dichromate (41.7% and 40.8%), cobalt chloride (34% and 33%), mixed fragrances at 8% (12.6% and 8.7%) and fragrance mix at 14% (10.7% and 7.8%). Conclusions: allergic contact dermatitis was the most common type of hand dermatitis in this study. The most relevant allergens were nickel sulfate, potassium dichromate and cobalt chloride. The most frequent contact substances were detergents, perfumes and cosmetics.

Efecto de la xantopterina en la cicatrización de heridas por quemaduras en ratas / Effect of xanthopterin in burn wound healing in rats

Introducción: La xantopterina es un derivado de las pterinas, pigmento encontrado en insectos y mamíferos, utilizada en el tratamiento de lesiones del epitelio corneal. El objetivo del estudio fue conocer su efecto en el tratamiento de las úlceras por quemaduras en ratas.Material y métodos: Se emplearon 23 ratas Holtzman, a quienes se les produjo quemaduras de 4mm en el dorso depilado, en cuatro regiones distintas. La úlcera del cuadrante superior derecho fue tratada con xantopterina 0.1 por ciento. El cuadrante inferior derecho con xantopterina 0.3 por ciento, y los cuadrantes izquierdos con vaselina. La aplicación de los ungüentos se realizó cada 12 horas por seis días consecutivos, luego de los cuales se procedió al estudio anatomo-patológico de piel. Los tres grupos de estudio dependieron del tratamiento empleado: vaselina, xantopterina 0.1 por ciento y xantopterina 0.3 por ciento. Las variables de respuesta fueron: longitud de reepitelización, formación de fibroplasia yangiogénesis.Resultados: La media de reepitelización en el grupo vaselina fue de 0.33mm, de 0.45mm en el grupo xantopterina 0.1 por ciento y 0.57mm cuando se empleó xantopterina 0.3 por ciento. En el grupo vaselina el 41.3 por ciento completó la fibroplasia, 52.3 por ciento en el de xantopterina 0.1 por ciento y 54.5 por ciento en el de xantopterina 0.3 por ciento. El promedio de nuevos vasos por campo de cinco aumentos fue de 9.85 vasos/campo en el grupo vaselina, 9.57 en el de xantopterina 0.1 por ciento y 16 en el de xantopterina 0.30/0. Se encontró diferencia estadisticamente significativa en la variable reepitelización entre el grupo tratado con xantopterina 0.3 por ciento y el grupo vaselina; igualmente entre xantopterina 0.3 por ciento y los demás grupos en la angiogénesis. No se observaron diferencias en la variable fibroplasia...

Introduction: Xantopterine is a pterines derivate pigment found in insects and mammals, used in the treatment of corneal epithelium lesions. The objective was to study the effect of this molecule in the treatment of burns in rats.Methods: 23 Holtzman rats were used; burn was produced in 4 areas af 4mm each on the previously shaved dorsal area of the animal. The ulcer of the right superior quadrant was treated with xantopterina 0.1 per cent. Likewise, the one in the right inferior quadrant was treated with xantopterine 0.3 per cent, while both left quadrants were treated with vaseline. The application of the ointment was made every 12 hours for six consecutive days, after which a biopsy and the anatomy-pathologic study from the ski n lesions were performed. There were three groups depending on the treatment used: vaseline, Xantopterine 0.1 per cent and Xantopterine 0.3 percent, Response variables were: length of re-epithelialization, fibroplasy formation and angiogenesis. Results: The mean reepithelialization in group vaseline was 0.33mm, 0.45mm in group xanthopterin 0.1 per cent and 0.57mm in xanthopterin 0.3 per cent. In the vaseline group 41.3 per cent completed fibroplasia, 52.3 per cent for xanthopterin 0.1 percent and 54.5 per cent for xanthopterin 0.3 per cent. The average new vessels per field was 9.85 vessels/field in the vaseline group, 9.57 in xanthopterin 0.1 per cent and 16 in the xanthopterin 0.3 per cent. Statistically significant dif¬ference was found in the variable re-epithelialization between the group treated with 0.3 per cent xanthopterin and vaseline group; equally between xanthopterin 0.3 per cent and other groups in angiogenesis. No differences in the variable fibroplasia. Conclusions: Xantopterine has positive effects in the epithelial regeneration after thermal injuries, both in terms of re-epitheliazation as in vascular growth, being the most effective concentration of 0.3 per cent.