Acanthosis nigricans in the pediatric population: a narrative review of the current approach to management in primary care.

Objective: This narrative review aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the current literature of acanthosis nigricans (AN) in the pediatric and adolescent population, including best practices for identifying the condition, with a focus on the recommended management in the primary care setting to enable early and enhanced intervention. Background: AN is frequently seen in obese and overweight children and adolescents. Current research suggests an association with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity, and often primary care physicians are the first point of contact for individuals with this dermatologic condition. However, identifying the condition at an early stage may be difficult. Methods: We identified case and cross-sectional studies, clinical trials, and literature reviews of pediatric AN for ages 0 to 18 years in the United States and internationally. We considered publications for background from before the year 2000 and publications for approach to management from after the year 2000. Conclusions: AN in the pediatric population can be a harbinger for underlying metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. A thorough investigation and appropriate screening of children at risk, with a focus on early identification of the dermatologic condition and its associated comorbidities in the primary care setting, and early treatment is recommended to prevent long term consequences and decrease the risk of cardiovascular complications.

Transporting to treatment: Evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile engagement unit.

BACKGROUND: Substance use treatment providers have increasingly developed novel engagement and low-threshold treatment services (such as mobile treatment units) to meet the needs of people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Use of these service models has outpaced the research on their effectiveness. The current study examines the effectiveness of a mobile engagement unit in connecting individuals with OUD to a treatment program. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 468 Medicaid-enrolled individuals served through a managed care behavioral health system. Analyses used administrative data from 2018 to 2019 to compare the characteristics and service use of individuals transported to an intake appointment by a mobile engagement unit with individuals who arrived through typical referral routes such as walk-in, other providers, and court order. The authors employed a difference-in-differences analysis to adjust for prior service history. The outcomes of interest were any utilization of substance use treatment services. RESULTS: The groups were virtually identical in age and gender, prior to matching, except for race where there was a lower proportion of Black individuals (17% versus 44%) and lower pre-service utilization of outpatient and methadone services by the mobile group. Following intake, mobile participants used significantly more outpatient substance use treatment services (23 percentage point relative increase) and methadone maintenance (32 percentage point relative increase) than the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that mobile engagement units designed to identify and serve individuals with OUD in the community hold promise for reaching underserved high-risk populations and reduce barriers to treatment entry and recovery.

A case of lymphomatoid papulosis type E in a young adult: An uncommon entity.

Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) type E is a rare variant of the primary cutaneous CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders, characterized clinically by large necrotic eschar-like lesions and histopathologically by angiodestructive and angioinvasive infiltrates of CD30+ lymphocytes. As in other forms of lymphomatoid papulosis, type E lesions may undergo spontaneous regression after weeks, with frequent recurrences. We report a 21-year old male with an angiodestructive infiltrate of CD30+ lymphocytes manifesting as a papular eruption rather than ulceration, and suggest that this clinical phenotype might be related to the presence of CD4+ lymphocytes in the inflammatory cell infiltrate.

Topical calcineurin inhibitors for pediatric periorificial dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the treatment of periorificial dermatitis with topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI) in the pediatric population are limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical utility of TCI in pediatric patients with periorificial dermatitis. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of all pediatric patients with periorificial dermatitis treated with TCIs was performed. Follow-up via telephone was performed to capture missing data. RESULTS: A total of 132 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median age at diagnosis was 4.2 years (interquartile range, 2.3-8.2). The median follow-up was 5.2 months (interquartile range, 2.1-11.7). Seventy-two patients had evaluable follow-up data. Of these, 48 (67%) patients were treated with TCI alone, 12 (16.7%) were treated with a combination of TCI and topical metronidazole, and 9 (12.5%) were treated with a combination of TCI and a systemic antibiotic. Complete response was noted in 68.8% of patients treated with TCI alone, in 75% of patients treated with TCI and metronidazole, and in 77.8% of patients treated with TCI and a systemic antibiotic. Adverse events were rare and mild in severity. CONCLUSION: Topical calcineurin inhibitors are an effective therapeutic option for pediatric patients with periorificial dermatitis and were well tolerated in this cohort.

Common Skin Disorders in Pediatric Skin of Color.

Children with skin of color represent a large proportion of the pediatric population. There are numerous skin conditions that commonly occur in this population, including but not limited to acne, atopic dermatitis, pityriasis alba, tinea versicolor, progressive macular hypomelanosis, traction alopecia, and confluent and reticulated papillomatosis. This article highlights the clinical presentations of these conditions in skin of color and briefly addresses pathophysiology and treatment modalities.

Varied Presentations of Pediatric Lipoblastoma: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Lipoblastoma is a rare neoplasm of embryonal adipose tissue most often encountered on the trunk and extremities of children. It commonly presents as a painless subcutaneous soft tissue mass, but there are other unique clinical presentations that are important to recognize. The differential is broad and includes sarcoma, vascular tumor, myofibroma, and other fibromatoses. We present three varied, distinct cases of pediatric lipoblastoma and review the literature on this condition.

Ethnic skin: Kids are not just little people.

There are numerous skin conditions that occur commonly in children with ethnic skin, including vitiligo, progressive macular hypomelanosis, pityriasis alba, acne keloidalis nuchae, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and keloids. Though these conditions occur in both children and adults, children may have different patterns of clinical presentation and response to therapy. In caring for such patients, important treatment considerations include side effects of systemic medications and tolerability of invasive procedures. Quality of life is an important measure and should not be compromised by either the skin disease or its treatment.

Infantile Fistula-in-Ano: A Report of Two Patients and Review for Dermatologists.

Infantile fistula-in-ano is a well-known entity to pediatric surgeons but less recognized by dermatologists. Because these patients may initially present to a dermatologist or pediatric dermatologist, familiarity with the presentation is important. We present two infants with fistula-in-ano and review the literature on this condition.

A clinical, histopathologic, and outcome study of melanonychia striata in childhood.

BACKGROUND: The current literature suggests that approximately 5% to 10% of melanonychia striata cases in adults are the result of subungual melanoma. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the clinical and histopathologic features and to determine the outcomes and causes of melanonychia striata in a cohort of children. METHODS: We assessed 30 childhood cases of melanonychia striata for features typically associated with melanoma such as Hutchinson sign, width of the pigmented band, evolution, color, and nail dystrophy. We assessed the histopathology of lesional biopsy specimens, including melanocyte counts and suprabasal movement of melanocytes. Clinical follow-up information was reviewed when available. RESULTS: Histopathologic diagnoses included subungual lentigo in 20 cases, subungual nevus in 5 cases, and atypical melanocytic hyperplasia in 5 cases. Although a number of cases exhibited worrisome clinical or histopathologic features, none showed evidence of aggressive behavior or warranted a diagnosis of melanoma. LIMITATIONS: The sample size and follow-up times are limited. CONCLUSIONS: Melanonychia striata is typically associated with benign stable melanocytic proliferations in childhood. The overwhelming majority of cases can be managed conservatively. Biopsy is required in select cases.

Atypical spitz tumors with 6q23 deletions: a clinical, histological, and molecular study.

Determining risk assessment for aggressive behavior of atypical Spitz tumors (ASTs) remains a significant challenge for pathologists. Despite the presence of many concerning histological features such as tumor ulceration, expansile growth, dermal mitotic rate, and cytological atypia, the overwhelming majority of these tumors behave in an indolent fashion. Recently, we have noted that using cytogenetics, one can identify ASTs with high likelihood for aggressive behavior allowing for a clinically significant risk assessment. In this retrospective case-controlled study, we examined the clinical and histological features of 24 cases of ASTs that were found to have isolated copy number deletions in 6q23 when studied by probes targeting 6p25, 6q23, Cep6, 11q13, 9p21, and Cep9. Although 6 of 11 patients had a positive sentinel node biopsy, none of the patients developed tumor in a nonsentinel node, palpable adenopathy, in transit metastasis, or distant metastasis. Histopathologically, the tumors showed minimal pagetoid spread (P = 0.004) and trended toward a histological presentation with expansile nodular growth (P = 0.08) and focal ulceration (P = 0.19). Furthermore, we also depict and illustrate the challenges that may occur in accurately identifying 6q23 deletions using fluorescence in situ hybridization in ASTs.

Coping with the neonatal intensive care unit experience: parents' strategies and views of staff support.

It is stressful for parents to have an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). To better understand the parents' experience and the role of staff, we examined parental reports of their NICU experiences, coping strategies, and views of the ways NICU staff supported them. Between June and July 2007, we interviewed 29 current and graduate parents from the study institution's NICU. A trained researcher conducted all interviews, which were recorded and transcribed. This was a qualitative analysis of prospectively collected interview data. Parents used the following coping strategies: (1) participating in care of the child; (2) getting away from the NICU; (3) gathering information; (4) involvement of friends and family; and (5) engagement with other NICU parents. Staff can support the parents' coping strategies in the following ways: (1) facilitating participation of the parents with the infant's care; (2) emphasizing documentation of the infant's progress; (3) demonstrating affection for the infant; (4) addressing concerns that make parents hesitant to leave the NICU; (5) providing accurate, consistent clinical information; (6) limiting unscheduled nonemergency phone calls; and (7) arranging voluntarily activities or programs in which parents whose infants have similar medical conditions may interact.

Objective methods of sample selection in acoustic analysis of voice.

OBJECTIVES: In acoustic voice analysis, the fact that reproducible methods of sample selection have not been defined impedes research study generalizability and clinical assessment of treatment efficacy. Because perturbation results differ along a single signal, this study sought to establish objective methods of sample selection by use of a moving window to determine the most stable regions of phonation. METHODS: Voice signals obtained from 21 patients affected by laryngeal conditions associated with Parkinson's disease were analyzed to study jitter, shimmer, signal-to-noise ratio, and correlation dimension parameters when various sample selection procedures were used. Objectively selected voice samples were chosen based upon 5%, 10%, and 20% variance from a signal's minimum perturbation value. The stability of these samples, defined by the standard deviations of the acoustic measurements, was compared to the stability of unselected samples and subjectively selected samples. RESULTS: A significant decrease in standard deviation values of acoustic parameters was found in comparing the objectively selected samples (particularly those selected with 5% and 10% variance) to the subjectively selected and unselected samples. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the development of an objective sample selection method may have significant effects on the stability and reliability of acoustic voice measurements.

Lipoatrophic panniculitis: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Lipoatrophic panniculitis (LP) is a rare disease of childhood characterized by eruption of tender erythematous nodules and plaques followed by circumferential bands of lipoatrophy often seen on the arms and legs. This condition has also been known as lipophagic panniculitis of childhood, annular atrophy of the ankles, and partial lipodystrophy. OBSERVATIONS: A previously healthy 8-year-old boy was evaluated for tender, raised plaques on the ankles, which progressed to circumferential atrophy of the distal lower extremities. Biopsy specimen analysis revealed a dense mixed infiltrate extending into the subcutaneous tissue as well as lipophages within the fatty lobules. A diagnosis of LP was made, and the patient began treatment with prednisone and hydroxychloroquine. Methotrexate was added later to the regimen as a steroid-sparing agent, and the dose was increased over the course of 3 months, by which time the cutaneous disease progression was nearly halted. However, the patient continued to have lower leg pain with bone changes demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: We report this case and review of the literature to call attention to the clinical features of LP and its association with skeletal changes. Our patient's response to combination therapy is of interest and contributes to the limited literature about management of this disease.