Persistent Hyperkeratotic Plaques on a Man's Genitogluteal Area.

A man in his 40s presented with a 10-year history of pruritic lesions on the scrotum and buttock. What is your diagnosis?

Segmental Skin Induration in a Boy.

An 11-year-old boy presented with progressive unilateral skin hardening on his right thigh and buttock for 7 years. What is your diagnosis?

Olmsted Syndrome.

This case report describes a 6-year-old girl who presented with symmetrical massive keratotic plaques on the palms, soles, and perioral area, as well as hair loss for 4 years.

A Reddish Semitransparent Tumor in an Adolescent Girl.

A previously healthy 16-year-old girl presented with a lesion on her right upper arm that initially started as a small cutaneous nodule without obvious triggers and gradually developed and enlarged to form a red-colored tumor with a hard nodule inside. What is your diagnosis?

Generalized Nodules in an Older Adult Man.

A man in his 60s presented with an 8-month history of pruritic papulonodular lesions on his extremities and trunk, with no significant improvement with steroids and antihistamines. What is your diagnosis?

Hemodiafiltration improves red blood cell lifespan in patients with end-stage renal disease.

INTRODUCTION: Uremic toxin-induced shortening of red blood cell (RBC) lifespan is an important mechanism of anemia in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Conventional hemodialysis does not improve RBC lifespan; the efficacy of hemodiafiltration (HDF) for alleviating RBC lifespan has not yet been evaluated in patients with ESRD. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with ESRD in maintenance hemodialysis were enrolled. Baseline data for sex, age, dialysis vintage, pre-dialysis hemoglobin (Hb), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), single pool Kt/V (spKt/V), and plasma indophenol sulfate (IS) were collected. RBC lifespans before and after one session of HDF were compared. The resultant differences were subjected to correlational analyses with baseline data. RESULTS: RBC lifespan increased from 73 (66, 89) days at baseline to 77 (71, 102) days after a single HDF treatment (p = 0.034). Meanwhile, plasma IS concentration decreased from 113.05 (80.67, 133.05) mg/L to 83.87 (62.98, 96.78) mg/L (p < 0.001). RBC lifespan increases correlated negatively with Hb levels. CONCLUSIONS: A single HDF treatment improved RBC lifespan in ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis, with more severe pre-HDF anemia at baseline being associated with greater increases in RBC lifespan.

Unusual erythematous plaque with white scales, a case of acquired syphilis in a child and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis in children is uncommon with the mode of infection for this rare condition likely being congenital or acquired. While most acquired cases of syphilis in children result from sexual abuse, children can also be infected with syphilis through kissing, breastfeeding, sharing of daily necessities or pre-chewed food. Here, we report a case of acquired secondary syphilis in a child due to consumption of pre-chewed-food and provide a review of the literature on the characteristics of acquired syphilis in preschool children. CASE PRESENTATION: A 3-year-old girl presented with erythematous plaques and scales on her head, neck, and thighs as well as flat red papules with a moist, well circumscribed surface covered with a grayish-white film. The grandmother who cared for the girl was in the habit of pre-chewing food before giving it to the girl. The child and grandmother tested positive for RPR. The girl, who was not sexually abused, was diagnosed with acquired secondary syphilis, resulting from the transmission of pre-chewed food from her grandmother. CONCLUSIONS: Our case report and literature review reveal that close contact among family members can result in the transmission of syphilis. We recommend that pre-chewing food should be discouraged by caregivers when caring for their children to avoid disease transmission.