Multicenter study evaluating the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dermatology outpatients in Turkey.

COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on public health, whether directly or indirectly. The first case was seen in Turkey on March 11, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic on March 12, 2020. The study aimed to document the effect of pandemic on dermatology outpatient clinics in Turkey. Fifteen tertiary hospitals from 13 provinces were included in the study, which was conducted between January 12 and May 12, 2020. The International Codes of Diseases (ICD-10) categories and patients' characteristics were evaluated before and after the pandemic. A total of 164 878 patients, 133 131 before and 31 747 after the pandemic, were evaluated. The daily hospital applications were found reduced by 77%. The three of the most frequent diagnoses; dermatitis, acne, and psoriasis remained unchanged after the pandemic. While the frequency of herpes zoster, scabies, urticaria, pityriasis rosea and sexually transmitted diseases increased significantly; allergic and irritant contact dermatitis decreased after the pandemic. The applications regarding cutaneous neoplasms were considerably reduced during the pandemic, and this effect was more pronounced in cities with higher COVID incidence. The pandemic caused a noteworthy reduction in the number of patients accessing dermatological care. The pandemic caused significant changes in the frequency of a wide range of dermatological diseases. The application of cutaneous neoplasms is considerably reduced after the pandemic, and this effect was more pronounced in cities where pandemics are frequent. Therefore, the pandemic has resulted on numerous impacts on many critical issues in dermatology and dermatological care.

The efficacy and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound on upper arm laxity treatment: Our experience with five patients.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity focused ultrasound is approved by FDA for both upper face and lower face, neck laxity and for decollete rejuvenation. It produces micro-focused thermal damage on the dermis and superficial muscular aponeurotic system layer at precise depth and with this thermal stimulus the collagen denaturation and subsequent neo-collagenosis occur. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) effects on body laxity has also been used in some studies but it has not been approved yet. AIMS: To find out the efficacy of HIFU for the treatment of upper under arm laxity. PATIENTS/METHODS: We used HIFU device with the new transducers; 13 mm depth 4 MHz and 2J for under arm laxity for 5 patients. RESULTS: All patients showed a clinical improvement according to the physicians and patients assessment scales. The side effects were mild erythema and edema during the treatment and tenderness which lasted in 10 days. We follow up our patients in a one year period, and there were no side effects. CONCLUSION: HIFU can be used for upper arm laxity treatment with the new transducers developed for body areas.

Efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound in facial and neck rejuvenation.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has recently been introduced in the treatment of facial wrinkles and laxity. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of HIFU in facial and neck rejuvenation. METHODS: High-intensity focused ultrasound treatment was performed on face and neck by using two different probes with focal depth of 3 mm and 4.5 mm. Two independent, blinded clinicians evaluated the clinical improvement at 3 months after treatment. The patients also scored their satisfaction with the treatment. Adverse effects were assessed up to 3 months post-treatment. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients (73 female, 2 male) with Fitzpatrick skin phototypes 2-4 were enrolled in the study. After treatment, improvement in nasolabial, jawline, submental, and neck areas was separately evaluated. The rate of improvement in each area was more than 80% according to the physicians' assessment, while patients' satisfaction degree in each area was over 78%. Most common adverse effect was pain, reported in 25.3% of the patients during the procedure while transient erythema was reported in 6.7%. Both resolved spontaneously after the procedure. Only one patient complained development of numbness on right mandibular region which resolved spontaneously within 10 days. CONCLUSION: High-intensity focused ultrasound can be an effective noninvasive treatment modality in facial and neck rejuvenation with an acceptable safety profile.

The evaluation of long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser efficacy and side effects in the treatment of cutaneous vessels on the face and legs.

BACKGROUND: Long-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers have been used for the treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions on face and leg veins. OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with long-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers for the treatment cutaneous vessels on the face and legs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 145 patients with cutaneous vessels on the face and the legs were included in this study. All patients received two treatment sessions, first at the beginning and second after four weeks. Patients were evaluated three times: first at the beginning of the therapy, and second and third after the four weekly follow-ups. The laser settings of each treatment session were recorded. The physician's assessment of treatment efficiency was taken by comparing gross photograph and clinical evaluation. The grade of improvement, as the percent of reduction in the severity of veins after laser treatment, was determined as follows: <25% improvement (mild); 25%-50% improvement (moderate); 51%-75% improvement (good); and >75% improvement (excellent). The side effects were also recorded. RESULTS: Of the 145 patients who completed the study, 63.6% of patients had vessels on the face, and 36.4% had them on the legs. After the first session, 82.8% of patients have good improvement (51%-75%). After the second session, 78.6% of patients have excellent improvement (>75%). The clinical improvement after the second treatment session was significantly higher than the first treatment session (P Ë‚ .05). There were no statistical differences between the treatment areas (P Ëƒ .05). The most common side effect was erythema in 12.4% (P Ëƒ .05). CONCLUSION: The Nd:YAG laser is an effective and safe treatment option for the treatment of cutaneous vessels on the face and the legs.

A case of fractional microneedling radiofrequency induced rosacea.

Fractional microneedling radiofrequency (FMR) has been reported to improve cutaneous wrinkles due to its effects of inducing neoelastogenesis and neocollagenosis. Furthermore, FMR has shown to be effective in acne scars, acne lesions, hyperhidrosis, acne-related postinflammatory erythema and recently in rosacea. FMR treatment has been suggested to improve rosacea by reducing inflammation and abnormal vessel proliferation. Here we present a 61-year-old female who developed rosacea symptoms after the treatment of FMR for cutaneous wrinkles. Since the case shows conflictory findings with the previous data, it was found worthy presentation.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of fractional radiofrequency and fractional Er:YAG laser in facial and neck wrinkles: Six-year experience with 333 patients.

Lasers and other light sources are popular treatment options for facial rejuvenation in recent years. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of fractional radiofrequency (RF) and fractional Erbium: YAG (Er:YAG) laser for facial and neck skin wrinkles, objectively. Three hundred and thirty-three patients treated with fractional RF and fractional Er:YAG laser were evaluated by two blinded dermatologists. Fractional Er:YAG laser was more effective for the periorbital area; whereas fractional RF treatment was more effective for perioral, nasolabial and jawline areas. There was no statistically significant difference in side effects between two treatment groups. In conclusion, both modalities significantly improve skin wrinkles; however, it should be considered that there may be regional differences between the treatment outcomes of them.

Poxvirus-Induced Vascular Angiogenesis Mimicking Pyogenic Granuloma.

The orf virus, a member of poxvirus family, is a zoonotic parapoxvirus endemic in many countries, mostly seen among sheep, goats, oxen, and may be transmitted to humans. Orf virus infections may induce ulceration, papulonodular, pustular, or ecthyma lesions in the skin. Rarely, orf virus provokes extensive vasculoendothelial proliferation by encoding an apparent homolog of the mammalian vascular endothelial growth factor family of molecules. The vascular endothelial growth factor-like viral gene product is expressed early during infection and could be responsible for the induction of endothelial proliferation. Here, a 6-year-old male patient with poxvirus-induced widespread vascular angiogenesis is presented, which developed ten days after a thermal burn.

Anterior cervical hypertrichosis: a sporadic case.

Anterior cervical hypertrichosis is a very rare form of primary localized hypertrichosis. It consists of a tuft of terminal hair on the anterior neck just above the laryngeal prominence. The etiology is still unknown. In this article, we reported a 15-year-old female patient who presented to our clinic with a complaint of hypertrichosis on the anterior aspect of the neck for the last five years. Her past medical history revealed no pathology except for vesicoureteral reflux. On the basis of clinical presentation, our patient was diagnosed with anterior cervical hypertrichosis and she was considered to be a sporadic case due to lack of other similar cases in familial history. To date, 33 patients with anterior cervical hypertrichosis have been reported. Anterior cervical hypertrichosis can be associated with other abnormalities, but it frequently presents as an isolated defect (70%). The association of vesicoureteral reflux and anterior cervical hypertrichosis which was observed in our patient might be coincidental. So far, no case of anterior cervical hypertrichosis associated with vesicoureteral reflux has been reported in the literature.

Effective inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis through the combination of trimetazidine and N-acetylcysteine in a rat model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury.

OBJECTIVE: Apoptosis is the early and predominant form of cell death in infarcted myocardia. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of trimetazidine (TMZ) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), used alone or in combination, on oxidative stress, infarct size, and ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in a rat model of myocardial IR. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial IR was established by ligating an area under the left main coronary artery for 30 min followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Saline (1 ml/kg), NAC (50, 150 mg/kg), or TMZ (3, 5 mg/kg) was intravenously injected during the middle of the ischemic period. At the end of the reperfusion, blood samples were collected from the animals to measure serum M30 and M65 levels, which are markers of cell death, the S100b level, which is a marker of inflammation, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, which is a marker of oxidative stress. The infarct size was evaluated as the ratio of the infarct area to the risk area. Apoptotic activation was assessed by caspase-3 immunostaining and a TUNEL assay. TMZ and NAC, either alone or in combination, significantly reduced serum MDA levels, infarct area and apoptotic activity compared to those observed in saline group. Interestingly, the infarct area was more smaller in TMZ (3 and 5 mg/kg) injected groups (9.72 ± 1.3% and 9.96 ± 2.3%) than those observed in NAC (50 and 150 mg/kg) (16.1 ± 2.5% and 19.1 ± 2.14%) or TMZ (5 mg/kg)- NAC (150 mg/kg) combination groups (16.9 ± 1.6%). However, the apoptotic activity was reduced more significantly in the combination of TMZ (5 mg/kg)-NAC (50 mg/kg) compared to TMZ-only group. Neither TMZ or NAC treatments nor the combination of the drugs significantly affected serum M30, M65 and S100B levels. CONCLUSION: Intravenous NAC and TMZ administration decreased oxidative stress, infarct area and apoptotic activity in a rat model of IR. Although the combination treatment was more effective in reducing the apoptotic activity than either treatment groups alone, TMZ treatment was more successful in reducing the infarct area than NAC or combination treatments. Present results suggest that, in addition to mechanical attempts to secure myocardial reperfusion, the use of TMZ and NAC may help to reduce IR injury.

Effects of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery reduces myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, postoperative systemic inflammatory response, and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to measure serum malondialdehyde (MDA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), M30, and M65 levels and to investigate the relationship between M30 levels and oxidative stress and inflammation in patients undergoing on-and off-pump CABG surgery. METHODS: Fifty patients were randomly assigned to on-pump or off-pump CABG surgery (25 patients off-pump and 25 on-pump CABG surgery), and blood samples were collected prior to surgery, and 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 6 hours, and 24 hours after CABG surgery. RESULTS: Compared to the on-pump group, serum MDA levels at 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 6 hours, and 24 hours after the CABG surgery were significantly lower in the off-pump group (P=.001, P=.001, P=.001, and P=.001, respectively). Serum M30 levels were found to be elevated in both groups, returning to baseline at 24 hours. When compared to baseline, the hs-CRP level reached its peak at 24 hours at 13.28±5.32 mg/dL in the on-pump group, and 15.44±4.02 mg/dL in the off-pump group. CONCLUSION: CABG surgery is associated with an increase in inflammatory markers and serum M30 levels, indicating epithelial/endothelial apoptosis in the early period.

Poxvirus-induced angiogenesis after a thermal burn.

Orf (contagious ecthyma) is a zoonotic infection caused by a dermatotropic parapoxvirus that commonly infects sheep, goats, and oxen. Parapoxviruses are transmitted to humans through contact with an infected animal or fomites. Orf virus infections can induce ulceration, and papulonodular, pustular, or ecthymic lesions of the skin after contact with an infected animal or contaminated fomite. Rarely, orf virus provokes extensive vasculo-endothelial proliferation as a skin manifestation. Here, we present the case of an 8-year old female with poxvirus-induced vascular angiogenesis that developed 10 days after a thermal burn. An 8-year-old female presented at our outpatient clinic with red swellings and a yellow-brown crust on them. After a thermal burn with hot water, she went to a clinic and the burn was dressed with nitrofurazone and covered for 2 days. When the dressing was removed after 2 days, nodules were seen in the burnt areas. When the clinical findings were considered with the histopathological features, a reactive vascular proliferation due to a viral agent was suspected. Following PCR, parapoxvirus ovis was detected. Viral infections such as pox virus can trigger pyogenic granulomas or pyogenic granuloma-like vascular angiogenesis. Infectious agents must be considered when dealing with pyogenic granuloma-like lesions.

Angiolipoleiomyoma located in the earlobe.

Angiolipoleiomyoma (ALLM) is a solid tumor that is mostly derived from muscle tissue. It is often located in the kidneys of patients with tuberous sclerosis; ALLMs located outside the kidneys are very rare. Among the rare presentations are cutaneous ALLMs, which manifest as 1- to 4-cm asymptomatic, acquired, solitary, subcutaneous nodules that have a strong predilection for males. To the best of our knowledge, only 22 cases of ALLM of the skin have been previously reported in the literature; in 5 of these cases, the tumor was located on the ear. Histologically, tumoral proliferation is observed with smooth muscle, fat tissue, and vascular channels surrounded by a fibrous capsule; cellular atypia is not observed. We report the case of a 67-year-old man who presented for evaluation of a purplish nodular lesion that had been present on his right earlobe for 10 years. Analysis of an excisional biopsy specimen revealed a nodular formation that consisted mostly of thick-walled veins within a fibromyxoid stroma; smooth-muscle tissue and fat globules were observed in places. The lesion was diagnosed as a cutaneous ALLM.

Paget's Disease of the Breast in a Patient with Amyopathic Dermatomyositis.

Amyopathic dermatomyositis (AD) can be a part of paraneoplastic syndrome of an underlying malignancy. Paget's disease is a rare form of breast cancer. We present a very rare case of Paget's disease associated with AD. Paget's disease has been diagnosed in a patient with AD who is under surveillance of dermatology department. The patient has undergone central lumpectomy with removal of the nipple-areola complex and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Surgical margins after lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy were negative. The whole breast irradiation was performed after surgery. The patient receives medical treatment for AD of which lesions regressed in 1 year during the follow-up period. This is a very rare case of Paget's disease diagnosed in a patient with AD. Female patients with dermatomyositis have been absolutely recommended to undergo screening for breast and gynaecological malignancies. AD may be an early finding of primary or recurrent malignancy of the breast.

Clinical importance of celiac disease in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a common disease of the oral mucosa that is characterized by recurrent, painful ulcers of unknown etiology. The association between celiac disease and recurrent aphthous stomatitis has been evaluated in several studies, but variable results have been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of celiac disease in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis. METHODS: The study group consisted of 82 patients, all of whom had a history of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. The control group included 82 patients who did not have aphthous stomatitis. Patients were screened for IgA anti-endomysial antibodies, IgG anti-endomysial antibodies, IgA anti-gliadin antibodies, and IgG anti-gliadin antibodies. Patients with positive serology underwent endoscopic biopsies of the duodenal mucosa. Patients in both groups were also questioned regarding gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: One patient (1.2%) out of 82 in the study group was diagnosed with celiac disease by biopsy. Gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, heartburn and regurgitation were determined to be of higher incidence in the study group (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). None of the 82 patients in the control group were diagnosed as having celiac disease. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that there is no apparent etiological link between recurrent aphthous stomatitis and celiac disease and that screening recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients for celiac disease has little clinical value. Additionally, regurgitation of gastric acid to the oral cavity may precipitate the formation of aphthous stomatitis.

Clinical and pathological features of 31 cases of lipedematous scalp and lipedematous alopecia.

Little is known about lipedematous scalp (LS) and lipedematous alopecia (LA). We investigated the clinical and histopathological features of LS and LA with a 7-year retrospective re-evaluation of 31 patients. 23 cases were LS and 8 LA, with 25 females and 6 males. The overweight and obese groups contained 15 patients with 16 within the normal weight range. Scalp thickness varied between 9-18 mm in our patients by magnetic resonance imaging. Thickening of the subcutaneous adipose tissue layer was present in all cases. Dermal edema was seen in 22 patients, lymphatic dilatation in 17 and elastic fiber fragmentation in 21. When the relationship between dermal edema and elastic fibers was investigated, elastic fiber fragmentation was found in 86.4% of cases with dermal edema. Collagen fragmentation and coarsening were seen in two cases, and collagen was normal in 24 cases. The number of follicles was decreased in 9 cases and normal in 17. The clinical and histopathological findings were not statistically different between LS and LA groups (p>0.05). The majority of the patients in our study were females, suggesting an underlying hormonal pathology. The association with obesity suggested that anatomical differences can be present in lipid distribution. Dermal edema and lymphatic dilatation suggested the primary pathology is lymphatic system.

Enhanced functional stability of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in patients with livedoid vasculopathy.

Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a chronic, recurrent, painful cutaneous disease with distinctive clinical features and an uncertain etiology. The skin lesions are recognizable by focal purpura, depigmentation and shallow ulcers. Thrombophilic conditions occur frequently in patients with LV. While no definitive treatment exists for LV, smoking cessation, antiplatelet therapy, immunosuppressive treatment, and anabolic steroids are often included in the therapeutic ladder. Recently, a possible link between LV and impaired fibrinolysis was established as cutaneous LV lesions responded to tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) infusion suggesting that inhibition of the fibrinolysis through plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity may determine the disease course in patients with LV. In this study, we investigated PAI-1 antigen (Ag) and activity levels in 20 patients with biopsy proven LV (mean age 26 ± 11, M/F = 7/13, median disease duration 3.5 years). All patients received antiplatelet treatment with aspirin and/or dipyrimadole and 14 patients received anabolic steroids or immunosuppressive treatment. Fasting PAI-1 Ag and activity levels were measured at 9 AM in all patients. Both Ag (34 (26) ng/ml) (median (interquartile range)) and specific activity (17 (23) IU/fmole) levels of PAI-1 were moderately elevated in LV patients compared to the controls, however, PAI-1 kinetic studies demonstrated markedly enhanced stability of PAI-1 activity in plasma from patients with LV. Specific activity at 16 h was significantly higher than expected specific activity levels (7 (11) vs. 0.07 (0.09) IU/fmole, P < 0.01). While the exact mechanism of increased stability of PAI-1 activity is not known, it may be due to post-translational modifications or increased binding affinity for a stabilizing cofactor. In conclusion, enhanced stability of PAI-1 may contribute to the pathophysiology of LV, and systemic or local treatment with PAI-1 inhibitors may offer a potential treatment alternative in patients with LV.

Evaluation of microbiological spectrum and risk factors of cellulitis in hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: Cellulitis is a common soft tissue infection and the severity of disease vary from mild to life threatening. The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate age, sex, site of infection, microbiological spectrum and the risk factors of cellulitis in hospitalized patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data were retrospectively obtained by the review of 185 hospitalized patients who were diagnosed as cellulitis between 2003 and 2009 in the departments of dermatology, infectious diseases, internal medicine and surgery clinics of Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital (Istanbul, Turkey). The diagnosis was done by infectious diseases and dermatology specialists in all patients who were included to this study. Demographic findings, wound-blood cultures and risk factors of the patients with cellulitis were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty-six were female, 99 were male of total 185 patients, and the mean age of them was 48 ± 27 (14-85). The leg was the involved site in 69% of the patients. The most frequent isolated bacteria from wound cultures were methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus 31.5%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12.6%, and Escherichia coli 12.3%. However, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus 32.5%, methicillin-resistant S. aureus 22.5%, coagulase-negative staphylococci 17.5% were detected from blood cultures. There was not any underlying risk factor in 104 (55.3%) patients. The risk factors observed in the other 81 patients were previous surgery or open wound 29 (35.8%), diabetes mellitus 19 (26.6%), cardiovascular diseases 16 (19.7%), immunosuppression 11 (13.5%), lymphoedema 6 (7.4%). CONCLUSION: In the patients hospitalized for cellulitis, the most frequently isolated microorganism from the wound and blood cultures was S. aureus and the most frequently detected risk factors were to have an open wound and previous surgery. Especially when the patients had risk factors, it was observed that the bacterial spectrum was broader and the clinical presentation was severe. The wound and blood cultures should be performed simultaneously for the microbiological diagnosis and the appropriate management of cellulitis.

A case of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus accompanying bullous morphea.

Bullous morphea is a rare form of morphea characterized with bullae on or around atrophic morphea plaques. Whereas lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) is a disease the etiology of which is not fully known, and which is characterized with sclerosis. Coexistence of morphea and LSA has been identified in some cases. Some authors believe that these two diseases are different manifestations which are on the same spectrum. The 70-year-old patient stated herein, presented to us for 6 months with annular, atrophic plaques, ivory color in the middle, surrounded by living erythema, on the front and back of the trunk. Occasionally bulla formation on the plaques on the trunk lateral was identified. Fibrotic and atrophic plaques of ligneous hardness were present on the front side of tibia of both legs. In the histopathologic examination, the lesions were found concordant with bullous morphea and LSA. With colchicine 1.5 mg/day, pentoxifylline 1,200 mg/day, topical calcipotriol ointment and clobetasol propionate cream, the erythema in the patient's lesions faded and softening in the fibrotic plaques was observed. Concomitance of bullous morphea and LSA is a rarely seen, interesting coexistence which suggests a common, as yet unknown, underlying pathogenesis.