Therapeutic effects of topical cetirizine in the treatment of female pattern hair loss: a randomized controlled noninferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most prevalent form of hair loss in women. It was aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of topical cetirizine 1%, versus topical minoxidil 2% in patients with FPHL. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Through a triple-blind randomized clinical trial, 60 women with FPHL were randomly divided into two groups of treatment with topical cetirizine 1% or topical minoxidil 2%. The endpoint was changing in hair loss severity as well as terminal hair density and diameter, according to trichoscopic evaluation. Intention-to-treat analysis was also performed for those who accomplished 3 months of treatment. RESULTS: Both groups showed improvement in hair diameter and density after 6 months; however, the outcome was significant only in the minoxidil group. According to per-protocol analysis, minoxidil was significantly superior to cetirizine in hair density, but not in hair diameter. According to the hair loss severity scales, FPHL was significantly improved in both the cetirizine and minoxidil groups after 6 months of therapy. The dropout rate due to adverse effects was 10.0% and 6.6% in the cetirizine and minoxidil groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although inferior to topical minoxidil, topical cetirizine can provide favorable therapeutic effects for FPHL, specifically when patient incompatibility with Minoxidil is observed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) with the registration code IRCT20200521047536N1.

Association of serum lipid profiles and dietary intakes of vitamin E and fiber with psoriasis severity.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia has been reportedly associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis among psoriatic patients. Dietary intake can be a key factor in the pathophysiology of psoriasis. Herein, we assessed serum lipid profile and dietary intake in psoriatic patients, in comparison with healthy subjects. METHODS: In this case-control study, 45 psoriatic patients and 43 healthy controls were evaluated. We estimated the macro/micronutrient intakes and energy, using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric parameters and serum levels of triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low-density lipoproteins were assessed. The case group was categorized by severity measured by PASI score (mild<10, moderate 10-20, severe >20). Diet plan 6.0 was used to analyze FFQs and data were analyzed in SPSS 16.0, with p<0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: The case group had markedly higher body mass index (BMI), LDL, and cholesterol and significantly lower HDL compared with controls (p<0.05). Carbohydrate, energy, fat intakes were significantly higher in cases, while folate, fiber, and vitamin E intakes were significantly lower in the case group, compared with the control group (p<0.05). BMI, cholesterol, and triglyceride values and dietary intakes of fiber and vitamin E were significantly associated with severity of psoriasis (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum lipid profile and dietary intake are substantially important in psoriasis severity. Therefore, close monitoring of lipid profile and BMI during admission and follow-up and dietary modification can improve the severity of psoriasis.

A randomized clinical trial on therapeutic effects of 0.25 mg oral minoxidil tablets on treatment of female pattern hair loss.

Topical minoxidil solution is recommended treatment for female pattern hair loss. However, some complications, such as skin allergies, have prevented some patients from completely receiving this treatment. This study intends to evaluate the therapeutic and side effects of oral minoxidil 0.25 mg tablets treatment on FPHL and compare it with conventional treatment of 2% topical minoxidil. This study is a triple-blind randomized clinical trial in which 72 women with FPHL were treated as two separate groups. Group 1 was treated with oral minoxidil 0.25 mg tablets and topical placebo solution, while topical minoxidil solutions and oral placebo tablets were used to treat group 2 patients. In the oral minoxidil group, the average hair diameter and hair density after the 9-month treatment reached from 0.044 mm and 102 per cm2 to 0.048 mm and 115 per cm2 , respectively. In the topical minoxidil group, the average hair diameter and hair density from initial values of 0.044 mm and 107 per cm2 increased to 0.047 mm and 113 per cm2 . In both groups, the changes of hair diameter and hair density were significant compared to initial values (p < 0.001), while the trend of changes was not statically different between the two groups (p = 0.077, p = 0.674 for hair diameter and hair density, respectively) and side effects were trivial. In conclusion, oral minoxidil is an effective and new treatment for FPHL, even with a minimal dose, which can be used as an alternative treatment, especially for patients with poor compliance against topical minoxidil.

Cutaneous Crohn Disease without Intestinal Manifestations.

Extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) are common in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Various reactive cutaneous conditions, including erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum frequently occur as a part of EIMs. However, cutaneous metastasis of CD is rarely encountered in CD patients. Here, we report a 28-year-old female patient presenting with discharging deep fissures on genital and intergluteal regions. The result of a skin biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas. After rule out all the other differential diagnoses for granulomatous skin lesions, we believe this patient may be a case of CD, presenting with skin metastasis and GI tract involvement has not been occurred during 1-year follow-up. We suggest including cutaneous (metastatic) CD in the list of dermatologic differential diagnoses for cutaneous lesions of these sites. These lesions can occasionally precede gastrointestinal (GI) involvement by months and years, therefore, an appropriate follow-up needs to be done to detect GI lesions as soon as they appear.

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma: Case Report and Literature Review.

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a relatively uncommon non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, which often occurs at an early age and is usually asymptomatic. Herein, we present the case of a 17-year-old man with numerous asymptomatic yellow-brown papulonodular lesions with a symmetric distribution on upper and lower extremities, face, and trunk, developed over the past 4 years. In the histopathologic examination, histiocytes with a Touton-like appearance were observed in favor of xanthogranuloma. The patient was treated with isotretinoin 20 mg daily for 2 months, which surprisingly led to the progression of lesions and thus was discontinued. Although JXG may cause severe morbidities in some circumstances, it is a self-limiting benign disorder and patients should be assured regarding the benign self-regressive nature of the disease.

Serum levels of lead and selenium in patients with premature graying of the hair.

BACKGROUND: The exact etiology of premature hair graying (PHG) remains unknown; however, oxidative stress is shown to be involved. Selenium, as an antioxidant, is widely known for its antiaging potentials. Moreover, PGH is more prevalent among addicts and because Lead is a common impurity found in illegal drug. AIMS: We evaluated the serum levels of lead and selenium in patients with PHG and compared it with a control group. PATIENTS/METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 60 patients referred to Dermatology Clinic of Imam-Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran in 2015 were evaluated in two groups with and without PHG. Demographic information and disease characteristics, skin phenotype, and family history of PHG were recorded. Furthermore, 5 mL of brachial blood was drawn for measuring selenium and lead levels. RESULTS: The mean patients' age was 28.1 ± 4.8 years. Age, sex, occupation, and skin phenotype in individuals with and without PHG were not significantly different (P > .05) but family history of PHG was significantly higher in the patients with PHG (P = .001). Similarly, the number of white hairs was significantly higher (P < .001), and the age of onset of hair graying was significantly lower in patients with PHG (P < .001). Serum levels of selenium and lead were not significantly different between two groups (P < .05). However, the serum levels of lead in the patients with PHG were slightly higher. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that there was no significant difference in lead and selenium serum levels in patients with and without PHG.

Successful treatment by adding thalidomide to meglumine antimoniate in a case of refractory anthroponotic mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.

Mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is mostly associated with Leishmania braziliensis; however, a few cases of Leishmania tropica induced mucocutaneous leishmaniasis have been reported. The standard treatment for leishmaniasis is pentavalent antimonials, but several other drugs for resistant cases have been proposed including amphotericin and miltefosine. Here we present a case of multiple treatment resistant mucocutaneous leishmaniasis with nasal involvement caused by L. tropica; cure was not achieved by multiple treatments and was eventually improved by adding thalidomide to Meglumine Antimoniate (Glucantime). To the best of our knowledge use of thalidomide in humans for leishmaniasis treatment is reported here for the first time.