Do not PASS any melanoma without diagnosis: a new simplified dermoscopic algorithm.

INTRODUCTION: Dermoscopic algorithms for melanoma diagnosis could be time-expending, and their reliability in daily practice lower than expected. OBJECTIVE: To propose a simplified dermoscopic algorithm for melanoma diagnosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicenter retrospective analysis of 1,120 dermoscopic images of atypical melanocytic tumors (320 melanomas and 800 non-melanomas) was performed. An algorithm based on polychromia, asymmetry in colors or structures, and some melanoma-specific structures was designed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was calculated to estimate the coefficients of each potential predictor for melanoma diagnosis. A score was developed based on the dermoscopic evaluations performed by four experts blinded to histological diagnosis. RESULTS: Most melanomas had ≥3 colors (280; 84.5%), asymmetry in colors or structures (289; 90.3%), and at least one melanoma-specific structure (316; 98.7%). PASS score ≥3 had a 91.9% sensibility, 87% specificity, and 88.4% diagnostic accuracy for melanoma. PASS algorithm showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.947 (95% CI 0.935-0.959). LIMITATIONS: This study was retrospective. A comparison between the performances of different dermoscopic algorithms is difficult because of their designs. CONCLUSION: PASS algorithm showed a very good diagnostic accuracy, independently of the observers' experience, and it seems easier to perform than previous dermoscopic algorithms.

Human monkeypox virus in a tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain: An observational study of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 53 cases.

A new outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection, a zoonotic infection endemic in Central and West Africa, is spreading throughout the world with new epidemiology and clinical features. Our aim was to characterize patients presenting to Dermatology emergency room with a MPXV infection between 15 May and 30 June 2022 in a tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain. We collected 53 patients and describe their clinical, demographic and epidemiological characteristics and followed their evolution. Most of the patients were men who had sex with men with high-risk sexual practices and no recent travels abroad. Most of them (91%) had had a sexually transmitted infection before. All patients had typical skin lesions consisting of vesicular-pustular rash with central umbilication which was localized or disseminated. The most frequent extracutaneous symptoms were fever, painful regional lymphadenopathy and asthenia. Proctitis was present in more than one third of patients. All patients were diagnosed by real time polymerase chain reaction of samples obtained from skin lesions. Pharyngeal and/or rectal exudates demonstrated MPXV in 74% of patients. The current worldwide outbreak of MPXV infections shows epidemiological and clinical differences from previous ones. Clinicians should be aware of these characteristics to correctly diagnose this emerging disease.

Histopathological findings in COVID-19-induced cutaneous lesions. Clinicopathological correlation of SARS-CoV-19 dermatologic patterns: review of the literature.

An increasing number of publications have brought attention to COVID-19-associated cutaneous lesions. Histopathological descriptions and clinical correlation of the histopathological findings of COVID-19 skin lesions are lacking. In this manuscript, we reviewed and described the histopathological characteristics of COVID-19 infection cutaneous patterns reported in the literature.