Search

Several therapeutic approaches have been described for their treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids, but to date, the optimal treatment has not been established yet. Our in vivo study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a medical device consisting in an adhesive patch containing onion extract (Allium cepa) 10%, allantoin 1%, and pentaglycan 4% (Kaloidon patch) on hypertrophic scars and keloids. Thirty‐nine patients with hypertrophic scars and seven patients with keloids were asked to apply an adhesive patch containing Allium cepa, allantoin, and pentaglycan once/day for at least 8 h consecutively, for 24 weeks. Patients were reevaluated 6 weeks (T6), 12 weeks (T12), and 24 weeks (T24) after starting the treatment through POSAS scale v 2.0, ultrasonographic, and videocapillaroscopic assessment. The investigated medical device was able to induce a significant improvement of POSAS starting from T12, with a positive amelioration trend until T24. However the patient‐assessed POSAS sub‐items showed improvement already after 6 weeks, whereas a significant improvement of the observer‐assessed POSAS sub‐items was observed only after 12 weeks (P <.001). Ultrasonography and intravital videocapillaroscopy confirmed a significant improvement of skin scars thickness (P <.001) and vascularization (P <.001) after 12 weeks of medical device application at least, with increasing improvement until T24. Applying an adhesive patch containing Allium cepa, allantoin, and pentaglycan once a day for at least 8 consecutive hours seems to be able to improve the clinical and morphological characteristics of the scars of the skin in 24 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a clonal, histiocytic, proliferative disorder of unknown aetiology originating from Langerhans' cells. Although the clinical presentation and therapeutic approach to the disease in children have been well established, few data are available concerning the disease in adults. Moreover, unique cutaneous involvement by LCH in a woman older than 70 years has been described very rarely. We report here a case of a 75-year-old woman with cutaneous LCH confined to the inframammary fold, and highlight some medical problems regarding the management of a purely cutaneous form of LCH in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although long-term management of psoriasis is paramount, this approach is challenging in clinical practice. In the recent PSO-LONG trial, a fixed-dose combination of betamethasone dipropionate (BD) and calcipotriol (Cal) foam applied twice a week on non-consecutive days for 52 weeks (proactive treatment) reduced the risk of relapse. However, the role of Cal/BD foam in the long-term management of psoriasis needs further clarifications. The ProActive Management (PAM) program, a nationwide Italian project, aims at reaching a consensus on the role of proactive management of psoriasis., Methods: A steering committee generated some statements through the nominal group technique (NGT). The statements were voted by an expert panel in an adapted Delphi voting process., Results: Eighteen statements were proposed, and the majority of them (14/18) reached a consensus during the Delphi voting. The need to provide long-term proactive topical treatment to reduce the risk of relapse for the treatment of challenging diseases sites or in patients where phototherapy or systemic therapies are contraindicated/ineffective was widely recognized. A consensus was reached about the possibility to associate the proactive treatment with systemic and biological therapies, without the need for dose intensification, thus favoring a prolonged remission. Moreover, the proactive treatment was recognized as more effective than weekend therapy in increasing time free from relapses. Approaches to improve adherence, on the other hand, need further investigation., Conclusions: The inclusion in guidelines of a proactive strategy among the effective treatment options will be a fundamental step in the evolution of a mild-moderate psoriasis therapeutic approach., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of the International Society of Dermatology.)

We present a patient with HPV 70/85-positive widespread cutaneous warts characterized by clinical and histological features atypical for classic generalized verrucosis or epidermodysplasia verruciformis. The cutaneous HPV infection is characterized by verrucous papules or plaques variable in size, number, and distribution depending on the genotype of HPV involved and the immune status of the patient. Human papillomaviruses comprise five genera (alpha, beta, gamma, mu, and nu papillomavirus) with different life-cycle characteristics, epithelial tropisms, and disease associations. Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare, lifelong, autosomal recessive skin disease characterized by persistent cutaneous human papillomavirus infection not necessarily associated with immune system defects. The disease results from an unusual genetic susceptibility to infections with various types of HPVs (especially β-HPV), some of which cause malignant transformation. Conversely, generalized verrucosis has been more typically associated with generalized warts, which are associated with immunocompromised conditions.

The factitious disorders (FDs) include a large group of dermatological conditions characterized by skin lesions that patients themselves self-inflict but deny their active participation. FDs usually represent a diagnostic challenge, and their therapeutic management is usually based on a multidisciplinary approach because most FRD patients also suffer from undiagnosed behavior and personality disorders. We report two cases of FD: one patient that was suffering from severe depression and induced third-degree chemical burns on his own lower limbs, and another patient affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa that presented with deep self-inflicted ulcers on her face. Our multispecialist approach, based on close cooperation between dermatologists and psychiatrists, led to a significant improvement of clinical conditions in both cases. Dermatologists need to be aware that FDs are complex disorders and a multidisciplinary approach is usually recommended to control their clinical course.

Background: Muscle vibration modifies corticomotor excitability in healthy subjects and reduces muscle tonus in stroke patients., Objective: This study examined whether repeated muscle vibration (rMV) applied over the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and biceps brachii (BB) can induce long-lasting changes, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in patients with chronic stroke., Methods: Thirty hemiparetic patients who offered at least minimal wrist and elbow isometric voluntary contractions were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which received rMV in addition to physiotherapy (rMV + PT), or a control group that underwent PT alone. The following parameters of the FCR, BB, and extensor digitorum communis (EDC) were measured through TMS before, and 1 hour, 1 week, and 2 weeks after the end of intervention: resting motor threshold (RMT), map area, map volume, short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF). Muscle tonus and motor function were assessed on the same day as TMS., Results: Pre-post analysis revealed a reduction in RMT and an increase in motor map areas occurred in the vibrated muscles only in the rMV + PT group, with an increase in map volumes of all muscles. Moreover, SICI increased in the flexors and decreased in the extensor. These neurophysiological changes lasted for at least 2 weeks after the end of rMV + PT and paralleled the reduction in spasticity and increase in motor function. A significant correlation was found between the degree of spasticity and the amount of intracortical inhibition., Conclusion: rMV with PT may be used as a nonpharmacological intervention in the neurorehabilitation of mild to moderate hemiparesis.

An unusual case of widespread acne unresponsive to treatment with early onset in a child with Apert's syndrome is presented. The patient eventually responded to oral isotretinoin therapy. The morphological profile of the sebaceous glands and the expression of proliferative markers and androgen receptors were evaluated in seboblasts and sebocytes using morphological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical techniques. There were no significant differences in staining for proliferative markers and nuclear expression of androgen receptors in the glands from the patient and four healthy controls. Our results support the view that acne in Apert's syndrome is not sustained by abnormalities of the sebaceous glands demonstrable with conventional morphological techniques, and that it does not depend on an increased expression of androgen receptors.