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Most viral infections can be self-limited, with no requirement for medical intervention. However, the same viruses can cause severe diseases in patients with compromised immunity due to single-gene diseases, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or hematologic malignancies or those receiving immunosuppressive drugs. Occasionally, these immunocompromised patients harbor >1 infectious agent, requiring several concomitant diagnostic tests. We have developed, to our knowledge, a previously unreported whole-transcriptome sequencing-based pipeline that allows virome profiling, quantitation, and expression pattern analysis of 926 distinct viruses by sequencing of RNA isolated from a single lesional skin biopsy. This pipeline can also explore host genetics if there is a Mendelian predisposition to infection. We applied this pipeline to 6 Iranian patients with viral-induced skin lesions associated with immune deficiency secondary to HIV, human T-lymphotropic virus 1, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and post transplant immunosuppression. In 5 cases, definitive human papillomavirus infections were identified, some caused by multiple viral types. In addition to human papillomavirus, coinfection with other viruses (Merkle cell polyomavirus, cytomegalovirus, and human herpesvirus 4) was detected in some lesions. In 1 case, whole-transcriptome sequencing validated the clinical diagnosis of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in a patient with an initial diagnosis of mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome. These findings attest to the power of whole-transcriptome sequencing in profiling the cutaneous virome in the context of compromised immunity., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background/objectives: Side effects of current treatments and the need for a safe treatment with higher efficiency necessitate seeking new treatment options for vitiligo. Few studies have investigated the combination of psoralen with narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB). In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of psoralen and NBUVB combination (P-NBUVB) with NBUVB alone in treatment of vitiligo., Methods: This randomised clinical trial was carried out during 2015-2017 in dermatology clinics of Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals, Mashhad, Iran on 40 vitiligo patients with 5-60% body involvement. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of NBUVB alone and P-NBUVB. Both groups underwent 60 phototherapy sessions (three sessions per week), and the repigmentation rate was measured using vitiligo area severity index (VASI) score. SPSS v. 16 software and appropriate statistical tests were used to analyse the data. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The mean age of patients was 33.9 ± 11.3 years. Twenty patients (50%) were females. The P-NBUVB group showed greater VASI improvement in lower extremities (P = 0.003) and overall (P = 0.026) compared with NBUVB group. Moreover, the treatment response appeared sooner in P-NUVB group., Conclusion: Based on our results, we can conclude that adding psoralen to NBUVB phototherapy can result in increased efficacy. However, more studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects and side effects of this treatment., (© 2019 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.)

Pruritus is one of the most common complaints among patients referred to a dermatology clinic. "Chronic generalized pruritus" is described as the sensation of itching on the entire body surface, which lasts at least 6 or more weeks. This symptom can be a disabling phenomenon for patients and may sometimes interfere with daily activities such as sleep. If specific dermatological findings are observed, the physician easily comes to a diagnosis and treats the condition, whereas, when primary lesions are not detected, the diagnosis can become challenging, and some patients have to undergo extensive evaluations. The association between some systemic disorders and chronic generalized pruritus is widely known and confirmed. Many infections have been associated with pruritus, but few are considered to cause chronic generalized pruritus without any characteristic skin lesions. We aimed to gather all the available data on infectious causes of chronic generalized pruritus with no diagnostic cutaneous lesions to assist fellow physicians in the process of evaluation of these challenging cases., (© 2019 The International Society of Dermatology.)

Studies have indicated a possible role for serotonin transporter protein (SERT) in the pathophysiology of inflammatory skin disorders. This study was aimed to determine the expression of SERT in the skin of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and its relation to depression and anxiety. In this case-control study, 30 CSU patients and 30 healthy controls were evaluated with skin biopsies to evaluate the expression of the SERT protein based on histopathologic findings. Beck depression and anxiety inventories were used to investigate depression and anxiety in the case group. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. The case group showed significantly higher percentage of stained cells (P < 0.0001) and intensity of SERT expression (P < 0.0001) compared with the control group. The patients with uncontrolled CSU showed significantly higher percentage (P < 0.002) and intensity (P < 0.006) of SERT expression, compared with those with controlled CSU. The intensity of SERT expression in CSU patients had no significant correlation with the severity of depression, but was significantly correlated with the severity of anxiety (r = 0.555; P = 0.001). The percentage of stained cells was significantly correlated with the severities of depression (r = - 0.433; P = 0.017) and anxiety (r = 0.528; P = 0.003). The SERT expression in patients with CSU was higher compared with controls, which can demonstrate the role of serotonin in the pathogenesis of this disease. This higher SERT expression is correlated with the severity of the disease.

Background: Lupoid cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is known as a rare but serious complication of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) resistant to conventional treatments. Sodium chlorosum, a pro-oxidative preparation of pharmaceutical sodium chlorite (NaClO 2 ), has been successfully used for the treatment of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions (OWCL) and of some LCL cases in Afghanistan. This clinical trial study aimed to evaluate the effect of a last resort therapy with topical 0.09% sodium chlorosum on LCL in Iran., Methods: Twenty Iranian patients (12 women and 8 men) with LCL refractory to treatment were included in this salvage study. A magistral preparation of sodium chlorosum (10 mM NaClO 2 in amphiphilic basic cream) was applied twice daily to the lesions for 6 weeks and continued up to 12 weeks in patients who showed a clinical response within the first 6 weeks. Responders were followed up for a maximum of 1 year. Lesions were photographed during weekly visits. Disappearance of erythema and indurated lesions were rated as complete clinical response., Results: Patients with a mean age of 28.6 (±24.3) and with an ACL proven lesion history of 3.8 (±1.4) years were treated for an average of 7.9 (±1.8) weeks. At the end of the treatment period (12th week), a complete response was observed in 9 of 20 patients (45%). During the one-year follow-up period, LCL lesions recurred in 4 of these 9 patients (with one patient showing only a tiny lesion) and one case lost to follow up whereas the other four remained completely lesion-free. Mild temporary side-effects such as erythema and itching were seen in 4 of 20 patients (20%)., Conclusions: Topical sodium chlorosum showed promising therapeutic results and can be considered as safe, painless, and relatively effective treatment for LCL, an ethical prerequisite for a two-armed controlled trial., Trial Registration: This study was registered in Iranian registry of clinical trials on 2019-02-02 with registration number IRCT20190114042356N1.