Psoriasis dermatitis, a common phenotype of early forms of both psoriasis and atopic dermatitis in children: A prospective multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis (Ps) and atopic dermatitis (AD) are chronic systemic immune-mediated diseases that can coexist in an overlapping condition called psoriasis dermatitis (PD). PD patients have intermediate lesions with characteristics of both Ps and AD. PD is very rare in adults but much more frequent in children. Little is known, however, about the course of PD in the pediatric population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the percentage of PD cases in children that evolved to a definite form of Ps or AD and to identify any clinical or epidemiological variables that could predict the course of the disease.

METHODS

We performed a prospective multicenter cohort study of children diagnosed with PD between January 2018 and December 2020. We collected participants' clinical and epidemiological characteristics, and pediatric dermatologists determined the percentage of participants who developed Ps or AD.

RESULTS

The study included 24 children with PD, with a median age of 7.0 years. After a median follow-up period of 31 months, 83.3% of cases had evolved to a definite form of Ps or AD (44.4% to Ps and 38.9% to AD). Younger age and family history of Ps were associated with progression to AD. Participants who progressed to AD or Ps had a longer follow-up than those with an unchanged PD diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Given sufficient time, a large percentage of PD cases in children will evolve into Ps or AD. Long-term clinical follow-up is necessary for a correct diagnosis.

TERT promoter mutations in melanoma survival

Despite advances in targeted therapies, the treatment of advanced melanoma remains an exercise in disease management, hence a need for biomarkers for identification of at-risk primary melanoma patients. In this study, we aimed to assess the prognostic value of TERT promoter mutations in primary melanomas. Tumors from 300 patients with stage I/II melanoma were sequenced for TERT promoter and BRAF/NRAS mutations. Cumulative curves were drawn for patients with and without mutations with progression-free and melanoma-specific survival as outcomes. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to determine the effect of the mutations on survivals. Individually, presence of TERT promoter and BRAF/NRAS mutations associated with poor disease-free and melanoma-specific survival with modification of the effect by the rs2853669 polymorphism within the TERT promoter. Hazard ratio (HR) for simultaneous occurrence of TERT promoter and BRAF/NRAS mutations for disease-free survival was 2.3 (95% CI 1.2-4.4) and for melanoma-specific survival 5.8 (95% CI 1.9-18.3). The effect of the mutations on melanoma-specific survival in noncarriers of variant allele of the polymorphism was significant (HR 4.5, 95% CI 1.4-15.2) but could not be calculated for the carriers due to low number of events. The variant allele per se showed association with increased survival (HR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-0.9). The data in this study provide preliminary evidence that TERT promoter mutations in combination with BRAF/NRAS mutations can be used to identify patients at risk of aggressive disease and the possibility of refinement of the classification with inclusion of the rs2853669 polymorphism within TERT promoter.

Sclerosing perineurioma: case report and literature review

Perineuriomas are rare tumors derived from perineural cells usually presenting as a single asymptomatic papule or nodule located on an extremity of an adult. A sclerosing subtype has been rarely described. We report a case of painful sclerosing perineurioma in a 42-year-old woman.

Efficacy of lipectomy and liposuction in the treatment of multiple symmetric lipomatosis

BACKGROUND

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a rare disease characterized by enlarging, symmetric, nonencapsulated, fat deposits mainly on the neck and upper trunk. Liposuction and lipectomy, although palliative, are the treatments of choice, especially indicated when vital structures are compromised.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of liposuction and lipectomy in the treatment of MSL.

METHODS

We have examined two patients diagnosed with MSL who presented with symptoms derived from the compression of vascular, nervous, and/or respiratory tract structures. One was treated with lipectomy and the other with liposuction.

RESULTS

A rapid resolution of the clinical symptoms was achieved with both therapies. The patient who was treated with lipectomy suffered from a compression of the left brachial plexus by scar tissue as an adverse effect, requiring a second surgical procedure. Liposuction only provoked a mild autoinvolutive hematoma in the other case. No clinical recurrences were observed at 3 and 2 years of follow-up respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

We consider both lipectomy and liposuction as safe and effective techniques for the treatment of MSL patients. Although liposuction is usually associated with less adverse effects than lipectomy, location of the lipomas must be carefully considered before choosing one technique over another.

Partial lipodystrophy associated with juvenile dermatomyositis: report of two cases

A 27-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis in childhood developed clinical findings of partial lipodystrophy 10 years after diagnosis. Exhaustive clinical and laboratory examinations showed an association with other abnormalities: hypertrichosis, steatohepatitis, and an abnormal insulin response to the glucose loading test in the first patient. Hypertrichosis, steatohepatitis, insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus, and acanthosis nigricans were observed in the second patient. Renal function was normal in both patients. Although a localized form of lipodystrophy has been reported associated with connective tissue disease (connective tissue lipoatrophy), the partial form has been infrequently described in association with juvenile dermatomyositis.

Pleomorphic angioleiomyoma

A 72-year-old man presented with a single nodule in the right thigh of 12 years' evolution. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of angioleiomyoma. However, unlike other tumors of this type reported in the literature, marked nuclear pleomorphism without mitotic figures was noted.

Dabska tumor developing within a preexisting vascular malformation

Malignant endovascular papillary angioendothelioma, first described by Dabska in 1969, is a rare vascular tumor that primarily affects children and is characterized by papillary proliferations of endothelial cells into vessel lumens. We report a case of this rare neoplasm in a boy with angiomatosis who developed Kasabach-Merritt syndrome. The tumor evolved as an ulcerated lesion superficially within a previous vascular malformation on his buttock. A review of the literature is presented.

Acute exanthem and pancreatic panniculitis in a patient with primary HIV infection and haemophagocytic syndrome

We report a patient with an acute infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), who initially presented due to a mononucleosis-like illness that included a rash on the upper trunk and limbs, and oral ulceration. The patient developed a haemophagocytic syndrome with severe systemic involvement. Three weeks after the initial presentation, lesions of a pancreatic panniculitis appeared on both legs.