Background Dermoscopy can be helpful in assessing nonpigmented lesions and inflammatory processes like lichen planopilaris (LPP). Material & Methods In this observational prospective study, 81 patients with a cicatricial alopecic patch on their scalp were included and underwent dermatologic examination. A biopsy was taken from the active part of the lesion based on dermoscopy evaluation. Results Analysis of 44 patients with definite diagnosis of LPP revealed that the mean age at the time of presentation was 44.05 ± 12.62 years. More than 77% of patients had at least one form of the follicular opening disorder. About 75% of patients had shaft disorders. The most common pattern of pigmentation was milky‐red (97.73%). The irregular and ectatic vascular network were seen in 59.09% of patients. Patients with coiled and twisted hairs, small yellow dots, large yellow dots, and peripilar sign were more likely to have shorter disease duration (P < 0.05). Those with overall shaft disorders were younger (P = 0.02). Small yellow dots (P = 0.025) and peripilar sign (P = 0.039) were more common in female patients. Conclusion Dermoscopy can be a helpful diagnostic tool in differentiating LPP among patients with primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA). Larger cohort studies are recommended to find the role of demographic factors in predicting the dermoscopic patterns among LPP patients.

Background: Kaposi sarcomais a low-grade malignant vascular lesion, which has different histological variants. Pyogenic granuloma-like Kaposi sarcoma is an unusual type of this tumor, which presents as anexophytic small nodule surrounded by an epidermal collaret mimicking pyogenic granuloma yet it has immunohistopathologic features of Kaposi sarcoma. Case Presentation: A 57-year old male with 2 exophytic lesions on the left hand and left foot for 3 months was presented to our center. Both lesions were excised and diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma was confirmed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Human herpesvirus 8 DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction in the lesions. Conclusions: Immunostaining methods should be considered in pyogenic granuloma-like lesions with unusual presentation.

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Background: One of the major migration routes for birds going between Europe and Asia is the Black Sea-Mediterranean route that converges on the Volga Delta, continuing into the area of the Caspian Sea. Cercarial dermatitis is a disorder in humans caused by schistosome trematodes that use aquatic birds and snails as hosts and is prevalent in areas of aquaculture in Northern Iran. Before the disorder can be addressed, it is necessary to determine the etiological agents and their host species. This study aimed to document whether domestic mallards are reservoir hosts and if so, to characterize the species of schistosomes. Previous work has shown that domestic mallards are reservoir hosts for a nasal schistosome. Results: In 32 of 45 domestic mallards (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) (71.1%), the schistosome Trichobilharzia franki, previously reported only from Europe, was found in visceral veins. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed the species designation. These findings extend the range of T. franki from Europe to Eurasia. Conclusion: The occurrence of cercarial dermatitis in Iran is high in areas of aquaculture. Previous studies in the area have shown that domestic mallards are reservoir hosts of T. regenti, a nasal schistosome and T. franki, as shown in this study. The genetic results support the conclusion that populations of T. franki from Iran are not differentiated from populations in Europe. Therefore, the schistosomes are distributed with their migratory duck hosts, maintaining the gene flow across populations with compatible snail hosts in Iran.

Pruritus is among the most common complaints in the field of dermatology. It is also a disturbing symptom of many systemic disorders. Chronic pruritus (CP) refers to the cases of the symptom which last longer than 6 weeks. We conducted a prospective analysis of patients with generalized pruritus without primary skin lesions. All patients underwent primary evaluations and then were followed from 12 to 18 months for further evaluations. Of the 5,127 patients referred to our dermatology clinic, 49 patients with generalized pruritus without primary skin lesions were evaluated. Most of the patients (44%) were in the age group of 40-60 years and female (58%). The duration of pruritus was 37.04 ± 30.4 weeks. Fifty percent of the patients with generalized pruritus had a systemic cause of pruritus. The most common underlying diseases were thyroid disorders (16.67%), diabetes mellitus (12.5%), and malignancy (8.33%). There were no significant statistical differences among the patients in terms of their age, gender, and disease duration with the underlying diseases (P = 0.47, P = 0.99, P = 0.816, respectively). However, the average age of the onset of pruritus was 12 years earlier in the women regardless of the underlying diseases (P = 0.011). Based on the findings of the study, we recommend considering endocrine disorders and malignancies as the most common underlying diseases leading to chronic pruritus without primary skin lesions.

Background. Geriatric health care has become a worldwide concern, but a few statistical studies were carried out about skin diseases in this age group in the nursing home of Iran. Aims. In this study, we set out to determine the frequency as well as the age and gender distribution of dermatological diseases in nursing home old age residents. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, all patients over 60 years who were living in a charity nursing home complex of Rasht in 2017 participated in this study. Baseline information on sociodemographic variables, past medical history, and medication were gathered by medical staff during a face-to-face interview. Full-body skin examination was done by dermatologists. Biopsy, and pathological and laboratory methods were used to confirm the diagnosis of suspected lesions or disease. Results. In this study, 259 people underwent the study. 52.9% were male, and their mean age was 73.5 years (SD = 9.1 years). Hypertension (20.9%); diabetes mellitus (9.7%), and hypothyroidism (2.3%) were the most common underlying diseases. Most of them (85.7%) had age-related skin changes. The benign neoplasm was the most common skin disease among patients (68.3%), followed by infectious diseases (46.3%) and erythemo-squamous (31.6%). None of them had precancerous lesions or skin cancers. There were not any differences between skin disorders and gender or age groups in this study. Conclusion. Our study suggests that skin manifestations and diseases are common among nursing home old age residents in this area. Therefore, this should constitute one of the top priorities of aged care physicians and nurses.

BackgroundBreast cancer patients may experience an increased chance of survival with adjuvant chemotherapy. However dermatologic adverse effects can cause major discomfort due to physical or cosmetic problems. This study aims to describe dermatologic complications in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.MethodsThis longitudinal prospective observational study included data on women with non‐metastatic breast cancer whom were treated with AC‐T protocol (anthracycline, cyclophosphamide, and taxane) adjuvant chemotherapy and consecutively enrolled during two years. The study was performed in an educational and tertiary referral center. The patients’ information including age, body mass index (BMI), past medical history, and different dermatologic complications were collected for all participants.ResultsOf 190 enrolled women, all patients experienced alopecia, which occurred in 131 patients (68.9%) after the first cycle. Skin, mucosal, and nail involvement were respectively seen in 46 (24.2%), 51 (26.8%), and 86 (45.2%) cases. Cutaneous complications were observed mainly between the third and sixth chemotherapy cycles. Palmoplantar erythema and palmoplantar dysesthesia were the most common cutaneous complications. Dermatologic adverse effects were significantly more frequent in the patients with an underlying disease.ConclusionThese findings suggest that dermatologic adverse effects of adjuvant chemotherapy are common and could be induced by all components of AC‐T regimen. These complications should be skillfully managed to increase patients’ comfort.

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