Background:Alopecia areata (AA) is a skin disease characterized by the sudden appearance of areas of hair loss on the scalp and other hair-bearing areas, but its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in patient's psychological status and relationships.Aim:The goal was to investigate a possible relationship between AA and alexithymia as well as two other emotional dimensions, anxiety and depression.Materials and Methods:Fifty patients with AA seen in the Department of Dermatology of Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax were included in this study. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale questionnaire, alexithymia was assessed by Toronto Alexithymia scale 20, and severity of AA was measured by Severity of Alopecia Tool.Results:Patient's mean age was 32.92 years. 52% of patients were females. Depression and anxiety were detected respectively in 38% and 62% of patients. There was statistically significant difference between patients and control group in terms of depression (P = 0.047) and anxiety (P = 0.005). Forty-two percent of patients scored positive for alexithymia. No significant difference was found between patient and control groups (P = 0.683) in terms of alexithymia. Anxiety was responsible for 14.7% of variation in alexithymia (P = 0.047).Conclusions:Our study shows a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in AA patients. Dermatologists should be aware of the psychological impact of AA, especially as current treatments have limited effectiveness.

Background. Alopecia areata (AA) has a significant impact on the quality of life and social interaction of those suffering from it. Our aim was to assess the impact of AA on the quality of life. Methods. Fifty patients diagnosed with AA seen in the Department of Dermatology of Hedi Chaker University Hospital, between March 2010 and July 2010, were included. Quality of life was measured by SF 36; severity of AA was measured by SALT. Results. Eighty percent had patchy alopecia with less than 50% involvement, 12% had patchy alopecia with 50–99% involvement, and 8% had alopecia totalis. Compared with the general population, AA patients presented a significantly altered quality of life, found in the global score and in five subscores of the SF-36: mental health, role emotional, social functioning, vitality, and general health. Gender, age, marital status, and severity of alopecia areata had a significant influence on patients' quality of life. Conclusions. This study indicates that patients with AA experience a poor quality of life, which impacts their overall health. We suggest screening for psychiatric distress. Studies of interventions such as counseling, psychoeducation, and psychotherapeutic interventions to reduce the impact of the disease may be warranted.

Introduction: DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is associated with increased risk of developing several types of cancer and is the most common cause of hereditary endometrial cancer. Identification of the microsatellite instability (MSI) phenotype in endometrial carcinoma is important given that such tumors are frequent. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the utility of immunohistochemistry (IHC), a simple and fast technique, in detecting MSI status in endometrial carcinoma and evaluate the correlation between the MSI phenotype and the various anatomo-clinical parameters. Methods: IHC expression of 4 markers (MLH1, MSH2, PMS2, and MSH6) was studied. For all IHC markers, a combined score based on the intensity of nuclear labeling and the percentage of labeled cells was defined to establish a score. Correlation between MSI phenotype and different clinicopathologic parameters was evaluated using statistical analysis (software STATA and the Fisher exact test). Results: The mean age of the patients was 58.6 years. Positive staining was highly extended (score 3) with 79% to 100% of marked cells. Less than 10% of positive tumor cells were seen in 3% of cases for MSH6 and PMS2. Abnormal MMR IHC was detected in 10 cases (22.22%). Seven tumors showed loss of MLH1/PMS2. The loss of MSH2/MSH6 was observed in 1 case. The loss of MLH1 or PMS2 was seen only in 2 cases. The number of MSI positive status was 10 cases (22.7%). Correlation between clinicopathologic parameters showed MMR deficiency was significantly associated with low-grade tumor and localized stage. There was no positive correlation between age, histologic subtype, or myometrium invasion. Conclusions: In summary, detection of DNA MMR deficiencies by IHC can effectively diagnose the MSI phenotype in endometrial carcinoma. Correlation between clinicopathologic parameters showed MMR deficiency was significantly associated with low-grade tumor and localized stage.

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