No abstract

Introduction. Intralesional purified protein derivative (PPD) is an affordable therapeutic option that has been studied for cutaneous warts. However, the lack of good evidence precludes its widespread use. Objective. To determine the efficacy and safety of intralesional PPD in the treatment of cutaneous warts. Methods. A systematic search for controlled clinical trials comparing intralesional PPD and placebo or any conventional therapy was conducted using electronic databases. The included studies were assessed for risk of bias, and data such as clearance rate of target and distant lesions, recurrence rate, and adverse events were extracted. Analysis was done through RevMan v5.3 Results. Four controlled clinical trials composed of 205 patients were included. All of the studies compared intralesional PPD to placebo as comparator. Intralesional PPD had a significantly higher clearance rate of target wart (RR=0.43[0.22,0.84], P=0.01) and a significantly higher clearance rate of distant lesions (RR=0.59[0.41,0.85], P=0.005) as compared to placebo. However, there was no significant difference in the recurrence rate (RR=0 [-0.07,0.07], P=0.98). Adverse events reported were only considered minor. Conclusion. Intralesional PPD is an effective and safe treatment option for cutaneous warts. However, more well-structured RCTs with longer follow-up period and those comparing it with conventional treatment are needed to further support its use.

Objectives. Currently, there are no local studies examining wound dressing usage among pressure ulcers in Filipino patients. The study aims to provide preliminary Philippine data among in-patients with pressure ulcers: their demographic characteristics, wound characteristics, wound dressing usage, and associated outcomes per wound dressing. Methods. A retrospective chart review of patients admitted at the Philippine General Hospital from 2011 to 2017 with a diagnosis of pressure ulcer was conducted. Results. Eighty-five records were retrieved; 56% were female and 44% male, with a mean age of 47.67 ± 23.03 years. The mean number of ulcers per patient was 1.65 ± 1.37, mostly in Stages 2 and 3, and 90.6% were in the sacral area. Seventy-three (85.9%) had utilized at least one form of the wound dressing, mostly plain gauze (83.5%), usually with silver sulfadiazine or Dakin’s solution. Only a smaller subset used silver-impregnated dressings (10.55%) and hydrocolloid dressings (5.9%). Comparing advanced versus basic dressings for improved wound outcomes, the crude odds ratio was 3.81 (1.62 - 8.99; p-value 0.003), which on stratification accounting for bed turning, became 8.92 (1.66 - 47.97; p-value 0.009) for those bed turned and 3.05 (1.01-9.20; p-value 0.075) for those not bed turned. Conclusion. Filipino in-patients with pressure ulcers were similar to those in the literature in terms of the mean number of ulcers and site of involvement. Basic gauze dressings, combined with topical agents, constitute the majority of wound dressing practice. Use of an advanced wound dressing showed a trend favoring improved outcomes, enhanced by pressure redistribution through bed repositioning.

Objectives. Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by the obligate intracellular organism Mycobacterium  leprae. Current diagnostic tests for confirmation and treatment monitoring such as slit skin smear and biopsy are invasive and require time for processing, reading, and interpretation. Dermoscopy is a technique that allows the visualization of structures not readily seen by the naked eye. It can be performed at the point of care, providing a non-invasive link between clinical and histopathologic examination. This study aimed to determine the dermoscopic findings and associated clinicopathologic findings of the different forms of leprosy. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted. All new and follow-up patients aged 19 years old and above clinically diagnosed with leprosy were invited to participate in the study during the three-month investigation period. Clinical and dermoscopic photographs of representative skin lesions were taken, and a review of slit skin smear and histopathology results was done. Data analysis was performed using Stata SE version 13. The association between dermoscopic findings and the following parameters: anatomic location, Ridley-Jopling classification, WHO classification, treatment duration, and average bacteriologic index were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results. A total of 57 lesions were included. Linear vessels (p=0.031), structureless areas (p=0.008), and globules (p=0.002) were found to be significantly associated with the anatomic location. Decreased hair was found to be significantly associated with treatment duration (p=0.038). No significant associations were found between dermoscopic findings and Ridley-Jopling classification, WHO classification, and ABI. Eight biopsies taken at the time of dermoscopy were reviewed, with all sites showing structureless or globular areas corresponding to the presence of granulomas on histopathology (100%). No other notable associations were observed. Conclusion. Dermoscopy is a potentially useful tool to aid in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of leprosy. Limitations of this study include the small sample size, the preponderance of subjects in the lepromatous pole, and assessments by a single trained dermoscopist. A longer study duration including a larger number of newly diagnosed leprosy patients is recommended.

Introduction. Non-Langerhans cell histiocytoses (non-LCH) are a group of rare diseases with varied clinical manifestations and overlapping features seen among the subtypes. Here, we present a case of Rosai-Dorfman disease with features of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma. Case. A 45-year-old female presented with a 10-year history of an enlarging neck mass with normal overlying skin accompanied by dysphagia and multiple asymptomatic pink to yellowish-brown papules, nodules, and plaques on the face, trunk and extremities. Biopsies of a skin nodule and plaque revealed granulomatous dermal infiltrates (lymphocytes, foamy histiocytes, and Touton giant cells), emperipolesis and areas of necrosis. CD1A and Fite-Faraco staining showed negative results while CD68 and S100 positively stained the tissues of interest. Histopathology of the neck mass paralleled these findings in addition to being negative for lymphoid markers. Patient had monoclonal gammopathy and thyromegaly with enlarged cervical lymph nodes on further tests and imaging. Intralesional and systemic steroids were given which led to flattening of skin lesions and improvement in dysphagia, respectively. Conclusion. Diagnosis and classification of a particular type of non-LCH may be difficult due to similarities across its subtypes. Hence, it is our belief that these diseases may occur on a spectrum. Treatment involves a multidisciplinary approach for the best possible care.