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The implementation of TBSTRC which stands for a unique, international and a universal terminology for reporting the thyroid cytology; should be encouraged in our country, because of its relative ease of reproducibility. Although there was a great deal of agreement in implementing TBSTRC in the present study; disagreements were seen in the categories of AUS/FLUS and FN/SFN in the study which was conducted at our centre. This corroborated with the findings of the studies which were done elsewhere.

Angiogenesis is the process of formation of new blood vessels due to over expression of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) which plays a critical role in the growth and development of all solid tumor types. With the advancement in understanding of tumor angiogenesis and VEGF, there have been a number of agents developed to target VEGF for the treatment of cancer. These targeted agents can affect downstream VEGF signal transduction by unique mechanisms at different cellular and extracellular levels. FDA has recently approved Aflibercept or VEGF-Trap in August 2012 for the treatment of colorectal cancer. It is a recombinant, decoy receptor fusion protein, rationally designed to block angiogenesis by targeting VEGF-A, VEGF-B and placental growth factor. VEGF-Trap exerts its antiangiogenic effects through regression of tumor vasculature, remodelling or normalization of surviving vasculature and inhibition of new tumor vessel growth. In this review, pre-clinical and clinical data have been summarized for aflibercept alone and in combination with chemotherapy to explore its efficacy and benefits in ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, adenocarcinoma and renal cell cancer xenograft models.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), a clinically and immunopathologically distinct mucocutaneous blistering dermatosis, is a severe form of autoimmune multiorgan syndrome generally associated with poor therapeutic outcome and high mortality. This IgG-mediated disease is initiated by an obvious or occult lymphoproliferative disorder in most cases. Clinically severe mucositis, and polymorphic blistering skin eruptions, and histologically acantholysis, keratinocyte necrosis and interface dermatitis are its hallmark features. A 58-year-old female presented with recurrent, severe, recalcitrant stomatitis and widespread erosions/blistering lesions of one-year duration. Treatment with repeated courses of systemic corticosteroids at a peripheral center would provide temporary relief. She also had fever, productive cough, odynophagia and poor oral intake, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, pain in the abdomen, and watery diarrhea. An array of investigations revealed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mediastinal and para-aortic lymphadenopathy, bronchiolitis obliterans, and vertebral osteoporosis/fractures. With the diagnosis of CLL-associated PNP she was managed with dexamethasone-cyclophosphamide pulse (DCP) therapy for 3 cycles initially, followed by COP regimen (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone) for 5 cycles. Remission is being maintained with chlorambucil and prednisolone pulse therapy once in 3 weeks with complete resolution of skin lesions and adequate control of CLL.

Keloids are well-defined fibrous tissue overgrowths extending beyond the original defects. The purpose of our study was to compare the efficacy of liquid nitrogen cryosurgery alone with liquid nitrogen cryosurgery and intralesional triamcinolone acetonide combination. Study on 60 clinically diagnosed lesions of keloids from 21 patients was conducted to compare the efficacy of liquid nitrogen cryosurgery alone. The statistical analysis shows synergistic action of cryosurgery and corticosteroids may offer promise in the treatment.

INTRODUCTIONCutaneous disorders in children are common and are either transitory or chronic and recurrent. Monitoring their epidemiology helps in effectively planning relevant educational programs and preventive measures. Dermatological problems manifesting as primary and secondary cutaneous complaints constitute at least 30% of all outpatient visits to a pediatrician and 30% of dermatological outdoor consultation constitutes children. 2,3Measurement of impact of pediatric dermatoses is an important component of primary health care practice and is required to aid for clinical research and for allocation of more resources for the care of the children. The evaluation for skin disorders are an important component of primary health care practice for all including children. 4 Pediatric dermatoses vary vastly from adult dermatoses in terms of clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis, thereby generating special interest in this field and requiring a separate view. Socio-economic status, external environment, climatic exposure and dietary ABSTRACT Background: Pediatric dermatoses vary vastly from adult dermatoses in terms of clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis, thereby generating special interest in this field. The present study was carried to find out the spectrum, pattern and incidence of various skin disorders in infants and preschool children (upto 5 years), to correlate their prevalence with age, sex and rural/urban residential status. Methods: 1000 children under five years age , were evaluated for the presence of skin disease to study the pattern and incidence of these disorders and establish their relationship with age, sex and residential status (rural/urban).Skin disorders were described in detail and classified into groups like bacterial, fungal, parasitic, viral, eczematous, allergic, papulosquamous, pigmentary, miscellaneous. Results: Maximum number of children belonged to age group of less than 1 year (31.6%). Male patients (56.6%) outnumbered female patients (43.4%). 56.8% children belonged to urban area while 43.2% children were from rural area. Maximum incidence was of infections (41.1%). Of these infections, bacterial infections (14.5%) were the predominant followed by parasitic infections (10.9%). Eczematous skin disorders were the next common entity after infections seen in 35.1 % children followed by that of allergic disorders seen in 5.9% children. Conclusions: There is preponderance of infectious dermatoses among the under five population followed by eczematous and hypersensitivity disorders. The role of poverty, overcrowding, poor personal hygiene and low level of health education, undernutrition and consequent poor immunity are emphasized by these preventable diseases.

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<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Dermatomycoses affect the outer layers of the skin, nails and hair without tissue invasion and are often caused by dermatophytic molds, candida &amp; non dermatophytic molds. Although not dangerous, they are important as a public health problem particularly in the immunocompromised. There are limited studies on the efficacy of antifungal agents against dermatophytes in North India.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This study was conducted to test the efficacy of 5 systemic antifungal agents viz. voriconazole, itraconazole, terbinafine, fluconazole &amp; griseofulvin using Microbroth dilution technique.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Three different species of dermatophytes which were isolated from the clinically suspected cases were <em>Trichophyton mentagrophytes</em>, <em>T. rubrum</em> and <em>M. gypseum</em>. According to the obtained results, Itraconazole and Voriconazole showed the lowest MIC range while Fluconazole and Griseofulvin had the highest MIC range for most fungi tested.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Despite several treatment options being available for cutaneous fungal infections, due to an inappropriate response, there is an increasing need for determining an antifungal susceptibility profile for specific fungal strains. This will enable the clinician to select an appropriate antifungal agent with minimal side effects to avoid antifungal resistance and treatment failure.</p>