Penile intraepithelial carcinoma treated with imiquimod 1% in an HIV-positive patient

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Italian multicentre study found infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases in children adopted from Africa and recommends prompt medical screening

Aim: This study evaluated the prevalence of infectious diseases and immunisation status of children adopted from Africa. Methods: We studied 762 African children referred to 11 Italian paediatric centres in 2009\u20132015. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected and analysed. Results: The median age of the children (60.3% males) was 3 years and 6 months, 52.6% came from Ethiopia and 50.1% had at least one infectious disease. Parasitic infections accounted for the majority of the infectious diseases (409 of 715), and the most common were Giardia lamblia (n = 239), Toxocara canis (n = 65) and skin infections (n = 205), notably Tinea capitis/corporis (n = 134) and Molluscum contagiosum (n = 56) Active tuberculosis (TB) was diagnosed in nine children (1.2%). Latent TB infections were diagnosed in 52 (6.8%) children, and only 23 had concordant positive tuberculin skin tests and Quantiferon Gold In-Tube results. Discordant results were associated with Bacille de Calmette-Gu\ue9rin vaccinations (odd ratio 6.30 and 95% confidence interval of 1.01\u201339.20, p = 0.011). Nonprotective antitetanus or antihepatitis B antibody titres were documented in 266 (34.9%) and 396 (51.9%) of the 762 children. Conclusion: The prevalence of infectious conditions and not-protective titres for vaccine-preventable diseases observed in our population underlines the need for prompt and complete medical screening of children adopted from Africa

Incidence rates of hospitalization and death from {COVID}-19 in patients with psoriasis receiving biological treatment: A~Northern Italy experience

Introduction: Whether biologic therapies enhance the risk of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) or affect the disease outcome in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis remains to be ascertained.Objective: We sought to investigate the incidence of hospitalization and death for COVID-19 in a large sample of patients with plaque psoriasis receiving biologic therapies compared with the general population.Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study including patients with chronic plaque psoriasis (n 5 6501) being treated with biologic therapy and regularly followed up at the divisions of dermatology of several main hospitals in the Northern Italian cities of Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Modena, Bologna, Piacenza, Turin, and Milan. Incidence rates of hospitalization and death per 10,000 person-months with exact mid-p 95% CIs and standardized incidence ratios were estimated in the patients with psoriasis and compared with those in the general population in the same geographic areas.Results: The incidence rate of hospitalization for COVID-19 was 11.7 (95% CI, 7.2-18.1) per 10,000 person-months in patients with psoriasis and 14.4 (95% CI, 14.3-14.5) in the general population; the incidence rate of death from COVID-19 was 1.3 (95% CI, 0.2-4.3) and 4.7 (95% CI, 4.6-4.7) in patients with psoriasis and the general population, respectively. The standardized incidence ratio of hospitalization and death in patients with psoriasis compared with those in the general population was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.57-1.45; P 5.82) and 0.42 (95% CI, 0.07-1.38; P 5.19), respectively.Conclusions: Our data did not show any adverse impact of biologics on COVID-19 outcome in patients with psoriasis. We would not advise biologic discontinuation in patients on treatment since more than 6 months and not infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to prevent hospitalization and death from COVID-19