Disseminated and recurrent infundibular folliculitis (D.R.I.F.): Report of a case successfully treated with isotretinoin

Disseminated and recurrent infundibular folliculitis, henceforth referred to as D.R.I.F., is a very rare, puritic, follicular, benign disease of unknown etiology seen mostly in black males. It is often self-limited and usually unresponsive to local or systemic treatment. How- ever, vitamin A, either alone or combined with vitamin E, is occasionally effective. We report a case of a patient with D.R.I.F. treated successfully with isotretinoin

Screening for fetal alcohol syndrome in primary schools: A feasibility study

Background: This project was undertaken as a feasibility study to determine the possibility of screening for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in early school-age children for epidemiological and interventional purposes. Methods: All elementary schools in two counties in Washington State were asked to screen first graders for possible FAS. A child was screen positive if found to be growth deficient, to have certain specific facial abnormalities, or have a known history of substantial alcohol exposure in gestation. All screen-positive children were invited to "special diagnostic clinics" for final diagnosis and treatment planning. Results: In County A, virtually all students were screened. In County B only about 25% of children were screened. This difference was related to the number of schools that agreed to participate in the project and the methods employed by each county to obtain parental permission. In each county, only about one-half of the screen-positive children were seen in the special clinics for diagnostic considerations. Only one of the seven children found to have FAS had been diagnosed previously. The minimal prevalence of FAS in County A was 3.1 in 1,000 students. The minimal prevalence of FAS in County B could not be calculated. The most efficient component in the screening process leading to a diagnosis of FAS was finding the specific facial features of the disorder. The diagnosis of FAS was generally helpful in improving educational planning. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that population-based FAS screening within a school system may be possible, but participation is dependent on local trust and understanding of the project before its inception within the schools and the community at large. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Cell proliferation rate and nuclear morphometry in Roberts syndrome

Roberts syndrome (RS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized primarily by symmetric reduction anomalies of all limbs, growth retardation and craniofacial abnormalities. Most RS patients are reported to present a typical abnormality of their constitutive heterochromatin, accompanied by abnormal cytological growth characteristics. We present an extremely severe case of an RS fetus, karyotypically documented, with a clinical presentation including growth deficiency, tetraphocomelia, frontal meningocele, craniofacial abnormalities and penile enlargement with hypospadias. Nuclear morphometrical analysis in tissues of various organs revealed a reduced nuclear size in RS as compared to normal controls, and statistically significant differences in morphometric parameters related to the nuclear shape. Immunohistochemical study of the same organs showed a reduced expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the presented case, thus indicating a decreased cell proliferation rate in RS. Our results reconfirm previously reported findings in cultured fibroblasts of RS cases, thereby reinforcing on a histologic level, the hypothesis that reduced cell proliferation may be involved in the growth retardation and the reduction abnormalities observed in RS