Various simultaneous nail changes due to valproic acid use

There are only a few case reports about nail changes due to valproic acid in the literature despite its widespread use. We present a 50-year-old man who had onycholysis, roughness of the nail surface and brownish-yellow discoloration of both fingernails and toenails, which remarkably ameliorated upon cessation of valproic acid

Milia-like calcinosis cutis in a girl with Down syndrome

Milia-like idiopathic calcinosis cutis (MICC) is a very rare dermatological disorder characterized by multiple whitish to skin colored, milia-like papules, mostly found on the hands. MICC can disappear spontaneously by adulthood; therefore, its early recognition is crucial to avoiding unnecessary interventions. Herein, we present a case of MICC in a 6-year-old girl with Down syndrome

A Case of Prolidase Deficiency Accompanying Leg Ulcers

Prolidase deficiency (PD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that has symptoms such as skin ulcers, characteristic facies, mental retardation, skeletal deformities, hematological anomalies, splenomegaly, and chronic infections. Deficiency of prolidase leads to the increased excretion of proline in urine, which causes impaired collagen synthesis and delay in wound healing. This case reports a 40-year-old female who has had cutaneous ulcers since the age of 7 years. We also recognized borderline intellectual functioning as well as hematologic abnormalities and splenomegaly. We present this rare case to draw attention to consider prolidase deficiency in the differential diagnosis of leg ulcers

Single-center experience with potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser for superficial cutaneous vascular lesions in face

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Superficial cutaneous vascular lesions (SCVLs) are quite common. Several types of lasers have been used to treat these lesions; however, there are no dedicated treatment guidelines and few studies in the literature addressed their treatment. AIMS: In this paper, we aimed to report our clinical experience with potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser treatment on different types of facial SCVLs including telangiectasia, spider angioma, and erythema. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from 146 patients with SCVLs, who had been treated with the 532-nm wavelength laser at our outpatient dermatology clinic. Treatment responses were graded as four groups: clearance (> 75% improvement compared with the previous session), marked improvement (50-75%), partial improvement (25-50%), and no response (< 25%). RESULTS: The rate of clearance plus marked improvement (favorable outcome) was 66.1% for telangiectasia group, 93.5% for spider angioma group, and 26.7% for erythema group. Mean number of treatments was 2.9 +/- 1.4 for telangiectasia group, 1.4 +/- 0.8 for spider angioma group, and 2.9 +/- 1.7 for facial erythema group. Only minimal adverse effects related to treatment procedure were detected in 5 out of 146 (3.4%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that KTP laser might be a safe and effective laser modality for SCVLs, which may be associated with physiological problems due to cosmetic concerns

Comparison of Famciclovir, Valaciclovir, and Brivudine Treatments in Adult Immunocompetent Patients With Herpes Zoster

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common disease characterized by the recurrence of varicella zoster, that stays dormant in sensory ganglia. The primary goal of this study was to compare efficiencies of famciclovir, valaciclovir, and brivudine in terms of pain relief in HZ patients. Records of patients who were admitted to the Dermatology Clinic of our hospital due to acute HZ between the years 2012 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment decisions were at the discretion of caring physicians as valaciclovir (VACV), famciclovir (FCV), and brivudine (BRV) based on the clinical observations. BRV, FCV, and VACV were effective in treating pain in acute HZ. There was no significant difference between mild and moderate HZ patients. In severe cases, a significant reduction in intensity of pain was observed on day 3 in the BRV group, on day 7 in the FCV group, and at 2-3 weeks in the VACV group. There were no significant side effects observed in any of the groups. Results of this study indicate that brivudine may be the first choice in severe HZ cases as it controls pain earlier and is easier to use because of its once daily administration

Survey study on training and implementation of dermatoallergy by the Turkish Society of Dermatology Dermatoallergy Study Group

Conclusion: We found out that most of the dermatologists in Turkey have the sufficient knowledge and practice to perform dermatoallergy tests. However, further scientific training courses on oral food challenge and drug provocation tests are required to improve the practice of dermatologists