Usefulness of Ultrasound Imaging in Detecting Psoriatic Arthritis of Fingers and Toes in Patients with Psoriasis

Background. Given that clinical evaluation may underestimate the joint damage and that early treatment can slow down psoriatic arthritis (PsA) progression, screening psoriasis patients with imaging tools that can depict early PsA changes would entail clear benefits. Objective. To compare the ability of X-ray and ultrasound (US) examination in detecting morphological abnormalities consistent with early PsA in patients with psoriasis, using rheumatological evaluation as the gold standard for diagnosis. Methods. Patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and no previous PsA diagnosis attending our outpatient dermatology clinic and reporting finger/toe joint and/or tendon pain underwent X-ray and US evaluation; they were subsequently referred to a rheumatologist for clinical examination and review of imaging findings. Results. Abnormal US and/or X-ray findings involving at least one finger and/or toe (joints and/or tendons) were seen in 36/52 patients: 11 had one or more X-ray abnormalities, including erosion, joint space narrowing, new bone formation, periarticular soft tissue swelling, and periarticular osteoporosis; 36 had suspicious changes on US. Conclusion. US proved valuable in detecting joint and/or tendon abnormalities in the fingers and toes of patients with suspicious changes. The dermatologist should consider US to obtain an accurate assessment of suspicious findings

Frontal lobe metabolic alterations in autism spectrum disorder: a 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Recently, neuroimaging studies were performed using 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), revealing a quantitative alteration of neurochemicals (such as neurotransmitters and metabolites) in several brain regions of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The involvement of the frontal lobe in the neurobiology of ASD has long been documented in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the alterations of N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) and choline/Cr (Cho/Cr) ratios in the frontal lobe subcortical white matter (WM) in ASD patients, in order to reveal any alteration of metabolites that might be the expression of specific clinical features of the disorder

Awareness of obesity among patients with psoriasis

Dear Editor, Chronic plaque psoriasis is frequently associated with metabolic comorbidities, including obesity that have an important impact on the disease

Dermoscopy of necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare

Dermoscopy is traditionally used for the diagnosis of skin tumors, but it has also gained increasing interest as an adjunct in the clinical diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases

Dermoscopy of cutaneous sarcoidosis.

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A glass of red wine to keep vascular disease at bay, but what about pemphigus vulgaris?

Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare autoimmune blistering disease, involving the skin and mucous epithelia, which is characterized by flaccid blisters and erosions. It is caused by the presence of autoantibodies directed against desmoglein, a glycoprotein that plays a critical role in cell-cell attachment. Upon a predisposing genetic background, different agents have been shown to act as triggers for the pathogenesis of pemphigus. The most evident association is with drug intake, while the role of diet is often underestimated. The aim of this article is to review the possible role of tannins, a group of phenolic metabolites that are widely distributed in almost all plant foods and beverages, particularly red wine, as a trigger for pemphigus vulgaris

Melanoma onset after estrogen, thyroid, and growth hormone replacement therapy.

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Multiple eruptive plaque-like dermatofibromas during anti-TNFα treatment

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Herpes simplex virus infection in pemphigus vulgaris: clinical and immunological considerations

Different environmental factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris (PV), including drugs, diet, burns, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, neoplasms, and infections. Several reports described the manifestation or aggravation of PV due to herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus-8 infections. In the present study, we correlated secondary HSV1 infection in 3 PV patients on immunosuppressive treatment with the titers of IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein 1 (DSG1) and 3 (DSG3) over a follow-up period of at least 18 months. In these patients, the detection of HSV1 and clinical flare-up of PV did not correlate with a significant increase of DSG-specific IgG. Thus, secondary cutaneous HSV infections should be considered in patients with chronic PV with atypical sudden relapses or resistance to sufficient immunosuppressive treatment who do not show an increase of DSG-specific IgG autoantibodies

Dermoscopy of necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare

Dermoscopy is traditionally used for the diagnosis of skin tumors, but it has also gained increasing interest as an adjunct in the clinical diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases