Raised vulvar lesions: be aware!

Vulvar melanoma is a rare and deadly cancer in women, and the prognosis is often poor. There are limited studies on the dermoscopic features of vulvar melanoma. Described criteria include the presence of blue, gray, or white colors. Herein we present the clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of a hypopigmented and heavily pigmented nodule in a 92-year-old and an 80-year-old woman. Dermoscopy in the former revealed structureless milky-red to white areas, remnants of brown pigmentation at the base and polymorphic vessels, while the latter displayed structureless blue-gray areas with black dots and peripheral lines at the base. In both cases, histopathology revealed a stage III melanoma. Our two cases along with a review of the literature suggest that the dermoscopic features described for diagnosing cutaneous nodular melanoma, apply also for vulvar melanoma. Clinicians should always raise the suspicion if observing plaques or nodules with a dermoscopic polymorphic vascular pattern and blue-black color on the genitals of postmenopausal women

Influence of Ecto-Nucleoside Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolase Activity on Trypanosoma cruzi Infectivity and Virulence

The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, an endemic zoonosis present in some countries of South and Central Americas. The World Health Organization estimates that 100 million people are at risk of acquiring this disease. The infection affects mainly muscle tissues in the heart and digestive tract. There are no vaccines or effective treatment, especially in the chronic phase when most patients are diagnosed, which makes a strong case for the development of new drugs to treat the disease. In this work we evaluate a family of proteins called Ecto-Nucleoside-Triphosphate-Diphosphohydrolase (Ecto-NTPDase) as new chemotherapy target to block T. cruzi infection in mammalian cells and in mice. We have used inhibitors and antibodies against this protein and demonstrated that T. cruzi Ecto-NTPDases act as facilitators of infection in mammalian cells and virulence factors in mice model. Two of the drugs used in this study (Suramin and Gadolinium) are currently used for other diseases in humans, supporting the possibility of their use in the treatment of Chagas disease