Epithelioid Cell Histiocytoma – An Unusual Variant of Dermatofibroma at an Uncommon Site

Epithelioid cell histiocytoma (ECH) is a rare variant of cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma involving primarily trunk and the extremities. It can delude the pathologist in considering other benign non neoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Awareness of this new entity can avert unnecessary treatment. We report a case of epithelioid cell histiocytoma in a 40 yr old male who presented with a painless nodular swelling over the dorsum of nose. The case is presented here for its rarity and an uncommon site of involvement

An Unusual Melanocytic Nevus of Conjunctiva : Balloon Cell Nevus

Melanocytic nevi are one of the most common benign tumors of the conjunctiva. The balloon cell nevus is a rare and unusual variant of nevus of melanocytic origin, in which more than 50% of the tumor is composed of large polygonal cells with small nucleus and a clear to vacuolated cytoplasm. We describe a case of balloon cell nevus in a 6-year-old child who presented with pigmented lesion of the right eye since birth. The melanocytic nature of these cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical study. Excision of the tumor results in cure. This report describes a rare balloon cell nevus of conjunctiva which to the best of our knowledge is not documented in Indian literature

Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy and its correlates among HIV infected pediatric patients in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in striking reductions in HIV-related mortality. Despite increased availability of ART, children remain a neglected population. This may be due to concerns that failure to adhere appears to be related to continued viral replication, treatment failure and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV. This study determines the rates and factors associated with adherence to Antiretroviral (ARV) Drug therapy in HIV-infected children who were receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2008. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five hospitals in Addis Ababa from February 18 - April 28, 2008. The study population entailed parents/caretaker and index children who were following ART in the health facilities. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: A total of 390 children respondents were included in the study with a response rate of 91%. The majority, equaling 205 (52.6%) of the children, were greater than 9 years of age. Fifty five percent of the children were girls. A total of 339 children (86.9%) as reported by caregivers were adherent to antiretroviral drugs for the past 7 days before the interview. Numerous variables were found to be significantly associated with adherence: children whose parents did not pay a fee for treatment [OR = 0.39 (95%CI: 0.16, 0.92)], children who had ever received any nutritional support from the clinic [OR = 0.34 (95%CI: 0.14, 0.79)] were less likely to adhere. Whereas children who took co-trimoxazole medication/syrup besides ARVs [OR = 3.65 (95%CI: 1.24, 10.74)], children who did not know their sero-status [OR = 2.53 (95%CI: 1.24, 5.19)] and children who were not aware of their caregiver's health problem [OR = 2.45 (95%CI: 1.25, 4.81)] were more likely to adhere than their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Adherence to HAART in children in Addis Ababa was higher than other similar set-ups. However, there are still significant numbers of children who are non-adherent to HAART

Techniques of Skin Biopsy and Practical Considerations

Skin biopsy is a safe, easy and out-patient procedure of diagnostic and academic relevance. There are various methods of performing skin biopsy depending on the size of lesion, suspected clinical diagnosis and site of lesion. Although biopsy is usually a safe procedure, complications such as bleeding, infection and scarring may occasionally be encountered while performing biopsy in an out-patient with basic infrastructure. This article details the various techniques of skin biopsy, their indications and practical steps to curtail complications arising from the procedure