Melanoma and pregnancy.

The last decades were characterized by a worldwide increasing incidence in melanoma. Almost 35% of diagnosed with melanoma women are in childbearing age. Malignant melanoma is the most common malignancy during pregnancy.

Hair and Scalp Disorders in a Tuscan Pediatric Dermatological Outpatient Clinic: A Clinical and Epidemiological Evaluation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of hair and scalp disorders in children referred to the Pediatric Dermatology Outpatient Clinic.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective study of children with hair loss problems or scalp diseases who turned to the Pediatric Dermatology Service, Anna Meyer Pediatric Hospital, Florence, Italy, from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009. Demographics, personal and familial medical history, laboratory tests, clinical examination, final diagnosis and therapeutic interventions were obtained from the manual chart review.

Tripe palms associated with malignant acanthosis nigricans in a patient with gastric adenocarcinoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Tripe palms (TP) is a rare dermatologic condition. TP alone, or associated with malignant acanthosis nigricans (MAN), in most cases is a cutaneous paraneoplastic disorder and its recognition should prompt a full diagnostic work-up for an underlying malignancy. We report a case of a patient in whom the correct identification of TP and MAN has allowed early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Unusual presentation of tuberculosis in an infliximab-treated patient--which is the correct TB screening before starting a biologic?

Infliximab is an anti-TNFalpha chimeric monoclonal antibody, commonly used in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. TNFalpha is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which play a key role in host defense from infections by intracellular bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Histoplasma Capsulatum and especially Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Infliximab therapy increases the risk of tuberculosis due mainly to the reactivation of latent TB infection (LTBI) and, therefore, it is mandatory to screen patients for LTBI prior to starting a treatment with anti-TNFalpha agents.

Therapy of environmental mycobacterial infections.

Environmental mycobacteria are the causative factors of an increasing number of infections worldwide. Cutaneous infections as a result of environmental mycobacteria are often misdiagnosed, and their treatment is difficult because these agents can show in vivo and in vitro multidrug resistance. The most common environmental mycobacteria that can cause cutaneous infections are Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium marinum.