Mohs Surgery for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nail Unit: 10 Years of Experience.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most frequent malignant tumor of the nail unit.

Objective: The aim of this study was to review the long-term outcome of patients affected by SCC of the nail who underwent Mohs surgery.

Materials And Methods: Patients affected by nail SCC were enrolled, including cases where x-ray examination had revealed bone changes.

Hair and Scalp Manifestations in Secondary Syphilis: Epidemiology, Clinical Features and Trichoscopy.

Background: Syphilitic alopecia (SA) is mainly described in single case reports, and there are only a few epidemiological studies.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and dermoscopic features of SA in patients with secondary syphilis and to record its actual prevalence.

Methods: All patients with a diagnosis of secondary syphilis were clinically and trichoscopically evaluated in search of hair and scalp alterations.

Diet Quality and Risk of Melanoma in an Italian Population.

Background: Some results from laboratory and epidemiologic studies suggest that diet may influence the risk of melanoma, but convincing evidence for a role of single nutrients or food items is lacking. Diet quality, which considers the combined effect of multiple food items, may be superior for examining this relation.

Objective: We sought to assess whether diet quality, evaluated with the use of 4 different dietary indexes, is associated with melanoma risk.

Spitzoid tumors in children and adults: a comparative clinical, pathological, and cytogenetic analysis.

Spitzoid neoplasms may represent a difficult diagnosis in the practice of dermatopathology. We evaluated the concordance of the fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) assay, histopathology, and dermoscopy in a group of adults and in a group of children with spitzoid neoplasms. The FISH assay, designed to detect the copy number of the RREB1 (6p25), MYB (6q23), and CCND1 (11q13) genes and of centromere 6 (Cep 6), was performed in a group of children and in a group of adults with a histopathologic diagnosis of spitzoid neoplasms.

Tips for diagnosis and treatment of nail pigmentation with practical algorithm.

The observation of a black-brown pigmentation of the nail is often alarming for the patient and for the clinician, as they are aware that it can be a possible clinical manifestation of melanoma of the nail apparatus. Luckily, however, nail melanoma is a much less frequent cause of brown-black nail color than other melanocytic and nonmelanocytic pigmentations, which include subungual hematoma, exogenous pigmentations, and melanonychia due to benign conditions. A correct clinical history and careful examination help the clinician to distinguish the different conditions and to decide the correct management of melanonychia both in children and in adults.

Genital melanocytic naevus on lichen sclerosus: an uncommon occurrence and a management proposal.

Background: Melanocytic naevi located in special sites, such as the vulvar mucosa might present peculiar clinical and dermatoscopic features.

Objectives: We describe a management proposal of a genital naevus associated with inflammatory disorders that aims to facilitate the clinical and pathologic diagnosis.

Methods: Videodermoscopy of a genital naevus associated with lichen sclerosus of an 8-year-old girl, was carried out before and 2 months after treatment with topical steroids.

Association between dietary vitamin C and risk of cutaneous melanoma in a population of Northern Italy.

Cutaneous melanoma incidence has been increasing during the last few years, and diet has been suggested as one of the lifestyle factors responsible for this increase. Since antioxidant nutrients such as ascorbic acid might prevent skin carcinogenesis, we investigated the risk of cutaneous melanoma related to vitamin C intake in a population-based case-control study in Northern Italy based on 380 melanoma patients and 719 matched controls, to whom we administered a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. After adjusting for potential confounders, odds ratio of melanoma were 0.

Spitz nevi: defining features and management in children.

We reviewed literature data in order to better define clinical features of Spitz nevi (SNi) in children. Lots of interest has been given in the past decade to these neoplasms that due the clinical course and sometime the rapid onset, may often cause worrisome consultations. Dermoscopy has played an important role in the improved diagnostic capability of clinicians, regarding all melanocytic neoplasms and also SNi.

Virologic and genetic evaluation of vemurafenib-induced skin cancers.

We describe the occurrence of a giant squamous cell carcinoma in a patient receiving vemurafenib for the treatment of late melanoma mestastases. Although the development of keratoacanthomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) has been described during vemurafenib therapy, most of the reported cases are treated with surgical excision. In the present case, SCC regressed after drug withdrawal.

Vascular leg ulcers: histopathologic study of 293 patients.

Vascular leg ulcers remain a challenge for the modern health care, and a systematic pathological study on this kind of lesions has not been reported so far. A total of 293 consecutive white patients with chronic leg ulcers (present for a minimum of 6 months and up to several years) referred to the Wound Care Unit (Dermatology, University of Bologna) between March 2008 and June 2011. Thirty-four patients affected by other than vascular ulcers, neoplastic or inflammatory conditions, were excluded.

Mitochondria hyperfusion and elevated autophagic activity are key mechanisms for cellular bioenergetic preservation in centenarians.

Mitochondria have been considered for long time as important determinants of cell aging because of their role in the production of reactive oxygen species. In this study we investigated the impact of mitochondrial metabolism and biology as determinants of successful aging in primary cultures of fibroblasts isolated from the skin of long living individuals (LLI) (about 100 years old) compared with those from young (about 27 years old) and old (about 75 years old) subjects. We observed that fibroblasts from LLI displayed significantly lower complex I-driven ATP synthesis and higher production of H2O2 in comparison with old subjects.

Hair in newborns and infants: clinical and dermoscopic evaluation of 45 cases.

Background: The literature still lacks comprehensive assessments on the features of neonatal hair and scalp characteristics.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and dermoscopic features of scalp hair in newborns, including measurement of hair density, length and diameter.

Methods: Forty-five newborns were recruited for the study.