Early pancreatic panniculitis associated with HELLP syndrome and acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

Pancreatic panniculitis represents a rare cutaneous disorder most commonly associated with acute or chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic carcinoma. We describe a case of a 17-year-old woman who presented with a 2-day history of erythematous patches involving her bilateral knees and tender, scattered red-brown nodules involving her bilateral anterior shins. She was seen during a hospitalization for emergent cesarean section and her hospital course was complicated by HELLP syndrome (defined by the presence of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count), acute fatty liver of pregnancy and pancreatitis.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and athletes.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections have become an increasingly common condition among athletes. Physical contact, shared facilities and equipment, and hygienic practices of athletes all contribute to methicillin-resistant S. aureus transmission among sports participants.

Erythema nodosum in association with newly diagnosed hairy cell leukemia and group C streptococcus infection.

Erythema nodosum is an inflammatory reaction of the skin characterized by tender erythematous patches or nodules, usually located on the lower extremities. This report illustrates an association of erythema nodosum with a rare malignancy and an uncommon infectious agent in humans. There are many diseases associated with erythema nodosum; we propose that hairy cell leukemia and group C streptococcus be considered among this list.

Review of extracorporeal photopheresis in early-stage (IA, IB, and IIA) cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Background: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been used for nearly 20 years for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). A substantial body of literature reports that this form of photoimmunotherapy improves or stabilizes the course of disease in a subset of patients across all stages. However, current clinical approach usually reserves ECP for patients who do not respond to other treatments or for patients with late-stage disease or Sézary syndrome (SS).