[Commentary note on the Italian translation of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences 2002 Guidelines].

The new CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines on Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects were published in August 2002. The aim of the present paper was to prepare a reasoned Italian translation of the guidelines. A preliminary version was submitted to a group of bioethicists and scientific research experts.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis: a rare histiocytic disorder.

A 64-year-old woman, otherwise healthy, presented with multiple reddish-brown, slightly yellowish papules on the face and neck, which had developed 3 years earlier. The lesions were painless and nonpruritic and varied in diameter from 1 to 5 mm. Histological and immunohistochemical examination of cutaneous biopsies revealed a diffuse dermal infiltrate composed mainly of histiocytes which expressed both Langerhans cell as well as monocytic/macrophages cell marker characteristics.

Keratoderma hereditarium mutilans (Vohwinkel's syndrome) associated with congenital deaf-mutism.

Keratoderma hereditarium mutilans, or Vohwinkel's syndrome, is a rare cutaneous disorder which is characterized by thickening of the palms, soles and dorsa of the hands and feet, and by ainhum-like constrictions of the fingers. We report a clinically typical case of Vohwinkel's syndrome in a 28-year-old, deaf-mute, woman. The patient presented with keratotic palms and soles which had a 'honeycomb' appearance, starfish-like keratoses on the dorsa of the hands, and pseudoainhum of the digits.

Use of recombinant interferon alfa-2b in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma.

Background: Several neoplasms including cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, malignant melanoma and Kaposi's sarcoma have been successfully treated with systemic or intralesional interferons (IFNs). Recently, intralesional alpha-IFN has also been employed in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of IFN alfa-2b in the treatment of BCC.

[Immunophenotype of lymphocytic infiltrate in mycosis fungoides at the plaque stage and at the tumor stage. A comparative study].

An immunohistochemical study of 18 cases of mycosis fungoides (8 cases in tumor stage, 10 in plaque stage) is reported. Seven immunohistochemical parameters were set to evaluate the immunophenotype of the lymphocytes int he two stages of the disease. The results showed loss of differentiation and marked activation of the neoplastic lymphocytes with the progression of the disease from plaque to tumor stage.