Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: a retrospective descriptive study.

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare and potentially life-threatening mucocutaneous reactions. Given their rarity, limited cohort studies have been done. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the demographics, etiology, management, clinical and laboratory characteristics, complications, and outcome of SJS/TEN patients seen by the inpatient dermatology service at the University of Puerto Rico.

Leprosy in Puerto Rico: insight into the new millennia.

Background: Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined the elimination of the disease as a global prevalence of less than one case per 10,000 population. However, disease transmission is an ongoing worldwide public health concern, as evidenced by the more than 220,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Psoriasis and Coronary Artery Disease in Hispanics.

Psoriasis is an immune disorder characterized by chronic activation of systemic inflammation. Morbidity and mortality in patients with psoriasis is attributed mainly to cardiovascular disease. There are studies in Caucasians and African- Americans, but little is known about how psoriasis is associated to coronary artery disease (CAD) in Hispanics.

Mohs micrographic surgery: 10 year experience in Puerto Rico.

Objective: The incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is increasing rapidly worldwide. As NMSC incidence increases, the modalities to treat this condition have become diverse. However, Mohs surgery remains the standard treatment for skin cancer in several particular locations such as the face.

Clinical and dermoscopic patterns of melanocytic nevi in Hispanic adolescents: a descriptive study.

Background: Melanocytic nevi are well-known, important precursors of melanoma among children and adults. The adolescence period is an important period for nevi formation and evolution. This study provides data of a longitudinal study of nevi in a Hispanic adolescent population.

Clinical course and factors associated with remission in pemphigus vulgaris patients in Puerto Rico.

Objective: To describe and identify those factors associated with remission on pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients in Puerto Rico.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated PV patients followed at the University Puerto Rico (UPR) Bullous Diseases Clinic during the 2000-2010 period. Patients included in the study had clinical and pathologic findings consistent with PV and had a disease duration of at least 3 years.

Skin cancer in Puerto Rico: a multiannual incidence comparative study.

Background: The incidence of skin cancer continues to increase worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of skin cancer in Puerto Rico in a selected year (2005) and to compare these findings with those previously reported for Puerto Rico in 1974 and 1981 and with other countries.

Methods: The data was collected from the pathology reports corresponding to the period of January to December 2005 of 21 participating Pathology Laboratories throughout Puerto Rico.

Prevalence of contact allergens in a Hispanic population.

Background: Patch testing has been used as a screening tool to identify those allergens responsible for the development of allergic contact dermatitis. The objectives of this study were to identify the most common allergens found at the Patch Testing Clinic (PTC) of the Department of Dermatology, Medical Sciences Campus (MSC) University of Puerto Rico (UPR), to correlate patch testing results with demographics and clinical data, and to compare the results with similar studies in other institutions.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the records of patients who underwent patch testing for suspected acute allergic contact dermatitis at the Department of Dermatology of the Medical Sciences Campus of the UPR, from March 31, 2001 to May 31, 2005.

MSH-2 and MLH-1 protein expression in Muir Torre syndrome-related and sporadic sebaceous neoplasms.

Background: Muir-Torre Syndrome (MTS) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by the predisposition to both sebaceous neoplasm and internal malignancies. MTS-associated sebaceous neoplasms reveal mutations in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes and microsatellite instability. A significant part of MTS patients represents a phenotypic variant, the hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).

Epidemiology of melanoma in Puerto Rico, 1987-2002.

Background: The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma continues an increasing trend worldwide and has had the highest rise in incidence of all malignancies during the last decades. Mortality rates for melanoma have remained relatively stable in most countries despite the increase in incidence rates. The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiological trends of malignant melanoma in Puerto Rico from 1987 to 2002 and to compare these findings with those previously reported for Puerto Rico as well as with those reported for other countries.

Helicobacter pylori eradication and gastric preneoplastic conditions: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Helicobacter pylori causes gastric adenocarcinoma; whether treatment of H. pylori infection prevents this cancer remains unknown. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of H.