Neurological and Neurocognitive Impairments in Adults with a History of Prenatal Methylmercury Poisoning: Minamata Disease.

Minamata disease, which happened during the 1950s and 1960s in Minamata, Japan, is a well-known case of food poisoning caused by methylmercury-contaminated fish. Although many children were born, in the affected areas, with severe neurological signs after birth (known as congenital Minamata disease (CMD)), few studies have explored the possible effects of low-to-moderate methylmercury exposure in utero, probably at lower levels than in CMD patients, in Minamata. We, therefore, recruited 52 participants in 2020: 10 patients with known CMD; 15 moderately exposed residents; and 27 non-exposed controls.

Nodular lymphangitis related to methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection.

Nodular lymphangitis, also known as lymphocutaneous syndrome or sporotrichoid lymphangitis, presents with inflammatory nodules along the lymphatic vessels, typically involving the upper or lower extremities. Although the most common cause of nodular lymphangitis is infection due to Sporothrix schenckii, Nocardia brasiliensis, Mycobacterium marinum, or Leishmania braziliensis, it is important for clinicians to be aware of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a rare cause of nodular lymphangitis and perform gram stain, bacterial culture, and antibiotic sensitivity profiles when appropriate. History of recent travel or exposures, incubation time, presence of systemic symptoms, and presence of ulceration, suppuration, or drainage can serve as diagnostic clues, but microbiological tissue cultures and histopathologic studies confirm the diagnosis.

Health Utility Measures Among Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia After Hair Transplant.

Background: Hair loss causes significant psychosocial distress to patients. Health utility measurements offer an objective, quantitative assessment of health-related quality of life (QOL).

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study on patients with hair loss between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020.

Comparison of Shave and Punch Biopsy Utilization Among Dermatology Practices.

In 2019, the 2 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for skin biopsies were replaced with 6 new CPT codes to allow for technique specification and differential reimbursement. We sought to evaluate whether the concurrent decrease in reimbursement for shave biopsies and increase in reimbursement for punch biopsies led to utilization changes. We examined shave and punch biopsies submitted for pathologic examination at 3 academic centers in May 2018 and May 2019.

Resolution of folliculitis decalvans with medical honey.

Folliculitis decalvans is a rare scarring alopecia that presents with indurated, tender pustules and papules on the vertex and occipital scalp. Although systemic antibiotics with activity against Staphylococcus species provide some symptomatic improvement, folliculitis decalvans remains a significant management challenge and often exhibits a relapsing-and-remitting course. In this report, we posit the potential utility of medical grade honey as a safe and cost-effective adjuvant therapy in the treatment of folliculitis decalvans.

Histologic and clinical cross-sectional study of chronic hair loss in patients with cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Background: While scalp alopecia represents a distinctive feature of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), little is known about the clinical and histologic presentation of hair loss.

Objectives: We sought to classify the clinical presentations and histologic findings of chronic hair loss in patients with cutaneous cGVHD.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 17 adult hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients with cutaneous cGVHD was enrolled.

Indurated purple plaques on the scalp.

Cutaneous epithelioid angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm of vascular endothelial cell origin that can mimic a cutaneous lymphoma, metastatic carcinoma, or Kaposi sarcoma. It is one of the most malignant cutaneous tumors and early diagnosis is essential, as the tumor metastasizes quickly. We describe a 75-year-old man who presented with three tender, indurated violaceous plaques on his scalp.

Infantile myofibroma: a firm, round plaque in an infant.

Infantile myofibroma is a rare fibromatous tumor that is variable in presentation and is frequently mistaken for hemangioma or rhabdomyosarcoma. We describe a 14-month-old boy who presented with multiple, enlarging, firm lesions on the shoulder. Biopsy revealed a proliferation of small spindle cells with myxoid and hyalinized stroma infiltrating into the superficial adipose tissue.

Unusual Cutaneous Metastasis of Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Cutaneous metastasis of uterine cancer is rare and is often associated with late-stage disease. Most uterine malignancies are endometrial adenocarcinomas, but a small subset is uterine carcinosarcoma, also known as malignant mixed Mullerian tumors. Uterine carcinosarcomas are highly aggressive tumors with an average 5-year survival rate of 26%-34%.

Infantile myofibroma: a firm, round plaque in an infant.

Infantile myofibroma is a rare fibromatous tumor that is variable in presentation and is frequently mistaken for hemangioma or rhabdomyosarcoma. We describe a 14-month-old male who presented with multiple, enlarging, firm lesions on the shoulder. Biopsy revealed a proliferation of small spindle cells with myxoid and hyalinized stroma infiltrating into the superficial adipose tissue.

The deep penetrating nevus.

The deep penetrating nevus (DPN), also known as the plexiform spindle cell nevus, is a pigmented lesion that commonly arises on the head and neck in the first few decades of life. Histopathologically, the DPN is wedge-shaped and contains melanocytes that exhibit deep infiltration into the dermis. Given these features, DPN may clinically and histopathologically mimic malignant melanoma, sparking confusion about the appropriate evaluation and management of these lesions.

Tissue-specific DNA-PK-dependent H2AX phosphorylation and gamma-H2AX elimination after X-irradiation in vivo.

Histone H2AX rapidly undergoes phosphorylation at Ser139 (gamma-H2AX) in response to DNA double-strand breaks. Although ATM kinase and DNA-PK phosphorylate Ser139 of H2AX in culture cells, the regulatory mechanism of gamma-H2AX level remains unclear in vivo. Here, we detected the phosphorylation of H2AX and the elimination of gamma-H2AX in the mouse skin after X-irradiation.

Divergent endocrine abnormalities in melancholic and atypical depression: clinical and pathophysiologic implications.

Mediators of neuroendocrine and autonomic function seem to play important roles in the core symptoms of major depression. Although centrally directed corticotropin-releasing hormones and norepinephrine contribute to core symptoms such as alterations in anxiety, arousal, and mood, they also exert significant potentially clinically relevant effects on key processes that proceed in the periphery. Thus, the core clinical manifestations of major depression may represent a fraction of a complicated systemic illness that not only influences thought and feeling, but also the processes involved in premature cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and premature death.