Systemic sclerosis: an ultrasonographic study of skin and subcutaneous tissue in relation to clinical findings.

Background: Skin thickening and tightness are characteristic manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the only major diagnostic criterion. The aim of this study is to compare the results of high frequency ultrasound of skin and subcutaneous tissue (SC) in SSc patients and healthy control subjects and also to correlate our patients†US findings with the severity score and with different clinical parameters.

Methods: Skin thickness and subcutaneous thickness were measured by high frequency (12-5 MHz) ultrasound at five different anatomical sites in 40 patients with SSc and 40 healthy control subjects.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis and necrolytic acral erythema in patients with hepatitis C infection: do viral load and viral genotype play a role?

Background: Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) and necrolytic acral erythema (NAE) are skin disorders associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, they have not been found to occur simultaneously in the same patient.

Objective: We sought to analyze the role of serum HCV-RNA levels and HCV genotype in the pathogenesis of both LCV and NAE in an attempt to assess whether these two parameters play a role in mutual exclusivity of LCV and NAE in the same patient.

Histopathological study of apparently normal skin of patients with leprosy.

Background: Several clinical and laboratory observations point to the possible microscopical affection of normal-looking skin in leprosy.

Objective: This study was carried out to verify the microscopical affection of apparently normal-looking skin in different types of leprosy.

Patients And Methods: The study included 50 patients with different clinical types of leprosy.

Familial gigantic melanocytosis.

Background: Familial gigantic melanocytosis (FGM) is a rare disorder first described in 1984 and termed "familial melanopathy with gigantic melanocytes". The cause of the disorder is still unknown. Melanocytes in both hyper- and hypopigmented skin seem to be unable to deliver melanin to the surrounding keratinocytes.