A Study of Onychomycosis at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern Bihar.

Background: Onychomycosis (OM) is a major public health problem which is increasing worldwide. It is associated with high morbidity and causes physical, psychological, and occupational problems in patients.

Aims: This study aims to study the pattern of etiological agents, clinical features, and severity assessment of OM in this part of India.

A Clinicopathological Study of Pemphigus in Eastern India with Special Reference to Direct Immunofluorescence.

Background: Pemphigus is a group of chronic autoimmune vesico-bullous disorders in which the epidermis and the basement membrane zone are the focus of attack resulting in cutaneous and mucosal blister formation. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) test is a very sensitive test for the diagnosis.

Aim: To study the clinico histopathological patterns of pemphigus in eastern India.

Cutaneous adverse drug reaction profile in a tertiary care out patient setting in eastern India.

Background: Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADR) are the most frequent of all manifestations of drug sensitivity and manifest with varied and diverse morphology.

Aims: To study the prevalence and clinical spectrum of CADR among patients attending outpatient department (OPD) in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials And Methods: An observational study was undertaken over a 1-year period in dermatology OPD of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India.

A study to evaluate the price control of antifungal medicines and its practical applicability.

Background: Superficial fungal infections are common and treatment imposes economic burden on the patients. Government of India had introduced price control over griseofulvin and tolnaftate in 1995; however, this measure can only benefit the needy if the policy is harmonized with the health-care service provider, that is, dermatologists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing Government mechanisms over price control of antifungal medications and its reach to the people-in-need.

Idiopathic non-familial acro-osteolysis: a rare case report.

A 25-year-old woman patient presented with shortening of fingers with racket nails and numerous yellowish papules over the hands and forearms for 21 years. X-ray of the hands revealed destructive osteolytic changes in all the terminal phalanges. Skin biopsy from the yellowish papules showed epidermal proliferation, perivascular mononuclear infiltrate, thickening of dermal collagen, septal fibrosis and loss of adipocytes mimicking sclerodermatous changes in the dermis and hypodermis.

A clinico-histopathological study of appendageal skin tumors, affecting head and neck region in patients attending the dermatology opd of a tertiary care centre in eastern India.

Introduction: Appendageal skin tumors (ATs) are those neoplasms that differentiate toward/arise from pilosebaceous apparatus, apocrine, or eccrine sweat glands. Pilosebaceous apparatus are concentrated in head-neck area; thus it is expected that ATs would account for a major fraction of skin tumors over this site.

Aims: This study aims at finding the clinico-histopathological correlation in cases ATs in head-neck region among attendees of dermatology OPD.

Verrucous plaque on the face: what is your diagnosis?

A 46-year-old male patient presented with hyperpigmented verrucous plaques and papules mainly on the left cheek and malar region that had evolved over a 7 month period. Histopathology demonstrated the presence of a large number of classical copper penny bodies or muriform bodies and a predominantly neutrophilic dermal infiltrate that confirmed the diagnosis of chromoblastomycosis.

Keratoacanthoma centrifugum marginatum: unresponsive to oral retinoid and successfully treated with wide local excision.

We describe a case of a 65-year-old male presenting with a large plaque with a rolled-out interrupted margin, atrophic center, and island of normal skin over the left arm. It grew peripherally with central healing, and there was a history of recurrence after inadequate excision. Investigations ruled out other clinical mimickers; namely, squamous cell carcinoma, lupus vulgaris, botryomycosis, and blastomycosis-like pyoderma.

Sphingolipid-mediated restoration of Mitf expression and repigmentation in vivo in a mouse model of hair graying.

Recent advances in the identification and characterisation of stem cell populations has led to substantial interest in understanding the precise triggers that would operate to induce activation of quiescent stem cells. Melanocyte stem cells (MSCs) reside in the bulge region of the hair follicles and are characterised by reduced expression of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) and its target genes implicated in differentiation. Vitiligo is characterised by progressive destruction of differentiated melanocytes.

Pathogenesis, clinical features and pathology of chronic arsenicosis.

Arsenicosis is a multisystem disorder, with virtually no system spared from its vicious claw; though its predominant manifestations are linked to cutaneous involvement. Cutaneous effects take the form of pigmentary changes, hyperkeratosis, and skin cancers (Bowen's disease, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell epithelioma). Peripheral vascular disease (blackfoot disease), hypertension, ischemic heart disease, noncirrhotic portal hypertension, hepatomegaly, peripheral neuropathy, respiratory and renal involvement, bad obstetrical outcome, hematological disturbances, and diabetes mellitus are among the other clinical features linked to arsenic toxicity.

Human placental protein/peptides stimulate melanin synthesis by enhancing tyrosinase gene expression.

Placental protein/peptides as biological response modifier are well documented, but not much known about melanogenesis. We possibly for the first time, demonstrated melanogenesis in B16F10 mouse melanoma by a placental protein/peptide fraction (PPPF) prepared from a hydroalcoholic extract of fresh term human placenta. This study described the effect of PPPF on the induction of tyrosinase; the key enzyme of melanogenesis to investigate the basis of PPPF induced pigmentation in primary melanocyte and B16F10 melanoma.

A human placental extract: in vivo and in vitro assessments of its melanocyte growth and pigment-inducing activities.

Background: The authenticity of various prototype human placental extracts with biological activity, such as that inducing vitiligo repigmentation, is under serious criticism, mainly due to a lack of demonstration at the cellular level. Considering the present worldwide scenario with regard to the occurrence and treatment of vitiligo, a thorough scientific exploration of such extracts should be undertaken.

Method: One such prototype placental preparation was prepared, and was evaluated with regard to its melanogenic action in C57BL/6J mice in vivo and its mitogenic and melanogenic activity on B16F10 mouse melanoma cells and normal human melanocytes in vitro.