The aggressive face of melasma: unveiling the influence of upper lip pigmentation on social perception.

Introduction: Although melasma leads to emotional distress and quality-of-life reduction, indigenous cultures practice female facial tattooing. Facial cues influence personality trait inferences and attractiveness ratings. Skin lesions have been shown to alter gaze patterns, emotion perception, and social evaluations.

High-frequency ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of skin neoplasms.

High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) is a non-invasive and highly repetitive medical imaging method with a great and still rising value in the diagnostic process of skin tumours. It accompanies the physician's examination, dermoscopy, and biopsy; facilitates real-time assessment of locoregional staging and planning of surgical excision; and provides postoperative inspection of treatment results. The aim of this review article is to discuss HFUS application in common cutaneous malignant tumours while depicting the use of both the grayscale and colour Doppler methods.

[Dexamethasone suppression test in endogenous depression and schizophrenia in male and female patients].

Dexamethasone Suppression Test was performed during an acute phase in 81 patients with endogenous depression and 105 schizophrenic patients. The lack of suppression of cortisol was found in 1/3 if those ill with depression and 1/3 of those ill with schizophrenia. A relationship between those results and age was shown in female schizophrenic patients.

[Gender differences in schizophrenia].

The authors conclude that most male schizophrenic patients display poorer premorbid functioning during the early stages of the illness. They more often display structural micro-abnormalities of the brain, organic deficits, are more chronic and have poor prognosis. Female patients are more often burdened with genetic factors, more often express productive and affective symptomatology, are more sensitive to neuroleptics and the course of their illness is more satisfactory.

Seasonal variations of the dexamethasone suppression test in depression compared with schizophrenia: a gender effect.

The circannual results of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) were compared in depressed and schizophrenic patients for the periods November-February and March-October. During the winter months, female depressive and schizophrenic patients had lower rates of DST nonsuppression as well as lower concentrations of post-dexamethasone plasma cortisol, compared to the March-October period, despite similar pre-dexamethasone cortisol levels. Male depressed patients had lower pre-dexamethasone cortisol levels during the winter months while male schizophrenics had higher pre- and post-dexamethasone cortisol levels and higher rates of DST nonsuppression.