Tuscan consensus on the use of UVBnb phototherapy in the treatment of psoriasis.

Psoriasis (PSO) is traditionally defined as an immune-mediated, inflammatory dermatological disease characterized by a chronic-relapsing course and associated with multifactorial inheritance (genetic predisposition and influence of various environmental factors). Considered until recently a dermatological disease only, today PSO is correctly known as a systemic one because of the involvement of multiple organs with important impact on social life and relationships. PSO is found in the 0.

Sun-Protection Behavior, Pubertal Development and Menarche: Factors Influencing the Melanocytic Nevi Development-The Results of an Observational Study of 1,512 Children.

Observational studies consistently show that melanocytic nevus prevalence increases with age and that phenotypic traits are significantly associated with nevus count in children. An observational study of 1,512 children and adolescents from 2010 to 2013 was conducted. Study dermatologists counted the full body, arm, and facial nevi of each participant.

Discrepant alterations in main candidate genes among multiple primary melanomas.

Background: Alterations in key-regulator genes of disease pathogenesis (BRAF, cKIT, CyclinD1) have been evaluated in patients with multiple primary melanoma (MPM).

Methods: One hundred twelve MPM patients (96 cases with two primary melanomas, 15 with three, and 1 with four) were included into the study. Paired synchronous/asynchronous MPM tissues (N=229) were analyzed for BRAF mutations and cKIT/CyclynD1 gene amplifications.

Excess body weight and increased Breslow thickness in melanoma patients: a retrospective study.

Excess body weight has been shown to increase the risk for development of several common cancers, such as postmenopausal breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, and esophagus cancers. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the potential relationship between excess body weight, assessed in terms of BMI, and Breslow thickness in 605 patients affected by primary cutaneous melanoma. Particularly, we evaluated the occurrence of thick melanoma (>1 mm) in overweight compared with nonoverweight patients.

Combined fluorescence-Raman spectroscopic setup for the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions.

Two optical fibre-based probes for spectroscopic measurements on human tissues were designed and developed. The two probes combine fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy in a multimodal approach. The fluorescence excitation was provided by two laser diodes emitting in the UV (378 nm) and in the visible (445 nm) range, while a third source in the NIR (785 nm) was used for Raman.

Epidemiology of melanoma: is it still epidemic? What is the role of the sun, sunbeds, Vit D, betablocks, and others?

The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma is continuously increasing worldwide, but only minimal changes in mortality have been observed. This phenomenon has brought into question whether this increased incidence reflects a true or apparent melanoma epidemic. The most recent data suggest that this epidemiological trend may be explained by the existence of a certain degree of melanoma overdiagnosis, especially of thin lesions, which probably would never progress to advanced disease if left untreated.

Dermoscopy, confocal laser microscopy, and hi-tech evaluation of vascular skin lesions: diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives.

Vascular skin lesions comprise a wide and heterogeneous group of malformations and tumors that can be correctly diagnosed based on natural history and physical examination. However, considering the high incidence of such lesions, a great number of them can be misdiagnosed. In addition, it is not so rare that an aggressive amelanotic melanoma can be misdiagnosed as a vascular lesion.

The prognostic impact of the anatomical sites in the 'head and neck melanoma': scalp versus face and neck.

Cutaneous melanoma is a malignant neoplasia with several demographic and histopathological prognostic factors. Many studies stress that the head and neck region has a worse prognosis compared with other localizations, but the reasons for this worse prognosis are unclear. Therefore, the aim of our study is to analyse the poor prognosis of head and neck melanoma (HNM) with respect to the other anatomical sites, considering the face and neck (F&N) and the scalp separately.

Is skin self-examination for cutaneous melanoma detection still adequate? A retrospective study.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the relationship between detection pattern, tumor thickness, patient demographics, and personal and family history of melanoma in the era of noninvasive diagnosis.

Methods: All patients with primary cutaneous melanoma who presented to the Department of Dermatology at the University of Florence between January 2000 and November 2010 were interviewed at the time of their final histopathological diagnoses of melanoma as part of their clinical record. The treating physician specifically questioned all patients about who had first detected or suspected the lesion that resulted in the histological diagnosis of melanoma.

Features of small melanocytic lesions: does small mean benign? A clinical-dermoscopic study.

The use of dermoscopy is known to increase the sensitivity and specificity in the clinical diagnosis of cutaneous pigmented melanocytic lesions compared with naked-eye examinations. However, small pigmented melanocytic lesions with maximum clinical diameters of 6 mm remain the most significant diagnostic challenge to the clinician, particularly in the diagnosis of small melanoma, both in naked-eye and in dermatoscopic examinations. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical and dermatoscopic features of small pigmented melanocytic lesions, focusing on more frequently occurring features in small melanoma to identify them earlier.

Polymorphisms of estrogen receptors: risk factors for invasive melanoma - a prospective study.

Cross-sectional studies have reported associations between a number of polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) gene and the body mass index, hypertension, coronary flow reserve, coronary atherosclerosis, and osteoporosis. There are currently no data examining the genetic polymorphisms of the ERα and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) genes in melanoma patients. The aims of this study were to investigate the associations of genetic polymorphisms of the ERα and ERβ genes with melanoma risk.

Specific challenges in the management of subungual melanoma.

Subungual melanoma (SUM) is infrequent in the general population, accounting for 0.7-3.5% of all cutaneous melanomas.

Estrogens, estrogen receptors and melanoma.

The skin is the largest nonreproductive target tissue on which estrogen plays many beneficial and protective roles. Although neither exogenous hormones nor pregnancy represent significant risk factors for melanoma, epidemiological data suggest a higher survival rate in women with metastatic disease versus men and in premenopausal versus postmenopausal patients. Despite the fact that hyperestrogenic signaling has long been implicated in the initiation and progression of several tumors, the role of estrogens in malignant melanoma is still unclear.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound: a filter role in AJCC stage I/II melanoma patients.

One of the most significant advances in melanoma staging is sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). It is a surgical technique to detect occult nonpalpable micrometastases in regional lymph nodes. Recently, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was introduced as a noninvasive procedure, in spite of SLNB, for the detection of SLNs in patients with cutaneous melanoma.