S1 Guideline onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the fingernails and toenails. In Europe, tinea unguium is mainly caused by dermatophytes. The diagnostic workup comprises microscopic examination, culture and/or molecular testing (nail scrapings).

Single-center, noninterventional clinical trial to assess the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of a dimeticone-based medical device in facilitating the removal of scales after topical application in patients with psoriasis corporis or psoriasis capitis.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a frequent inflammatory skin disease affecting ~2%-3% of the population in western countries. Scaling of the psoriatic lesions is the most impairing symptom in patients with psoriasis. In contrast to conventional keratolytic treatment concepts containing salicylic acid or urea, a dimeticone-based medical device (Loyon) removes scales in a physical way without any pharmacological effect.

Topical, Non-Medicated LOYON(®) in Facilitating the Removal of Scaling in Infants and Children with Cradle Cap: a Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study.

Introduction: Cradle cap is a very common condition in infants that presents as greasy, scaly patches on the scalp within the first weeks of life. Although usually disappearing by itself, the condition worries parents because of its appearance. When removing the scales, it is crucial to prevent spot bleedings to avoid infections.

Prospective, comprehensive, and effective viral monitoring in Cuban children undergoing solid organ transplantation.

Purpose: In Cuba, viral monitoring in the post-transplant period was not routinely performed. The aim of this research is to identify the most frequent viruses that affect transplanted Cuban children, by implementing a viral follow-up during the post-transplant period.

Methods: The study population included all Cuban pediatric patients who underwent solid organ transplantation (SOT) between November 2009 and December 2012.

Kaposi's Sarcoma and Human Herpesvirus 8 in Cuba: evidence of subtype B expansion.

Objective: To evaluate the temporal distribution (1991-2009) and associated variation of KSHV subtypes in Cuba.

Method: Phylogenetic characterization based on the KSHV K1 gene was performed using 90 KSHV positive samples.

Results: Molecular characterization confirmed the prevalence of a wide range of KSHV subtypes (A: n=48 [A5=12]; C: n=15; B: n=22; and E: n=5).

Acute morbidity associated with scabies and other ectoparasitoses rapidly improves after treatment with ivermectin.

In resource-poor settings, scabies is associated with considerable morbidity. Which factors determine morbidity and how rapidly it recedes after specific treatment is not known. Patients with scabies were recruited in three urban slums in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil.

Comparison of dermoscopy, skin scraping, and the adhesive tape test for the diagnosis of scabies in a resource-poor setting.

Background: Scabies is a parasitic skin disease endemic in resource-poor communities in low-income countries. The best ways to diagnose scabies in this setting have not been investigated.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic properties of dermoscopy, the microscopic examination of a skin scraping, and the adhesive tape test in 125 patients with a presumptive diagnosis of scabies.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus load in asymptomatic contacts of Cuban epidemic KS patients.

To evaluate the pathogenic mechanisms and transmission routes involved in KSHV infection in 22 Cuban individuals who maintained close contact with epidemic KS patients, real-time PCR was used to quantify KSHV-DNA in clinical samples of plasma, saliva and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). KSHV-DNA was detected in 72.7% (16/22) of the contacts.

Efficacy of chemical and botanical over-the-counter pediculicides available in Brazil, and off-label treatments, against head lice ex vivo.

Background: There is a lack of reliable data on the efficacy of over-the-counter (OTC) pediculicides in Brazil.

Methods: We performed ex vivo assays of eight marketed pediculicides: 1% permethrin (Kwell, Clean Hair, Keltrina, Nedax), 0.02% deltamethrin (Deltacid, Pediderm), and two "natural" products (Piolho e Lêndea, Pilogenio).

Simultaneous quantification of human herpesvirus 8 DNA by real time PCR in different tissues of HIV infected cuban patients with Kaposi's sarcoma.

In Cuba, previous reports have shown an increase of epidemic KS, reaching a total of 120 cases by the end of 2007, despite the use of HAART. To evaluate and compare the role of human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) viral loads in different compartments of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (AIDS-KS) patients real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the genome copy number of HHV-8 in plasma, saliva, tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 49 AIDS-KS patients. Overall, 98% of AIDS-KS patients harbored detectable HHV-8.

Role of erythropoietin receptor expression in malignant melanoma.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo) is used to prevent and treat tumor-related anemia and improve quality of life in cancer patients. Recent evidence suggested that Epo may adversely affect the survival of selected cancer patients by promoting tumor growth, inhibition of apoptosis, and induction of migration. Epo unfolds its effect on the Epo receptor (EpoR).

Bed bugs, leeches and hookworm larvae in the skin.

Bed bugs, leeches, and hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans are skin infestations that are usually considered of minor importance because they produce discomfort rather than cause or transmit disease. Bed bugs have been increasing tremendously in high-income countries in recent years, causing distress to affected individuals and economic loss. Infestation by land leeches causes mainly unpleasant skin reactions, whereas infestation by aquatic leeches may be more dangerous, leading to anemia and in severe cases, to death.

Accuracy of diagnosis of pediculosis capitis: visual inspection vs wet combing.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of visual inspection and wet combing in pediculosis capitis (head lice infestation). Visual inspection of 5 predilection sites (temples, behind the ears, and neck) was performed first, followed by wet combing of hair moistened with conditioner. Presence of mobile stages was defined as active infestation, presence of nits alone as historic infestation.

The epidemiology of scabies in an impoverished community in rural Brazil: presence and severity of disease are associated with poor living conditions and illiteracy.

Background: We sought to study the epidemiology of scabies and to identify risk factors of severe disease in an impoverished rural community in northeast Brazil.

Methods: The study was designed as a repeated cross-sectional study based on two door-to-door surveys. One survey was carried out in the rainy season, the other in the dry season.

Transcriptional regulation of ASK/Dbf4 in cutaneous melanoma is dependent on E2F1.

Background: Melanoma is a complex genetic disease, the management of which will require an in-depth understanding of the biology underlying its initiation and progression. Recently, we have reported the differential regulation of a novel gene, namely ASK/Dbf4, in melanoma and suggested upregulation of ASK/Dbf4 as a novel molecular determinant with prognostic relevance that confers a proliferative advantage in cutaneous melanoma. As trans-acting factor binding is fundamental to understand the regulation of gene expression, this study focuses on characterization of the specific transcriptional regulation of ASK/Dbf4 in melanoma.

Cutaneous melanoma: fishing with chips.

DNA microarray technology is a versatile platform that allows rapid genetic analysis to take place on a genome-wide scale and has revolutionized the way cancers are studied. This platform has enabled researchers to characterize mechanisms central to tumorigenesis and understand important molecular events in the multi-step tumor progression model of cutaneous melanoma and other cancers. In melanoma, multiple global gene expression profiling studies using various DNA microarray platforms and various experimental designs have been performed.

Behavioral conditioning of antihistamine effects in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Background: Allergic symptoms can be induced by behavioral conditioning. However, the conditionability of antiallergic effects has not yet been studied. Thus, we investigated whether the effects of a histamine 1 (H(1)) receptor antagonist are inducible in patients suffering from house-dust mite allergy using a behavioral conditioning procedure.

Role of viruses in the development of squamous cell cancer and melanoma.

In this chapter, the evidence for the role of human papilloma virus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of squamous cell cancer of the skin will be reviewed. Considerable dispute exists questioning the etiological role of HPV. This is due to the low copy number ofHPV DNA in skin cancers and additional cofactors such as UV exposure, immunosuppression, light skin color and hyperproliferative skin disease as well as the genetic background of the host.

SMaRT technology enables gene expression repair in skin gene therapy.

In this issue, Wally et al. (2008) report successful gene expression repair by spliceosome-mediated RNA trans-splicing (SMaRT), a novel achievement in molecular medicine. In their model, SMaRT was able to replace a mutation of the plectin gene in epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy.

Interaction of Adenovirus E1A with the HHV8 Promoter of Latent Genes: E1A Proteins are Able to Activate the HHV-8 LANAp in MV3 Reporter Cells.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, body cavity-based lymphoma, and Castleman's disease. Adenoviral (Ad) E1A proteins regulate the activity of cellular and viral promoters/enhancers and transcription factors and can suppress tumorigenicity of human cancers. As (i) HHV-8 and Ad may co-exist in immunocompromised patients and (ii) E1A might be considered as therapeutic transgene for HHV-8-associated neoplasms we investigated whether the promoter of the latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANAp) controlling expression of vCyclin, vFLIP, and LANA proteins required for latent type infection is regulated by E1A.