ABSTRACT
Aim: Since early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma can significantly improve patients’ prognosis, discovering new criteria to help differentiate between benign and malignant melanocytic lesions is of significance. In this study we aim to clarify the relationship between the presence of intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies inside melanocytes and the nature of the melanocytic lesion. Methods: Medical records and pathology slides pertaining to 187 patients with melanocytic lesions who had undergone biopsy in Razi Hospital between March 2014 and March 2015 were gathered. Slides were re-examined by a dermatopathologist using a light microscope. Clinical and pathological data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: A total of 196 specimens from 187 patients were studied. The median age of our patients was 42.26 years and 61.5% of them were female while 38.5% were male. The specific eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were observed in 14 specimens; 8 of which were intradermal nevi and the remaining 6 were from compound nevi. These bodies tended to be present in lesions with congenital features. We found no correlation between age, sex or location of the lesion with the presence of aforementioned bodies. Conclusion: Eosinophilic inclusion bodies present in the cytoplasm of melanocytes are associated with benign melanocytic lesions and are mostly observed in cells with abundant vacuolated cytoplasm and in lesions with congenital features. Therefore these bodies can be helpful in diagnosing benign and longstanding lesions and differentiating them from malignancies.
ABSTRACT
Background: Studies on the interaction of pemphigus and pregnancy are limited to case reports and small case series. Pregnancy is not rare in Iranian pemphigus patients due to lower age at onset of the disease. Aim: We sought to investigate the outcome of pregnancy and the course of pemphigus in pemphigus patients in a retrospective study. Methods: The files of 779 pemphigus women younger than 50 presenting to our center from 1984 till 2006 were examined for any mention of pregnancy. Data related to outcome of pregnancy and the course of the disease were collected. Results: Sixty-six patients with a history of pregnancy were identified. Forty-eight known pemphigus patients experienced one or more pregnancies during their disease (total pregnancy number: 52). The course of pemphigus was as follows in this group: 28 cases (54%) of exacerbation, 15 cases (31%) with no alteration, and 9 cases (17%) showing improvement. The rate of abortion was 9.6% (5 cases). In 18 cases, the disease had started during pregnancy, 2 of them (11%) ended in an abortion. Overall, postpartum flare was seen in 33 cases (47.1%). Conclusion: Pemphigus may be exacerbated during or after pregnancy, but often to a mild degree. Although the rate of stillbirth was not as high as previously reported, the rate of abortion was considerable. Pregnancy may have an uneventful course, especially in patients in clinical remission; nevertheless, careful monitoring of the high risk mother and fetus is mandatory.