Analysis of cardiovascular risk and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with psoriasis

Abstract Background: Psoriasis is associated with atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk. Currently, an automated ultrasound, called quantitative intima media thickness, has proven to be a useful method to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis. Objectives: To compare increased cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients receiving two types of treatments: Methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor and to evaluate the correlation between the Framingham score and quantitative intima media thickness. Methods: Fifty patients with plaque psoriasis were selected from June 2017 to July 2018, divided into two groups, receiving methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Measurement of abdominal circumference, blood pressure, body mass index and presence of metabolic syndrome were performed. Afterwards, the patients were evaluated for increased cardiovascular risk with the Framingham score and for the quantitative intima media thickness of the carotid arteries. Results: The mean age was 54.8 (±12.5) with a slight male predominance (58%). Overall, 84% of the patients had elevated waist circumference, 82% had a body mass index above ideal, and 50% had a metabolic syndrome. For the correlation between quantitative intima media thickness and Framingham Score, Pearson's linear correlation coefficient was 0.617 (p < 0.001), indicating a moderate to strong positive association. Study limitations: The protective effect of the therapies cited in relation to the increased cardiovascular risk was not evaluated. Conclusions: A moderate to strong positive association was found correlating the Framingham Score values with the quantitative intima media thickness measurement and it is not possible to state which drug has the highest increased cardiovascular risk.

Relationship between bacilloscopy and operational classification of Hansen's disease in patients with reactions

Abstract: Leprosy can be classified according to its operational form as paucibacillary or multibacillary. Bacilloscopy integrates its diagnostic armamentarium. Patients with the disease may present leprosy reactions. This study describes the association of bacilloscopy results and the type of operational classification of leprosy in patients with leprosy reactions. Medical records were analyzed at a reference center between 2010 and 2015. Reactions occurred in almost half of the patients, making their identification important. The bacilloscopic and operational characterization indicates a greater occurrence of leprosy reactions in patients with positive bacilloscopy and also in multibacillary.

Epidemiological profile of leprosy reactions in a referral center in Campinas (SP), Brazil, 2010-2015

Abstract: Leprosy patients can present reactions during the course of the disease. There are no official data on these reactions in Brazil. We aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients with such reactions, analyzing information from patient records at a referral center in Campinas (SP), from 2010 to 2015.

Leprosy and American cutaneous leishmaniasis coinfection

Abstract: Brazil is a country with a high prevalence of infectious diseases such as leprosy and leishmaniasis. However, coinfection of these diseases is still poorly understood. We report a case of a patient who presented with lepromatous leprosy and cutaneous-mucosal leishmaniasis at the same period. After clinical, laboratory, and histopathological diagnosis, the treatment was introduced and the patient showed important clinical improvement. He was followed in our outpatient clinic. Both pathologies play an important role in the immune system. Depending on the immune response profile of the host, diseases may present themselves in different ways. In this case, the patient showed a divergent immune response for each disease. We hypothesized that this response is specific for each pathogen.

Cutaneous metastasis as the first manifestation of occult malignant breast neoplasia

Abstract Cutaneous metastases from primary internal malignancies represent 0.7-9% of patients with cancer. We report a 65-year-old female patient referred for evaluation of normochromic papules on the trunk and upper limbs that had been present for three months. A skin biopsy revealed diffuse cutaneous infiltration by small round cell tumors. Immunohistochemistry was positive for AE1/AE3, CK7, estrogen receptor and mammaglobin. The final diagnosis was cutaneous metastasis of occult breast cancer, since the solid primary tumor was not identified. The location of the primary tumor can not be determined in 5-10% of cases. In these cases, 27% are identified before the patient’s death, 57% at autopsy, and the remaining 16% can not be located.

Uso de bleomicina em queloides e cicatrizes hipertróficas: revisão da literatura / Use of bleomycin in keloids and hypertrophic scars: a literature review

Queloides e cicatrizes hipertróficas resultam da cicatrização anormal de feridas, com crescimento excessivo de tecido fibroso. Apesar da elevada ocorrência na população, das altas taxas de recidivas e do importante comprometimento psicossocial, o tratamento continua sendo um desafio para os dermatologistas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi revisar publicações sobre aspectos clínicos, etiológicos e terapêuticos de queloides e cicatrizes hipertróficas, com ênfase em sua terapêutica com bleomicina, demonstrando seu uso eficaz e seguro. A busca foi realizada nas bases de dados Scopus e MEDLINE, utilizando-se, para o período de 1995 a 2016, as palavras-chave: queloide/keloid; cicatriz hipertrófica/cicatrix, hypertrophic; e bleomicina/bleomycin.

Keloids and hypertrophic scars result from abnormal wound healing with excessive growth of fibrous tissue. Despite the high incidence in the population, the high rates of relapse and the significant psychosocial impairment, treatment remains a challenge for dermatologists. The objective of this study was to review literature on clinical, etiological and therapeutical aspects of keloids and hypertrophic scars, emphasizing its therapy with bleomycin, demonstrating its effective and safe use. The search was conducted in Scopus and MEDLINE databases, for the period from 1995 to 2016, using the key words: queloide/keloid; cicatriz hipertrófica/cicatrix, hypertrophic; and bleomicina/bleomycin

Stewart Treves Syndrome

Stewart-Treves Syndrome is characterized by the presence of lymphangiosarcoma on limb extremities. Rare, it occurs in 0.5% of patients who have undergone radical mastectomy with axillary node dissection. The main cause is chronic lymphedema with endothelial and lymphatic differentiation, with no direct relationship to breast cancer. Seven years after a radical right-side mastectomy with lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapy, the patient developed a lesion on her right arm. The dermatological examination revealed an erythematous nodule with bleeding surface on chronic right forearm lymphedema. After the biopsy, a lymphangiosarcoma on chronic lymphedema was diagnosed. Infrequent, this syndrome is relevant because of its associated mortality. Early diagnosis is important to improve survival and reduce complications.