Scanning electron microscopic study of hair weathering

The present work aimed at evaluating the weathering changes in human hair by using a scanning electrone microscope which is a useful diagnostic tool for hair disorders. This study included 28 persons. 18 patients classified into 2 groups and 10 controls having normal hair. The first patients group included 8 children with known inherited hair shaft defects [5 with monilethrix and 3 with pilitorti]. The second patients group involved 10 females, 8 of them were suffering from broken and splitted hair ends and 2 had dry, brittle, and curly hair. This work demonstrated the weathering changes in the studied cases

Trichotillomania, clinical, histological, and electron microscopic study

Trichotillomania is a psychogenic dermatosis in which the person turns his aggression against himself which leads to self injury. In addition hair pulling soon becomes a habitual practice that may occur spontaneously. In this study 15 patients were studied [9 children and 6 adults], their ages ranged from 6 to 25 years, female to male ratio was 2:1. The frontoparietal region was the most commonly affected site. Clinically the lesions were characterized by poorly demarcated patches of hair loss which may be confused with many different types of alopecia particularly alopecia areata. Histopathological findings were diagnostic, these include: the presence of catagen hair, melanin casts, haemorrhage and trichomalacia. Scanning electron microscopic study showed blunt distal end of the hair shafts and some hair shafts showed pseudomonilethrix

Electron microscopic study on cutaneous leishmaniasis

The clinical picture and parasitological findings of 12 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis were reported. Ultrastructural study was done on the biopsied materials of cutaneous lesions and subcutaneous nodules [SCNs] of these patients. The study revealed that neither inflammatory cells nor amastigotes invaded the cutaneous nerves. The fine structure of the parasite inside the parasited macrophages was described. Some amastigotes showed lysis of their plasma membranes. The mechanism of elimination of the parasite from the lesion was discussed. Itraconazole in a dose of 300 mg/day gave a cure rate of 83.33% after 4 weeks of treatment and 100% cure rate after 8 weeks

histopathological study of different clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis

Biopsy specimens for histopathological study were taken from 15 parasitologically proven cases with different clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis [CL] including two patients with disseminated CL in the form of subcutaneous nodules and satellite papules. The clinical picture of these patients was also reported. The study revealed that the histopathological manifestations were variable, ranging from a diffuse infiltrate in the acute stage to a tuberculoid architecture in the chronic stage. One patient had perineural inflammatory cell infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages