Promising Treatment for Twenty-Nail Dystrophy with Combination of Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser and Topical Therapy: A Case Report.

Twenty-nail dystrophy (TND) is a trachyonychia affecting all nails which cause aesthetic complaints. The difficulty of topical medication to penetrate through the nail plate brings a great challenge for TND treatment. We reported a case of TND in a 27-year-old woman, with clinical manifestation of trachyonychia, longitudinal ridging, mottled lunula, and subungual hyperkeratosis with ragged cuticle affected all nails. She has suffered from TND for 20 years with no systemic involvement found. Histopathological examination supported the diagnosis of nail lichen planus. The patient received a mixture of topical therapy consist of tacrolimus, urea, and salicylic acid, combined with fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser with pulse energy: 160 mJ, pulse duration: 8.0 ms, density level: 17, and depth level: 2. After two sessions of treatment within five weeks interval, clinical improvement was seen as refinement of nail's texture. Treatment of TND often unsatisfactory due to difficulty of drug penetration through the nail plate. The fractional CO2 laser creates a column of destruction down to the dermis, which aid penetration of topical medication and stimulate nail bed rejuvenation. The use of fractional CO2 laser as a penetration enhancer can be a therapeutic option for the treatment of TND with promising result as shown in this patient. This procedure enabled combination with topical medications as long-term therapy for TND.

Melatonin and Sleep Disturbances in Children With Atopic Dermatitis.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between melatonin levels and sleep quality, based on the Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ), among children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: This was an analytic study with a cross-sectional design involving two groups, AD children as the case group and participants without AD as the control group, conducted at the Pediatric Dermatology Clinic of Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. Melatonin levels and CSHQ score in the case group were compared to that in the control group. Correlation analysis was performed between melatonin levels and sleep quality based on CSHQ in the case group. Results: Participants in this study consisted of 19 children with moderate AD, (no patient with mild and severe AD was recruited), and 19 participants without AD. The mean CSHQ score in the case group was significantly higher than the control group (47.84 vs 36.79; p<0.05). The mean melatonin level in the case group was significantly lower than the control group (320.18 pg/mL vs 383.86 pg/mL; p<0.05). Comparative analysis was conducted using independent t-test. There was a significant Pearson's correlation index between SCORAD and CSHQ (p<0.05). However, there was no correlation between melatonin levels and CSHQ, as well as between melatonin levels and SCORAD (p<0.05). Conclusion: Children with moderate AD have impaired sleep quality and lower melatonin levels compared to controls. No correlation was found between melatonin levels and CSHQ, as well as melatonin levels and SCORAD, although there was a strong and significant correlation between SCORAD and CSHQ. Therefore, melatonin levels may not be the main cause of sleep disturbances in children with moderate AD.

Extensive Type V Aplasia Cutis Congenita Without Fetus Papyraceus or Placental Infarction: A Rare Case.

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of epidermis, dermis, and sometimes subcutaneous tissue and bone. There are nine types of ACC based on the number and location of the lesions as well as the presence or absence of associated deformities, with type I ACC being the most common. Type V affects the trunk with a characteristic pattern resembling the "H" letter of the alphabet, generally accompanied by fetus papyraceus (death of one of the twin fetuses) or placental infarction. Type V ACC without fetus papyraceus and placental infarction is a rare case. We reported a case of type V ACC in a 3-day-old baby girl, with clinical manifestation of extensive ulcers on the scalp, back, buttocks, and both lower extremities, in an "H"-shaped pattern, with history of placenta accreta, but no fetus papyraceus or placental infarction was found. The patient received dialkyl carbamoyl chloride hydrophobic swab with hydrogel (Sorbact® gel dressing-BSN Medical) and hydrocolloid wound dressing with good response, as indicated by the wounds becoming dried up, leaving an atrophic scar. Complete epithelialization was achieved in 72 days. The cause of type V ACC remains not completely understood. The diagnosis of ACC can be established based on clinical manifestations. Further examination is required if extracutaneous involvement is suspected. Early identification of the etiology of the lesions and appropriate investigation and treatment, including conservative wound management, are needed so that aplastic lesions can heal successfully, although cosmetic repair may be required at a later stage.