A Rare Occurrence of Claw Hand and Wrist Drop Deformity in Herpes Zoster.

Our patient, a 37-year-old nondiabetic woman, presented with severe pain, blistering eruptions, and weakness in the right arm. About a month prior to reporting, had felt mild pain over the length of the arm followed by erythematous after 4-5 days in the same distribution. The dermatitis increased over next 10-15 days along with the onset of weakness. In anamnesis, she recalled that she also had intraoral lesions.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Following Acute Methotrexate Toxicity in a Psoriasis Patient: A Causal Association or Mere Co-Incidence.

BACKGROUND: Methotrexate is an antimetabolite anticancer drug frequently used in the treatment of extensive chronic plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis patients on treatment with immunosuppressants have an increased risk of developing malignancies. OBJECTIVE: To present a rare case of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in a psoriasis patient postacute methotrexate toxicity. CASE REPORT: A 47-year-old female, a known case of chronic plaque psoriasis for which she was on 15 mg/ week methotrexate therapy and accidentally consumed 15 mg for 7 consecutive days. She was successfully treated for methotrexate toxicity and 45 days later she presented with exophytic growth on the tongue. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma and the patient underwent surgical resection. CONCLUSION: There could be a causal association between psoriasis and OSCC in the setting of acute methotrexate toxicity, as in the present case.

Comparison of Serum Levels of Interleukin 17 and Interleukin 9 in Leprosy Patients with and without Lepra Reaction: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study from Central India.

New pathways of host defence have emerged in leprosy, such as T helper (Th) -17, Th-9, T regulatory cells, and other factors like transforming growth factor-beta, etc. Interleukin (IL) 17 produced by Th17 cells has been found to be elevated in lepra reaction, especially type 2 lepra reaction (T2R). Role of IL-9 has not been studied widely in leprosy reactions so far. The study aimed to compare serum levels of IL-17 and IL-9 in leprosy patients with and without lepra reaction. This was a cross-sectional analytical study including untreated adult leprosy patients with and without lepra reaction. A total of 65 patients were included in the study with 30 leprosy patients without reaction and 35 with lepra reaction. Serum levels of IL-17 and IL-9 were measured in these patients using direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were compared. Borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy with type 1 and Lepromatous (LL) leprosy with T2R patients showed significantly higher levels of IL-17 than BT and LL leprosy patients without lepra reaction, respectively. LL patients with T2R showed significantly lower levels of IL-9 than lepromatous cases without reaction. IL-9 levels were higher in BT patients with T1R as compared to BT patients without reaction but the difference was not significant. We found evidence in support of role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of T2R, which might serve as useful serum markers for the same. IL-17 might have a role in BT leprosy with T1R. IL-9 seems to have a protective role in T2R as opposed to IL-17, working in synergism with Th1 cytokines.

Podophyllin in Dermatology: Revisiting a Historical Drug.

Podophyllin is a cytotoxic material extracted from Podophyllum peltatum and Podophyllum hexandrum and is widely used for the treatment of genital warts. This article reviews the chemistry of podophyllin and its active components along with the mechanism of action in various dermatoses. Furthermore, the documented uses of podophyllin in various dermatological disorders have been described along with the side effects of the drug. Based on the available literature, a clinical guideline is being proposed so as to minimize the side effects. Further studies should be carried out on its use in a lower concentration in other dermatoses, especially premalignant and malignant skin diseases.

Severe Pancytopenia Following Single Dose Methotrexate In Psoriasis: A Rare And Potentially Lethal Manifestation.

Methotrexate is an anti-metabolite, anti-cancer drug frequently used in the treatment of extensive chronic plaque psoriasis. Psoriatic plaque erosion is a rare toxic side effect of single-dose methotrexate and is described as a sign of impending pancytopenia. Here, we report a case of a 48- year-old male presented with multiple oral and genital erosions, accompanied by fissuring over palm and soles for 5 days. His laboratory tests revealed severe pancytopenia and nephropathy. He had a history of chronic plaque psoriasis for which he took a single dose of 15 mg methotrexate. During the hospital stay, the patient needed folate antagonist, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, and platelet transfusions. He recovered within 12 days of admission.