Zigzag longitudinal melanonychia: a peculiar dermoscopic pattern.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal melanonychia (LM) can present a diagnostic challenge and dermoscopy is of utmost importance for its evaluation and differential diagnosis of LM. OBJECTIVE: This report aimed to describe an unusual dermoscopic pattern in a group of patients that presented with LM. METHODS: The clinical course and features of five LM patients that presented with an unusual 'zigzag' dermoscopic pattern were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In all, four of the five patients were children (age range: 10-13years). In all five patients, the thumb nail was affected. A nail matrix biopsy was available for only one patient and was reported as lentigo. In two (one child and one adult) out of the five patients, spontaneous total regression of the LM was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The peculiar 'zigzag' dermoscopic pattern of LM described herein seems to occur primarily in children. Although this pattern is a benign in nature, it is not clear if it is related to trauma. Further investigation is warranted to clarify the association between the histopathological findings and the zigzag pattern observed via dermoscopy.

The effect of parental age on NF1 patients in Turkey.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the most common neurogenetic disorder worldwide, and its clinical presentations are highly variable. NF1 is caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, and 50% of NF1 cases are sporadic, which occur in the absence of a family history of the disease and usually result from a new mutation in the germline of a parent. Advanced paternal age may increase the risk for germinal NF1 mutations; however, some dominant conditions, including neurofibromatosis, have shown a lesser association with paternal age, although there are conflicting reports in the literature. We investigated the effects of paternal and maternal age in 241 NF1 patients (121 sporadic and 120 familial cases) who were seen in Hacettepe hospital, a reference center for genetic diseases in Turkey. For statistical analysis, Spearman's and Chi-square tests were used. In this study, we evaluated paternal and maternal age at birth in sporadic and familial cases of NF1. We also compared the effect of parental age on the appearance and coexistence of various NF1 symptoms. There were no significant statistical differences between paternal age and coexistence of the NF1 symptoms. However, a slightly negative correlation was observed between paternal age and the coexistence of NF1 symptoms in familial cases (p < 0.05). We did not find strong evidence for the effect of parental age on the clinical severity of NF1.

Rosacea and cardiovascular risk factors: a case control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease with a chronic course. This study aimed to investigate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rosacea patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 60 rosacea patients and 50 age- and gender-matched controls. Demographic data, medical history, presence of cardiovascular risk factors were recorded. Waist circumference, height, and weight were measured, and the body mass index was calculated for each participant. Laboratory investigations, including fasting blood glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP), very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoprotein(a) were performed. RESULTS: In all, 66% of the rosacea patients were female (mean age: 44.65 ± 12.9 years) and 66% of the controls were female (mean age: 42.3 ± 12.3 years). Median disease duration in the rosacea group was 36 months. High total cholesterol (>200 mg/dL), LDL (>130 mg/dL) and CRP (>0.8 mg/L) levels, a family history of premature CVD, and a history of smoking and alcohol consumption were significantly more common in the rosacea patients compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Rosacea patients may have a high risk of CVD. As such, we recommend close follow-up of rosacea patients because of the increased risk of CVD. The mechanism underlying this increased risk is unknown, and additional randomized and controlled studies are required for clarification.