Skin Biopsy and Histopathological Diagnosis of Dermatological Diseases.

Microscopic examination of skin and mucous membrane is an established investigation in diagnosis and follow up of many dermatological conditions frequently encountered during practice. Histopathological examination is performed with biopsied specimen from skin and or mucous membrane where required. However neither do all skin biopsies produce neither a conclusive diagnosis nor the dermatologists routinely perform this procedure to every patient they consult. This cross sectional descriptive study conducted by reviewing the records of all biopsied cases studied for histopathology in Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh and Shaheed Mansur Ali Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2012 to December 2016. The aim of this study was to investigate the favourable clinical diagnoses set by dermatologists when performing skin biopsy, the diagnoses reached by the dermatopathologists after microscopic examination, and the relationship between them and finally to comment on the instances that skin biopsy fails to fulfill the diagnostic task. Fourteen hundred and thirty six (1436) cases of skin biopsy were reviewed and descriptive statistics were performed. Maximum cases 39.1% (562) were in 2nd decade with almost equal sex distribution. The most frequently proposed clinical diagnoses included papulosquamous dermatoses 28.6% (410), whereas histological confirmation was in 13.1% (188). Histological diagnosis was more as nonspecific dermatitis 31.6% (454). After microscopic examination, a specific histological diagnosis was found in 83.5% (1199) of the cases and a consensus between clinical and histological diagnoses was observed in 69.2% (994). Neither histological diagnosis nor any feature consistent with clinical suspicion was observed in 10.1% (145) cases. Histopathological examination of skin biopsy is still a valuable diagnostic tool in many skin diseases and dermatoses with diagnostic dilemma. There are cases in which diagnostic inefficiency are being faced even after skin biopsy examination.

Ramadan fasting: relation to atherogenic risk among obese Muslims.

Increased platelet aggregation as well as changes in coagulation factors have an important effect on the occurrence of atherogenicity and cardiovascular diseases. Fasting in general has been used in medicine for medical purposes when other measures fail. Since Ramadan fasting is different from total fasting, the present work was conducted to study the effect of Ramadan fasting on lipid pattern, some blood coagulation parameters, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI)--as atherosclerotic risk factors--in one hundred and three apparently healthy obese volunteers (15 men and 88 women) aged 15-52 years. The study comprised an initial visit for assessment V1 (before Ramadan) and three other follow up visits: V2 (at the end of Ramadan), V3 (4 weeks after Ramadan) and V4 (8 weeks after Ramadan), Targets were subjected to an interview questionnaire, complete physical and clinical examination, anthropometric measurements, dietary profile, and laboratory assay of complete blood picture (CBC), fasting serum glucose level (FSG), serum lipid pattern: total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoproteins (HDL-c) and low density lipoprotein (LDL-c), lipoprotein a Lp (a), apolipoprotein A1 (APA), and apolipoprotein B (APB) levels; bleeding (BT) and clotting time (CT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen and plasma factor VII activity. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi squared, Fisher exact, Student t test, paired t test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was defined at P < 0.05. The study showed that by the end of Ramadan fasting, there was a significant improvement in the mean levels of hemoglobin (Hb), TC, TG, HDL-c, LDL-c, TC/HDL, LDL/HDL, Lp (a), APA, APB, PT and systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) that persisted for four weeks after fasting (P < 0.05). Ramadan fasting has not adversely affected leucocytic count or coagulation parameters (P > 0.05). There was also a significant association between dietary intake, SBP, DBP, weight, BMI, percent body fat and waist, fibrinogen and factor VII activity and TC, TG, HDL-c, LDL-c, LDL/HDL, Lp (a) and APB (P < 0.05). The model of Ramadan fasting could be followed as a behavior modification program to control or prevent atherogenicity because of its positive impact on the lipid pattern, blood count and coagulation parameters.