1,720,967 research outputs found

    Bioelectrical impedance analysis to define an excess of body fat: evaluation in patients with psoriasis

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    Background: There is strong evidence that obesity is closely associated with psoriasis. However, data on body composition are lacking in psoriasis. The purpose of this study were to investigate the body composition in psoriasis patients using bioelectrical impedance analysis and to correlate the bioelectrical impedance data with disease severity and laboratory parameters. Methods: Anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analyses were performed on patients with psoriasis, naïve to any systemic treatment, who attended the outpatient clinics of two University centers. Results: Data of 164 adult patients were analyzed. Compared to men, women had several significantly higher bioelectrical impedance parameters including reactance, fat mass% and adipose tissue%. The values of adipose tissue were positively correlated only with patients age (p = .021) and age at disease onset (p = .0006), but not with disease severity. In addition, we observed that the use of BMI cutoffs allowed to categorize 36.7% of women and 19.2% of men as obese, while fat mass% showed that 53.3% of women and 48.1% of men were obese. Conclusion: In our study, psoriasis is been associated with a high fat mass%. We suggest that screening for body fat distribution in psoriatic patients might be useful to identify early obesity-related disease

    Paracetamol-induced hypersensitivity vasculitis in a 10-year-old child

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    This is a description of a 10-year-old child who developed a severe paracetamol-induced hypersensitivity vasculitis

    Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in psoriatic patients treated with high-dose phototherapy

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    The carcinogenic effect of plus ultraviolet A (PUVA)-therapy in psoriatic patients has been widely demonstrated, while data on the safety of narrow band (311 nm) ultraviolet B (nb-UVB) are scarce. We investigated the occurrence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in psoriatic patients treated with nb-UVB or PUVA-therapy

    Treatment of psoriasis with etanercept in immunocompromised patients: Two case reports

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    Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α blocking agents have revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Concerns remain about increased susceptibility to infection and onset of malignancies, and the use of TNF-α agents in patients with HIV infection or undergoing immunosuppressant treatment is debated. We report cases of severe plaque psoriasis in a patient with HIV infection and in a liver transplant recipient who were successfully treated with etanercept, an anti-TNF-α agent, without notable side-effects

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium as a steroid-sparing agent in pemphigus treatment: a retrospective study

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    Several immunosuppressive drugs are used as steroid-sparing agents in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) treatment, with the aim of reducing the cumulative dose of steroids and minimizing the side effects of long-term steroid treatment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) as a steroid-sparing agent in PV patients. We performed a retrospective study on PV patients who had attended our dermatology department between October 2004 and December 2010 and who had been treated with a combined therapy of systemic corticosteroids and EC-MPS. In the 16 enrolled patients, the introduction of EC-MPS allowed the tapering of systemic corticosteroids, and in 12 of these patients, complete remission was achieved in the time of observation, on average in 4.3 months. Corticosteroid withdrawal was possible in two patients, and EC-MPS was very well tolerated. No serious adverse events were recorded. EC-MPS is a valid therapeutic opportunity as a steroid-sparing agent in PV patients

    Lentigo maligna: diagnosis and treatment

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    Lentigo maligna (LM) is an in situ subtype of melanoma, clinically presenting as a pigmented, asymmetric macule that originates mostly on the head and neck and spreads slowly. The diagnosis may be challenging both for clinicians and pathologists. Dermatoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy represent a useful tool in the differentiation of LM from other pigmented lesions, such as pigmented actinic keratosis, solar lentigines, seborrheic keratosis and lichen planus-like keratosis. Moreover, those non-invasive diagnostic technique may be crucial in the selection of optimal biopsy sites in equivocal lesions, in pre-surgical mapping and in evaluating and monitoring response to non-surgical treatments. Histologic examination remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of LM, showing a lentiginous proliferation of basal atypical melanocytes on a severe sun- damaged skin. The management of LM is constantly evolving. Treatments include surgery (the first choice, when available), radiotherapy and imiquimod cream (in patients not candidates to surgery). Many other possible treatments for LM have been tested, but they are not yet supported by strong evidences. We collected current guidelines and PubMed available reviews, studies and case-reports in order to make an overview on diagnosis and treatment of LM

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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