The new Genetico-Racial Skin Classification: How to maximize the safety of any peel or laser treatment on any Asian, Caucasian or Black patient

The popular skin classifications, notably the ‘Fitzpatrick’ and ‘Obaji’ classifications, are primarily based on skin colour. Other criteria are occasionally considered, such as the degree of skin oiliness, thickness, sensibility, etc. Although these classifications are easy to understand and apply, their simplicity limits their precision, sophistication and applicability.The new genetico-racial skin classification proposed herein suggests that skin response to any peel or laser treatment is genetically programmed and is, therefore, linked to the genetic and racial origin of the patient. In other words, in addition to skin colour, the patient’s facial features and ancestry should be taken into account when classifying any skin.The new genetico-racial skin classification enables the physician to determine with great precision, and before any peel or laser treatment, the level of the patient’s suitability and the expected postoperative outcomes; therefore, reducing the likelihood of complications.     

Is volition the missing link in the management of low back pain?

Patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain are typically prescribed a regimen of regular physical exercises to improve pain and function, increase workability, and prevent pain recurrence. However, adherence to home exercise programs is often partial at best. Patients often fail to translate their intention to exercise (motivation) into action (implementation). Volition is the mental activity by which intentions are implemented. In this review, we argue that volition may be crucial to the successful rehabilitation of patients with low back pain. Obstacles to the implementation of intentions are described, as well as factors that promote implementation, most notably the conscious formation of implementation intentions.     

False-negative fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from a plexiform neurofibroma in the setting of neurofibromatosis type 1

Development of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) is a recognized complication in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Differentiating benign from malignant lesions can be a difficult clinical problem. Positron emission tomography (PET) is an established method for making this differentiation with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. There are several reports showing that fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET is an effective imaging modality for detecting malignant transformation with a sensitivity nearing 100%. There are very few reports of false-negative 18F-FDG PET in a patient with an MPNST. This case report describes a woman with NF1 and a grade 3 MPNST and a negative PET scan. Identification of malignant transformation in NF is a significant clinical challenge. It is important to recognize the potential limitations of 18F-FDG PET in these patients.     

Interrelationship between chromosome 8 aneuploidy, C-MYC amplification and increased expression in individuals from northern Brazil with gastric adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION Gastric cancer is the third most frequent type of cancer in the world[1]. In Northern Brazil, the State of Pará presents a high incidence of this neoplasia type and its capital, Belém, is ranked eleventh in number of gastric cancers per inh…     

Most rheumatologists are conservative in active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate therapy: results of the PRISME survey

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the proportion of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) visiting office-based rheumatologists for persistently active RA despite past or current methotrexate (MTX) treatment, and to describe the management of these patients in France in 2003. METHODS: All French rheumatologists were invited to participate in a cross-sectional postal survey. During a predetermined week, they were to include the first 2 patients seen for RA with a history of past or current MTX treatment. Adequacy of current treatment was assessed based on the 28-joint Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) and on current MTX and corticosteroid regimens. RESULTS: Of the 1800 French rheumatologists, 492 returned 838 assessable patient questionnaires. Mean patient age was 58 years and mean time since RA diagnosis was 10 years; 77% of patients were currently taking MTX, and 51% a corticosteroid. High dosages were noted for MTX (> 15 mg/week) in 20% of patients and for corticosteroid therapy (> 10 mg/day) in 5%. Nevertheless, 41% of patients had active RA (DAS28 score 3.2 to 5.1) and 7% had very active RA (DAS28 score > 5.1). The treatment was left unchanged in 78% of patients, and biological therapy was contemplated in only 16% of patients. CONCLUSION: Although half of MTX-treated patients with RA visiting office-based rheumatologists had active or very active disease, a change in treatment was rarely considered.     

Wolcott–Rallison syndrome due to the same mutation (W522X) in EIF2AK3 in two unrelated families and review of the literature*

Ozbek MN, Senée V, Aydemir S, Kotan LD, Mungan NO, Yuksel B, Julier C, Topaloglu AK. Wolcott–Rallison syndrome due to the same mutation (W522X) in EIF2AK3 in two unrelated families and review of the literature. Wolcott‐Rallison syndrome (WRS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by an early‐infancy‐onset diabetes mellitus associated with a variety of multisystemic clinical manifestations. Here, we present six patients with WRS, carrying the same homozygous mutation (EIF2AK3‐W522X), from two unrelated Turkish families. This is the largest series of patients with the same mutation for this rare syndrome. In this communication we compare clinical features of these six patients with the other 34 patients who have been reported to date, and review the clinical features of WRS. All WRS patients presented first with symptoms of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, with a mean age at onset of 2 months. All patients had skeletal dysplasia or early signs of it, and growth retardation. Many of the patients with WRS have been reported to have developmental delay, mental retardation, and learning difficulties; in contrast, none of our patients showed abnormal development at age up to 30 months. Acute attacks of hepatic failure were reported in 23 cases out of 37 patients; in 15 of those 23 cases an acute attack of renal failure accompanied the liver failure. Exocrine pancreatic deficiency has been reported in only four cases other than our four patients. Central hypothyroidism was observed in six of 28 cases. We propose that central hypothyroidism is not a component of WRS, but rather a reflection of euthyroid sick syndrome. Four of our patients experienced severe neutropenia, compared to only five of the 27 other cases, suggesting that the W522X mutation may be specifically associated with neutropenia. Other than the consistent features of diabetes mellitus and epiphyseal dysplasia, WRS patients are otherwise characterized by extensive phenotypic variability that correlates poorly to genotype.     

Puffy hand syndrome due to drug addiction: a case-control study of the pathogenesis

AIM: We studied the pathogenesis of puffy hand syndrome of intravenous drug use. We hypothesized that injections of high-dose sublingual buprenorphine, instead of the recommended sublingual administration, could play an important role in lymphatic obstruction and destruction. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We set up a case-control study in substitution centres, recruiting intravenous drug addicts with and without puffy hands, respectively. The subjects were asked to answer anonymously a questionnaire of 40 items comprising social and demographic status, history of illicit drugs use, buprenorphine misuse and injection practices. FINDINGS: We included 33 cases and 33 controls, mean age of 34 years. They were past heroin users, mainly methadone-substituted. In multivariate analysis, sex (women) (OR = 8.9, P = 0.03), injections in the hands (OR = 5.9, P = 0.03), injections in the feet (OR = 6.5, P = 0.01) and the absence of tourniquet (OR = 7.0, p = 0.02) were significant risk factors for puffy hand syndrome. In 69.7% of the cases and 59.4% of the controls, respectively, there was a high-dose sublingual buprenorphine misuse, although it appeared not to be a significant risk factor for puffy hand syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Injection practices are likely to cause puffy hands syndrome, but buprenorphine misuse should not be considered as a significant risk factor. However, intravenous drug users must still be warned of local and systemic complications of intravenous drug misuse.     

High-Risk groups for late diagnosis of HIV infection: a need for rethinking testing policy in the general population

The aim of the study was to identify high-risk groups and the determinants of late HIV diagnosis in France in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), from January 1996 to June 2005. Informations were collected from an electronic medical record of all HIV- 1-infected patients who sought care in six HIV reference centers in France, constituting a prospective multicentric cohort. Patients were defined as "late testers" if they had presented with either symptoms of clinical AIDS or a CD4 cell count less than 200/mm(3) during the year of diagnosis, as "nonlate" if their CD4 count was above 200, and as "unknown" if CD4 cell count in the year at the time of diagnosis was not documented. Among the 4516 patients available for analysis, the percentage of late testing was 38% (n = 1718) and decreased after 2003 (31.5% in 2004-2005). This percentage was higher in heterosexual men (48.2%) than in homosexual men (31.7%) or heterosexual women (32.6%) and was higher for patients older than 30. Heterosexual men living in a couple with children had a higher risk of late testing (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03 to 2.66), while heterosexual women in a couple without children had a lower risk (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.83). Among homosexual men, unemployment was associated with late testing (OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.14 to 4.36). The proportion of late testing was still high. Groups classically identified as low risk for HIV infection, particularly heterosexual men in a couple with children, were found to be at high risk for late testing. It seems necessary to improve HIV testing policy in the heterosexual population.