Incidence of pressure ulcers in intensive care units and direct costs of treatment: Evidence from Iran

Background and objective

Pressure ulcer (PU) is one of the important and frequent complications of hospitalization, associated with high treatment costs. The present study was conducted to determine the incidence of PU and its direct treatment costs for patients in intensive care unit (ICU) in Iran.

A KRT1 gene mutation related to epidermolytic ichthyosis in a Chinese family

We report a Chinese family with members affected by epidermolytic ichthyosis (EI), caused by KRT gene mutations. The proband was a 14‐year‐old boy who had simultaneous appearance of nephroblastoma and epidermolytic ichthyosis (EI). Both the patient and his mother exhibited the specific clinical and pathological manifestations of EI. We analysed all exons and flanking sequences of the KRT1 and KRT10 genes using PCR, and found that the proband and his mother had a G>C transition at nucleotide position 1432 in exon 7 of KRT1, resulting in an amino acid substitution of glutamate (GAA) to glutamine (CAA) at codon 478 (E478Q). The KRT10 gene had no mutations.     

Porocarcinoma coexisting at a site of Bowen disease in a 63‐year‐old woman

Porocarcinoma is an unusual, locally aggressive and potentially fatal neoplasm. Several cutaneous malignancies have been described in association with porocarcinoma, including squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and tricholemmal carcinoma. Previous reports have indicated that the occurrence of malignant tumours in combination with porocarcinoma is extremely rare, in particular with regard to Bowen disease (BD). We report an uncommon case of porocarcinoma occurring synchronously in a single BD lesion in a 63‐year‐old woman with multiple BD lesions. The clinical and histological findings confirmed this diagnosis.     

Surgical Technique Notes of Arterial Vascular Reconstruction During Kidney Transplantation: Personal Experience and Literature Review

Background

Arterial vascular anomalies in patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) are correlated with a higher incidence of early surgical complications, potentially causing graft loss. Arterial reconstruction allows patients to overcome these surgical challenges, thus minimizing the risk of poor outcomes. The aim of the present study is to retrospectively investigate the safety and effectiveness of the multiple arterial reconstruction technique with a Teflon patch in case of an unavailable aortic patch: to do so, surgical complications, graft function, and patient survival were evaluated.

Improvements in epidermal function prevent relapse of psoriasis: a self‐controlled study

While therapeutic approaches for psoriasis are widely available, preventive regimens are lacking. We aimed to determine whether improvements in epidermal function could prevent psoriasis relapse. Two self‐controlled cohort studies were designed, enrolling two cohorts of patients with psoriasis (n = 30 and n = 60) to be treated topically with an in‐house‐prepared emollient or ATOPALM^® cream applied twice daily to one forearm for 20 and 30 days, respectively, while the same sites on the contralateral arm served as the untreated control. Epidermal function on both arms was assessed prior to and at the end of the trials. Delayed relapse on the treated arm was seen in 54.5% and 71% of patients in the first and second cohort, respectively. The time of psoriatic relapse correlated with the extent of abnormalities in baseline epidermal function. These results suggest that improvements in epidermal function with topical emollients can prevent/attenuate the development of psoriasis.     

Experimental animal models of pancreatic carcinogenesis and metastasis

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease characterized by early metastasis, local invasion, and resistance to conventional therapies. To understand its etiology and eventually make prevention of it possible and effective, appropriate carcinogenesis models will certainly help us understand the effects of environmental and genetic elements on pancreatic carcinogenesis. The development of new treatment strategies to control cancer metastasis is of immediate urgency. Fulfillment of this task relies on our knowledge of the cellular and molecular biology of pancreatic cancer metastasis and the availability of biologically and clinically relevant model systems. Many of the existing pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis and metastasis animal models are described in this review. The advantages and disadvantages of each model and their clinical implications are discussed, and special attention is focused on experimental therapeutic strategies targeting pancreatic cancer metastasis.