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ABSTRACT Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Polytrichia is a common clinical and trichoscopic feature in folliculitis decalvans (FD) that morphologically corresponds to compound follicular structures (CFS) of six or more follicles sharing a single infundibulum, surrounded by fibrosis.To characterize the type of follicles in the CFS in scalp biopsy specimens from FD.We retrospectively reviewed 10 scalp biopsy specimens obtained by using the trichoscopy‐guided approach from the affected scalp of patients diagnosed with early‐stage FD between 2018 and 2023. We assessed the number and type of follicles within the CFS on horizontal sections.The total number of assessed follicles was 205, out of which 159 were part of CFS. Of those, 156 were terminal follicles (146 anagen and ten telogen), three intermediate, and zero vellus follicles. Other common findings included dense mixed cell infiltrate consisting of histiocytes, plasma cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils; psoriasiform hyperplasia; and fragmented hair shafts.We show that CFS in FD are composed largely of terminal anagen follicles. This may help with further understanding of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 10-year-old healthy, Caucasian girl presented in May 2021 with short and thin scalp hair since birth (Figures 1A-C). She had achieved all of her developmental milestones, and her parents denied any similar family history. She had only two hair cuts in the past, which were performed to trim long hair over the midscalp to have a uniform length. Hair at the front, back, and sides of the scalp were never trimmed. Examination revealed short, dark, and thin hair, varying in length from a few millimeters to 2 cm, over the frontal, parietal, and occipital areas. Longer hair were present over the midscalp, varying in length from 5 cm to 8 cm. The hairpull test was negative, and dermatoscopic examination of short hair demonstrated tapered ends, rather than cut ends. Microscopic examination revealed no hair shaft abnormality, and a trichogram of 50 parietal hair fibers demonstrated an anagen versus telogen ratio of 68:32. No associated skin, dental, or nail abnormalities were discovered.

Childhood adversity (CA), including childhood adverse life events, increases the risk for development of psychiatric disorders later in life. Both CA and psychiatric disorders are associated with structural brain changes and dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis. However, many studies investigated single diagnostic and single regions of interest of the brain, and did not take stress reactivity into account. We investigated associations of CA and cortisol levels with gray matter volume and cortical thickness, in a whole-brain manner. Primary analysis constituted of a transdiagnostic approach, followed by a moderation analysis to investigate the influence of diagnosis. Patients with stress-related and/or neurodevelopmental disorders and matched healthy controls underwent an magnetic resonance imaging scan, next to assessing hair cortisol levels and CA/life events. CA was reported by 62-72% of the patients versus 33% of the controls. Primary transdiagnostic linear regression analyses revealed that CA was not associated with gray matter volume, while childhood life events were associated with lower right thalamic volume. Hair cortisol was not associated with any lobe volume. None of the associations were moderated by diagnosis. In conclusion, CA is a risk factor that needs to be taken into account when investigating psychiatric disorders. Yet the relationship with structural brain changes and stress reactivity is less clear than postulated on the basis of more seed-based studies., (© 2024 The Author(s). Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a chronic lymphocytic skin disease manifested by progressive scarring alopecia. The diagnosis of LPP is made based on histopathological examination, although it is not always definite. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of non-invasive atomic force microscopy (AFM) hair examination in detecting morphological differences between healthy and diseased hair., Materials and Methods: Here, three to five hairs from lesional skin of 10 LPP patients were collected and examined at nine locations using AFM. At least four images were taken at each of the nine sites. Metric measurements were taken and metric (length, width, and scale step height) and morphological features (striated and smooth surface of scales, the presence of endocuticle and cortex, shape of scales edges, scratches, pitting, cracks, globules, and wavy edge) were compared with hair from healthy controls. In addition, areas on diseased hair where the process of pathological, unnatural delamination of the hair fiber occurs are described., Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the number of scratches in the initial sections of the LPP hair, in the intensity of wavy edges along the entire length of the tested hair, and in the number of scales with pitting in the middle section of the hair. In addition, a statistically significant higher number of scales with striated surface was found in LPP group starting at 3.5 cm from the root continuing towards the free end of the hair. Other morphological changes such as presence of cortex, globules, oval indentations, and rod-like macrofibrillar elements were also assessed, however, detailed results are not presented, as the differences shown in the number of these morphological changes were not significantly different., Conclusion: This publication outlines the differences between virgin, healthy Caucasian hair, and the hair of LPP patients. The results of this study can be used for further research and work related to LPP. This is the first attempt to characterize the hair of LPP patients using AFM., (© 2024 The Author(s). Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Hair disorders, including central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), traction alopecia (TA), and acquired trichorrhexis nodosa (ATN), commonly occur in individuals with curly textured hair. Curly textured hair in individuals of African descent has unique properties and can present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. CCCA has been linked to uterine leiomyoma and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as fibroproliferation. TA often presents with a fringe sign and can arise from high-tension hairstyles presumed to be protective. Trichoscopy is useful in establishing a diagnosis; perifollicular halos are more commonly seen than perifollicular erythema or scale in CCCA. In TA, miniaturized follicles, hair casts, and "flambeau sign" can be seen. Hairstyling practices likely contribute to TA and ATN; however, the data are mixed on the role of chemical relaxers and heat styling in CCCA. Unique considerations in the presentation of frontal fibrosing alopecia in curly textured hair have also been published recently. This review provides a comprehensive, up-to-date summary of these disorders with an emphasis on their unique properties, as well as considerations in hair care for curly textured hair., (© 2024 the International Society of Dermatology.)

Two siblings presented with straw-colored, frizzy, and wiry hair. They had no associated abnormalities and no family history of abnormal hair. Trichoscopy showed the longitudinal groove in the hair shafts, characteristic of uncombable hair syndrome. Molecular genetic analysis revealed a new pathogenic variant (c.1374dup; p. Val459ArgfsTer15) in PADI3, not previously described., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Alopecia areata is a chronic and relapsing condition that affects individuals of all age groups. Dermoscopy is a popular and non-invasive method for diagnosing alopecia areata. This study aimed to analyze dermoscopic findings and their relationship with age, gender, appearance, and clinical signs in children and adults., Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 124 children and adults diagnosed with alopecia areata who were referred to a Hospital in Iran between 2021 and 2022. After reaching the calculated sample size, trichoscopic findings were examined and the results were recorded. Data analysis was performed by a statistician and presented in relevant tables., Results: The participants in the study comprised 53.2% female children, 46.8% male children, 27.42% adult males, and 72.58% adult females. The median age in the pediatric group was 10 years, while it was 27 years in the adult group. Yellow dots were significantly less observed in children than in adults (29% vs. 48.4%), while exclamation mark hairs were significantly more common in children than adults (38.7% vs. 21%). No significant differences were found in the frequency of other trichoscopic features between children and adults. Specifically, black dots, broken hairs, short vellus hairs, pigtail hairs, and empty follicular openings were observed in 38.7%, 40.3%, 32.3%, 11.3%, and 75.8% of children, respectively, and in 35.5%, 32.3%, 21%, 46.8%, and 12.9% of adults, respectively., Conclusion: The most common trichoscopic findings in alopecia areata in children are empty follicular openings and broken hairs, while exclamation mark hairs are more common in children than adults. In contrast, yellow dots are less frequently observed in children compared to adults. This distinct difference between children's and adults' dermoscopic findings highlights the critical need for age-specific considerations in AA evaluations., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Biallelic pathogenic variants in RMRP, the gene encoding the RNA component of RNase mitochondrial RNA processing enzyme complex, have been reported in individuals with cartilage hair hypoplasia (CHH). CHH is prevalent in Finnish and Amish populations due to a founder pathogenic variant, n.71A > G. Based on the manifestations in the Finnish and Amish individuals, the hallmarks of CHH are prenatal-onset growth failure, metaphyseal dysplasia, hair hypoplasia, immunodeficiency, and other extraskeletal manifestations. Herein, we report six Japanese individuals with CHH from four families. All probands presented with moderate short stature with mild metaphyseal dysplasia or brachydactyly. One of them had hair hypoplasia and the other immunodeficiency. By contrast, the affected siblings of two families showed only mild short stature. We also reviewed all previously reported 13 Japanese individuals. No n.71A > G allele was detected. The proportions of Japanese versus Finnish individuals were 0% versus 70% for birth length < -2.0 SD, 84% versus 100% for metaphyseal dysplasia and 26% versus 88% for hair hypoplasia. Milder manifestations in the Japanese individuals may be related to the difference of genotypes. The mildest form of CHH phenotypes is mild short stature without overt skeletal alteration or extraskeletal manifestation and can be termed "RMRP-related short stature"., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Lonely hair sign is considered as a clue to the diagnosis of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA)., Objective: To report an undescribed variant of alopecia areata (AA) with which the patient developed single hairs and other features similar to FFA and to determine the underlying mechanism., Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in patients who presented with receding hairline and single hairs, evaluating the clinical, trichoscopic, and histological features and their correlation. Immunochemistry studies were performed to describe the microenvironment., Results: Eighteen patients were enrolled in the study. Despite the similarity to FFA clinically, these patients showed different histopathology which revealed a normal number of pilosebaceous units, one anagen hair in one or more pilosebaceous units, and others in telogen stage, consistent with single hairs under the naked eye or under trichoscopy. The severity of the hair loss assessed by SALT was no more than 50, but the response to conventional therapy was poor., Conclusions: This study reports a unique variant of AA. The pathological basis is an increase in the telogen hair follicles, with one anagen hair in one or more pilosebaceous units. Minimal inflammation consisting of CD3 + T lymphocytes and mast cells was demonstrated in the microenvironment., (© 2023 the International Society of Dermatology.)

The Grey allele in horses is causing premature hair greying and susceptibility to melanoma. The causal mutation is a 4.6 kb tandem duplication in intron 6 of the Syntaxin 17 gene. A recent study demonstrated that the most common allele at the Grey locus ( G3 ) involves three tandem copies of this sequence, whilst a more rare allele ( G2 ) has two tandem copies and the wild-type allele ( G1 ) only one copy. The G3 allele is causing fast greying and high incidence of skin melanoma, whereas the G2 allele is causing slow greying and no obvious increase in melanoma incidence. Further somatic copy number expansion has been documented in melanoma tissue from Grey horses. Functional studies showed that this intronic sequence acts as a weak melanocyte-specific enhancer that becomes substantially stronger by the copy number expansion. The Grey mutation is associated with upregulated expression of both Syntaxin 17 and the neighbouring NR4A3 gene in Grey horse melanomas. It is still an open question which of these genes is most important for the phenotypic effects or if causality is due to the combined effect of upregulation of both genes. Interestingly, RNAseq data in the Human Protein Atlas give support for a possible role of NR4A3 because it is particularly upregulated in human skin cancer, and it belongs to a cluster of genes associated with skin cancer and melanin biosynthesis. The Grey mutation and its association with melanoma provide a possibility to study the path to tumour development in numerous Grey horses carrying exactly the same predisposing mutation., Competing Interests: The author reports no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Upsala Medical Society.)

Background: A combination of dermoscopic and histological findings may provide useful information for the diagnosis of hair follicle diseases. However, there are no studies on dermoscopic-histopathological correlations in dogs affected by alopecia X, and comparison of longitudinal versus transversal sectioning of skin biopsy specimens in the assessment of this hair loss disorder has not been thoroughly investigated., Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to correlate dermoscopic and histological features using both longitudinal and transversal sectioning of skin biopsy samples to gain additional information for the diagnosis of alopecia X., Animals: Nineteen Pomeranian dogs affected by alopecia X and five healthy Pomeranians as controls., Materials and Methods: Dermoscopic-histological correlation was performed within the diseased group, whereas histological comparisons against controls. The demographic and clinical characteristics also were related to the histological findings., Results: The dermoscopic findings revealed scattered, thinned, short hairs mixed with amorphous keratoseborrhoeic-like material (follicular plugging), perifollicular and intrafollicular scaling, and hyperpigmentation varying from pinpoint black spots to a diffuse texture. Dermoscopic findings correlated with histological findings for selected qualitative and quantitative findings. The usefulness of transversal sections was demonstrated in accurately determining the hair follicular density and counts, growth arrest phases and in identifying mineralisation of hair follicle basement membrane when compared to the longitudinal. Conversely, no correlations between histological findings and demographic and clinical characteristics were detected., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: These data provide evidence of the usefulness of dermoscopic evaluation as an accessory diagnostic tool and of transversal sections of skin biopsies as complementary to the diagnosis of alopecia X., (© 2023 ESVD and ACVD.)

We report the case of a newborn who was noted at birth to have an occipital scalp nodule presenting with a hair collar sign (HCS). The nodule had enlarged since birth. An MRI revealed a soft tissue mass on the occipital scalp without deep extension or cranial bone involvement. A biopsy of the nodule led to a diagnosis of arteriovenous malformation (AVM). A vascular malformation with HCS has not been reported before in North America. This case highlights the complexity of diagnosing a lesion with a hair collar sign., (© 2023 The Authors. Pediatric Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Pressure-induced alopecias (PAs) are an infrequent group of scarring and nonscarring alopecias that occur after ischemic obstruction of capillaries that leads to circumscribed areas of hair loss. Initially described after prolonged surgeries or immobilization, type 1 PA occurs after sustained external pressure to the skin, mainly the scalp prominences. Alopecia induced by cosmetic procedures, referred in this review as type 2 PA, is reported with increased frequency in literature and predominantly emerges from pressure exerted by the volume of injectables. It is important to differentiate type 2 PA from vascular occlusion-induced alopecia because they represent distinct entities. Clinically, PA may present with erythema, swelling, and tenderness; however, alopecia might be the sole manifestation. Crusts and ulceration are associated with a worse outcome and a higher risk of scarring alopecia. Prompt diagnosis is paramount to prevent complications. Trichoscopy, although considered nonspecific, may provide relevant clues for an accurate diagnosis. Hair regrows in most cases, but prognosis depends on ischemia severity and timely treatment with reperfusion therapies or mobilization. Treatment of hair loss is usually not necessary because the disease in most cases is self-limited and reversible. The role of topical minoxidil and corticosteroids remains unknown., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Dr Tosti is a consultant for DS Laboratories, Monat Global, Almirall, Thirty Madison, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and Myovant. Drs Corona-Rodarte, Cano-Aguilar, Baldassarri-Ortego, and Asz-Sigall have no potential conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Hair loss disorders such as androgenetic alopecia have caused serious disturbances to normal human life. Animal models play an important role in exploring pathogenesis of disease and evaluating new therapies. NIH hairless mice are a spontaneous hairless mouse discovered and bred in our laboratory. In this study, we resequenced the genomes of NIH normal mice and NIH hairless mice and obtained 3,575,560 high-quality, plausible SNP loci and 995,475 InDels. The Euclidean distance algorithm was used to assess the association of SNP loci with the hairless phenotype, at a threshold of 0.62. Two regions of chromosome 18 having the highest association with the phenotype contained 345 genes with a total length of 13.98 Mb. The same algorithm was used to assess the association of InDels with the hairless phenotype at a threshold of 0.54 and revealed a region of 25.45 Mb in length, containing 518 genes. The mutation candidate gene Lama3 (NM&#95;010680.2: c.652C>T; NP&#95;034810.1: p. Arg217Cys) was selected based on the results of functional gene analysis and mutation prediction screening. Lama3 (R217C) mutant mice were further constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and the relationship between Lama3 point mutations and the hairless phenotype were clarified by phenotypic observation. The results showed that male Lama3 point mutation mice started to lose hair on the 80th day after birth, and the hair loss area gradually expanded over time. H&E staining of skin sections showed that the point mutation mice had increased sebaceous glands in the dermis and missing hair follicle structure (i.e., typical symptoms of androgenetic alopecia). This study is a good extension of the current body of knowledge about the function of Lama3, and the constructed Lama3 (R217C) mutant mice may be a good animal model for studying androgenetic alopecia., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Alopecia areata (AA), trichotillomania (TM), nevus sebaceous (NS), and linear scleroderma en coup de sabre (LSCS) can all present with a patch of linear alopecia, making diagnosis challenging. The purpose of this study was to combine reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and dermoscopy in the diagnosis of these lesions in children., Methods: A total of 36 patients with linear alopecia were enrolled, of whom 14 had AA, seven had TM, nine had NS, and six had LSCS. We evaluated the characteristics and distinguishing features of the four conditions using RCM and dermoscopy., Results: The key to differential diagnosis was the dermal Hair follicle density in the dermis was decreased in AA, and the size and density of the follicular openings were normal in TM. In NS, the major features were petal-like and frogspawn-like structures. In LSCS, dermal papillary rings, sebaceous glands, and follicles were partially or completely missing, and abundant fibrous material was distributed in the dermis. Dermoscopy revealed alopecia, and all four conditions resulted in decreased hair density. AA patients exhibited yellow dots, black dots, and exclamation mark hairs. TM patients presented with irregularly broken hairs and blood spots. Both NS and LSCS patients exhibited an absence of follicular openings; NS patients demonstrated whitish and yellowish round structures, while an atrophic area with white patches, linear vessels, and no yellow or black dots was observed in LSCS patients CONCLUSION: RCM combined with dermoscopy can provide additional information on disease states and differentiate between AA, TM, NS, and LSCS., (© 2023 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Noninflammatory alopecia is common in dogs and is a frequent cause to consult a veterinarian. It is also a common reason to take biopsies. Noninflammatory alopecia can be attributed to a decreased formation or cytodifferentiation of the hair follicle or the hair shaft in utero , resulting in congenital alopecia. Congenital alopecia often has a hereditary cause, and examples of such disorders are ectodermal dysplasias associated with gene variants of the ectodysplasin A gene. Noninflammatory alopecia may also be caused by impaired postnatal regeneration of hair follicles or shafts. Such disorders may have a clear breed predilection, and alopecia starts early in life. A hereditary background is suspected in those cases but has not been proven. They are referred to as follicular dysplasia although some of these disorders present histologically like a hair cycle disturbance. Late-onset alopecia is usually acquired and may be associated with endocrinopathies. Other possible causes are impaired vascular perfusion or stress. As the hair follicle has limited possible responses to altered regulation, and histopathology may change during the course of a disease, a detailed clinical history, thorough clinical examination including blood work, appropriate biopsy site selection, and detailed histological findings need to be combined to achieve a final diagnosis. This review aims to provide an overview about the known noninflammatory alopecic disorders in dogs. As the pathogenesis of most disorders is unknown, some statements are based on comparative aspects or reflect the authors' opinion., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Cicatricial alopecia not only affects the appearance of children's heads and faces but also their mental health in the long term. This study aims to explore the therapeutic characteristics and clinical effects of autologous hair transplantation technology in children with cicatricial alopecia., Methods: Children in our department who received autologous hair transplantation technology for cicatricial baldness of the scalp from February 2019 to October 2022 were collected. Their basic information was analyzed, and postoperative follow-up was conducted, including calculation of hair follicle survival rate, hair growth, complications, and an efficacy satisfaction survey given to the children's family members., Results: Thirteen children were included in this study (10 males and 3 females), aged from 4 years 1 month to 12 years 10 months, with an average age of 7 years 5 months. Two hundred to 2500 hair follicular units were extracted, with an average recipient area of 22.7 cm 2 , an average hair follicle unit density of 55.3 ± 9.1 per cm 2 , and an average hair/follicular unit (hair/FU) ratio of 1.75 ± 0.07. Thirteen children in this group were followed up for 6-12 months with the following treatment options: FUE (follicular unit extraction, 9 cases), FUT (follicular unit transplantation, 3 cases), and FUT combined with FUE (1 case). The average hair survival rate was 85.3%. Except for one child with temporary folliculitis, there were no complications. The GAIS score is divided into five levels: complete improvement (2 cases), obvious improvement (10 cases), partial improvement (1 case), no improvement (0 cases), and deterioration (0 cases). The patient satisfaction results included very satisfied (2 cases), mostly satisfied (10 cases), and dissatisfied (1 case)., Conclusion: Autologous hair transplantation technology is a safe and effective method for children with cicatricial alopecia., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background and Objective: Cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome associated with skeletal dysplasia, varying degrees of combined immunodeficiency (CID), short stature, hair hypoplasia, macrocytic anemia, increased risk of malignancies, and Hirschsprung disease. To provide clinical and immunological insights obtained from 2 unrelated patients who displayed clinical characteristics of CHH., Methods: Two patients with suspected CHH syndrome due to skeletal dysplasia and immunodeficiency underwent an immunological and genetic work-up using flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the immune repertoire, and Sanger sequencing to identify the underlying defects., Results: Patient 1 presented with low birth weight and skeletal dysplasia. Newborn screening was suggestive of T-cell immunodeficiency, as T-cell receptor excision circle levels were undetectable. Both the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vß and TCR-g (TRG) repertoires were restricted, with evidence of clonal expansion. Genetic analysis identified compound heterozygous RMRP variants inherited from both parents. Patient 2 presented with recurrent lung and gastrointestinal infections, skeletal dysplasia, failure to thrive, and hepatomegaly. The polyclonal pattern of the TCRß repertoire was normal, with only slight overexpression of TCR-ßV20 and restricted expression of Vßs. TRG expressed a normal diverse repertoire, similar to that of the healthy control sample. Genetic analysis identified biallelic novel regulatory variants in RMRP. Both parents are carriers of this mutation., Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate how the immunological work-up, supported by genetic findings, can dramatically change treatment and future outcome in patients with the same clinical syndrome.

Female androgenetic alopecia or female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) is highly prevalent and has a great impact on the quality of life. The treatment is a routine challenge in dermatological practice, as many therapeutic options have a limited level of evidence and often do not meet patients expectations. Lack of knowledge of the pathogenesis of the hair miniaturization process and the factors that regulate follicular morphogenesis restricts the prospect of innovative therapies. There is also a lack of randomized, controlled studies with longitudinal follow-up, using objective outcomes and exploring the performance of the available treatments and their combinations. Topical minoxidil, which has been used to treat female pattern hair loss since the 1990s, is the only medication that has a high level of evidence and remains the first choice. However, about 40% of patients do not show improvement with this treatment. In this article, the authors critically discuss the main clinical and surgical therapeutic alternatives for FPHL, as well as present camouflage methods that can be used in more extensive or unresponsive cases., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedade Brasileira de Dermatologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None disclosed.

Competing Interests: None

Hair and ruler mark structures in dermoscopic images are an obstacle preventing accurate image segmentation and detection of critical network features. Recognition and removal of hairs from images can be challenging, especially for hairs that are thin, overlapping, faded, or of similar color as skin or overlaid on a textured lesion. This paper proposes a novel deep learning (DL) technique to detect hair and ruler marks in skin lesion images. Our proposed ChimeraNet is an encoder-decoder architecture that employs pretrained EfficientNet in the encoder and squeeze-and-excitation residual (SERes) structures in the decoder. We applied this approach at multiple image sizes and evaluated it using the publicly available HAM10000 (ISIC2018 Task 3) skin lesion dataset. Our test results show that the largest image size (448 × 448) gave the highest accuracy of 98.23 and Jaccard index of 0.65 on the HAM10000 (ISIC 2018 Task 3) skin lesion dataset, exhibiting better performance than for two well-known deep learning approaches, U-Net and ResUNet-a. We found the Dice loss function to give the best results for all measures. Further evaluated on 25 additional test images, the technique yields state-of-the-art accuracy compared to 8 previously reported classical techniques. We conclude that the proposed ChimeraNet architecture may enable improved detection of fine image structures. Further application of DL techniques to detect dermoscopy structures is warranted., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.)

Background: The removal of hair and ruler marks is critical in handcrafted image analysis of dermoscopic skin lesions. No other dermoscopic artifacts cause more problems in segmentation and structure detection., Purpose: The aim of the work is to detect both white and black hair, artifacts and finally inpaint correctly the image., Method: We introduce a new algorithm: SharpRazor, to detect hair and ruler marks and remove them from the image. Our multiple-filter approach detects hairs of varying widths within varying backgrounds, while avoiding detection of vessels and bubbles. The proposed algorithm utilizes grayscale plane modification, hair enhancement, segmentation using tri-directional gradients, and multiple filters for hair of varying widths. We develop an alternate entropy-based processing adaptive thresholding method. White or light-colored hair, and ruler marks are detected separately and added to the final hair mask. A classifier removes noise objects. Finally, a new technique of inpainting is presented, and this is utilized to remove the detected object from the lesion image., Results: The proposed algorithm is tested on two datasets, and compares with seven existing methods measuring accuracy, precision, recall, dice, and Jaccard scores. SharpRazor is shown to outperform existing methods., Conclusion: The Shaprazor techniques show the promise to reach the purpose of removing and inpaint both dark and white hair in a wide variety of lesions., (© 2023 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Transperineal prostate biopsy is gradually becoming the standard methodology for diagnosing prostate cancer because of its high accuracy and low risk of infection, but careful preparation is not always highlighted before a transperineal biopsy. we reported two cases of hair embedding during transurethral resection of the prostate following transperineal puncture biopsy with a Bard MC1820 disposable biopsy needle. Histological examination did not find the hair follicle structure required for hair growth. The hair source was suspected to be percutaneously brought in by needle during the biopsya simulated experiment was used to analyze and reconstruct the process of hair embedding in prostate tissue., Conclusion: Hair embedding caused by perineal prostate biopsy is a consumable-related adverse event, and skin preparation before a transperineal prostate biopsy is recommended., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

A newborn presented with extensive rounded and velvety epidermal nevus (RAVEN) with a genetic study of the cutaneous lesions revealing a heterozygous mutation in FGFR2 (p.Cys382Arg). By 2 years of age, the patient developed hair heterochromia and autism spectrum disorder. Although RAVEN was initially associated with fibroblast growth factor 3 (FGFR3) mutations, three cases of RAVEN have been identified with mutations in FGFR2 (p.Ser252Trp) and one case of linear keratinocytic epidermal nevi has been identified with the same mutation as the mutation identified in our patient. This strongly supports the pathogenic role of these mutations., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is known to cause non-scarring alopecia. However, histopathological evaluation is uncommon., Aim: The objective of this study was to document the histopathology of non-scarring alopecia and to compare histopathology of alopecic and normal appearing scalp areas in SLE hair loss patients., Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative evaluation of scalp biopsies from 23 SLE patients; 12 with hair loss and 11 without was conducted over a 7-month period in 2020. A total of 58 scalp biopsies stained with H and E (23 vertical and 35 cross-sectional) were evaluated. Mucin deposit evaluation was done using Alcian blue (pH 2.5)., Results: There were no significant differences in the sociodemographic data between the patients. The SLE hair loss patients demonstrated mucin deposition (91.7%), reduced size/number of sebaceous glands (58.3%), epidermal atrophy (50.0%), naked arrector pili muscles (50.0%), lymphocytic infiltration (33.3%), pigment incontinence (16.7%), fibrous stellae (16.7%), increased telogen percentage, and increased terminal versus vellus hair ratios. On comparing the histopathology of those who had hair loss to those without hair loss, the only significant difference was in the number and size of sebaceous gland. There were no significant differences between scalp areas with and without hair loss in the SLE hair loss patients., Conclusion: There are differences in size and number of sebaceous glands on histopathology between SLE patients who have hair loss and those who do not. Also, there are no histopathological differences between alopecic and non-alopecic scalp areas of SLE patient., Competing Interests: None

Objective: To summarize the clinical and dermatoscopic features of temporal triangular alopecia in infants and explore the clinical significance of dermatoscopy in the diagnosis of triangular alopecia temporalis in infants., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 20 children with temporal triangular alopecia diagnosed in the dermatology clinic of Tianjin Children's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2021. Dermatoscopy was performed on all children, and images were collected., Results: The clinical features of 20 children were 15 males and five females, all of which were born immediately after birth; There were eight cases (40%) in the left temporal region, 10 cases (50%) in the right temporal region, one case (5%) in the head region, and one case (5%) in the occipital region; 19 cases were single (95%), one case was multiple (5%); There were 21 skin lesions, 15 triangular lesions (71.4%), four quasi-circular lesions (19%), and two lance-shaped lesions (9.5%). Trichoscopic features: The hair follicle opening in all skin lesions is normal, and the hair follicle opening can be seen with fluffy hair (vellus hair). The vellus hair is evenly distributed, and the length is diverse (both short and long vellus hair exist in the same hair loss area). There are 14 cases of white vellus hair (70%), five cases of white spots (25%), one case of honeycomb pigment pattern (5%), and one case of vascular dilation pattern (5%)., Conclusion: Temporal triangular alopecia in infants has typical clinical and dermatoscopic characteristics, and the dermatoscopy can provide clinical basis for its diagnosis and differential diagnosis., (© 2023 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Abstract: Trichoepithelioma is a benign adnexal neoplasm of follicular germinative cells, with bulbs, papillae, and sheaths of perifollicular connective tissue as signs of follicular differentiation. Accordingly, trichoepithelioma may arise in any hair-bearing location, mostly on the face. That is why trichoepithelioma cannot appear in glabrous skin, and, although the dorsum of the hands and feet are a hair-bearing area, acral location is exceptional. We report the first case of trichoepithelioma localized in the finger of a 79-year-old man. It was a brown-pink, firm, 7-mm diameter, solid papule on the dorsal aspect of his left index finger. The lesion was completely asymptomatic, and he remembered to have it for many years. We describe this case highlighting its rare anatomical location and correlate its dermoscopic features with the histopathological appearance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None disclosed.

A 64-year-old woman presented with a fist-sized, severely painful lesion with scales, crusts, pustules, erythema with subcutaneous abscess, and hair loss on the left temporal region. Direct microscopic examination revealed a large number of spores around the hair, which indicated ectothrix hair invasion, and some hyphae were also found. Histopathological examination showed significant inflammatory cell infiltration from the dermis to the subcutaneous tissues and into the hair follicles, destruction of the hair follicles with granulomatous reactions, and fungal masses along the hair within the hair follicles. Microsporum canis was identified based on morphological features via culture method and molecular biological analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region DNA sequence. The patient was diagnosed with kerion celsi caused by M. canis. For treatment of kerion celsi, we chose an oral antifungal agent, fosravuconazole (FRVCZ), which has been available since 2018 only in Japan. Clinical symptoms were cured in 12 weeks without scarring. No side effects were observed during oral administration of FRVCZ. The results of our case and several previous reports suggest that FRVCZ is effective in treating various types of dermatomycoses.

Sudden hair thinning, phantom trichalgia in the early and late rehabilitation period after novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are the most common complaints of patients, that can be considered by both dermatocosmetologist and medical rehabilitation specialist. A telogen hair loss was found in 19.8% of patients, whereby 27.3% of patients suffering from hair loss during disease and 72.7% - at 3rd-6th month after recovery. Most commonly, hair loss is non-structural and associated with an abnormal ovulatory cycle shift and diffuse asynchronous loss of hair follicles in telogen phase, as well as with an increase of total predisposed to loss hair follicles number. Nevertheless, the analysis of clinical observations of patients with post-COVID hair loss has shown that this disorder is registered not only in telogen phase. There is a rapid disease progression up to the final stages in the presence of verified androgenetic alopecia diagnosis. The cases of alopecia areata and cicatricial alopecia, associated with previous COVID-19, also were registered. Androgenetic alopecia is the first (30.7%) and diffuse alopecia is the second (19.8%) by degree of incidence. The relapses or much less frequently the onsets of alopecia areata and the unexplained pronounced pain at the hair roots in parietal region (7.8%) are in the third place. The article presents in detail the possible reasons and mechanisms of hair loss associated with COVID-19, determines necessary examinations with consideration to the scientific analysis of domestic and foreign literature sources.

Background: Hair cycle arrest (HCA) is a noninflammatory alopecic disease affecting various dog breeds, particularly Pomeranian dogs. This disease is probably a hereditary disorder considering the strong breed predisposition. Despite efforts to identify the pathogenesis of this disease, an underlying specific cause is unknown., Objective: To identify candidate gene mutations for HCA in Pomeranian dogs., Animals: Four Pomeranian dogs diagnosed with HCA and four unaffected Pomeranian dogs., Materials and Methods: Whole blood was used for DNA extraction. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed, and variants were analysed using a Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) and SnpEff. All reads were aligned to the reference genome, Dog10K&#95;Boxer&#95;Tasha. Sanger sequencing was performed to define the complex mutations., Results: A total of 113 variants of mitochondrial DNA were found to be effective gene mutations in the eight dogs. The affected dogs showed significantly increased effective mutations (average 57 variants) compared with unaffected dogs (average eight variants; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of chromosomal DNA mutations between the two groups., Conclusion and Clinical Importance: We suggest that an increased number of mitochondrial gene mutations are features for HCA in Pomeranian dogs., (© 2022 ESVD and ACVD.)

Alopecia areata (AA), which is a common and inflammatory hair loss and one of the most frequent dermatological conditions with higher incidence worldwide, the complex interplay involved multiple factors was contributed to the pathogenesis that consists of immune privilege losing and destruction with autoimmune-mediated in hair follicle also the abnormal regulation of inflammatory pathways was highlighted, although it was remained unclear to date.(J Am Acad Dermatol, 78, 2018, 1) Some treatment options for AA were proposed with great advances in recent years, but the options and efficacy were limited, such as platelet-rich plasma, JAK-STAT inhibitor, PDE4 inhibitor, and others, also the good response with regrow hair of cytokine-targeted therapy like dupilumab, ustekinumab was shown.(Clin Exp Med, 21, 2021, 215; Drugs, 80, 2020, 635) Here, we present a case with onset of AA following dupilumab treatment, the chronological relationship between the AA onset and dupilumab use should be known and emphasized., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Fibrosing alopecia pattern distribution (FAPD) is a recently described disease, wherein the clinical, trichoscopic, and histologic characteristics of non-scarring alopecia, such as androgenic alopecia, and lichenoid inflammatory cicatricial alopecia are reported. The lack of uniformity in the diagnostic criteria can result in FAPD overdiagnosis. The characteristic findings of loss of follicular openings on trichoscopy and fibrosis on histopathology are crucial, as they are necessary to diagnose cicatricial inflammatory lichenoid alopecias.  Hair transplantation in FAPD can be controversial. The scarce publications in this realm do not reach a clear consensus in favor or against the surgical approach. Thus, the presence of histological lichenoid inflammatory infiltrates could make this therapeutic option less suitable. There have been few reports on hair transplantation in other lymphocytic lichenoid inflammatory alopecias, such as lichen planus pilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA)  Based on those data, an algorithm for the indication of hair transplantation in FAPD is proposed. The algorithm optimizes the results of the treatment and achieves the greatest coverage of the alopecic area., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Family with sequence similarity 83 members H (Fam83h) is essential for dental enamel formation. Fam83h mutations cause human amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), an inherited disorder characterized by severe hardness defects in dental enamel. Nevertheless, previous studies showed no enamel defects in Fam83h-knockout/lacZ-knockin mice. In this study, a large deletion of the Fam83h gene (900 bp) was generated via a dual sgRNA-directed CRISPR/Cas9 system in rabbits. Abnormal tooth mineralization and loose dentine were found in homozygous Fam83h knockout (Fam83h -/- ) rabbits compared with WT rabbits. In addition, reduced hair follicle counts in dorsal skin, hair cycling dysfunction and hair shaft differentiation deficiency were observed in Fam83h -/- rabbits. Moreover, X-rays and staining of bone sections showed abnormal bending of the ulna and radius and an ulnar articular surface with insufficient trabecular bone in Fam83h -/- rabbits. Taken together, these data are the first report of defective hair cycling, hair shaft differentiation and abnormal bending of the ulna and radius in Fam83h -/- rabbits. This novel Fam83h -/- rabbit model may facilitate understanding the function of Fam83h and the pathogenic mechanism of the Fam83h mutation., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Membranous aplasia cutis congenita (MACC) presents at birth characterized by oval epidermis defect. Skin lesions with MACC have various clinic manifestations. In recent years, the usefulness of trichoscopy (scalp dermoscopy) has been reported for hair loss diseases. However, the dermoscopic features of MACC were mostly reported by case reports., Objectives: To summarized the obvious dermoscopic characteristics of MACC., Materials & Methods: These 56 cases met the clinical diagnostic criteria for MACC without forceps delivery complications or other birth injuries. To find the dermoscopic characteristics of MACC by summarizing 56 infants' dermoscopic pictures., Results: The dermoscopic manifestation of MACC are characterized by hair follicle openings and hair deficiency in the center of skin lesions, translucent epidermis, hair root and hair bulb arranged along the margins of skin lesion., Conclusion: The typical dermoscopic characteristics of MACC could help clinicians to early diagnose and differential diagnosis., (© 2022 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Tinea capitis is an infection of the scalp and hair shaft caused by dermatophytes that predominantly occurs in children. Skin fungal infections have been found to be associated with alterations in the overall bacterial and fungal communities. However, the scalp microbiome in tinea capitis have not been fully investigated., Objectives: To investigate and compare the scalp bacterial and fungal microbiomes between children with tinea capitis and healthy children and between children and adults., Methods: Skin samples were collected from the scalp. Bacterial and fungal community compositions were analysed by amplification sequencing of the V3-V4 of 16S rDNA and ITS1-5F, respectively., Results: The predominant fungi detected using amplicon sequencing were consistent with the culture- or real-time PCR-positive pathogens in most samples. Children with tinea capitis had lower fungal and higher bacterial Shannon diversity than healthy children. A higher relative abundance of pathogenic fungi and significant alterations in the bacterial community in the lesional sites of tinea capitis than healthy scalps. Compared with adults, healthy children were characterised by higher Shannon diversities with significantly lower relative abundances of Malassezia and Cutibacterium and higher relative abundances of Candida and Streptococcus., Conclusions: We demonstrated that tinea capitis was characterised by significant alterations in both fungal and bacterial communities and amplicon sequencing could be a complementary method for pathogen identification., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Alopecia affects men and women and can result in significant distress for patients. Alopecias can be categorized as nonscarring or scarring. Nonscarring alopecias include male and female pattern alopecias, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, traction alopecia, trichotillomania, and tinea capitis. Scarring alopecias include central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia, discoid lupus erythematosus, dissecting cellulitis of the scalp, folliculitis decalvans, and acne keloidalis nuchae. Evaluation of patients with alopecia involves assessment of the duration and distribution of hair loss, associated scalp symptoms, and associated conditions. Clinical examination of the hair and scalp may include a hair pull test, tug test, hair mount (ie, trichogram), dermoscopy, laboratory tests, and/or scalp biopsy, depending on the suspected etiology. Hair regrowth cannot occur in established lesions of scarring alopecia, so early identification and prompt initiation of treatment are critical in these cases. Patients with suspected or confirmed alopecias, alopecia areata, or alopecias refractory to treatment may benefit from referral to a dermatologist., (Written permission from the American Academy of Family Physicians is required for reproduction of this material in whole or in part in any form or medium.)

A thorough understanding of nail anatomy can help physicians identify the causes of nail conditions. Observation of changes to the nail can help establish a diagnosis. Patient evaluation should include a physical examination, dermoscopy, and, in some cases, nail biopsy. Onychomycosis is the most common nail condition worldwide, and should be distinguished from other nail conditions with similar manifestations. Empiric onychomycosis treatment without confirmatory tests has been proposed, but studies have shown the cost-effectiveness of testing to prevent inappropriate therapy. Systemic drugs for management include terbinafine and itraconazole. Longitudinal melanonychia is a brown band through the length of the nail. Nail melanoma should be suspected if the band is dark brown-black, is located on a single digit, and occupies 40% or more of the nail plate width. Biopsy with local anesthesia should be performed in patients with suspected nail melanoma or other neoplastic nail conditions. Identification of warning signs of nail melanoma can result in earlier diagnosis and limit potential morbidity and mortality. Nail psoriasis often is overlooked but can affect up to 50% of patients with psoriasis. Nail lichen planus can cause permanent scarring with loss of normal nail anatomy. Other common nail conditions include acute and chronic paronychia, onychocryptosis, onycholysis, Pseudomonas infection (ie, green nails), onychogryphosis, subungual hematoma, and onychomadesis.

Uncombable hair syndrome presents with frizzy hair in early childhood. Isolated hair manifestations are usually observed; however, systemic involvement of the nervous system, eyes, and ears have also been reported. The syndrome has been classified into three subtypes, correlating with the three mutated genes: peptidyl arginine deiminase, type III; transglutaminase 3; and trichohyalin. This article presents the clinical picture of uncombable hair syndrome with special attention to its systemic manifestations. It also addresses its molecular aspects. Google Scholar was used to retrieve relevant publications. Clinical and molecular data were tabulated and frequencies were calculated. At least 127 cases were identified. Congenital hair defects were reported in two-thirds of cases, in which hair texture (83%), color (52%), density (15%), and growth (11%) were impaired. Uncombable hair rarely involves the eyebrows and eyelashes, and it may co-occur with loose anagen hair syndrome, androgenic alopecia, alopecia areata, and scarring alopecia. Pathologies of the skin, nails, and teeth were reported among 63%, 28%, and 25%, respectively. Systemic abnormalities were not uncommon. Dysmorphic features (n = 8), and neuropsychiatric/developmental (n = 8), ophthalmic (n = 7), otic (n = 4), and cardiopulmonary (n = 3) manifestations were also reported. Molecular genetic analysis of all patients is recommended to identify genotype-phenotype correlation. A general pediatric review might be needed to rule out any potential systemic association.