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Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common skin cancer in humans, requires early detection. Dermoscopy enhances diagnostic accuracy through a noninvasive approach. Pigmented BCC (pBCC) is characterized by distinctive dermoscopic features, including the presence of pigmented globules or nests. While dermoscopic features of large pBCC (size >6 mm) have been extensively studied, limited data are available on small pBCC (size ≤6 mm) and its relationship with tumor progression. Methods: Dermoscopic images of histologically proven pBCCs were collected between 2014 and 2022 at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital. Each image was analyzed for patterns of pigmentation, vasculature, and epidermal and dermal structures. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the differences according to the size and the trend during tumor progression. Results: In total, 135 pBCCs (48 small and 87 large) were included. Pigment structures were present in all cases. Short fine telangiectasia and small erosions constituted over 85% of the cases, showing no significant distinction between small and large pBCCs, nor any specific pattern correlating with tumor enlargement. The number of arborizing vessels, ulcerations, and shiny white structures showed an increasing trend associated with size progression. Arborizing vessels appeared when tumor size exceeded 6 mm. Conclusions: This study provides a dynamic interpretation of the dermoscopic features of pBCC according to size enlargement. Short fine telangiectasia and small erosions are highly important features for the early diagnosis of small pBCCs. Arborizing vessels, ulceration, and shiny white structures are more frequent in large pBCCs, and they increase in association with tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: CD1a; hair follicle; pseudolymphoma EN CD1a hair follicle pseudolymphoma 327 330 4 03/24/22 20220401 NES 220401 INTRODUCTION Pseudolymphomatous folliculitis (PLF) is a variant of cutaneous pseudolymphoma. Dermoscopy showed multiple follicular ostia and surface telangiectasia. gl HISTOPATHOLOGY Incisional skin biopsy revealed diffuse and dense lymphocytic infiltration from superficial to deep dermis. Histopathologically, PLF lesions show dense lymphocytic infiltrate throughout the entire dermis and may extend into the subcutaneous fat. [Extracted from the article]

Women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) have been reported to develop chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Nevertheless, whether or not AUB women have an increased risk of CSU has not been examined in large‐scale epidemiologic studies. This study aimed to investigate the risk of CSU among reproductive‐aged women with AUB. A total of 79 595 patients and 79 107 propensity‐score matched controls were recruited from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to conduct a nationwide cohort study. The Cox proportional‐hazard regression model was applied to examine the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for CSU in relation to AUB. We found that women with AUB had a higher risk for CSU (aHR = 1.83; 95% CI, 1.76–1.90) than women without AUB. Subgroup analyses revealed that AUB with an abnormal bleeding frequency (aHR = 1.70; 95% CI, 1.60–1.79), irregular bleeding (aHR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.71–1.89), and intermenstrual bleeding (aHR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.49–1.83) were associated with an increased risk of CSU compared with those without abnormalities. The Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the cumulative incidence of developing CSU was consistently higher in the AUB cohort than in the non‐AUB cohort during the entire follow‐up period (log‐rank test, p < 0.001). In conclusion, reproductive‐aged women with AUB were found to have a higher risk of developing CSU. This study emphasizes the importance of enquiring CSU patients about menstrual problems in clinical practice. Further consultation with obstetrician‐gynecologists may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering wider variance in MED and polypharmacy, MED test prior to NBUVB phototherapy is recommended for patients over 65 years old. The NBUVB 24-h MED in the control group is within the 24-hour MED range reported for normal Asian populations.4 Previous studies suggested initiating a lower NBUVB dose with subsequently slower increase in dosage among the elderly than in the general population.1,3 For evaluating the reliability of 24-hour MED among the elderly, all patients were treated with the NBUVB phototherapy protocols based on their 24-h MEDs ranging from 2 weeks to 3 months. Keywords: geriatric dermatology; minimal erythema dose; narrowband UVB; phototherapy EN geriatric dermatology minimal erythema dose narrowband UVB phototherapy 173 175 3 03/23/22 20220301 NES 220301 INTRODUCTION Phototherapy for elderly patients, defined as individuals aged 65 years old or older, has become an emerging issue with aging on the rise.1The initial dose of narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB, 311nm) phototherapy, a widely utilized treatment modality in Taiwan, is determined by the minimal erythema dose (MED). The MED test was performed on the patient subjects' backs, in areas without skin lesions, with twelve different NBUVB doses (100-800 mJ/cm SP 2 sp ) using Neolux SP ® sp (Daavlin, Bryan, Ohio) as the light source. [Extracted from the article]

Adipose tissue encircles the lower portion of anagen hair follicles and may regulate hair cycle progression. As leptin is a major adipokine, its level of expression from the dermal white adipose tissue during hair cycle progression was studied. The result shows that leptin level is differentially expressed during hair cycle, the lowest in early anagen phase, upregulated in late anagen phase and the highest in the telogen phase. On the other hand, leptin receptor is detected in keratin 15-positive hair bulge epithelium of both anagen- and telogen-phase hair follicles of mice pelage and vibrissa hair, and hair from human scalp. Leptin contributes to adipocyte-mediated growth inhibition of anagen-phase vibrissa hair as demonstrated in organ culture and coculture system. Our data suggest that leptin of dermal white adipose tissue might regulate hair growth and, therefore, hair cycle progression via leptin receptor on the hair follicle epithelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex disease with both a genetic background and environmental interactions. Although multiple linkage-analyses about AD have been studied, there have been only a few family aggregation tests of AD or perennial allergic rhinitis (AR) to date. The association of allergen-specific IgE in AD and atopic dermatitis with allergic perennial rhinitis (ADR) have also been seldom discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate family aggregation and assess allergen-specific IgE in patients with AD and ADR. We also planned to investigate the effect of family history of AD on the prevalence of allergen-specific antibodies. The serum levels of IgE, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and major basic protein (MBP) were measured and compared in patients with AD and those with ADR. Proportional analysis compared allergen-specific IgE between AD and ADR. The family aggregation was conducted to estimate the odds ratio for various atopic diseases in different family members. Total IgE and allergen-specific antibodies in serum were compared between those patients who had AD with AR and those without. The result revealed that allergic rhinitis is the most common concomitant atopic disease associated with AD. The ADR group was more likely to have serum mite-, cockroach-, and feather-specific IgE. The positive rates for wheat, peanut and soybean were higher in those AD without rhinitis. In the family aggregation of AD, the odds ratio for siblings was higher than for parents, the ratios for brother and sister were 9.91 and 8.75, respectively. However, the odds ratio for parents of ADR was higher than siblings; the ratios for father and mother of ADR were 8.22 and 2.94, respectively. AD patients with family histories of AD were more likely to have mite-, soybean-, and peanut-specific antibodies in their serum. We concluded that aeroallergens are the most important allergens aggravating atopic diseases in Taiwan. Food plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Measurement of serum total IgE combined with the MAST-CLA test could be helpful in the diagnosis of atopic diseases. The differential aggregation tendency for AD and ADR implicated the complexity of the gene-environment interaction in these atopic diseases.