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Six patients with Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (M-R syndrome) were presented. Their ages varied from 20 to 60 years; age at onset was between 15 and 50 years. In all 6 patients, swelling started first over the lower lip. Associated facial palsy, facial edema, and scrotal tongue were found in three, four and one patients, respectively. Lip biopsies from 5 patients failed to show any granuloma. Intralesional corticosteroids produced mild regression of labial swelling in two patients after 6 injections. In one patient, near total reduction of labial swelling and facial edema was achieved after 5 months of clofazimine treatment. However, there was no improvement of facial palsy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series of M-R syndrome reported from India.

Erythroderma a life-threatening entity during the fi rst one month, and many a time, a manifestation of genodermatosis, immune defi ciency, psoriasis, metabolic diseases, and infections. Atopic dermatitis presenting as erythroderma is usually observed later, after this one-month period, and hence not a common differential for neonatal exfoliative dermatitis. Although a rare entity, there is a paucity of studies on this and in contrast to adults, some may manifest as cardinal signs of primary disease conditions.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a relatively common disease in patients in the Asia–Pacific region. It presents a particular clinical challenge and requires careful clinical management. The chronic nature of AD characterized by flares, exacerbations and periods of quiescence requires a multipronged approach aimed at reducing itch, inflammation and the appearance of secondary lesions. In addition, varying levels of maintenance therapy may be required to avoid exacerbations. Survey data from the region indicate that there is significant variation across the Asia–Pacific with regard to current treatment practices. The management of AD may also be influenced by differing health-care systems, variable climate, access to medical care and cultural diversity. The current consensus guidelines have been developed to provide up-to-date and concise evidence- and experience-based recommendations directed towards general practitioners and general dermatologists in the Asia–Pacific region on the management of pediatric and adult AD.

Seven children had pemphigus: six had pemphigus vulgaris and one pemphigus foliaceus. Four who had pemphigus vulgaris were administered dexamethasone pulses. Follow-up from six months to one year was uneventful; the disease was under control and there were no complications due to therapy. Our observations suggest that the clinical features, course, and principles of therapy for pemphigus in children are essentially the same as those in adults.

We have grown the single crystals of LaAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ and CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ by high temperature solution method and report on the anisotropic magnetic behavior of CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ . The compounds crystallize in an orthorhombic structure with space group \textit {Pnma}. LaAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ shows a Pauli-paramagnetic behavior. CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ do not order down to 1.8 K. The easy axis of magnetization for CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ is along [010] direction. The magnetization data is analyzed on the basis of crystalline electric field (CEF) model., Comment: 7 figures 4 pages

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) is one of the most challenging and frustrating therapeutic problems faced by a dermatologist. A recent demonstration of abnormal type 1 reactions to intradermal autologous serum injections in some CU patients has led to the characterization of a new subgroup of "autoimmune chronic urticaria". This has rekindled interest in the age-old practice of autologous blood injections as a theoretically sound treatment option in these patients. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of repeated autologous serum injections (ASIs) in patients with recalcitrant chronic urticaria. Methods: A cohort of 62 (32 females) CU patients with a positive autologous serum skin test (ASST) (group 1) was prospectively analyzed for the efficacy of nine consecutive weekly autologous serum injections with a postintervention follow-up of 12 weeks. Another group of 13 (seven females) CU patients with negative ASST (group 2) was also treated similarly. In both groups, six separate parameters of disease severity and activity were recorded. Results: Demographic and disease variables were comparable in both groups. The mean duration of disease was 1.9 ± 0.3 years (range = 3 months to 32 years) in group 1 and 1.5 ± 0.2 years (range = 3 months to 10 years) in group 2. In the ASST (+) group, 35.5% patients were completely asymptomatic at the end of the follow-up while an additional 24.2% were markedly improved. In the ASST (−) group, these figures were 23 and 23% respectively. The intergroup difference for complete subsidence was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In both groups, the most marked reduction was seen in pruritus and antihistamine use scores followed by the size and frequency of the wheals. Conclusion: Autologous serum therapy is effective in a significant proportion of ASST (+) patients with CU. A smaller but still substantial number of ASST (−) patients also benefited from this treatment.

Graham–Little–Piccardi syndrome (GLPS) is a rare form of follicular lichen planus and comprises cicatricial alopecia of the scalp, noncicatricial alopecia of the axillae, and/or pubis and spinous follicular papules involving the trunk and extremities. We herein report a classic case of GLPS in a 49-year-old female. Uniqueness of our case is due to its additional features of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). Although overlap between GLPS and FFA has been mentioned in literature, such numbers are scanty. Therapeutic response with oral steroid and retinoid is also far better in contrast to what is described in the existing literature.

We describe an occurrence of Kawasaki disease presenting in the neonatal period with multiple coronary aneurysms. Very few such presentations of this entity have been described in the literature and this is probably the youngest patient reported from India. We also highlight an atypical finding, thrombocytopenia during the second week of life and beyond.

We hereby report a 2-year-old boy who presented with a peculiar combination of hyperpigmented and hypopigmented skin lesions along the lines of Blaschko, sharply demarcated at the midline, both on the anterior and posterior trunk. Although combinations of hyperpigmented and hypopigmented skin lesions distributed along the lines of Blaschko have been described, the combination of skin lesion comprised hypomelanosis of Ito and whorled hypermelanosis distributed in the extremely unusual manner described in this patient has not been reported previously.

We explain the intrinsic spin Hall effect from generic anyon dynamics in the presence of external electromagnetic field. The free anyon is represented as a spinning particle with an underlying non-commutative configuration space. The Berry curvature plays a major role in the analysis., Comment: Title changed, thoroughly revised version, no change in math. content, reference section enlarged, to appear in Physics Letters A

We have studied particle motion in generalized forms of noncommutative phase space, that simulate monopole and other forms of Berry curvature, that can be identified as effective internal magnetic fields, in coordinate and momentum space. The Ahranov-Bohm effect has been considered in this form of phase space, with operatorial structures of noncommutativity. Physical significance of our results are also discussed., Revised version, Reference added, to appear in Euro.Phys.Lett