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Introduction: Griseofulvin, discovered in 1939 and commercially available since 1959, was the first oral antifungal agent effective against dermatophytosis, particularly tinea capitis. Although it was eventually superseded by azole antifungals due to its long treatment duration and reliance on keratopoiesis, griseofulvin remains notable for its effectiveness and safety in treating tinea capitis, especially when caused by Microsporum canis. However, due to a decline in cases and commercial unavailability, alternative treatments are now required. Areas Covered: The following topics regarding to other treatments were discussed: (I) The efficacy of alternative antifungal agents such as terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole, in the treatment of tinea capitis. (II) The use and role of topical therapies. (III) Experience in the management of tinea capitis. Expert Opinion: The usefulness of oral terbinafine as a replacement for griseofulvin in the treatment of tinea capitis and why it is the preferred drug in elderly patients was discussed. Challenges with Microsporum spp. and the use of fluconazole in pediatric patients were also analyzed. Support for the use of topical treatment as an adjunctive treatment for tinea capitis was highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pilomatricoma is a common benign adnexal neoplasm in children. There are few epidemiological studies on this subject, with most relying solely on descriptive statistics. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in two tertiary hospitals in Mexico City from January 2017 to December 2023. Clinical and electronic records of patients with histopathological diagnosis of pilomatricoma, both sexes, under 18 years old, with any type of present comorbidity were selected. Records of patients with diagnosis not confirmed by histopathology or incomplete records were not included in the study. Results: Fifty-two cases with pilomatrixoma were included in the study, showing a total of 74 lesions. About 23.1% of the cases had multiple pilomatrixomas. 40.4% of the cases experienced pain; this symptom was associated with lesions > 15 mm in diameter and with multiple pilomatrixomas. Risk factors for lesions > 15 mm included age under 8 years, positive tent sign, tumor evolution longer than a year, and a non-classical clinical variety. The head and neck were the most commonly affected areas. The left upper extremity presented larger pilomatrixomas (median 18.5 mm) and occurred more frequently in adolescent patients (mean age 12.1 years) compared to other body areas. Conclusions: Pilomatrixoma in children shows clinical diversity, with specific findings based on size, number, and anatomical location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In response to the pressing need for continuous monitoring of emergence and circulation of pathogens through genomics, it is imperative to keep developing bioinformatics tools that can help in their rapid characterization and classification. Here, we introduce ReporType, a versatile bioinformatics pipeline designed for targeted loci screening and typing of infectious agents. Developed using the snakemake workflow manager, ReporType integrates multiple software for read quality control and de novo assembly, and then applies ABRicate for locus screening, culminating in the production of easily interpretable reports for the identification of pathogen genotypes and/or screening of specific genomic loci. The pipeline accommodates a range of input formats, from Illumina or Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) reads (FASTQ) to Sanger sequencing files (AB1), or FASTA files, making it flexible for application in multiple pathogens and with different purposes. ReporType is released with pre-prepared databases for some viruses and bacteria, yet it remains easily configurable to handle custom databases. ReporType performance and functionality were validated through proof-of-concept exercises, encompassing diverse pathogenic species, including viruses such as measles, Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Dengue virus (DENV), influenza, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human T-Cell Lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), as well as bacteria like Chlamydia trachomatis and Legionella pneumophila. In summary, ReporType emerges as a simple, dynamic and pan-pathogen tool, poised to evolve in tandem with the ever-changing needs of the fields of pathogen genomics, infectious disease epidemiology, and one health bioinformatics. ReporType is freely available at GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer therapy improved significantly, allowing for different surgical approaches for the same disease stage, therefore offering patients different aesthetic outcomes with similar locoregional control. The purpose of the CINDERELLA trial is to evaluate an artificial-intelligence (AI) cloud-based platform (CINDERELLA platform) vs the standard approach for patient education prior to therapy. Methods: A prospective randomized international multicentre trial comparing two methods for patient education prior to therapy. After institutional ethics approval and a written informed consent, patients planned for locoregional treatment will be randomized to the intervention (CINDERELLA platform) or controls. The patients in the intervention arm will use the newly designed web-application (CINDERELLA platform, CINDERELLA APProach) to access the information related to surgery and/or radiotherapy. Using an AI system, the platform will provide the patient with a picture of her own aesthetic outcome resulting from the surgical procedure she chooses, and an objective evaluation of this aesthetic outcome (e.g., good/fair). The control group will have access to the standard approach. The primary objectives of the trial will be i) to examine the differences between the treatment arms with regards to patients' pre-treatment expectations and the final aesthetic outcomes and ii) in the experimental arm only, the agreement of the pre-treatment AI-evaluation (output) and patient's post-therapy self-evaluation. Discussion: The project aims to develop an easy-to-use cost-effective AI-powered tool that improves shared decision-making processes. We assume that the CINDERELLA APProach will lead to higher satisfaction, better psychosocial status, and wellbeing of breast cancer patients, and reduce the need for additional surgeries to improve aesthetic outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]