Search

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Edmund Klein's seminal research in oncology transformed medicine. He would now be 100 years old. This extraordinary physician-scientist has been dubbed the Father of Immunotherapy and was honored with the highest American recognition in medicine, the Lasker Award, often a prelude to the Nobel Prize., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Federación de Sociedades Españolas de Oncología (FESEO).)

Randomized, controlled, double-blinded studies, in which treated subjects are randomly selected from the same pool as controlled (untreated) ones and neither the caregiver nor the patient knows which is which, are widely accepted as the gold standard of experimental medicine. There are well-documented advantages of such studies. There are, however, significant limitations of them as well of which it is important to be aware. Notably, physicians who rely on experience and on what they were taught in medical school and post-graduate training are not necessarily wrong when this information runs contrary to the results of such studies. Some limitations of them are widely known and taught, such as inadequate sample size, failure of proper randomization, et cetera; others are less well-known. We shall focus on the latter.

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelmed a number of medical facilities as well as a few entire health-care systems. A novel issue co-incident with the expeditious deployment of specialty care units for COVID-19 inpatients is the worldwide epidemic of Candida auris infections. Since its first identification and classification in Japan in 2009, it has spread globally. This threat was predicted as C. auris has a high mortality rate, cryptic fomite spread, frequent misidentification since conventional methods do not detect it, and multidrug-resistance. Since the April 2020 warning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, C. auris has been delineated as an increasingly consequential source of significant nosocomial infections, emphasizing the added hazard of C. auris to COVID-19 inpatients, particularly those in intensive care units., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests., (© 2021 Policy Studies Organization.)

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric illness that primarily affects adolescents and young adults of both sexes. Patients have a distorted self-image, which manifests as a preoccupation with slight or imagined defects in the face, nose, skin, hair or any part of the body that ultimately interferes with daily functioning. It is a relatively common yet long unrecognized problem. Patients often seek multiple physician assessments for their perceived defects and request cosmetic procedures. Early intervention can prevent a cycle of multiple surgeries, as the outcome is usually poor and may lead to exacerbation of symptoms, anger and litigation. BDD is a disabling, and even life-threatening, condition; it can lead to major depression and suicidal ideation. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy are the mainstay of treatment and are beneficial in most patients. A multidisciplinary approach is strongly recommended.

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease seen most often in children and young adults, although it may occur at any age. In Yemen, up until now, specific treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been challenging. Available chemotherapy is expensive and replete with significant side effects. Standard cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen is prohibitively expensive and often unavailable. The objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of cryosurgery with carbon dioxide slush in the treatment of CL in an economically underdeveloped region as a cost-effective, simple, successful, and affordable option., (© 2012 The International Society of Dermatology.)

There is only one cancer to our knowledge named in honor of its female describer, the Dąbska tumor. Maria Dąbska was a brave hero of the Warsaw Resurrection of 1944 who survived deportation to Germany to graduate from medical school in Gdańsk and pursue a career in pathology, for which her research on the Dąbska tumor, breast cancer, sweat gland tumors, keratoacanthoma, soft tissue sarcomas, bone pathology, parachordoma, melanoma, and other entities remains salient. Working behind the Iron Curtain, she nevertheless achieved international recognition, yet few today are cognizant of her and her accomplishments. This vibrant distinguished professor is celebrating her 90th birthday., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Florid cutaneous papillomatosis is an obligate paraneoplastic syndrome. Originally described by Schwartz and Burgess, and also known as the Schwartz-Burgess syndrome, it is a widespread eruption resembling viral warts yet with no evidence of human papilloma virus infection. We review this entity and its implications.