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Mycetoma or ‘Madura foot’ is a chronic infection of skin and subcutaneous tissues, fascia and bone. It may be caused by true fungi (eumycetoma) or by filamentous bacteria (actinomycetoma). The lesions are composed of suppurating abscesses and draining sinuses with the presence of grains which are characteristic of the etiologic agents. The introduction of new broad spectrum antimicrobials and antifungals offers the hope of improved drug efficacy. This article discusses the historical aspects, epidemiology, clinical findings, laboratory diagnosis and treatment of mycetoma.

Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) is a common condition characterized by menstrual abnormalities and clinical or biochemical features of hyperandrogenism. Features of PCOS may manifest at any age, ranging from childhood (premature puberty), teenage years (hirsutism, menstrual irregularities), early adulthood and middle life (infertility, glucose intolerance) to later life (diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease). Cutaneous manifestations of PCOS are protean and include hirsutism, acne, androgenic alopecia and acanthosis nigricans. Treatment of cutaneous manifestations of PCOS requires a coordinated team approach. A combination of drug therapy, counseling and cosmetic procedures can maximize the results.

Byline: Gousia. Sheikh, Insha. Latif, Kouser. Lone, Iffat. Hassan, Yasmeen. Jabeen, Abid. Keen Background: Chronic urticaria is a common dermatological disorder that causes a great deal of distress in patients [...]

Byline: Imran. Majid, Inaamul. Haq, Saher. Imran, Abid. Keen, Khalid. Aziz, Tasleem. Arif Background: Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI), the scoring system in melasma, needs to be refined. Aims [...]

Byline: Iffat. Hassan, Sajjad. Hussain, Abid. Keen, Tehseen. Hassan, Sabiya. Majeed Sir, Vitiligo is an idiopathic, acquired, circumscribed hypomelanotic skin disorder, characterized by milky white patches of different sizes and [...]

Byline: Iffat. Hassan, Abid. Keen Introduction 'Because the newer methods of treatment are good, it does not follow that the old ones are bad: For if our honorable and worshipful [...]

Byline: Abid. Keen, Iffat. Hassan Sir, Ectodermal dysplasias are genetically heterogenous and complex group of inherited disorders characterized by structural and/or functional defects in one or more of the classical [...]

Byline: Abid. Keen, Iffat. Hassan Sir, Werner's syndrome (pangeria or progeria adultorum) is a hereditary systemic disease in which the aging process is accelerated, starting after puberty. The clinical syndrome [...]

Scars are abnormal wound responses in predisposed individuals. They occur after any kind of wound and skin inflammation in predisposed individuals. Despite their benign nature, they can be aesthetically disabling. Although several approaches have been tried in their management, most of them have produced poor results. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of fractional CO2 laser treatment in the management of post-burn and post-traumatic scars. One hundred consecutive patients (77 females and 23 males) affected by post-burn scars as well as post-traumatic atrophic scars were treated with monthly sessions of fractional CO2 laser treatment. Patient's response to treatment was assessed clinically as well as improvement of scars by comparing the photographs taken before treatment with those taken 6 months after the last treatment session. Changes in skin texture, surface irregularity and pigmentation were assessed on a quartile grading scale and scored individually from 0 to 4. A mean of the three individual scores was calculated and the response was labelled as 'excellent' if the mean score achieved was > 3. A score of 2-3 was labelled as good response while a score below 1 was labelled as 'poor' response. A mean of six treatments per scar were required and all patients, followed up for 1 year after the last treatment, had optimum results and no recurrence. Response to treatment was excellent in 53.75%, good in 16.25% patients, and poor in 30% patients. Fractional CO2 laser gives a very good result in the management of patients with post-burn scars as well as post-traumatic scars with minimal adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nicolaides-Baraitser is a very rare clinical condition characterized by short stature, mental retardation, absent or limited speech, seizures, sparse hair, peculiar facial appearance, short metacarpals, and interphalangeal swelling. In this paper, we report a case of a 5-year-old female child belonging to the ethnic Kashmiri population with clinical features suggestive of Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome. Clinical rarity of this condition prompted this communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alopecia areata is a common, non-scarring, autoimmune disorder affecting any hair-bearing area. It is often psychologically devastating. This disorder occurs in both the sexes, in all age groups, and is characterized by the sudden appearance of circumscribed areas of hair loss on the scalp or other parts of the body. Various therapeutic approaches are presently available for managing alopecia areata including corticosteroids, contact sensitizers and immunosuppressants, but none have been shown to alter the course of the disease on a consistent basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by infiltration of periodic acid-Schiff positive hyaline material into the skin, oral cavity, larynx and internal organs. The clinical manifestations include hoarseness of voice, beaded papules along the eyelid margins, skin scarring and an inability to protrude the enlarged and thickened tongue. In this paper, we present a case of a young male with features suggestive of lipoid proteinosis. Clinical rarity of this condition prompted this communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plexiform neurofibroma is a poorly circumscribed, diffuse enlargement of neural sheets that typically involves major nerve trunks of the head and neck region because of the rich innervations of this area. It is a benign tumor and is a virtually pathognomonic and often disabling feature of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1 or Von Recklinghausen's disease). We hereby report a case of facial neurofibroma in an adult female with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoidosis is a chronic idiopathic multisystem disorder of unknown etiology characterized by the formation of non-caseating granulomas in all or several affected organs or tissues. Cutaneous involvement occurs in about 20-35% of patients with systemic sarcoidosis. Papular sarcoidosis is a rare form of cutaneous sarcoidosis that carries a more favourable prognosis than the other forms. We herein report a case of papular sarcoidosis in a child in view of its clinical rarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monilethrix is a genetic disorder of hair shaft characterized by a beaded appearance of the hair due to periodic thinning of the shaft, resulting in hair fragility and patchy dystrophic alopecia. We hereby report a case of monilethrix in an otherwise healthy seven- year old child. Clinical rarity of this disorder prompted this communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]