Cutis
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We report a case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a patient with mycosis fungoides. We propose that autoimmune hemolytic anemia may be induced by cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases. Thus, hemolysis should be considered as a mechanism of anemia in patients with mycosis fungoides.
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To confirm reports that skin cancer can be prevented with retinoid treatment, a three-year controlled prospective study was conducted of oral isotretinoin in five patients with xeroderma pigmentosum who had a history of multiple cutaneous basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas. Patients were treated with isotretinoin, 2 mg/kg per day for two years, and then evaluated for an additional year without using the drug. Before, during, and after treatment, biopsy specimens of all suspicious lesions were examined, and skin cancers were removed surgically. ⋯ During two years of treatment with isotretinoin, there were twenty-five tumors, with an average reduction in skin cancers of 63 percent (p = 0.019). After use of the drug was discontinued, the tumor frequency increased a mean of 8.5 times over the frequency during treatment (p = 0.007). Although all patients experienced mucocutaneous toxic effects, and abnormalities in triglyceride levels, results of liver function tests, or skeletal findings occurred in some, high-dosage oral isotretinoin was effective in the chemoprophylaxis of skin cancers in patients with xeroderma pigmentosum.
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We present an unusual case of hair casts occurring after psychological trauma. These pseudonits must be correctly differentiated from pediculosis capitis.
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Tinea versicolor is a common superficial fungal infection that typically affects young adults in warm, humid climates. We describe two young black children in the temperate northeastern Ohio area with tinea versicolor limited to the face. The occurrence of tinea versicolor on the face is unusual, as is its appearance before puberty. The mycologic and pathophysiologic characteristics of tinea versicolor infection are discussed, and several hypothesis are offered to explain the presence of tinea versicolor in these patients.