Alopecia areata (AA) is a nonscarring alopecia with an autoimmune etiology, unpredictable course, multiple presentations, and variable psychological distress. We conducted a cross-sectional study which included 126 patients with AA. A complete medical history was documented using the Severity Alopecia Tool (SALT) to assess the severity of the disease, and the following questionnaires were applied to the participants: the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) for adults. The Child Dermatology Life Quality Index (cDLQI) and the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale questionnaires were applied for children. Quality of life (QoL) disturbance was detected in 77.6% of adult participants, 65.9% of them had signs of depression or anxiety, and 12.8% were at risk of committing suicide. The PSS-14 average score for adults was 24.5. QoL disturbance was detected in 76.7% of children participants, and 6.3% of them showed signs of depression with the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale. We conclude that patients with AA could experience changes in their QoL and signs of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk, mainly in the adult population, during the course of the disease.

Background: Postzygotic KRAS, HRAS, NRAS, and FGFR1 mutations result in a group of mosaic RASopathies characterized by related developmental anomalies in eye, skin, heart, and brain. These oculocutaneous disorders include oculoectodermal syndrome (OES) encephalo‐cranio‐cutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL), and Schimmelpenning‐Feuerstein‐Mims syndrome (SFMS). Here, we report the results of the clinical and molecular characterization of a novel cohort of patients with oculocutaneous mosaic RASopathies.Methods: Two OES, two ECCL, and two SFMS patients were ascertained in the study. In addition, two subjects with unilateral isolated epibulbar dermoids were also enrolled. Molecular analysis included PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing of KRAS, HRAS, NRAS, and FGFR1 genes in DNA obtained from biopsies (skin/epibulbar dermoids), buccal mucosa, and blood leukocytes. Massive parallel sequencing was employed in two cases with low‐level mosaicism.Results: In DNA from biopsies, mosaicism for pathogenic variants, including KRAS p.Ala146Thr in two OES subjects, FGFR1 p.Asn546Lys and KRAS p.Ala146Val in ECCL patients, and KRAS p.Gly12Asp in both SFMS patients, was demonstrated. No mutations were shown in DNA from conjunctival lesions in two subjects with isolated epibubar dermoids.Conclusion: Our study allowed the expansion of the clinical spectrum of mosaic RASopathies and supports that mosaicism for recurrent mutations in KRAS and FGFR1 is a commonly involved mechanism in these rare oculocutaneous anomalies.

Background: Recalcitrant facial flat warts are caused by human papillomavirus and may persist for years despite treatment. Isotretinoin has demonstrated benefits in the treatment of recalcitrant, genital and common warts, but placebo-controlled trials have not been performed. To determine whether isotretinoin is safe and effective for recalcitrant facial flat warts. Isotretinoin 30 mg/day or placebo was administered to 16 and 15 patients, respectively, in double-blind, randomized fashion for 12 weeks. Cutaneous lesions were assessed and adverse events including serologic and ophthalmologic changes were recorded. It is considered that warts were recalcitrant if the patient was treated for at least 3 years with at least three of the following options: retinoids, 5-fluorouracil, imiquimod and cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen. Each patient in the istotretinoin group showed complete clearance of all flat warts, while none of the patients in the placebo group showed any improvement (p=0.0001). The most frequent adverse event was cheilitis. There were no statistically significant changes in the laboratory findings. The study design does not permit complete blinding of the dermatologist who can easily recognize the adverse effects of isotretinoin. The clinical findings, however, were so dramatic that this would not have impacted the findings. Another limitation of the study is a lack of follow-up to assess for recurrence after the drug was discontinued. Isotretinoin is an effective treatment for recalcitrant flat facial warts with a well-known, manageable safety profile.

Citation: Valdés-Morales KL, Peralta-Pedrero ML, Jurado-Santa Cruz F, Morales-Sánchez MA. Diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy of actinic keratosis: a systematic review. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2020;10(4):e2020121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5826/dpc.1004a121 Accepted: June 25, 2020; Published: October 26, 2020 Copyright: ©2020 Valdés Morales et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, BY-NC-4.0, which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: None. Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Authorship: All authors have contributed significantly to this publication. Corresponding author: Martha Alejandra Morales Sánchez, MD, Vertiz 464, Esq. Eje 3 Sur, Col. Buenos Aires, Deleg. Cuauhtémoc, 06780, D.F., México. Email: marthamoralessanchez@gmail.com Introduction: Dermoscopy is a tool that aids clinicians in the diagnosis of actinic keratosis; however, few diagnostic accuracy studies have determined its sensitivity and specificity for this diagnosis. Objective: Determine the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy on actinic keratosis. Methods: A systematic review was conducted on EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials from inception to August 2019. Results: We screened 485 titles and abstracts. Two studies comprising 219 actinic keratoses were eligible for qualitative analysis. The number and heterogeneity of included studies limited a quantitative analysis. Conclusions: Studies that focus specifically on the diagnostic accuracy of dermoscopy for actinic keratosis are lacking. Keywords : actinic keratosis, dermoscopy, dermatoscopy, diagnostic accuracy This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.