Acne is an inflammatory dermatosis of the pilosebaceous unit that remains highly prevalent worldwide. In recent decades, the epidemiological profile of acne has evolved, with a rising incidence observed not only among adolescents but also in adult populations, particularly adult women. The current global prevalence is approximately 9.4%, reflecting its continued relevance as a public health concern. While early epidemiological studies were predominantly conducted in the United States and United Kingdom, recent data from diverse geographic regions highlight the need for updated, globally representative research. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative has recognized acne as a condition with a substantial impact on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), underscoring its contribution to both physical and psychological morbidity. This review aims to synthesize current epidemiological findings, identify high-risk populations, and explore intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing disease distribution and progression. A deeper understanding of acne’s epidemiology is essential to inform prevention strategies and improve outcomes in dermatological care.
Background: Despite being a very well-documented subject in the literature, there are still conflicting results regarding teenage pregnancies and their fetal outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, comparative cohort study that included 1082 mothers aged less than 18 years, compared to 41,998 mothers aged over 18 years, who delivered in our tertiary referral center between January 2015 and December 2021. To check for significant differences between the two groups, the chi-qquared or Fisher’s test for categorical variables were used. Results: We detected statistically significant higher rates of fetal malformation, premature birth, FGR and SGA fetal growth conditions, preeclampsia, condylomatosis and vaginal infection with E. coli in our cohort of teenagers. In this subpopulation of teenagers, the rate for premature birth at less than 32 weeks of gestation was 3.26-fold higher and 3.25-fold higher for condylomatosis, and these results referred to the cohort of adult patients (>18 years old) that gave birth in the same interval of time. Conclusions: Teenage pregnancies still remain a major health problem that burdens all countries worldwide regardless of their income. It needs solutions initially to prevent pregnancy in this young age segment and last but not least to improve both maternal and fetal outcomes.
29 August 2019 in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic, immune‑mediated disease, which has a multifactorial etiopathogenesis. Practical non‑invasive techniques to monitor plaque psoriasis progression and treatment are necessary. Imaging techniques available for psoriasis assessment may vary in terms of resolution, depth of penetration and visual representation. This review summarizes the current developments in the field of psoriasis non‑invasive imaging techniques, such as dermoscopy, conventional ultrasound and high frequency ultrasonography (HFUS), videocapillaroscopy (VC), reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), optical microangiography (OMAG), laser Doppler imaging (LDI), multiphoton tomography (MPT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The aim was to collect and analyze data concerning types, indications, advantages and disadvantages of modern imaging techniques for in vivo psoriasis assessment. We focused on two main methods, videodermoscopy and HFUS, which can be included in daily dermatologists' practice and which may assist in establishing diagnosis, as well as monitoring response to topical and/or systemic therapy of psoriasis. Dermoscopy may be useful for a first evaluation and may offer an understanding of the type and distribution of blood vessels, as well as the color of the scale and the background of the lesion. Videodermoscopy allows magnification and offers a detailed evaluation of the vessel type. The utility of HFUS consists mainly in monitoring therapy response. These methods may be comparable with virtual histopathology.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of cutaneous neoplasia in humans, and dermoscopy may provide valuable information for histopathological classification of BCC, which allows for the choice of non-invasive topical or surgical therapy. Similarly, dermoscopy may allow for the identification of incipient forms of BCC that cannot be detected in clinical examination. The importance of early diagnosis using the dermoscopy of superficial BCC forms is proven by the fact that despite their indolent clinical appearance, they can be included in high-risk BCC forms due to the rate of postoperative recurrence. Nodular pigmentary forms of BCCs present ovoid gray-blue nests or multiple gray-blue dots/globules associated with arborized vessels, sometimes undetectable on clinical examination. The management of BCC depends on this, as pigmentary forms have been shown to have a poor response to photodynamic therapy. High frequency ultrasound examination (HFUS) aids in the diagnosis of BCC with hypoechoic tumour masses, as well as in estimating tumour size (thickness and diameter), presurgical margin delineation, and surgical planning. The examination is also useful for determining the invasion of adjacent structures and for studying local recurrences. The use of dermoscopy in combination with HFUS allows for optimisation of the management of the oncological patient.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which barrier impairment, immune dysregulation, and gut–skin dysbiosis intersect, prompting growing interest in probiotics as microbiota-modulating adjuncts. We conducted a narrative review of peer-reviewed articles indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, restricted to publications from 1 January 2018 to 31 October 2025 (searches last run in December 2025). Eligible evidence included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational studies, and mechanistic or conceptual reviews addressing microbiome alterations and microbiota-modulating interventions in AD. Most pediatric RCTs using multistrain, Lactobacillus-dominant formulations (often combined with Bifidobacterium) reported modest improvements in AD severity and pruritus and in selected barrier- and inflammation-related biomarkers. However, direct cutaneous microbiome “restoration” outcomes were reported in a minority of studies, and most clinical evidence relies on clinical endpoints and gut–skin axis plausibility rather than longitudinal skin microbiome readouts. Single-strain regimens showed inconsistent effects, and evidence in adolescents and adults remained heterogeneous. Mechanistically, probiotics may enhance short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) signaling, dampen toll-like receptor 2/4 (TLR2/4)-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation, and promote interleukin-10 (IL-10)- and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-driven tolerance. Probiotics are a biologically plausible adjunct targeting the gut–skin axis in AD and are generally well tolerated; however, heterogeneity across trials, limited follow-up, inconsistent adverse-event reporting, and scarce skin microbiome endpoints preclude firm clinical recommendations.
7 February 2012 in Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
Human dirofilariasis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the filarial nematodes of dogsDirofilaria repensandDirofilaria immitis. Depending on the species involved, human infections usually manifest as one cutaneous or visceral larva migrans that forms a painless nodule in the later course of disease. Dirofilariae are endemic in the Mediterranean, particularly in Italy. They are considered as emerging pathogens currently increasing their geographical range. We present one of the few known cases of human dirofilariasis caused byD. repensin Romania. The patient developed unusual and severe clinical manifestations that mimicked pathological conditions like cellulitis or deep venous thrombosis.