Dermatologic ultrasonography applications are rapidly growing in all skin fields. Thanks to very high spatial resolution, high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency ultrasound can evaluate smaller structures, allowing us to improve diagnosis accuracy and disease activity. Moreover, they can guide treatment, such as drug injection, and assess therapy efficacy and complications. In this narrative review, we evaluated high-frequency ultrasound and ultra-high-frequency ultrasound in infections, inflammatory dermatoses, metabolic and genetic disorders, specific cutaneous structure skin disorders, vascular and external-agent-associated disorders, neoplastic diseases, and aesthetics.

Breast cancer is a clear example of excellent survival when it is detected and properly treated in the early stage. Currently, screening of this cancer relies on mammography, which may be integrated by new imaging techniques for more exhaustive evaluation. The Personalized, Integrated, Network, Knowledge (P.I.N.K.) study is a longitudinal multicentric study involving several diagnostic centres across Italy, co-ordinated by the Italian National Research Council and co-funded by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation. Aim of the study is to evaluate the increased diagnostic accuracy in detecting cancers obtained with different combinations of imaging technologies, and find the most effective diagnostic pathway matching the characteristics of an individual patient. The study foresees the enrolment of 50,000 women over the age of 40 years presenting for breast examination and providing informed consent to data handling. So far, the 15 participating centres across Italy have recruited a total of 22,848 patients. Based on the analyses of the first 175 histopathological-proven breast cancers, mammographic sensitivity was estimated to be 61.7% (n = 108 cancers), whereas diagnostic accuracy increased by 35.5% (n = 44 cancers) when mammography was integrated with other imaging modalities (ultrasound and/or digital breast tomosynthesis). Increase was mainly determined by ultrasound alone. Given the ongoing data collection and recruitment, the number of cancers detected is too low to allow any further in-depth analysis to explore links to patient characteristics. Past studies show that the uniform approach of population screening guidelines should be revised in favour of more personalised regimens, where known standards are integrated by imaging techniques most suitable for the individual’s characteristics. With the ultimate goal of identifying early breast cancer detection strategies, our preliminary results suggest that integrated diagnostic approach could lead to a paradigm shift from an age-based regimen toward more specific and effective risk-based personalised screening regimens, in order to reduce mortality from breast cancer.

The aim of this article is to identify and illustrate the most used psychological techniques in the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) and to help clinicians choose the most appropriate strategy among various possibilities. The disease and its medical treatments can be difficult to tolerate and can cause anxiety about health status or feelings of hopelessness and stress. The prevalence of depression and anxiety is 2.3 times higher in adults with CF than in community samples. A strong correlation has been identified between elevated psychological distress and unfavorable health outcomes, including, among others, impaired lung function, reduced BMI, an increased incidence of pulmonary exacerbations, and an elevated risk of transplantation. The use of psychological interventions is useful in addressing these common distresses in CF patients. Aware of the necessity of identifying efficacious interventions for all levels of depression and anxiety in CF patients, this study presents an overview of the research on psychological interventions for patients with CF, in order to complement the treatments suggested by the international guidelines on mental health in CF cases. In fact, the aim of this study is to conduct a review and quantitative synthesis of the psychological intervention techniques that are currently available for individuals with CF.

Background and Objectives: Recently published articles reported an association between psoriasis and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in ILD computed tomography (CT) patterns between smoker and never smoker plaque psoriasis (PP) patients under topical treatment without psoriatic arthritis (PA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or connective tissue diseases (CTDs). Matherials and Methods: Two radiologists evaluated chest CT examinations of 65 patients (33 smokers, 32 never smokers) with PP. Results: Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern was diagnosed in 36 patients, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia pattern in 19, hypersensitivity pneumonitis in 7 and pleuropulmonary fibroelastosis (PPFE) in 3 patients. UIP pattern showed a statistically significant higher frequency in smoker patients (p = 0.0351). Respiratory symptoms were reported in 80% of patients. Conclusions: ILDs seems to represent a new comorbidity associated with psoriasis. Moreover, a statistically significant association between smokers and UIP pattern in PP patients is found. Respiratory symptoms should be evaluated in PP patients, in collaboration with a radiologist and a pneumologist. However, further studies are required to better understand the epidemiology of ILDs in PP patients.

The aim of the article is to identify and illustrate the most used psychological techniques in the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) and to help clinicians choosing the appropriate strategy among the various possibilities. The disease and its medical treatments can be difficult to tolerate and can cause anxiety about health status or feelings of hopelessness and stress. The prevalence of depression and anxiety is 2.3 times higher in adults with CF than in community samples. A strong correlation has been identified between elevated psychological distress and unfavorable health outcomes, including, among others, impaired lung function, reduced BMI, an increased incidence of pulmonary exacerbations, and an elevated risk of transplantation. The use of psychological interventions is useful in addressing these common distress in CF patients. Aware of the necessity to identify efficacious interventions for all levels of depression and anxiety in CF patients, this study presents an overview of the research on psychological interventions for patients with CF, in order to complement the treatments suggested by the international guidelines on mental health in CF cases. In fact, the aim of this study is to conduct a review and quantitative synthesis of the psychological intervention techniques that are currently available for individuals with CF.