Claudia Salomone

Tanning salons in Santiago, Chile: the knowledge of the staff in charge and the quality of information provided to potential clients before and after a new regulatory law

Introduction: In recent years, the use of artificial tanning devices has become very popular in Chile. In April, 2007, a new law was established to regulate the non‐medical use of tanning beds and tanning booths. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level and quality of information provided by tanning salon staff to clients before deciding on using the services. This information was collected before and 6 months after the law was enacted by researchers visiting tanning salons posing as potential clients.

Sarcoma histiocítico cutáneo: Reporte de un caso

El sarcoma histiocitico (SH), anteriormente designado como linfoma histiocitico verdadero, es una neoplasia maligna que muestra caracteristicas morfologicas e inmunofenotipicas de diferenciacion histiocitica. Frecuentemente, se presenta con enfermedad clinicamente avanzada y curso agresivo. Muchas inconsistencias en su terminologia y criterios diagnosticos han complicado su reconocimiento y caracterizacion. Se ha documentado en ganglios linfaticos, piel y sitios extranodales; con aproximadamente 29 casos reportados con compromiso cutaneo. Histologicamente, la lesion consiste en una proliferacion difusa de celulas grandes epiteloideas con marcado pleomorfismo. Reportamos un paciente de 78 anos que presenta una lesion nodular en la piel y partes blandas de la frente. Despues de una extensa evaluacion clinica y patologica, se demuestra que se trata de un SH. Se revisan las caracteristicas clinico patologicas y se discute el diagnostico diferencial, que incluye neoplasias que frecuentemente presentan compromiso cutaneo tales como melanoma, linfomas de celulas grandes y carcinomas. El SH es un diagnostico de exclusion que requiere una evaluacion clinica y patologica extensa, que incluye estudios inmunofenotipicos, y en algunos casos tecnicas moleculares. Este caso corresponde al primer caso reportado en nuestro pais.

Hidradenitis supurativa prepuberal: presentación de 2 casos clínicos

UNLABELLED Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory follicular skin disease. It usually presents as recurrent, deep nodules in flexural apocrine gland bearing areas. It appears mainly in women, in the second and third decade of life. OBJECTIVE To present 2 cases of patients with prepuberal HS. CASE 1 A 10-year old female, Tanner stage I-II and obesity. History of 4 months of evolution with bilateral recurrent groin lesions that occasionally drain pus; HS Hurley stage i was diagnosed, and topical antibiotics and nutritional management were prescribed, with a good response. CASE 2 A 10 years old female, Tanner stage I-II and obesity. Since the age of 6 years, recurrent episodes of lesions in the inner side of the left thigh were observed, and multiple antibiotics with poor response were prescribed. HS Hurley stage i was diagnosed, and photodynamic therapy and nutritional management were used, with good response. CONCLUSIONS The etiology of HS is unclear. Usually the presentation at early age is associated with a family history and more extensive compromise in the future. Treatment is difficult and depends on each case and severity.

Oral and written counseling is a useful instrument to improve short-term adherence to treatment in acne patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Therapeutic success in acne patients not only depends on the appropriate selection of drugs but also on the patient’s treatment adherence or compliance. Lack of adherence is an important problem both in general medicine and in dermatologic practice. Objective: To evaluate the impact of oral and written counseling on treatment adherence among acne patients. Patients and Methods: Eighty patients were randomized into two groups of 40 patients each. The intervention group received a patient information leaflet (apart from oral counseling), and instructions were reinforced by a telephone call within 15 days of treatment onset. The second group (control group) received treatment indications as usual (oral counseling in-office only). Both groups were followed up with a phone call, evaluating adherence to treatment according to self-reporting of patients at 30, 60, 90 days, and 6 months. Results: Better adherence to treatment was observed in the intervention group. This difference was significant only within the first month of treatment (80% versus 62%, p = 0.043). The beneficial effect of written counseling plus a phone call decreased in subsequent months. Conclusion: Written counseling significantly improves adherence within the first month of treatment. These results suggest that it is reasonable to spend time and resources in written counseling in order to optimize adherence to treatment.

Síndrome de POEMS con lesión lítica aislada y hemangiomas glomeruloides: Caso clínico

POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrine abnormality, M-protein, plasma cell dyscrasia, and skin lesions) is a rare atypical plasma cell dyscrasia with characteristic para neoplastic manifestations. Glomeruloid hemangioma is a typical skin change pathogenetically related with elevated levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). We report a 69 year-old woman that presented cachexia associated with diabetes, hypothyroidism and severe sensitive motor polyneuropathy. Her skin changes included hyper pigmentation, acrocyanosis and glomeruloid hemangioma. The subsequent study revealed a monoclonal gammopathy lambda type; a unique lytic vertebral lesion and a clonal plasma cell proliferation. Treatment with prednisone 0.5 mg/kg and melphalan 0,25 mg/kg in cycles of 4 days every 4 weeks was started, but the patient was lost from follow up.