Efficacy of Azoles Antifungals in Treatment of Pityriasis Versicolor

Introduction: Pityriasis versicolor is superficial fungal infection. Topical drugs are often effective in treatment of limited disease while systemic drugs are more suitable in extensive cases. The systemic triazole drugs, itraconazole and fluconazole have shown promising results at different doses. Aims: To assess the efficacy and safety of oral fluconazole combined with ketoconazole shampoo and oral itraconazole in the treatment of Pityriasis versicolor. Methods: The study was conducted at department of Dermatology at Nepalgunj Medical College from March 2019 to February 2020. Total 100 patients of both genders with Pityriasis versicolor were randomly allocated into two groups with 50 patients in each group. Patients in Group I received oral fluconazole 300mg a week for two consecutive weeks along with ketoconazole 2% shampoo twice weekly for two weeks while those in Group II received itraconazole 200mg daily for one week. Efficacy was assessed in terms of negative fungal hyphae. The drug is considered safe if no patients were withdrawn for clinical adverse effects or laboratory abnormalities. Results: In this study age ranged from 18 to 50 years with mean age of 31.1 years in Group I and 31.92 years in Group II. Efficacy was seen in 78% of Group I patients as compared to 54% in Group II patients at two weeks and 94% in Group I and 90% in Group II at four weeks. No significant adverse effects were reported in any of the group. Conclusion: Fluconazole along with ketoconazole shampoo is more effective than itraconazole in treatment of pityriasis versicolor with minimal side effects, at lesser cost.

Guanidinoacetate–creatine in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a case report

Acute secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is characterized by escalating neurological disability, with limited disease-modifying therapeutic options. A 48-year-old woman with acute SPMS being treated with interferon beta-1a and oral corticosteroids presented as a clinical outpatient with no disease-modifying effects after treatment. A decision was made to treat her with a combination of guanidinoacetate and creatine for 21 days. She had made clinical progress at follow-up, with the intensity of fatigue dropping from severe to mild. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed increased brain choline, creatine, N-acetylaspartate, and glutathione. Patients with SPMS may benefit from guanidinoacetate–creatine treatment in terms of patient- and clinician-reported outcomes; this requires additional study.

Prognostic Role of the Expression of Latent-Membrane Protein 1 of Epstein–Barr Virus in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

The prognostic impact of the presence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is controversial. Previous studies reported heterogeneous results, rendering difficult the clinical validation of EBV as a prognostic biomarker in this lymphoma. The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival impact of the expression of EBV Latent-Membrane Protein 1 (EBV-LMP1) in tumoral Hodgkin–Reed–Sternberg (HRS) cells of primary diagnostic samples of cHL. Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) lymph node samples from 88 patients with cHL were analyzed. Patients were treated with the standard first-line chemotherapy (CT) with Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine and Dacarbazine (ABVD) followed by radiotherapy. The Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model were used for carrying out the survival analysis. In order to investigate whether the influence of EBV was age-dependent, analyses were performed both for patients of all ages and for age-stratified subgroups. In bivariate analysis, the expression of EBV was associated with older age (p = 0.011), mixed cellularity subtype cHL (p < 0.001) and high risk International Prognostic Score (IPS) (p = 0.023). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were associated with the presence of bulky disease (p = 0.009) and advanced disease at diagnosis (p = 0.016). EBV-positive cases did not present a significantly lower OS and PFS in comparison with EBV-negative cases, for all ages and when stratifying for age. When adjusted for covariates, absence of bulky disease at diagnosis (HR: 0.102, 95% CI: 0.02–0.48, p = 0.004) and limited disease stages (I–II) (HR: 0.074, 95% CI: 0.01–0.47, p = 0.006) were associated with a significant better OS. For PFS, limited-disease stages also retained prognostic impact in the multivariate Cox regression (HR: 0.145, 95% CI: 0.04–0.57, p = 0.006). These results are of importance as the early identification of prognostic biomarkers in cHL is critical for guiding and personalizing therapeutic decisions. The prognostic role of EBV in cHL could be modulated by the type of CT protocol employed and interact with the rest of presenting features.

Clinical and serological characteristics of systemic sclerosis: Experience of a tertiary care center in Pakistan

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the clinical and serological characteristics of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in Pakistani population. Patients and methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study included a total of 38 patients (6 males, 32 females; mean age: 34.5±1.5 years; range, 16 to 60 years) with SSc who were admitted to our rheumatology clinic between November 2019 and January 2020. We evaluated the clinical, serological, and radiological features of SSc patients. Results: Thirty-four (89.5%) patients developed Raynaud phenomenon at the time of disease onset, while sclerodactyly was found in 34 (89.5%), digital ulcers in 25 (65.8%), and tendon friction rub in 12 (31.6%) patients. Interstitial lung disease was present in 30 (78.9%) patients with a higher prevalence in diffuse scleroderma (100%) than in limited scleroderma (70%) (p=0.01). Pulmonary hypertension was present in 18 patients with a significantly higher prevalence in diffuse disease (57.1%) than limited disease (11.8%) (p<0.01). Thirty (78.9%) patients had impaired pulmonary function tests. Fibromyalgia was present in seven (18.4%) patients, and depression was present in 10 (26.3%) patients. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was positive in 30 (78.9%) patients. Anti-Scl-70 antibodies were present in 24 (63.2%) patients with a significant association with diffuse disease (85% vs. 35.3%, respectively; p<0.01). The anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) were present in 20 (52.6%) patients with a significantly higher rate in limited disease (94.2% vs. 19.0%, respectively; p<0.01). Conclusion: Scleroderma has a female preponderance. Raynaud phenomenon is the most initial clinical feature followed by other manifestations of a variable course and disease severity.

Kikuchi–Fujimoto Disease Associated With Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection

Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a self-limited disease that is more common in young Asian women. Typical presentations included fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. The etiology of KFD is unknown, and diagnosis is based mainly on lymph node biopsy. KFD has been reported to be associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. However, the role of antibiotic treatment is unclear. We reported 2 cases of KFD associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and were successfully treated with a macrolide.

Current Status and Progress of the Treatment of Limited-Disease Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a common pathological type of primary lung cancer originating from the bronchial mucosa or gland. SCLC is characterized by rapid growth, high degree of malignancy, and early metastasis, which poses a great threat to patients’ safety and quality of life. SCLC can be divided into two stages: localized disease and extensive disease. For limited-disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC), radiotherapy and chemotherapy are often used in clinical treatment. In recent years, there are several new advances in the clinical treatment of SCLC, including the improvement of radiotherapy and chemotherapy methods, compatibility of first-line and second-line drugs, as well as immune-targeted therapy. This article discusses the current status of clinical treatment and the research progress of LD-SCLC in the past five years.