Trachyonychia or rough nails, may present as an idiopathic disorder of the nails or it can be associated with other dermatological conditions. The dystrophic nail findings seen in trachyonychia are characterized by brittle, thin nails, with excessive longitudinal ridging. The most common histopathologic features associated with trachyonychia are spongiosis and exocytosis of inflammatory cells into the nail epithelia; typical features of lichen planus or psoriasis can also be detected. Determining the cause of trachyonychia is challenging. Treatment is often unsatisfactory, although in general it should be aimed at the underlying cause, if found. In most cases, the nail abnormalities improve spontaneously.

Nail abnormalities secondary to systemic disease could be classified as nail abnormalties associated with systemic disease, disease of specific organ system or associated with syndromes and genodermatoses. Because nail findings are easily observable and yield valuable information, careful examination of nails could be an important diagnostic tool for a dermatologist. A brief review of the common and not so common nail changes in systemic illness is presented.

Nail dyschromias have a wide variety of presentation. There are numerous causes of discoloration of the nail affecting the nail plate, nail attachments, or the substance of the nail. The chromonychia may also be caused due to the exogenous deposition of pigments over the nail plate. Careful examination of the nail and few bed side tests may help in identifying the root cause of the nail dyschromia and many a times unravels some underlying systemic disorder too.

Onychomycosis is a common nail ailment associated with significant physical and psychological morbidity. Increased prevalence in the recent years is attributed to enhanced longevity, comorbid conditions such as diabetes, avid sports participation, and emergence of HIV. Dermatophytes are the most commonly implicated etiologic agents, particularly Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, followed by Candida species and non dermatophytic molds (NDMs). Several clinical variants have been recognized. Candida onychomycosis affects fingernails more often and is accompanied by paronychia. NDM molds should be suspected in patients with history of trauma and associated periungual inflammation. Diagnosis is primarily based upon KOH examination, culture and histopathological examinations of nail clippings and nail biopsy. Adequate and appropriate sample collection is vital to pinpoint the exact etiological fungus. Various improvisations have been adopted to improve the fungal isolation. Culture is the gold standard, while histopathology is often performed to diagnose and differentiate onychomycosis from other nail disorders such as psoriasis and lichen planus. Though rarely used, DNA-based methods are effective for identifying mixed infections and quantification of fungal load. Various treatment modalities including topical, systemic and surgical have been used.Topically, drugs (ciclopirox and amorolfine nail lacquers) are delivered through specialized transungual drug delivery systems ensuring high concentration and prolonged contact. Commonly used oral therapeutic agents include terbinafine, fluconazole, and itraconazole. Terbinafine and itraconazole are given as continuous as well as intermittent regimes. Continuous terbinafine appears to be the most effective regime for dermatophyte onychomycosis. Despite good therapeutic response to newer modalities, long-term outcome is unsatisfactory due to therapeutic failure, relapse, and reinfection. To combat the poor response, newer strategies such as combination, sequential, and supplementary therapies have been suggested. In the end, treatment of special populations such as diabetic, elderly, and children is outlined.

Background: Psoriasis is a common hyperproliferative disorder of the skin associated with significant morbidity. Most of the drugs used in psoriasis provide only a temporary relief, whereas they are riddled with potential toxicities and cost concerns. Hence, there is a constant need to explore newer, effective, orally administered, and cost-effective drugs with minimal adverse effects. In this scenario, propylthiouracil (PTU), an antithyroid thioureylene has been shown to be effective in psoriasis which satisfies the above criteria. Aim: The objective of our study is to assess the clinical efficacy of PTU in psoriasis. Methods: A total of 25 patients with plaque psoriasis were treated with oral PTU for 12 weeks. Clinical response was assessed using the "Psoriasis Area and Severity Index" (PASI) score. Routine blood analyses and thyroid function tests were carried out periodically during the study. Results: Oral PTU produced significant clearing of lesions at 6 weeks and 12 weeks of the study period in all patients, as demonstrated by the reduction in PASI scores (33.9% in 6 weeks and 74.1% reduction in 12 weeks). Four patients experienced near complete clearing of the lesions. One patient developed mild elevation of liver enzymes which reversed on withdrawal of PTU. None of the patients had hypothyroidism or cytopenias. Conclusion: PTU significantly clears the lesions in psoriasis with minimal adverse effects. Hence, it can be considered as a therapeutic option in psoriasis, especially when the standard drugs cannot be used due to their toxicities or forbidding cost.

Background: Previous reports have shown that indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) performed on sodium chloride-split skin (SSS) is helpful to differentiate epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) from bullous pemphigoid (BP). Antibodies of BP may bind to the epidermal side of SSS, while antibodies of EBA bind to the dermal side. Aims: To determine the accuracy of IIF-SSS in the differential diagnosis of EBA and BP utilizing immunoblotting (IB) analysis. Methods: Sera from 78 patients, diagnosed with BP by clinical features, histopathology, and direct immunofluorescence (DIF), were assayed using IIF-SSS and IB. Results: Of the 43 serum samples with an epidermal reaction to IIF-SSS assay, 42 were recognized with BP antigens (180 kDa or 230 kDa). Of the 11 serum samples with a dermal reaction pattern, 7 were recognized with the 290 kDa antigen of EBA and 3 with sera bound BP antigens. Seven serum samples with epidermal and dermal combined staining, of which 5 of them reacted with BP antigens, 1 reacted with both BP and EBA antigens. One serum sample from each group showed a negative result by IB. Approximately 9.0% (7/78) of patients diagnosed with BP using regular methods were actually EBA. Conclusions: Epidermal reaction using the IIF-SSS assay highly correlated with the diagnosis of BP. However, dermal reactions correlated poorly with EBA, with some serum samples from BP patients binding to dermal-side antigens. In both epidermal and dermal stained sera using IIF-SSS, there was a possibility of BP and EBA. Differential diagnosis should be confirmed using IB, especially in cases of dermal and double staining patterns assayed using IIF-SSS.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem disorder that affects various organ systems. Although SSc patients have both physical and psychological illness, psychological distress is sometimes underestimated as most physicians usually pay more attention to physical problems. Aims: To evaluate dermatology-specific health-related quality of life (QoL) in Thai patients with SSc. Methods: SSc patients, who attended the Department of Dermatology, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between August 2009 and April 2010, were enrolled. The demographic data and skin manifestations of the patients were recorded. Skin thickness of each patient was analyzed by modified Rodnan skin score. QoL was evaluated by using the validated Thai version of dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire. Results: A total of 80 patients of SSc were enrolled in this study. Twelve patients had limited SSc, while 68 patients had diffuse SSc. The mean (SD) disease duration before period of evaluation was 9 (12.8) years. The mean total of DLQI score was 6.3 (range, 0-23). Patients with low DLQI score have longer disease duration than patients with high DLQI score (P<0.05). Pain/pruritus was the most significant problem to the patients. Salt and pepper appearance was the cutaneous finding that had association with high DLQI score. Conclusions: SSc had moderate impact on patient's dermatology-specific health-related QoL. Pain, pruritus, and obvious skin findings caused a significant impairment to SSc patients. Therefore, the treatment of pain and pruritus and prominent cutaneous findings should be taken into account to improve QoL of SSc patients.

Background: Oral isotretinoin is recommended for severe nodulocystic acne in the doses of 1-2 mg/kg/day which is usually associated with higher incidence of adverse effects. To reduce the incidence of side-effects and to make it more cost-effective, the lower dose regimen of isotretinoin has been used. Aim: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of oral isotretinoin in daily, alternate, pulse and low-dose regimens in acne of all types and also to assess whether it can be used for mild and moderate acne also. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with acne were randomized into four different treatment regimens each consisting of 30 patients. Group A was prescribed isotretinoin 1 mg/kg/day, Group B 1 mg/kg alternate day, Group C 1 mg/kg/day for one week/four weeks and Group D 20 mg every alternate day for 16 weeks. Patients were further followed for eight weeks to see any relapse. Side-effects were also recorded. Results: Though the daily high dose treatment Group A performed better initially at eight weeks, at the end of therapy at 16 weeks results were comparable in Group A , B and D. Patients with severe acne did better in Group A than in Group B, C and D. Patients with mild acne had almost similar results in all the groups while patients with moderate acne did better in Group A, B and D. Frequency and severity of treatment-related side-effects were significantly higher in treatment Group A as compared to Group B, C and D. Conclusion: We conclude that for severe acne either conventional high doses of isotretinoin may be used or we can give conventional high dose for initial eight weeks and later maintain on low doses. Use of isotretinoin should be considered in mild to moderate acne also, in low doses; 20 mg, alternate day seems to be an effective and safe treatment option in such cases.

Acral cutaneous metastasis is a rare phenomenon. A 38-year-old woman presented with painful lesions in the left hand since 1 month. On examination, multiple painful, erythematous, lobulated plaques and nodules were present over the palmar aspect of the finger tips and thenar eminence. Biopsy of the nodule revealed lobules of small pleomorphic epithelial cells arranged in singles, small nests, cords and small abortive luminal pattern in an abundant mucoid matrix, suggestive of metastatic mucinous carcinoma. Past history revealed that the patient had undergone bilateral mastectomy for carcinoma breast. Diagnosis of cutaneous metastases is based on clinical history and histopathological examination. Identification of the primary tumor is very important for prompt treatment and prognosis. The rarity of pure acral cutaneous metastasis and its possible pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed.

We report a case of a 58-year-old female patient who presented with multiple, asymptomatic, slowly-growing, raised pigmented lesions all over her body for the past 10 years with ulceration in one of the lesions on the trunk for the past five months. Histopathology of the lesion revealed features consistent with melanoacanthoma. Here, we report the first case of cutaneous melanoacanthoma presenting with an ulcerated plaque and the third case of cutaneous melanoacanthoma with multiple lesions. To the best of our knowledge, ulceration has not yet been reported as a feature of cutaneous melanoacanthoma in the medical literature.

Childhood granulomatous periorificial dermatitis (CGPD) is a self-limiting and well-recognized entity. A six-year-old male child, a known case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) presented with multiple red raised and yellowish lesions over the face, neck, trunk and upper extremities since one month with occasional itching. Cutaneous examination revealed multiple erythematous scaly papules of size up to 5 mm around the mouth, nose and periorbital areas, neck, trunk and upper extremities with few excoriations. Lesional skin biopsy was pathognomic of CGPD. We report a six-year-old Indian male child with extra-facial involvement and healing with small atrophic pigmented scars in a known case of JRA.

Proliferating trichilemmal (pilar) cysts, also known as pilar tumors, are most commonly found on the scalp of elderly women. Proliferating trichilemmal cysts are rare, slowly growing, lobular masses inherited autosomal dominantly and localized on scalps, and believed to arise due to a complication of a trauma and inflammation, and 5-10% of people are reported to be effected. Herein, we present the case of a 70-year-old woman with a 23-year history of multiple enlarging scalp masses. Clinically, squamous cell carcinoma was considered in the differential diagnosis, and the lesion was totally excised. Our case emphasizes the necessity for detailed clinical and pathological correlation for differential diagnosis.

Trigeminal trophic syndrome is a rare condition resulting from self-manipulation of the skin after a peripheral or central injury to the trigeminal system. The syndrome consists of a classic triad of anaesthesia, paraesthesia, and a secondary persistent or recurrent facial ulceration. We describe a 60 year-old woman who developed this syndrome as a sequel to the gasserian ganglion block for trigeminal neuralgia. She had also developed melasma within 1 year. A remarkable benefit was achieved by proper patient education and topical antibiotics which led to the healing of all ulcerations within 4 weeks. In the case reported here, the diagnosis of the trigeminal trophic syndrome was made primarily as a result of the physician's experience with the syndrome previously.

Follicular lymphoma is the most common type of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas with a predilection for the scalp, forehead, and trunk. Herein we report a case of primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma on the scalp of 72-year-old female. The diagnosis was made histopathologically, confirming the presence of centrocytes and centroblasts. Complete resolution was achieved following administration of subcutaneous interferon α-2a at a dose of 4.5 × 10 ⁶ IU three times weekly for 3 months.