Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology

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    Hyperprogression after nivolumab for the treatment of melanoma
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Polak, Alexandra Perea; García, Silvestre Martínez; Díaz, Daniel Jesus Godoy
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    Giant proliferating trichilemmal tumour of the scalp
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Sung, Kun-Yong; Lee, Seungkoo; Lee, Sang-Yeul
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    Low dose oral glucocorticoid therapy in lichen planus: A retrospective cohort study
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Koszorú, Kamilla; Kovács, Anikó; L?rincz, Kende; Medvecz, Márta; Sárdy, Miklós
    Background: There are various topical and systemic treatment options for the management of lichen planus. However, it is often difficult to achieve long-term disease control and many of the common therapies may be associated with unwanted side effects. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of 8 mg oral methylprednisolone administered daily in lichen planus by the analysis of medical records. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the rates of improvement between two groups of patients. The first group received 8 mg oral methylprednisolone daily for at least one month. In the second group, patients with similar parameters to the first group (age, sex, disease manifestation) but without systemic glucocorticoid therapy were included. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the rates of remission in the two groups. Results: In the daily oral methylprednisolone (n = 24) and no systemic corticosteroids (n = 16) groups, 23 (95.8%) and 6 (37.5%) patients achieved partial or complete remission, respectively. The frequency of improvement was significantly higher in patients who received oral methylprednisolone (P < 0.0001). Limitations: Limitations of this study include its retrospective design and the relatively small sample size. Conclusion: Low dose oral glucocorticoid therapy may be an effective option for the systemic treatment of lichen planus. Based on our results and previous studies, instead of higher doses, longer therapy duration with low doses should be considered.
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    Myths, misconceptions and attitudinal trends among patients with acne
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Ansari, Farzana; Khare, Ashok Kumar; Gupta, Lalit Kumar
    Background: Despite acne being a common dermatological problem, there is a paucity of literature addressing the knowledge, attitude and practice about it. Aims/Objectives: To find out what patients know about acne, its cause and treatment, as well as myths, misconceptions and attitude towards it. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive questionnaire-based study on acne patients at Maharana Bhupal Hospital, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Results: Most (84.8%) patients belonged to the age group of 16–25 years. The majority (63.9%) presented 12 months after the onset of acne. More than half had average knowledge, a positive attitude and good practices, related significantly to gender and education. Limitations: A standardized questionnaire suitable for all dialects and regional languages would have yielded more uniform results. Conclusion: Study revealed that acne patients still need to acquire accurate, adequate and easily accessible information to seek timely and appropriate treatment, and alleviate their psychological suffering.
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    Pigmented superficial basal cell carcinoma below the nipple
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Gu, Ankang; Kong, Xiangjun; Zhang, Yu
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    Clinicodermoscopic and immunopathological profile of non-infectious non-eczematous inflammatory tattoo reactions: A retrospective study from a tertiary care centre of East India
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Sethy, Madhusmita; Behera, Biswanath; Dash, Siddhartha; Palit, Aparna; Nayak, Ashish Kumar; Ayyanar, Pavithra
    Introduction: Tattoo-associated complications are on the rise due to the popularity of decorative tattoos in recent years. The exact pathogeneses of various tattoo reaction patterns are still unclear, and their dermoscopic details are sparsely reported. Aim: We aimed to retrospectively study the clinical, dermoscopic and immunopathological details of patients with non-infectious, non-eczematous inflammatory tattoo reaction patterns in a tertiary care centre of East India. Method: The clinical, dermoscopic and pathological details of all the patients who had non-infectious, non-eczematous inflammatory tattoo reactions were collected. In all the cases, immunohistochemistry was done for CD1a, CD3, CD4, CD8, FoxP3, CD20 and CD56. Results: A total of five patients of skin phototypes IV and V and six tattoo reactions were analysed. Five lesions had reactions at the site of a black tattoo, and one at the site of red tattoo. Clinically, the patients presented with erythematous or blue-grey flat-topped to verrucous papules and plaques. Dermoscopic features were dominated by a central white to pink-white structureless area, a peripheral grey-white to bluish-white structureless area, white scales, comedo-like opening with keratotic plugging, milia-like cysts and shiny white structures. Pathologically, except for one lesion that only showed a lichenoid reaction pattern in the red tattoo, all had a combination of reaction patterns. Immunohistochemistry showed increased epidermal and dermal Langerhans cells, predominantly CD8 positive T cells in the epidermis and dermis, sparse dermal B cells and CD4 positive T cells, reduced T regulatory cells and a complete absence of CD56 positive NK cells. Limitations: Small sample size was the limitation of the study. Conclusion: The clinical morphology and dermoscopy may not differentiate between various types of non-infectious non-eczematous inflammatory tattoo reactions. The immunological profile supports a delayed hypersensitivity reaction due to contact sensitisation to tattoo pigment, and CD8 positive T cells play a central role in executing various pathological reaction patterns, both in the epidermis and dermis
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    A Delphi consensus on the nomenclature and diagnosis of lichen planus pigmentosus and related entities
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-02) Sarkar, Rashmi; Vinay, Keshavamurthy; Bishnoi, Anuradha; Poojary, Shital; Gupta, Monisha; Kumaran, Muthu Sendhil; Jain, Akshay; Gurumurthy, Chethana; Arora, Pooja; Kandhari, Rajat; Rathi, Sanjay; Zawar, Vijay; Gupta, Vishal; Ravivarma, Vignesh Narayan; Rodrigues, Michelle; Parsad, Davinder
    Background: Although well known in clinical practice, research in lichen planus pigmentosus and related dermal pigmentary diseases is restricted due to lack of consensus on nomenclature and disease definition. Aims and Objectives: Delphi exercise to define and categorise acquired dermal pigmentary diseases. Methods: Core areas were identified including disease definition, etiopathogenesis, risk factors, clinical features, diagnostic methods, treatment modalities and outcome measures. The Delphi exercise was conducted in three rounds. Results: Sixteen researchers representing 12 different universities across India and Australia agreed to be part of this Delphi exercise. At the end of three rounds, a consensus of >80% was reached on usage of the umbrella term ‘acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation’. It was agreed that there were minimal differences, if any, among the disorders previously defined as ashy dermatosis, erythema dyschromicum perstans, Riehl’s melanosis and pigmented contact dermatitis. It was also agreed that lichen planus pigmentosus, erythema dyschromicum perstans and ashy dermatosis did not differ significantly apart from the sites of involvement, as historically described in the literature. Exposure to hair colours, sunlight and cosmetics was associated with these disorders in a significant proportion of patients. Participants agreed that both histopathology and dermatoscopy could diagnose dermal pigmentation characteristic of acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation but could not differentiate the individual entities of ashy dermatosis, erythema dyschromicum perstans, Riehl’s melanosis, lichen planus pigmentosus and pigmented contact dermatitis. Limitations: A wider consensus involving representatives from East Asian, European and Latin American countries is required. Conclusion: Acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation could be an appropriate conglomerate terminology for acquired dermatoses characterised by idiopathic or multifactorial non-inflammatory macular dermal hyperpigmentation
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    Disappearing digit: A rare appearance
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Veeranna, S.; Mathew, Soumya Alice; Rangappa, Vinutha
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    Progressive kaposiform hemangioendothelioma and sirolimus-related severe thrombocytopenia
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-02) Ying, Hanru; Qiao, Congzhen; Wang, Lizhen; Lin, Xiaoxi
    Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma is a locally invasive tumor and we were unable to find any previous reports of multifocal progression. Sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, has been widely used to treat kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Herein, we report a case of multifocal progressive kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, wherein sirolimus treatment caused severe thrombocytopenia. A 12-year-old East Asian girl presented with indurated dark-purple masses on her back. The patient had received three surgical interventions following the first appearance of the masses in 2012 and subsequent reappearances in 2014 and 2016. Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma was diagnosed based on radiological and pathological findings. Two more masses appeared in the following year. The patient was treated with oral sirolimus (2.5 mg/ m2/day) and developed grade 3 thrombocytopenia 8 days later. The patient was uneventfully relieved 5 days later after the withdrawal of sirolimus and the administration of appropriate medications. This rare case indicated that kaposiform hemangioendothelioma could be progressive with local metastatic characteristics in children. Besides, the severe sirolimus-induced complication highlights the importance of serum drug level monitoring during treatment. Physicians should be extremely cautious while treating kaposiform hemangioendothelioma patients with sirolimus.
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    Artificial intelligence: Its role in dermatopathology
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Jartarkar, Shishira R.
    Artificial intelligence (AI), a major frontier in the field of medical research, can potentially lead to a paradigm shift in clinical practice. A type of artificial intelligence system known as convolutional neural network points to the possible utility of deep learning in dermatopathology. Though pathology has been traditionally restricted to microscopes and glass slides, recent advancement in digital pathological imaging has led to a transition making it a potential branch for the implementation of artificial intelligence. The current application of artificial intelligence in dermatopathology is to complement the diagnosis and requires a well-trained dermatopathologist’s guidance for better designing and development of deep learning algorithms. Here we review the recent advances of artificial intelligence in dermatopathology, its applications in disease diagnosis and in research, along with its limitations and future potential
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    Fractional CO2 laser with topical 1% terbinafine cream versus oral itraconazole in the management of onychomycosis: A randomized controlled trial
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-02) Ranjan, Eeshaan; Arora, Sandeep; Sharma, Neha
    Background: Onychomycosis accounts for 20–40% of all nail disorders. It is difficult to cure with resistance to anti-fungal drugs, their side effects and drug interactions limiting treatment options. Itraconazole is a widely accepted oral medication used for onychomycosis while fractional CO2 laser along with a topical anti-fungal has shown promising results for nail plate clearance in onychomycosis. Aim: To compare the efficacy of fractional CO2 laser with 1% terbinafine cream versus itraconazole in the management of onychomycosis. Methods: A prospective, randomised, single-centre, two-arm, parallel-group interventional study was conducted at Command Hospital Air Force, Bangalore. Onychomycosis cases confirmed by KOH mount/culture-positive were included. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A received 4 sessions of fractional CO2 laser every fourth week with twice-daily application of 1% terbinafine cream; Group B received one-week pulse therapy with capsule itraconazole once every four-week for three pulses. The response was assessed by Onychomycosis Severity Index, a validated onychomycosis assessment scale, at baseline and at six months. Results: Group A had 50 patients with a total of 98 nails. Clinical improvement was seen in 83/98 (84.7%) nails. The average reduction in Onychomycosis Severity Index was 8.65 (P < 0.05). Group B had 50 patients with a total of 136 nails. Clinical improvement was seen in 104/136 (76.5%) nails. The average reduction in Onychomycosis Severity Index was 7.37 (P < 0.05). Both groups showed statistically significant improvement measured by ‘Reduction in Onychomycosis Severity Index’ at six months; however, there was no significant difference between the two arms. Limitations: The main limitations of the study are the small sample size and lack of long-term follow-up to assess recurrence of infection. Conclusion: Fractional CO2 laser with 1% terbinafine cream is an effective and safe method for inducing nail clearance in onychomycosis and has efficacy similar to itraconazole pulse therapy.
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    Linear trends over 20 years in sexually transmitted infections among patients attending a tertiary care centre in north Kerala, India
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-02) Suresh, Archana; Jose, Reeshma; Sasidharanpillai, Sarita; Chathoth, Anuradha Thalian; Ajithkumar, Kidangazhiathmana
    Background: Worldwide, a declining trend is observed in sexually transmitted infections of bacterial origin which is reflected as a rise in the proportion of viral sexually transmitted infections. Aims: To find out the clinical referral patterns of sexually transmitted infections among patients who attended the sexually transmitted infection clinic attached to Dermatology and Venereology Department of Government Medical College, Kozhikode from 1.1.1998 to 31.12.2017 and to study the linear trends in the pattern of sexually transmitted infections over 20 years. Methods: After clearance from the institutional ethics committee, a retrospective study was conducted among patients who attended the sexually transmitted infection clinic of Government Medical College, Kozhikode from 1.1.1998 to 31.12.2017 and were diagnosed to have sexually transmitted infections. Results: During the 20 year study period 5227 patients, attended the sexually transmitted infection clinic of our institution. Diagnosis of sexually transmitted infection was made in 2470 (47.3%) cases. Predominant sexually transmitted infections were herpes genitalis (964, 39%), condyloma acuminata (921, 37.9%) and syphilis (418, 17.2%). Viral sexually transmitted infections (1885, 76.3%) outnumbered bacterial sexually transmitted infections (575, 23.3%). A declining trend was noted for both bacterial and viral sexually transmitted infections over the 20 year period, which was more marked for the former. But the latter years of the study documented a rising trend in total sexually transmitted infections including bacterial sexually transmitted infections. Limitations: The study does not reflect the status of sexually transmitted infections in the general population since it was conducted in a tertiary referral center. Conclusion: The disturbing ascending trend recorded in sexually transmitted infections including syphilis during the final years of the 20-year period needs to be watched closely, to plan future strategies
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    Bullous pemphigoid in India: Review of cases registered in an autoimmune bullous disease clinic
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) De, Dipankar; Kaushik, Akanksha; Handa, Sanjeev; Mahajan, Rahul; Chatterjee, Debajyoti; Saikia, Biman; Saikia, Uma Nahar; Radotra, Bishan Dass; Minz, Ranjana W
    Background: Information on bullous pemphigoid in an Indian context is scarce. Aim: To report clinico-demographic profile, associated comorbidities and prescription pattern of bullous pemphigoid patients in India. Methods: This was a retrospective study, where past records of all bullous pemphigoid patients diagnosed and treated between November 2013 and October 2019 were accessed and analysed. Patients having a compatible clinical presentation with either histopathological and/or direct immunofluorescence evidence of bullous pemphigoid were included. Results: There were 96 bullous pemphigoid patients, with a male: female ratio of 1.6:1. The mean age at diagnosis was 62.5 ± 2.2 years, with mean duration of illness 27.5 ± 4.5 months before presentation. Comorbidities were present in 80 (83%) patients, with type 2 diabetes mellitus (38.5%), hypertension (36.4%) and neurological illness (16.7%) being the commonest ones. Clinically, blisters were the predominant presentation in 81 (84.4%) patients. The majority (87.5%) of patients showed a predominant eosinophilic infiltrate on histopathology. Direct immunofluorescence revealed immunoglobulin G deposits with complement C3 in 77 (80.2%) cases. The majority of patients (77.1%) were treated with oral prednisolone, either alone (11.5%) or in combination (65.6%) with other topical and systemic agents. Topical steroids were used in 29.1%, azathioprine in 28%, dapsone in 16.7% and omalizumab in 6.2% of patients. Limitations: The study is retrospective. Immunofluorescence on salt split skin, direct immunofluorescence serration pattern analysis, and immunoblotting were not performed. Hence, there is a possibility that a few included cases were suffering from other subepidermal autoimmune bullous diseases like epidermolysis bullosa acquisita or anti-p200 pemphigoid. Conclusion: Bullous pemphigoid patients in this study had a younger age of onset and showed male preponderance. Comorbidities like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and neurological disorders were freq
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    The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Gonçalves, Gisele MS; Wenceslau, Laina R; Mendonça, Jose Alexandre
    Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that presents as scaly patches on the skin that affects about 3% of the world's population. Adherence to treatment and discrimination against people are common problems, adversely impacts quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of medicinal plants as therapeutic adjuvants in the treatment of plaque psoriasis through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in patients with plaque psoriasis was carried out, comparing the efficacy of herbal treatments alone or in association with other therapies. The search was performed in the databases of The Cochrane Library, Lilacs, Medline via PubMed and Embase, only including studies published from 2016 to 2020.The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) in patients with plaque psoriasis was carried out, comparing the efficacy of herbal treatments alone or in association with other therapies. We comprehensively searched the MEDLINE, Embase, Lilacs and Cochrane Library databases, only including studies published from 2016 to 2020. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results: Out of 2,268 articles evaluated, only seven RCT were eligible for final analysis. Five of these studies evidenced low risk of bias and a high level of evidence. Limitations: Few RCT of medicinal plants. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicates that medicinal plants may be used as topical or oral products, either alone or combined with other forms of treatment. These products have the potential to greatly improve the quality of life of the patient
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    Comparative study of the efficacy and safety of two grafting procedures (an automated epidermal harvesting system and non-cultured epidermal cell suspension) in the treatment of stable vitiligo
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Oberoi, Bhavni; Baveja, Sukriti; Pathania, Vikas; Neema, Shekhar
    Background: The non-cultured epidermal cell suspension method is a well-established but tedious grafting modality in the management of stable vitiligo. Recently a more user-friendly automated epidermal harvesting system has been introduced. Aim: This was a pilot study to compare the efficacy and safety outcomes of the above two grafting procedures. Study design: The study was a single-blinded split-body randomised controlled trial. After scientific and ethical clearance, the trial was registered with CTRI (CTRI/2018/05/014225). Thirty consenting patients of stable vitiligo with 60 near-symmetrical patches were recruited. Block randomisation was done using computer-generated randomisation software and each patch was allocated either of the two grafting modalities. Efficacy was assessed by the Physician Global Assessment Scale on serial images and pain by the Numerical Rating Pain Scale. Results and conclusion: The non-cultured epidermal cell suspension was found to be an overall statistically superior technique to the automated epidermal harvesting system in terms of efficacy (re-pigmentation). Both donor and recipient site complications were significantly less with the automated epidermal harvesting system grafting and this method had the distinct advantage of being a painless and easy technique with minimal recovery time. A novel observation was that a good colour match and near-complete re-pigmentation occurred in patients with a darker skin colour with both techniques. Limitations: The main limitation of our study was the small sample size. Also, the size of the treated patches was limited such that they could be covered by the 5 × 5 cm size of the automated epidermal harvesting system blade. However, a larger area can be covered with multiple sessions.
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    Multiple trichoepitheliomas co-existing with a giant solitary trichoepithelioma: A rarity
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-06) Rangaraj, M; Kuruvila, Sheela; Nithiyaa, P.
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    Mucocutaneous manifestations of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis: A retrospective cross-sectional study
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Sachan, Sonal; Suvirya, Swastika; Yadav, Krishna; Gupta, Prashant; Saraswat, Abir; Verma, Parul; Chandra, Usha; Singh, Balendra Pratap; Chaudhary, Shyam Chand; Dwivedi, Durgesh Kumar; Garg, Ravindra Kumar; Singhai, Atin; Malhotra, Kiran Preet; Parihar, Anit; Kumar, Saurabh
    Background: Cutaneous mucormycosis has shown a significant upsurge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the rapid progression and high mortality of cutaneous mucormycosis in this context, it is important to identify it early. However, very few studies report detailed clinical descriptions of cutaneous mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients. Objectives: To describe mucocutaneous lesions of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis based on clinical morphology and attempt to correlate them with radiological changes. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care centre from 1st April to 31st July 2021. Eligibility criteria included hospitalised adult patients of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis with mucocutaneous lesions. Results: All subjects were recently recovering COVID-19 patients diagnosed with cutaneous mucormycosis. One of fifty-three (2%) patients had primary cutaneous mucormycosis, and all of the rest had secondary cutaneous mucormycosis. Secondary cutaneous mucormycosis lesions presented as cutaneous-abscess in 25/52 (48%), nodulo-pustular lesions in 1/52 (2%), necrotic eschar in 1/52 (2%) and ulcero-necrotic in 1/52 (2%). Mucosal lesions were of three broad sub-types: ulcero-necrotic in 1/52 (2%), pustular in 2/52 (4%) and plaques in 1/52 (2%). Twenty out of fifty-two patients (38%) presented with simultaneous mucosal and cutaneous lesions belonging to the above categories. Magnetic resonance imaging of the face showed variable features of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue involvement, viz. peripherally enhancing collection in the abscess group, “dot in circle sign” and heterogeneous contrast enhancement in the nodulo-pustular group; and fat stranding with infiltration of subcutaneous tissue in cases with necrotic eschar and ulcero-necrotic lesions. Limitations: The morphological variety of cutaneous mucormycosis patients in a single-centre study like ours might not be very precise. Thus, there is a need to conduct multi-centric prospective studies with larger sample sizes in the future to substantiate our morphological and radiological findings. Conclusions: COVID-19-associated mucormycosis patients in our study presented with a few specific types of mucocutaneous manifestations, with distinct magnetic resonance imaging findings. If corroborated by larger studies, these observations would be helpful in the early diagnosis of this serious illness.
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    Total oxidant capacity, total antioxidant capacity, ischemic modified albumin, microRNA levels, and their relationship with psoriasis area and severity index
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-08) Uzun, Latife; Kutlu, Ruhusen; Ataseven, Arzu; Aydemir, Fatma Humeyra Yerlikaya
    Aims: To examine the differences in the levels of microRNA, ischemic modified albumin (IMA), total oxidant capacity (TOC), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of persons with and without psoriasis and, in the case group, the relationship between these parameters and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients and healthy participants to examine levels of these parameters. Results: The mean serum TOC level was higher in the case group. The mean serum TAC and IMA levels were significantly lower in the case group (P <0.001). It was observed that the mean serum miR-203 and miR-146a levels were increased in psoriasis patients. It was determined that there was only a significant positive weak correlation between miR-203 and PASI (r = 0.232, P = 0.027). Limitations: The small sample size, not controlling serum albumin and not evaluating the effects of the treatment agents used by the patients on oxidative and inflammatory processes. Conclusion: In the case group changes in the mean serum TOC and TAC levels provide evidence that oxidative stress may play a critical role in disease pathogenesis. The increase in the mean serum miR-203 and miR-146a levels suggest the possibility of therapies targeting these microRNAs as a new option
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    Multiple reddish-brown and yellowish indurated plaques with pancytopenia and paraproteinemia
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-06) Makkar, Rati; Dixit, Ambika; Tiwary, Anup Kumar
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    Malignant syphilis
    (Scientific Scholar, 2023-06) Melian-Olivera, Ana; Jimenez-Cauhe, Juan; Moya-Martinez, Cristina