Oral isotretinoin for treating mucocutaneous human papillomavirus infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis Ting-Hua Yang, Tsai-Hsien Lee, Yu-Chen Huang Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):569-577 Introduction: Some viral warts are refractory to treatment, some others tend to recur. Oral isotretinoin is useful against warts to varying degrees. Objective: To determine the efficacy of oral isotretinoin for treating mucocutaneous human papillomavirus infections. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published from the date of inception of the databases to December 30, 2017 were conducted. Randomized controlled trials or case series with ≥10 patients with mucocutaneous human papillomavirus infection who had received oral isotretinoin treatment were analyzed. The meta-analysis estimated the pooled odds ratio and pooled response rate. Results: The review included eight studies. Trials of oral isotretinoin versus placebo treatment revealed that isotretinoin effectively treated mucocutaneous human papillomavirus infections (odds ratio: 43.8, 95% confidence interval: 9.7–198.8). The pooled estimate of the complete response rate of oral isotretinoin to mucocutaneous human papillomavirus was 67.7% (95% confidence interval: 49.5–81.7%). Another pooled estimation revealed that 83.9% (95% confidence interval: 59.7–94.9%) of patients exhibited at least 50% lesion clearance, whereas 12.3% with complete response experienced recurrence. Limitations: This meta-analysis had a small sample size and high inter-study heterogeneity. Conclusion: Oral isotretinoin is superior to placebo for treating mucocutaneous human papillomavirus infections, particularly plane warts. The recurrence rate and risk of severe side effects are low.

Evaluation of anti-gal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of Indian post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis Souvik Datta, Manab Ghosh, Somenath Sarkar, Bibhuti Saha, Sumi Mukhopadhyay Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):578-589 Background: Elimination of kala azar from India is challenging as there are potential reservoirs of Leishmania donovani in patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). The vast repertoire of carbohydrate moieties on L. donovani is known to elicit specific and strong humoral responses in patients with kala azar. Aim: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic performances of anti-gal antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for successful serological diagnosis of PKDL in Indian patients and to differentiate cases of past cured visceral leishmaniasis infections. Methods: We developed Gal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure specific anti-gal IgG isotype in the sera of 71 Indian patients with PKDL. The diagnostic efficacy of the newly developed assay was evaluated for precision, sensitivity and accuracy. Results: Gal2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed three-fold increased anti-gal titers in 71 patients with active PKDL compared to controls. Subclass enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis further revealed enhanced IgG2 and IgG3 anti-gal titers in patients with PKDL compared to control subjects. The rank order for specificity and sensitivity for IgG subclasses was IgG3>IgG2>IgG4>IgG1. The area under the curve values of 0.98 and 0.99 were obtained for IgG and IgG3 Gal2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays respectively. Overall sensitivity and specificity were 95.7% (95% CI: 88.1–99.1) and 98.1% (95% confidence interval: 90.1–99.9), and 98.5% (95% CI: 92.4–99.9) and 98.1% (95% CI: 90.1–99.9), respectively. Intra-assay coefficient of variation was 1.5% and inter-assay coefficient of variation was 11.7%. Limitations: The Gal2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay needs to be further investigated in mass surveys. Conclusion: Taken together, anti-gal titers detected through Gal2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay can serve as an effective diagnostic tool in disease elimination setting and help in better case management in endemic districts.

Second to fourth digit ratio in female patients with acne vulgaris: Could it be a predictor of androgen receptor status? Azza Gaber Antar Farag, Mohamed Ahmed Shoiab, Rehab Samaka, Asmaa Gaber Abdou, Nada Farag Elnaidany, Asmhan Omar M. Mansour Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):590-596 Background: Second to fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio is the ratio of index to ring fingers length. It reflects prenatal androgen exposure and sensitivity. Androgens are important in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris, This ratio may therefore be of significance in determining the expression of androgen receptors. Aim: To investigate the relationship between second to fourth digit ratio and androgen receptor expression in female patients with acne vulgaris and to assess its association with clinical aspects of acne vulgaris. Methods: Females patients (n = 352) with different degrees of acne vulgaris severity and 168 age-matched females were enrolled. Right, left and total second to fourth digit ratios were calculated. Biopsies from all participants were processed for androgen receptor expression by immunohistochemical method. Results: Right, left and total second to fourth digit ratios were significantly lower in acne vulgaris patients than controls (P < 0.001 for all), and each of them had a significant negative correlation with duration of acne vulgaris (P < 0.001; P = 0.013; P < 0.001, respectively). Androgen receptors were detected in epidermal keratinocytes, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and fibroblasts. Right second to fourth digit ratio showed a negative correlation with androgen receptor H score of keratinocytes (r = −0.28;P = 0.02), hair follicles (r = −0.22; P = 0.05) and fibroblasts (r= −0.37;P = 0.001), while left second to fourth digit ratio demonstrated negative correlation with androgen receptor H score of sebocytes (r = −0.397; P < 0.000) only. Limitations: Lack of follow-up and absence of male participants were the main limitations of this study. Conclusion: A masculine second to fourth digit ratio in female patients could anticipate acne vulgaris development, its duration and severity. Moreover, this ratio is associated with an upregulation of cutaneous androgen receptors. Taken together, second to fourth digit ratio could help in designing plans for treatment of acne vulgaris.

Lichenoid pseudovesicular papular eruption on nose: A papular facial dermatosis probably related to actinic lichen nitidus or micropapular polymorphous light eruption Saurabh Singh, Ashok Singh, Saumyaranjan Mallick, Sudheer Arava, M Ramam Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):597-604 Background: Facial papules are a feature of several clinical conditions and may present both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Aim: To describe a grouped papular eruption on the nose and adjoining cheeks that has not been well characterized previously. Materials and Methods: A series of consecutive patients with a papular eruption predominantly involving nose and cheeks were evaluated, treated and followed up prospectively at tertiary care centers. Demographic details, clinical features, histopathology and response to treatment were recorded. Results: There were five men and six women (mean age 29.9 ± 6.9 years) who had disease for a mean duration of 17.3 ± 11.1 months. All patients presented with a predominantly asymptomatic eruption of monomorphic, pseudovesicular, grouped, skin colored to slightly erythematous papules prominently involving the tip of nose, nasal alae, philtrum and the adjoining cheeks. A total of 15 biopsies from 11 patients were analyzed and the predominant finding was a dense, focal lymphoid infiltrate restricted to the upper dermis with basal cell damage and atrophy of the overlying epidermis. The eruption ran a chronic course from several months to years. Limitations: Direct immunofluorescence could not be performed except in one case. Immunohistochemical stains for CD4 and CD8 could not be done owing to nonavailability. Phototesting was undertaken in one patient only. Conclusion: Small grouped papules on the nose and adjoining skin with a lichenoid histopathology appear to represent a distinct clinicopathological entity. It may be related to actinic lichen nitidus/micropapular variant of polymorphous light eruption.

Vacuum sealing drainage: A novel treatment method for primary cutaneous Mycobacterium intracellulare infection Mei Chen, Haijing Yang, Fei Wang, Hongsheng Wang Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):605-608 The incidence of primary cutaneous Mycobacterium intracellulare infection is very low. We report a case of primary cutaneous M. intracellulare infection which presented as painful erythematous swelling of the right upper limb without systemic involvement. A novel technique of vacuum sealing drainage was successfully implemented after antimycobacterial treatment proved ineffective at the end of 3 months. Our technique also revealed some additional practical advantages.

Chitosan-based biocompatible dressing for treatment of recalcitrant lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis: A pilot clinical study Fahimeh Abdollahimajd, Hamideh Moravvej, Sahar Dadkhahfar, Hamid Mahdavi, Mehdi Mohebali, Hamid Mirzadeh Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):609-614 Background: Chitosan has a biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic nature. The effectiveness of nano-chitosan films in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis has been confirmed previously in susceptible laboratory animals. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chitosan-based biocompatible dressing in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis who were either nonresponsive to or had medical contraindications for conventional treatments. Materials and Methods: A total of 10 eligible patients were included in this single arm, single center study. The sterile chitosan film was immersed in saline serum and was cautiously extended over the wound to avoid air occlusion. Sterile Vaseline gauze was then applied and the film was kept on the wound site for 7 days and was repeated every week until the healing was completed. Complete clinical response was defined as complete re-epithelialization of the skin lesion as well as microscopic negative results for amastigote forms of Leishmania sp. Results: All patients showed either significant (30%) or complete (70%) improvement after 8 weeks of therapy and at 16 weeks post treatment all cases were completely cured. It was well tolerated and there were no product-related adverse events such as allergic reaction or infection. Moreover, no recurrences were observed in any patients after 6 months follow-up. Limitations: The lack of a control group, relatively small sample size and failure to evaluate the histological and molecular effects of chitosan were the limitations of this study. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that chitosan can be safely and effectively used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. We were unable to find any previous clinical study in evaluating the efficacy of chitosan for cutaneous leishmaniasis on human subjects. Further studies are recommended to design a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial with more volunteers who infected with different species of Leishmania and various clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Entomodermoscopy: A tool for hunting bed bug Deepak Jakhar, Ishmeet Kaur Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):615-616

Errata: Review article: Hidradenitis suppurativa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of therapeutic interventions Ankita Agrawal, Yugal Kishor Sharma Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):617-617

A rare case of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis type IIb associated with inverse Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome and Sturge–Weber syndrome Lian Liu, Jiayu Sun, Yunlong Pan, Xian Jiang Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):618-620

Unilateral vancomycin-induced linear IgA bullous dermatosis Kamar Belhareth, Yosra Soua, Aymen Hraeich, Nadia Ben Fredj, Sriha Badreddine, Hichem Belhaj Ali, Jameleddine Zili Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2019 85(6):621-622