Objective: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease, and hormonal influences, follicular plugging and follicular hyperkeratinization, increased sebum secretion, Propionibacterium acnes colonization, and inflammation are involved in its pathogenesis. Recently, a significant body of evidence has accumulated that describes the comedolytic properties of vitamin D and its roles as a modulator of the immune system, a regulator of the proliferation and differentiation of sebocytes and keratinocytes, and as an antioxidant. In this study, we aimed to compare serum vitamin D levels in a group of patients with nodulocystic acne with vitamin D levels in a group of control subjects to determine whether there was any relationship between the vitamin D and acne.Methods: Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) were measured in 43 patients with newly diagnosed nodulocystic acne and in 46 healthy control subjects, and participants were grouped according to their 25[OH]D levels as follows: normal/sufficient (>20 ng/mL) or insufficient/deficient (<20 ng/mL). Serum concentrations of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured.Results: Forty-three patients and 46 control individuals, with mean ages of 23.13 (± 5.78) years and 25.23 (± 4.73) years, respectively, were included in this study. There were no significant differences between the groups in relation to their body mass indices and Ca, P, ALP, and PTH levels. However, the patients with nodulocystic acne had significantly lower 25[OH]D levels than the subjects in the control group (P< 0.05).Conclusion: The patients with nodulocystic acne had relatively low serum vitamin D levels compared with the subjects in the control group. The findings from this study suggest that there is a connection between low vitamin D levels and acne. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to confirm the status of vitamin D levels in patients with acne.

Atypical fibroxanthomas seem to be barely distinguishable from basal cell carcinoma dermoscopically, but they are more easily distinguishable from a well to moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. A histopathological examination is needed for the final diagnosis.

A 69-year-old woman with a 12-month history of asymptomatic erythematous, non-scaly, annular and arciform plaques on her face, trunk and extremities is presented. The skin lesions had been unresponsive to treatment with systemic corticosteroids and antihistamines. Skin biopsy demonstrated superficial and deep dermal inflammatory infiltration consisting mainly of eosinophils and a few neutrophils. Dermal interstitial mucin deposition was also detected in the absence of vasculitis, flame figures or granulomatous reaction. The patient was diagnosed as having eosinophilic annular erythema and treated with hydroxychloroquine (2 × 200 mg/day, p.o.). Response to treatment was observed after 7 weeks and full recovery was achieved after 10 weeks. Eosinophilic annular erythema is rarely reported in the literature. Although hydroxychloroquine is a good choice for treatment, response time can vary between patients.

Background and Design:Current studies link vitamin D deficiency with many autoimmune diseases. Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune dermatological disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and alopecia areata. Materials and Methods: 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in 40 patients with alopecia areata and age, gender and skin phototypematched healthy controls were evaluated. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured in all subjects and grouped as normal/sufficient (>30 ng/ml), insufficient (15-30 ng/ml) and deficient (<15 ng/ml). Results: Both the study and control groups were composed of 21 females and 19 males. The mean age was 31.23±7.34 (21-50) and 30. 58±7.19 (21-48), respectively. In the study group, 2.5% of patients (n=1) had normal, 15% (n=6) insufficient and 82.5% (n=33) of patients had deficient 25(OH)D levels. In the control group, 2.5% (n=1) of patients had normal, 25% (n=10) insufficient and 72.5% (n=29) of patients had deficient 25(OH)D levels. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). In both groups 97.5% of patients had 25(OH)D levels below the normal range. Conclusion: Vitamin D levels in patients with AA were similar to those in the controls. This similarity may suggest that there is no relationship between vitamin D and AA. However, it may also indicate that the relationship between AA and Vitamin D is not via the level but vitamin D receptor (number and/or structure). (Turkderm 2015; 49: 50-3)

Tuberculin skin test results were not affected by psoriasis severity or koebnerization status. QFT-GIT positivity was prominently higher in the TST-positive group (P < 0.001). Overall agreement between TST and QFT-GIT results was moderate (κ = 0.413). Concurrent negativity (44%) was higher than concurrent positivity (27%).