Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most prevalent type of cancer among Caucasian populations worldwide. The purpose of this work was to measure quality of life (QOL) of the patients with diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who were referred to our cancer clinic. During 1 year, 95 patients were selected and asked to complete Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaires. Ninety-five patients with NMSC (74 men and 21 women) with mean age of 64.6 ± 12.5 participated in this cross-sectional study. From 95 patients, 75 had BCC, 15 had SCC, and 5 patients had both SCC and BCC. The total DLQI scores of the all participants were between 0 and 16; the mean was 4.1 ± 4.25 and median was 2. Variables which were associated with impaired QOL were marital status (P = 0.03) and tumor location (P = 0.02). By using general dermatology QOL questionnaire, it had been demonstrated that patients with NMSC faced with minimal QOL impairment; also, this handicap was more pronounced in younger patients and singles and patients with tumors located in exposed areas. Our findings demonstrated a need to educate our patients to improve patients' knowledge about different aspects of disease.

Background Almost all cases of renal hydatid cysts need surgical intervention for treatment. We report a case of isolated renal hydatid cyst treated successfully only with medical therapy. Case presentation This case is a 79-year-old veterinarian presented with right flank pain, hydatiduria and positive echinococcus granulosus serology. A 70*50 mm cyst with daughter cysts in mid-portion of right kidney on presentation was changed into a 60*40 mm cyst without daughter cysts at last follow-up. Due to patient’s refusal of surgery, our patient received medical treatment including praziquantel and albendazole. After completion of first round of treatment, recurrence occurred and the same treatment was repeated. At last, the cyst became inactive and calcified with negative serology and no clinical symptoms under medical treatment. Conclusion The treatment of choice in renal hydatid cyst is surgery; although there are some reports about the efficacy of medical treatments for hydatid cysts but lower rates of recurrence and higher efficacy put surgery in a superior position compared to medical approaches. Our case showed relative success of medical treatment, despite the presence of a large multilocular renal involvement. Thus, medical therapy without surgery can be considered in very particular cases with isolated renal hydatid cysts.

Epilepsy as a common neurological disease is mostly managed effectively with antiepileptic medications. One-third of patients do not respond to medical treatments requiring alternative therapies. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been used in the last decades for the treatment of medically resistant epilepsy. Despite the extensive use of VNS in these patients, factors associated with clinical outcomes of VNS remain to be elucidated. In this study, we evaluated factors affecting VNS outcomes in epileptic patients to have a better understanding of patients who are better candidates for VNS therapy. Several databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched through June 2020 for relevant articles. The following factors were assessed in this review: previous surgical history, age at implantation and gender, types of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, age at epilepsy onset, frequency of attacks, antiepileptic drugs, VNS parameters, EEG findings, MRI findings, and biomarkers. Literature data show that nonresponder rates range between 25% and 65%. Given the complexity and diversity of factors associated with response to VNS, more clinical studies are needed to establish better paradigm for selection of patients for VNS therapy.