Introduction: Scabies is a contagious skin infestation that mainly presents with itching at night and skin burrows that are visible to the naked eye. Diagnosing scabies with dermoscopy is still a matter of controversy. The aim of our study was to compare the diagnostic properties of adhesive tape, skin scraping, and dermoscopy in diagnosing scabies. Methods: One hundred patients with clinical presumptive diagnoses of scabies underwent skin scraping, adhesive tape testing, and dermoscopic examination. Each diagnostic procedure was performed on three different areas. Results: Comparing the diagnostic properties of the three methods, the adhesive tape test was the most sensitive method for diagnosing scabies. Sixteen cases (16.0%) were definitely diagnosed as scabies using the adhesive tape test detecting the presence of mites or their eggs. Only 10 cases (10.0%) were definitely diagnosed as scabies using the skin scraping test detecting mites or their eggs. Dermoscopic examination suggested a diagnosis of scabies in 22 cases (22.0%), of which only 10 were definitely diagnosed as scabies by detecting mites using the adhesive tape test, skin scraping, or both. Conclusion: The diagnosis of scabies can only be confirmed by seeing mites. The adhesive tape test and skin scraping procedure have high specificity in diagnosing scabies, but their low sensitivity cannot exclude the possibility of scabies. Dermoscopy-guided tape testing can be a helpful tool for better diagnosis of scabies.

Duct tape occlusive therapy may represent a convenient alternative to the standard wart therapies. The objective of the current study is to assess the therapeutic effect of duct tape occlusion in comparison to cryotherapy in treatment of plantar warts in adults, in a prospective comparative randomized non‐inferiority design. A total of 100 patients presenting with plantar warts were divided into two equal groups. First group was treated with silver duct tape occlusion for up to 8 weeks or disappearance of warts, whichever occurred first. Second group was treated with cryotherapy every 2 to 3 weeks for a maximum of four sessions or disappearance of warts. There was a statistically significant lower rate of complete resolution in duct tape than cryotherapy group (20% vs 58%, P = .0001, respectively). Degree of response to treatment in the duct tape and cryotherapy groups was not correlated to patients' age (P = .361 and .334, respectively) or disease duration (P = .266 and .285, respectively), while there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between the number (P = .0032 and .001, respectively) and diameter of warts (P = .013 and .003, respectively) and the degree of response in the two studied groups. Cryotherapy has higher efficacy than duct tape in the treatment of plantar warts in adults; however, duct tape may represent a practical and convenient alternative to cryotherapy in certain circumstances.

Introduction: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is an essential factor in the growth and maturation of blood cells as well as modulation of the immune system. Few studies have investigated its involvement in the development of vitiligo, and no studies have been performed on Egyptian patients. Aim: To assess GM-CSF serum level among non-segmental Egyptian vitiligo patients and to determine its possible role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Methods: Forty patients with non-segmental vitiligo and 40 age-and sex-matched subjects were assessed for levels of GM-CSF in serum using the ELISA technique. Results: The patients in this study showed lower levels of GM-CSF in serum compared to controls (mean ± SD was 33.4 ± 5.7 pg/ml versus 63.4 ± 7.4 pg/ml, respectively, p = 0.0001). No appreciable relation was detected between levels of GM-CSF in serum and age, sex, family history, and stressful events or disease activity, type, and extent, p > 0.05. Conclusions: GM-CSF serum level may be one of the determinants of the autoimmune hypothesis in the etiopathogenesis of nonsegmental vitiligo.

Acne vulgaris (AV) is an inflammatory condition of the pilosebaceous unit affecting more than 80% of adolescents. The presence of IL17 cells in biopsies of perifollicular infiltrates of acne lesions as well as the abundance of circulating interferon gamma (IFNγ) has led to AV being regarded as a TH-17 related disease. 1 Enthesitis, a hall mark clinical feature of peripheral spondyloarthropathy (SpA) and a frequent manifestation of musculoskeletal conditions, is an inflammation of tendon insertion sites into bones. 2,3 Ultrasound of enthesis is a very important tool for assessment of enthesitis in spondyloarthropathy. A clinical study showed that 161 (98%) of 164 patients with spondyloarthropathy had at least one abnormal enthesis by grayscale ultrasound combined with power

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