Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection.

Obesity is strongly related to several skin alterations that could be considered as markers of excessive weight. Skin care of obese patients deserves particular attention, not only because of the high prevalence of cutaneous alteration but mainly because many of these disorders are preventable and could be treated, improving patient's quality of life.

Cutaneous hyperpigmentations are frequent complaints, motivating around 8.5% of all dermatological consultations in our country. They can be congenital, with different patterns of inheritance, or acquired in consequence of skin problems, systemic diseases or secondary to environmental factors. The vast majority of them are linked to alterations on the pigment melanin, induced by different mechanisms. This review will focus on the major acquired hyperpigmentations associated with increased melanin, reviewing their mechanisms of action and possible preventive measures. Particularly prominent aspects of diagnosis and therapy will be emphasized, with focus on melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, periorbital pigmentation, dermatosis papulosa nigra, phytophotodermatoses, flagellate dermatosis, erythema dyschromicum perstans, cervical poikiloderma (Poikiloderma of Civatte), acanthosis nigricans, cutaneous amyloidosis and reticulated confluent dermatitis

OBJECTIVE -To evaluate the impact of masked hypertension in normotensive type 2 diabetic patients on microvascular complications and echocardiographic parameters. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-A cross-sectional study was conducted in 135 normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients underwent urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) measurement, echocardiography, and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Patients with increased daytime blood pressure levels (Ն135/85 mmHg) were classified as having masked hypertension.RESULTS -The prevalence of masked hypertension was 30% (n ϭ 41). Normotensive and masked hypertensive subjects, based on ambulatory blood pressure, were not different in terms of age, diabetes duration, smoking status, BMI, waist circumference, serum creatinine, glycemic, or lipid profiles. The office systolic blood pressure was higher in those with masked hypertension (127.8 Ϯ 7.5 vs. 122.9 Ϯ 10.2 mmHg, P ϭ 0.003) than in the normotensive group. UAER also was increased in the group with masked hypertension (21.3 g/min [range 2.5-1,223.5] vs. 8.1 g/min [1.0 -1,143.0], P ϭ 0.001), as was the interventricular septum (1.01 Ϯ 0.15 vs. 0.94 Ϯ 0.13 cm, P ϭ 0.015) and posterior wall (0.96 Ϯ 0.12 vs. 0.90 Ϯ 0.10 cm, P ϭ 0.006) thickness. After adjustments for diabetes duration, sex, smoking, LDL cholesterol, and A1C values, all associations were sustained for daytime systolic blood pressure but not for office systolic blood pressure.CONCLUSIONS -Type 2 diabetic patients with masked hypertension have higher UAER as well as enlargement of ventricular walls compared with the normotensive patients, according to ABPM. Therefore, ABPM is important to identify this high-risk group so as to be able to take interventionist measures. Diabetes Care 30:1255-1260, 2007H ypertension is a major risk factor for the development and progression of chronic complications in type 2 diabetes (1,2). Blood pressure evaluation over a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) period correlates better with outcomes than ordinary office blood pressure measurements in both hypertensive subjects (3) and the general population (4). In addition, systolic ambulatory blood pressure is associated with the urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), even in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients (5). The ABPM also allows the analysis of other blood pressure parameters, otherwise not documented by the office blood pressure evaluation, such as nocturnal dipping patterns, presence of white-coat hypertension, blood pressure loads, and a novel subgroup of patients with masked hypertension (6).Masked hypertension is defined by elevated mean daytime blood pressure levels at 24-h ABPM (blood pressure Ն135/85 mmHg) in office normotensive individuals (blood pressure Ͻ140/90 mmHg). In a population-based study, it was detected in 9% of the individuals tested (7). Before the ABPM became available, these patients were not detected and were believed to have the same risk for cardiovascular events as the normotensive population. However, e...