Background and Purpose Intestinal mucositis is a common side‐effect of irinotecan‐based cancer chemotherapy regimens. This mucositis is associated with cytokine activation and NO synthesis. Production of IL‐18 is up‐regulated in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, we have investigated the role of IL‐18 in the pathogenesis of irinotecan‐induced intestinal mucositis. Experimental Approach Wild type (WT), IL‐18 or caspase‐1 knockout mice were treated with either saline or irinotecan (60 mg·kg−1 per 4 days, i.p.) or the IL‐18 binding protein (IL‐18bp, 10 mg·kg−1) before irinotecan. On day 5, diarrhoea was monitored and proximal intestinal strips were obtained for histopathology, in vitro gut contractility, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and inducible NOS (iNOS) activity, and detection of IL‐18 expression. Key Results Irinotecan induced severe diarrhoea accompanied by intestinal injury (villi shortening and increased crypt depth). Additionally, irinotecan treatment increased MPO and iNOS activity, iNOS immunostaining and IL‐18 expression in WT mice compared with saline treatment. The IL‐18 production was associated with macrophages. In vitro, intestinal smooth muscle strips were hyperresponsive to ACh after irinotecan treatment. Increases in MPO and iNOS activity, intestinal contractility and diarrhoea were prevented in caspase‐1 knockout and IL‐18 knockout mice, and in IL‐18bp‐treated WT mice. Furthermore, the Survival of irinotecan‐treated mice was increased and iNOS immunoexpression and IL‐18 production prevented in IL‐18 knockout mice. Conclusions and Implications Targeting IL‐18 function may be a promising therapeutic approach to decreasing the severity of intestinal mucositis during irinotecan treatment regimens.

In addition to the infestations and bacterial infections reported in part I, the study of entomodermoscopy also involves descriptions of dermoscopic findings of a growing number of viral and fungal infections, among others. In this article, the main clinical situations in viral infections where dermoscopy can be useful will be described, that is in the evaluation of viral warts, molluscum contagiosum, and even in recent scenarios such as the COVID-19 pandemic. As for fungal infections, dermoscopy is particularly important, not only in the evaluation of the skin surface, but also of skin annexes, such as hairs and nails. The differential diagnosis with skin tumors, especially melanomas, can be facilitated by dermoscopy, especially in the evaluation of cases of verruca plantaris, onychomycosis and tinea nigra.

This is the first report of a consistent model of IRI-induced NASH capable of mimicking clinical findings.

Dermoscopy is an essential in vivo diagnostic technique in the clinical evaluation of skin tumors. Currently, the same can also be said about its implications when approaching different clinical situations in Dermatology. A growing number of reports on dermatological scenarios and diseases have been published, in which dermoscopy has been of great diagnostic help. The term “entomodermoscopy” was coined to describe dermoscopic findings in skin infestations and also in dermatoses of infectious etiology. In part I of this article, the main dermoscopic descriptions of zoodermatoses and bacterial infections will be addressed. In many of them, such as scabies, pediculosis, myiasis, and tungiasis, it is possible to identify the pathogen and, consequently, attain the diagnosis more quickly and use the technique to follow-up therapeutic effectiveness. In other situations that will be described, dermoscopy can allow the observation of clinical findings with greater detail, rule out differential diagnoses, and increase the level of confidence in a clinical suspicion.

Background: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon mesenchymal tumor of intermediate malignancy. Its rarity and slow progression often imply a delayed diagnosis. There are few previous reports of dermoscopic features of DFSP and most are single case descriptions. Objectives: To report 2 cases of DFSP and their dermoscopic features, as well as conduct a review of all previous cases published addressing the use of dermoscopy in this tumor. Methods: We conducted a literature search for all dermoscopic cases of DFSP. In addition, we presented 2 additional cases and compared them to the earlier findings. Results: We summarized the main dermoscopic findings of DFSP based on analysis from 32 patients. The most common features of this tumor are the presence of vessels (81%), followed by a pigmented network (78%) and a pinkish background (66%). Conclusions: DFSP can mimic benign lesions and the diagnosis may be challenging. Dermoscopy is an important tool that may enhance clinical suspicion toward the diagnosis of DFSP.