This study provides important data on the frequency of dermatologic diseases in elderly patients, and shows variations in the frequency depending on age, gender, and season. We believe that this study will create awareness about the extent and patterns of dermatologic problems in geriatric patients.

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A descriptive clinical study in healthy adolescents was done to evaluate the clinical shoulder balance and analyze the correlation between clinical and radiological parameters which are currently used to evaluate shoulder balance. In addition to trunk shift and rib hump, shoulder balance is one of the criteria that are used to evaluate the outcomes in spinal deformity surgery. Several methods have been proposed to evaluate the shoulder balance in scoliotic patients; however, there is no uniformity to these methods in the current literature. Patients who applied to pediatric clinic without musculoskeletal pathology formed the patient population. Volunteers were asked to fill out a questionnaire assessing shoulder balance perception and had their clinical photograph taken simultaneously with a P-A chest X-ray. The clinical shoulder balance was evaluated through analysis of the clinical photograph. The X-rays were used to evaluate the radiological shoulder balance. The evaluated parameters included coracoid height difference (CHD), clavicular angle (CA), the clavicle-rib cage intersection difference (CRID), clavicular tilt angle difference (CTAD), and T1-tilt. The study group was composed of 48 male and 43 female patients with an average age of 13.6 +/- 2.1 (10-18) years. In the questionnaire, all patients stated that their shoulders were level. The digital photographs revealed that only 17(18.7%) adolescents had absolutely level shoulders. The average height difference between shoulders was 7.5 +/- 5.8 mm. The average CHD was 6.9 +/- 5.8 mm, average CA was 2.2 +/- 1.7 degrees , average CRID was 4.8 +/- 3.6 mm, average CTAD was 4 +/- 3.2 degrees , and average T1-tilt was 1.3 +/- 1.4 degrees . CHD, CA, and CRID demonstrated high correlation with clinical pictures, whereas CTAD demonstrated moderate and T1-tilt demonstrated only mild correlation. The radiological parameters used to evaluate the shoulder balance correlate with the clinical appearance. Contrary to popular belief, shoulder balance in healthy adolescents often does not exist.

Quinolones have been reported to be active against BruceUla species in vitro. In this prospective randomized study, the efficacy and safety of the combination of ofloxacin plus rifampin were compared with the efficacy and safety of doxycycline plus rifampin, both combinations administered for a 6-week period in treatment of brucellosis. Sixty-one patients were enrolled in the study, and 49 had blood or bone marrow cultures positive for BruceUla melitensis. Thirty patients received 200 mg of doxycycline plus 600 mg of rifampin once daily, and 31 patients were treated with 400 mg of ofloxacin plus 600 mg of rifampin once daily for 6 weeks. Nine patients in each group had complications of the disease. There was one therapeutic failure in the ofloxacin-rifampin treatment group, and one patient from each group relapsed (3.3% of those in the doxycycline-rifampin treatment group versus 3.2% of those in the ofloxacin-rifampin treatment group). Gastric discomfort was the major side effect observed in 13 patients (43.3%) who received doxycycline plus rifampin, whereas only 2 patients (6.5%) treated with ofloxacin plus rifampin complained of gastric irritation. These results suggest that the combination of ofloxacin plus rifampin administered for 6 weeks is as effective as doxycycline plus rifampin given for the same period, regardless of the presence of complications of the disease.Brucellosis is a major health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. The best regimen for the treatment of acute brucellosis is not clearly determined (2). Brucella species are facultative intracellular parasites; therefore, complete eradication of the microorganism is difficult to achieve, and relapses are common.The fluoroquinolones have excellent bactericidal activity against a variety of bacteria. In addition, they penetrate well into leukocytes and macrophages, which makes them suitable agents in treatment of intracellular infections. Several studies have reported the in vitro activity of quinolones against Brucella species (6,12,13,15,22 employed in the regimens were also not included in the study.The diagnostic criteria were a standard tube agglutination titer of 1/160 or more for anti-Brucella antibodies in the presence of compatible clinical findings (fever, night sweats, arthralgia, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy) and isolation of a Brucella sp. from blood or bone marrow cultures.Sacroiliitis, spondylitis, peripheral arthritis, and orchitis were defined by appropriate findings on physical examination and relevant radiographic, radionuclide, and tomographic studies. Briefly, pain over the involved vertebral bodies or sacroiliac joints, accompanied by isotope accumulation in a radionuclide scan, was defined as sacroiliitis or spondylitis. Narrowing and/or irregularity of the sacroiliac articular spaces in plain X-ray films were considered to support the diagnosis of sacroiliitis.

Purpose: Assessment of expression levels of Wwox, Wwox-interacting proteins Ap2a, Ap2g, and ErbB4, the Ap2g transcriptional target protein Her2, and the possible Ap2a transcriptional target PrkaRIa, in breast cancers, to determine their roles in tamoxifen resistance. The hypothesis was that sequestration of Wwox interactors in the cytoplasm might control tamoxifen response. Experimental Design: Tissue sections from 51tamoxifen-sensitive and 38 tamoxifen-resistant, estrogen receptor a^positive breast cancers were stained for the above proteins, as well as progesterone receptor (PR). The relation of tamoxifen resistance and other clinical features, with level of expression of these proteins, and pairwise correlations among various immunohistochemical markers were determined. Results: Menopausal status, tumor, node, and stage, loss of PR, lost or reduced expression of Wwox, and high level of expression of PrkaRIa, Ap2g, and Her2 were significantly correlated with tamoxifen resistance. In multivariate analysis,Wwox, PrkaRIa, Ap2g, and ErbB4 were found to be independent markers of tamoxifen resistance. Reduced Wwox expression was better than PR in prediction of resistance, especially in high-risk patients, and nuclear Ap2g expression was better than Her2, especially in low-risk patients. Conclusion:The results illustrate the complex relationships among the marker proteins assessed in this in vivo study and suggest new markers for prediction of response to tamoxifen treatment as well as possible new targets for treatment of breast cancer. Wwox and Ap2g emerge as new biomarkers that may be superior to PR and Her2 in predicting tamoxifen response.