BackgroundTinea capitis remains a prevalent health problem among school-aged children.ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of tinea capitis among primary school students, in Fayoum, Egypt with identification of etiological agents in both public and private primary schools.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in twelve primary schools. The students were selected from different grades with a total number of 12,128 students. Hair and scalp were clinically examined for any lesions that may suspect tinea capitis and mycological samples were collected for direct microscopy and culture.ResultsThe prevalence of tinea capitis in the study group was 0.4% and higher in public than private schools (73.5% versus 26.5% respectively). Boys were more affected than girls with boy to girls' ratio 5:1. Intrafamily history of infection was present in 40.8% of tested group while 51% showed low social standard profile. Mycological culture revealed that Microsporum canis was the predominant isolated organism followed by M. audouinii (52% and 36% respectively).ConclusionM. canis is replacing Trichophyton violaceum as an etiology for tinea capitis in Egypt with lower prevalence rate than reported previously.

Pediculosis is a frequent public health problem. The pattern and prevalence of Pediculosis is dependent on many socio-demographic and economic factors. It is common in schoolchildren especially primary level; it may affect their learning performance. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of head louse among primary students, in Fayoum and Bagor districts, and explore the predisposing factors of head louse infestation in both public and private schools. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study, conducted in two governorates: Fayoum and Minofiya governorates which represent upper and lower Egypt respectively during the academic year of 2012-2013. The students were selected from different grades with a total of 10,935 students. The prevalence of head lice in the study group was 16.7 %. The incidence was higher in public schools 20.7 % than private schools 9.04 % and in girls 25.8 % more than boys, especially covered hair girls 6.2 %. There was a socio-demographic influence of louse infestation on residence, presence of water supply, number of house rooms, and number of family member. It is concluded that head lice are a common childhood problem related to poor hygiene and socioeconomic status. There is a need for collaboration effort between family, school, community, and media, to create an environment that establishes healthy behaviors and health promotion.

Melasma is an acquired hypermelanosis characterized by a symmetrical macular pigmentation of sun-exposed areas like the face. Tranexamic acid is commonly being used to reduce melanin synthesis in patients with melasma and also used as a raw material for functional whitening cosmetics. The aim of this work is to

Osteopontin, a glycoprotein, was first identified in 1986 in osteoblasts. It is a multifunctional protein, highly expressed in bone. It has many functions on bone mineralization, regulation of immune cell function, inhibition of calcification, control of tumor cell phenotype and cell activation. Osteopontin has been involved in the pathogenesis of many skin diseases as systemic lupus erythematosus, infection, psoriasis, contact dermatitis and cancer. Some of these diseases are discussed in this review.