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B M Piraccini

Publications and source records attributed to B M Piraccini.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Atrichia and papular lesions: report of a case.

We report a case of atrichia with papular lesions in a 4-year-old girl. The scalp was completely hairless since birth, except for dark, shiny, coarse hair on the frontoparietal region. Eyelashes and eyebrows were sparse. Numerous papular lesions developed on the hairless scalp, cheeks and neck during the second year of life. Teeth and sweating function were normal. The family history was negative. Histologic examination of a papular lesion showed the presence of a keratin-filled cyst in contact with the overlying epidermis. The pathology of the bald scalp showed the presence of tubular epithelial structures devoid of hair bulbs extending from the epidermis to the deep dermis and the superficial hypodermis. Sebaceous and outer root sheath differentiation was evident in most of the tubular structures that also frequently contained small ducts surrounded by two or three layers of flat epithelial cells. The superficial dermis contained horny cysts, similar to those present on the cheeks.

Alopecia↗

Congenital hypertrophy of the lateral nail folds of the hallux: clinical features and follow-up of seven cases.

Congenital hypertrophy of the nail folds of the hallux describes an abnormality of the periungual soft tissues of the big toe characterized by hypertrophy of the nail fold which partially covers the nail plate and is frequently associated with inflammation and pain due to an ingrowing nail. We describe the clinical picture and follow-up of seven patients with this abnormality. In three patients the affected toe showed an asymptomatic, dome-shaped, hypertrophic lip that partially covered the nail plate. Four patients had acute inflammatory changes due to toenail ingrowth, with considerable swelling and reddening of the hypertrophic lip that was painful on pressure. Topical treatment with steroids was useful to reduce inflammation and produced persistent remission in two patients. Follow-up showed a spontaneous disappearance of the hypertrophic nail fold in one of the seven patients. In two patients the hypertrophic lip partially regressed, but remained clearly visible, while in two patients it remained unchanged. In two patients surgical correction of the soft tissue abnormality was necessary due to painful nail ingrowth unresponsive to topical treatment.

Acute Disease↗

Itraconazole in the treatment of two young brothers with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.

We report on two children affected by chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis involving the mouth and all the nails who were successfully treated with itraconazole at 200 mg/day for 2 months. This therapy produced a rapid cure of both candidal nail and mouth infections. The drug was very well tolerated, and routine laboratory monitoring during treatment did not reveal any abnormalities.

Antifungal Agents↗

Are local and systemic conditions important for the development of onychomycosis?

Available epidemiological data indicate that the prevalence of onychomycosis due to dermatophytes increases with ageing. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of dermatophyte nail infections in 2 populations selected only on an age basis and to verify whether the presence of onychomycosis was associated with increased exposure to possible predisposing factors. From January to June 1995, the nails of 1,800 military recruits and 253 elderly individuals living in a nursing home were examined. Mycological studies were performed in all cases of suspected onychomycosis. The presence of systemic or local diseases that may favor fungal nail infection as well as exposure to environmental factors were assessed in the 2 populations. Onychomycosis was diagnosed in 8 recruits (0. 44%) and 38 of the elderly people (15%). The presence of onychomycosis was not related to the degree of exposure to environmental factors or to systemic or local diseases.

Adolescent↗

Candida onychomycosis in HIV infection.

Primary nail invasion by Candida is uncommon and almost exclusively seen in patients with an impaired immune function. The appearance of Candida onychomycosis in an adult who is not under immunosuppressive treatment always requires a laboratory evaluation of the immunologic function including HIV assays. We report 2 cases of distal subungual onychomycosis due to Candida sp. in HIV. In one of our patients, the diagnosis of Candida onychomycosis preceded the diagnosis of advanced HIV infection. In both of our patients treatment with systemic antifungals produced complete cure of Candida onychomycosis and the 1 year follow-up did not reveal any relapse of the onychomycosis.

Adult↗