In the management of surgical or traumatic skin loss the Authors consider an alternative method which involves the use of a tool called skin stretching device. The latter seems easy to apply, atraumatic and the least troublesome for the isolation and detaching of tissues employed in skin repair.

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PubMedDate not supplied

[Bednar's syndrome: a case report].

The case of a tumor of Bednar, which is a rather rare form (less than 5% of cases) of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans presenting similar biologic behavior, is reported. Therefore, the same curative procedures including a radical surgical approach and the application of the Limberg flap were adopted.

Dermatofibrosarcoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatitis C virus as a lymphotropic agent: evidence and pathogenetic implications.

Hepatitis C virus has been proven to be the major cause of NANB hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Based on the genome similarities between HCV and flavivirus or pestivirus, this agent has been included within the family Flaviviridae as a separate genus. Among the analogies between HCV and the other members of the same family there is the possibility of infecting blood cells. In particular, significant evidence obtained through studies performed in vivo and in vitro support the concept that HCV is not only a hepatotropic but also a lymphotropic virus. This suggests that, in addition to playing a role in inducing hepatic diseases (both of a non-tumoral and a neoplastic nature), HCV infection may also play a role in extrahepatic pathologies. The striking association observed between HCV infection and some autoimmune-lymphoproliferative disorders of either benign or neoplastic nature is consistent with this hypothesis. However, in analogy with what has been observed in the case of liver disease, the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of HCV-related extra-hepatic manifestations have to be more deeply analysed and clarified.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Etiopathogenetic role of hepatitis C virus in mixed cryoglobulinemia, chronic liver diseases and lymphomas.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been found in the majority of patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) in studies conducted in different countries. In our series of 110 MC patients the frequency of HCV markers was significantly high (91%) compared with other rheumatic diseases (6.4%) and with healthy Italian controls (1.2%). Moreover, HCV RNA was detected in 81% of the peripheral lymphocytes from MC patients. Comparable percentages of HCV infection were detectable in other disorders, i.e. porphyria cutanea tarda (77%) and autoimmune hepatitis type 1 (77%). The HCV infection of peripheral lymphocytes suggests that this virus could be the triggering factor for the lymphoproliferation underlying MC. In a number of patients with MC the evolution from a benign lymphoproliferation to frank B-cell lymphoma was observed. In these subjects HCV RNA in the sera and in fresh and cultured peripheral lymphocytes was constantly detected. The same phenomenon has been observed in patients with long-lasting type C chronic hepatitis. Interestingly, HCV infection has also been recorded in 32% of idiopathic B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Taken together, the above findings suggest that HCV can cause benign B-cell proliferation with the consequent production of various autoantibodies, including rheumatoid factor and mixed cryoglobulins. These serological abnormalities characterise different clinical disorders, including the appearance of lymphoma in a not negligible number of individuals.

Cryoglobulinemia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Reconstruction of the defect in the parotid region].

The authors report their experience in the surgical management of a patient with an ulcerated tumor of the neck extending to the parotid region. The different types of reconstruction after radical surgery as well as the choice and reasons that have suggested the use of pectoralis major myocutaneous flap are discussed.

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