Diana Radaschin

Lichen amyloidosis is the most common form of primary cutaneous amyloidosis. It is characterized by the presence of hyperkeratotic, pruritic and persistent papules, which may coalesce forming red brownish plaques, found mostly on the extensor surface of the extremities. Histopathological findings are represented by the deposits of insoluble amyloid fibres in the papillary dermis. We describe the case of a 47 year-old female patient, who was admitted to our clinic for the presence of infiltrated patches and plaques, composed of light brown, grouped papules, involving the anterior and posterior trunk, arms and thighs, of 15 years duration. The diagnosis of lichen amyloidosis was established based on clinical and histopathological examination. We aim to discuss the main clinical, paraclinical and treatment aspects in lichen amyloidosis.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an angioproliferative condition of multifactorial etiology. Human herpes virus 8 infection is necessary, but not sufficient for the development of KS. Various genetic, social, immunologic and endocrine factors also play a role. KS encompasses four clinical subtypes: classic (sporadic) KS, endemic KS that occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, epidemic KS, which develops in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and iatrogenic KS, associated with the chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs. Unlike KS arising in HIV-pozitive patients, there is no generally accepted staging system or treatment guideline for classic KS. No systemic treatment is specifically approved for this form of the disease and randomized trials comparing drug efficacy are lacking, therefore the management of these patients often represents a real challenge for clinicians. We present the case of a 61 year-old HIV-negative male patient with no personal history of malignancy or immunos...

Gadolinium (symbol Gd) is the chemical element with atomic number 64 and is aductile rare-earth metal, and +3 is its most frequent oxidation state. Gadolinium has an ionic radius of 0.99 Å and is nearly identical to the one of Ca2+. Gd3+ and Ca2+ can become toxic to biological systems if complete. It slowly reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form a black coating and in nature it is usually found only in an oxidized form. Gadolinium usually has impurities similar to those of other rare-earth metals, when separated, because of their similar chemical properties. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or von Recklinghausen's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder of tissues of ectodermal origin, accounting for over 90% of neurofibromatosis cases. Diagnosis is primarily clinical and the central nervous system is commonly involved. The screening of the brain with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is utilised to evaluate the patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and as an aid in the diagnosis...