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Atopic dermatitis (AD) prevalence is rising worldwide. Literature data suggest the incidence of AD in developing countries is gradually getting close to that of developed ones, in which AD affects 20% of the paediatric population. Such an increment, associated with significant variations in prevalence among the various countries, underlines the importance of environmental factors in the disease onset. Among these, great importance is given to hygiene, intestinal microbiota, exposure to bacterial endotoxins, outdoor living with contact to animals, atmospheric pollution, weather, and diet. Genetic (alteration of the skin barrier function) as well as immunologic factors concur with the environmental ones. Only the systematical study of all these elements can best elucidate AD epidemiology.

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is a parasitic zoonosis of warm tropical and subtropical areas, although autochthonous cases have been increasingly reported in Western European countries. Data on the prevalence of CLM as an occupational disease in workers exposed to potentially contaminated soil or in close contact with dogs and cats are scant. Herein, we report an autochthonous case of CLM in a dog breeder from southern Italy (Apulia region), along with a systematic literature review describing the risk of CLM infection, mainly according to job categories. The patient was referred to the dermatology unit presenting a serpiginous lesion on his hand, raising the suspected CLM diagnosis. In non-endemic areas, CLM might represent a challenge for physicians in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, particularly in workplaces. The multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis of CLM with the involvement of different scientific competences (i.e., dermatologists, veterinarians, and occupational physicians) may contribute to further assess the distribution of human CLM and associated risk factors, toward reducing the risk for the infection.

Background/Objectives: The correlation between contact allergy (CA), atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis is still debated. Therefore, the present study aims to retrospectively analyze the frequency of contact sensitization among patients with psoriasis and AD compared to controls, in order to further investigate the relationship between CA and the underlying immunological background. Methods: All data concerning patients who underwent patch testing from 2016 to 2022 in the dermatology clinic of a tertiary center in Southern Italy have been retrospectively collected. Only patients who underwent patch testing with the S.I.D.A.PA. standard series have been selected and divided into three groups: AD group, psoriasis group and control group. Acquired data were organized into database and underwent statistical examination. Results: A total of 2287 patients have been enrolled, including 377 AD patients, 127 psoriatic patients and 1783 controls. The most frequent allergens were nickel and balsam of Peru. Methylisothiazolinone (4.2% vs. 2.2%), paraben mix (0.3% vs. 0%) and neomycin (1.3% vs. 0.4%) significantly provided more positive reactions (PSR) in the AD group compared to the control one, and fragrance mix II displayed a higher rate of positivity in the atopic group compared to the psoriatic one (3.2% vs. 0%). Conclusions: Psoriasis turned out to be a possible protective factor for CA (odds ratio = 0.6), while AD seems to facilitate its development (odds ratio: 1.42). The limitations of this study mainly rely upon its retrospective nature which limited the acquisition of clinical relevance for PSR. Further studies are required to better investigate this topic.

In recent years, an increasing enthusiasm has been observed towards artificial intelligence and machine learning, involving different areas of medicine. Among these, although still in the embryonic stage, the dermatopathological field has also been partially involved, with the attempt to develop and train algorithms that could assist the pathologist in the differential diagnosis of complex melanocytic lesions. In this article, we face this new challenge of the modern era, carry out a review of the literature regarding the state of the art and try to determine promising future perspectives.

Background/Objectives: The advent of combination antiretroviral therapy has led to significant reductions in HIV-related morbidity and mortality and, conversely, an increasing incidence of chronic diseases, such as cancer. This study aimed to assess the incidence of skin malignancies in a cohort of people living with HIV (PLWH) compared to HIV-uninfected individuals (HUPs). Methods: Between April 2023 and April 2025, PLWH attending the Infectious Disease Unit at Policlinico of Foggia, Italy, were invited for skin cancer screening (cases). During the same period, patients visiting the Dermatology Unit were asked to undergo skin cancer screening and a rapid HIV test. Those who tested negative were included as controls. Suspicious lesions were surgically excised at the Plastic Surgery University Unit and examined by a dermatopathologist. Results: We enrolled 91 cases and 91 controls. Precancerous and cancerous skin lesions were detected at similar rates in PLWH and HUPs (12% vs. 13.2% and 7.6% vs. 8.7%). The total number of cancerous and precancerous lesions was higher in the PLWH group. In both groups, basal cell carcinoma was the most common tumor. Squamous cell carcinoma, basosquamous carcinoma, and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans were found only in PLWH. Conclusions: The higher risk of multiple and rare skin cancers in PLWH should be recognized by healthcare providers and patients. PLWH should have regular skin cancer screenings, especially if they have additional risk factors such as a history of extensive ultraviolet radiation exposure.

The diagnosis of syphilis can be challenging for dermatologists and dermatopathologists. In particular, secondary syphilis can have different clinical and histopathological presentations. A granulomatous tissue response is an unusual finding in secondary syphilis. We report the case of a 77-year-old man who presented with a 4-week history of non-pruritic generalised macules, papules, nodules and plaques. Histopathologically, there was a dense perivascular and periadnexal lympho-histiocytic dermal infiltrate with non-palisading and non-caseifying epithelioid granulomas and abundant plasma cells. The diagnosis of syphilis was confirmed by serology and immunohistochemical detection of Treponema pallidum in the biopsy specimen. A brief overview of the diagnostic role of immunohistochemistry is also provided, with particular emphasis on reported cases of granulomatous secondary syphilis.

Background and Aims Vitamins are bioactive compounds naturally found in many different types of food and required by the human body for many biological functions and enzymatic activities. Due to their antioxidant properties, certain vitamin derivatives have been synthesized for inclusion in many cosmetics, thus leading to an increasing incidence of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) cases. Therefore, the present review may be helpful to provide an insight into the sensitizing role of at least certain vitamins and may also offer possible patch test alternatives for definitive diagnosis. Methods This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Literature search regarding ACD cases to vitamins was performed using the Medline, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases from January 1940 up to June 2021. Results A total of 4494 articles matched the keywords used for the researched. Records removed before screening included 15 duplicate articles and 3429 not eligible articles (e.g., not written in English, studies on animals, not relevant to the topic). A total of 1050 articles underwent the screening phase and 258 were therefore excluded as they were not primary studies. Subsequentially, 792 articles were considered eligible for the review and 688 of them were finally excluded as they did not report the outcome of interest. Therefore, 104 articles were definitely included in the present review. Conclusion ACD to vitamins is still probably an underestimated issue in cosmetology, as many vitamins are considered “natural” and therefore “safe” ingredients. On the contrary, according to current literature, almost all vitamins contained in topical products are able to induce allergic reactions, with the exception of vitamin B2 and vitamin B9. Patch tests are not standardized, thus leading to difficulties in diagnosis.

Tea tree oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the leaves and terminal branchlets of Melaleuca alternifolia and is now present in numerous products for body care and self-medication. We report a case of allergic contact dermatitis to tea tree oil in a young man who was applying a lotion containing tea tree oil on a wart localized on the plantar aspect of the right big toe, which had previously been treated with cryotherapy. He developed a severe eczematous eruption on the right foot and the right leg, with subsequent id reactions affecting the right thigh, the contralateral lower limb, the trunk and the upper limbs. The lotion was discontinued, and the dermatitis resolved after topical corticosteroid therapy. Patch testing with the aforementioned lotion 10% pet. and oxidized tea tree oil 5% pet. identified tea tree oil as the culprit agent of the dermatitis. This case report confirms that products made of natural ingredients, often perceived to be harmless, can cause allergic reactions.

Irisin is an adipo-myokine, mainly synthetized in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues, that is involved in multiple processes. Only a few studies have evaluated serum irisin in psoriatic patients. This study aims to analyze serum irisin levels in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, to compare them with values in controls, and to assess whether concentration of circulating irisin correlates with the severity of psoriasis, calculated by means of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). We enrolled 46 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis; the control group included 46 sex- and age-matched subjects without any skin or systemic diseases. Serum irisin levels were measured by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Our results showed a non-significant increase in serum irisin concentration in psoriatic patients compared to controls. A negative non-linear correlation between PASI and irisin levels was detected in psoriatic patients. Indeed, dividing patients according to psoriasis severity, the negative association between irisin and PASI was stronger in patients with mild psoriasis than in patients with higher PASI scores. Several control variables we tested showed no significant impact on serum irisin. However, erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the normal range was associated with significantly higher irisin levels in psoriatic patients. In conclusion, although irisin levels were not significantly different between controls and psoriatic patients, irisin was found to be negatively associated with psoriasis severity, especially in subjects with low PASI scores; however, further studies are needed to clarify the role of irisin in subjects with psoriasis.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected health systems across the globe, making the use of vaccines more urgent and topical than ever. Since the first months after the introduction of vaccinations, several reactions, both local and systemic, have been reported although they were mostly very mild and only rarely harbingers of more serious complications. We present a case of multiple flat warts onset over the cheeks in a patient after the second dose of mRNA BioNTech-Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine, and we discuss the possible temporal association between the two events, also considering the patient’s antibody status.