Journal of

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Background and Aim: Skin basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in human beings. Prevalence of this tumor has increased over the past decades. The standard treatment is complete excision, however some risks for recurrence still exist. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of margin involvement in skin BCC as well as to investigate the demographic characteristics of the patients.
Methods: This study was conducted from April 2011 to April 2012 on the patients who had skin lesions suspected for BCC. The patients were undergone elliptical excision surgeries for removing their suspected lesions with 5-millimeter margins of clinically normal skin in Farchian Hospital, Hamadan, Iran. Following data were collected and recorded: age, sex, anatomical location, duration of the disease, primary clinical diagnosis, histopathologic type, and margin involvement.
Results: In total, 125 lesions from 115 patients were investigated (70 males, 45 females). The range of the ages of the patients were from 32 to 93 years, with a mean of 64.6 years. The most common histopathological type was nodular type (61.0%). Twenty percent of the excised lesions showed margin involvement. Risk factors for incomplete excision were older age and anatomical locations (ears and peri-ocular lesions). There was no statistically significant differences between sex, histological type, primary clinical diagnosis, and duration of the disease. In almost all cases, the clinical and histopathological diagnoses were similar.
Conclusion: To avoid repeated surgeries and to reduce the risk of incomplete excision for lesions on high risk locations, particularly in elderly, it is recommended that BCCs be excised with wide margins or Mohs micrographic surgery.

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Background and Aim: Cicatricial alopecia refers to lesions that result in permanent and irreversible hair loss and are associated with destruction of hair follicles. In this alopecias the hair follicle is replaced with connective tissue. After remission of initial infection or inflammation, hair regrowth is unlikely.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 222 patients with cicatricial alopecia, admitted to Farshchian Hospital, Hamadan, Iran were investigated. Hospital records of patients with cicatricial alopecia were reviewed, and their demographic as well as clinical data were extracted and entered into prepared data gathering forms.

Results: One-hundred and ten patients (49.5%) had discoid lupus erythematosus, 71 patients (31.9%) had lichen planopilaris, 23 patients (10.4%) had pseudopelade of Brocq, 11 patients (4.9%) had keratosis pilaris spinulosa decalvans and 3 patients (1.3%) had central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. Each of alopecia mucinosa and dissecting cellulitis/folliculitis were observed in 2 patients (0.9%). The correlation between of illness, extent of disease, gender, location, occupation, and clinical features of the disease were studied.

Conclusion: Cicatricial alopecia usually results in irreversible hair loss, but early diagnosis and treatment can prevent the progression of the lesions and its complications. The diagnosis of this disease is possible with a clinicopathologic study.

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Background and Aim: National studies on the prevalence of skin problems of the Iranian are very limited. The aim of this study was to determine the skin complaints of adult male population.
 

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1419 men over 35 years from 32 provinces participated by invitation. Demographic information, underlying disease history and presence of skin problems/diseases were collected by dermatologists. The participants were evaluated in terms of the presence of skin complaints (itching, burning, dry skin, redness, scaling, and skin color change); and any skin complaints with type, severity and location. 
 

Results: About one third 31.6% of the Iranian male middle-aged and elderly, had an underlying disease (n=449). High blood pressure, diabetes, and neurological disorders constituted 79.7% of the chronic diseases. In total, n=344 persons (24.2%) were rated as having skin complaint. Most people who had a skin complaint reported more than one skin complaint 75.6% (n=260). The most common skin complaints were related to itching 14.6% (n=207) and dry skin 5.6% (23.3%) in studied population, which were mostly mild 59.3% (n=204) and localize 58.4% (n=201). The use of corticosteroids was stated in 7.2%(n=103) and the most common types of usage was oral 62.1% (n=64). There was significant correlation between skin complaint and occupational exposure (P=0.01); lower education level (P=0.05); corticosteroid usage in general (P<0.001) and both oral (P=0.02) and topical (P<0.001) corticosteroid.
 

Conclusion: Skin complaint is common among middle-aged and elderly Iranian men. The most common skin complaint are mostly mild and localized itching and dry skin.

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Background and aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on Alexithymia and pain coping strategies in women with lupus.
 

Methods: The research method was semi experimental with a pretest–posttest and two–month follow–up design with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all female patients with lupus who had referred to the Lupus Association in 2024 for lupus counseling and treatment. Among the statistical population, 30 qualified volunteers were available entered into the study and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (each group includes 15 people). The cognitive-behavioral therapy was implemented in the experimental group as 8 sessions one a week. Data analysis of the research was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at a significance level of 0.05, with SPSS software version 27.
 

Results: The results indicated that the effect of time, the effect of group, and the interaction effect of time and group on emotional distress scores and pain coping strategies were significant (p<0.001). In the intervention group, there was a significant difference in Alexithymia scores and pain coping strategies between the pre-test and post-test stages, as well as between the pre-test and follow-up (p<0.001). However, no significant difference observed between the post-test and follow-up for these variables.
 

Conclusion: This research showed that teaching the cognitive-behavioral therapy to women with lupus is suitable for improving alexithymia and pain coping strategies.