فاطمه یزدانی حمید

Treatment of chronic conditions like diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is challenging due to increased susceptibility for infection and delayed wound healing. Complexity of existing therapy, adverse effects and microbial resistance emphasizes the need of an alternative approach for the management of DFU. The increasing body of evidence associated with probiotic application in diverse disease states merits its use in wound healing and infection too. Different probiotic strains have shown their efficacy in various infections like gut infections, oral infections and urogenital infections. Experimental studies have demonstrated probiotics’ ability for gastric ulcer healing. Underlying mechanism of the above therapeutic effects of probiotics involves modulation of local and systemic immunity. The hypothesis is based on the concept that mechanism of anti-infective and ulcer healing action of probiotics will be similar in peripheral wounds and ulcers as on any other part of the body. This paper focuses on the hypothesis that topical formulation of probiotics may be effective for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

The current monkeypox outbreak reawakens the concern that poxviridae have a high potential for zoonotic spillover and causing a pandemic. Much fieldwork and research have been done by health care and public health workers in Africa during previous human outbreaks, and their knowledge should inform our global response to the current outbreak. However, unusual clinical presentations now have potential implications for recognizing the disease. In addition, infections from poxviridae, such as monkeypox, have common cutaneous signs that occur early, may be related to periods of transmissibility, and can leave scarring. Therefore, dermatologists will play a key role in recognizing and diagnosing infections and educating and preparing frontline health care workers for the early detection of new cases and clusters of monkeypox.

Skin cancers are highly prevalent malignancies that affect millions of people worldwide. These include melanomas and nonmelanoma skin cancers. Melanomas are among the most dangerous cancers, while nonmelanoma skin cancers generally exhibit a more benign clinical pattern; however, they may sometimes be aggressive and metastatic. Melanomas typically appear in body regions exposed to the sun, although they may also appear in areas that do not usually get sun exposure. Thus, their development is multifactorial, comprising endogenous and exogenous risk factors. The management of skin cancer depends on the type; it is usually based on surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. In this respect, oncological treatments have demonstrated some progress in the last years; however, current therapies still present various disadvantages such as little cell specificity, recurrent relapses, high toxicity, and increased costs. Furthermore, the pursuit of novel medications is expensive, and the authorization for their clinical utilization may take 10-15 years. Thus, repositioning of drugs previously approved and utilized for other diseases has emerged as an excellent alternative. In this mini-review, we aimed to provide an updated overview of drugs’ repurposing to treat skin cancer and discuss future perspectives.