Oculocutaneous albinism is a genetically heterogeneous, autosomal recessive group of disorders characterized by a generalized decreased or absence of melanin pigment in the eyes, hair, and skin. These patients have a greater sensitivity to UV radiation and a predisposition to skin tumors, mainly squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinomas, and to a lesser extent malignant melanomas. Melanoma can be one of the most challenging cancers to diagnose in patients with albinism. We report an uncommon clinical presentation of melanoma, an amelanotic melanoma in the right supraciliar region in a patient with oculocutaneous albinism. The clinical presentation was an erythematous, scaly and ill-defined plaque. The skin biopsy revealed a lentigo maligna melanoma. Amelanotic melanomas are one of the two most difficult to diagnose subtypes of melanoma, together with the nevoid type. Melanoma in oculocutaneous albinism patients are often amelanotic, which makes their clinical diagnosis very difficult. These patients should be examined in the dermatology department at least once a year and it is recommended to have a high index of suspicion.

Palisaded encapsulated neuroma is a rare, benign neural tumor. The involvement of the glans penis is rare; few cases have been reported. We present a 52-year-old man with a five-month course of a solitary painless lesion of the glans penis. Full excision of the nodule was performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses and examination was consistent with a palisaded encapsulated neuroma. We describe one of a few existing cases of this kind of tumor in the glans penis.

Background: Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has become an important outcome measure in clinical trials. This study aimed to explore the concept of suspected acute exacerbation as an outcome measure.Methods: Three investigators retrospectively reviewed subjects enrolled in the Sildenafil Trial of Exercise Performance in IPF who experienced a respiratory serious adverse event during the course of the study. Events were classified as definite acute exacerbation, suspected acute exacerbation, or other, according to established criteria.Results: Thirty-five events were identified. Four were classified as definite acute exacerbation, fourteen as suspected acute exacerbation, and seventeen as other. Definite and suspected acute exacerbations were clinically indistinguishable. Both were most common in the winter and spring months and were associated with a high risk of disease progression and short-term mortality.Conclusions: In this study one half of respiratory serious adverse events were attributed to definite or suspected acute exacerbations. Suspected acute exacerbations are clinically indistinguishable from definite acute exacerbations and represent clinically meaningful events. Clinical trialists should consider capturing both definite and suspected acute exacerbations as outcome measures. © 2013 Collard et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.