Editor's Note, Volume 9 Issue 3

D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, FRCPC Medical Director, JCCC and HealthPlexus.NET

I am pleased to introduce the Summer edition of the Journal of Current Clinical Care.


Dr. Joseph M. Lam and Lauren Schock present Yellow and yellow-brown papules and plaques: Differentiating lookalikes in children's dermatology. Yellow-hued papules and plaques in children can be difficult to differentiate as many causes are rare and may not be frequently seen outside of specialty pediatric dermatology settings. We will review some of the common and concerning yellow-brown papules and plaques found in infants and children and discuss the appearance and distribution, pathophysiology, associated findings, and management.

In their article, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Spinal Fractures, Drs. Nicolas Dea, Parham Rasoulinejad, Christopher S. Bailey, and Andrew Kanawati, review Ankylosing spondylitis a seronegative spondyloarthropathy associated with HLA-B27. The main site of pathology is the enthesis (the site of tendon insertion). The axial skeleton is affected primarily, with the sacroiliac joints initially involved. The enthesopathy resulting in fibrosis, calcification and fusion of the sacroiliac joints and spine. There is a high incidence of spine fractures in patients with AS, and there is a high rate of missed fractures, therefore advanced imaging in the form of CT and/or MRI may be necessary. Due to their highly unstable nature, surgical management of spine fractures in AS is preferable to non-operative care.

Drs. Pradeep Shenoy and Lyew Warren, from the Campbellton Regional Hospital in New Brunswick, offer A Case of Calcified Nodule in the Base of the Tongue. Calcified nodules are uncommon in the base of tongue. Solitary amyloid metaplasia can occur at the base of the tongue and can produce calcification and are difficult to diagnose by histopathological examination.Ossoeus choristoma of the tongue is a rare benign condition producing calcified nodule in the base of the tongue.Unusual ectopic osseous tongue masses are reported in dermoid cysts or teratomas.Osteoma of the base is also reported in the literature. Venous malformations with phleboliths are also described in the literature causing calcified nodules at the base of the tongue.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition. Please consider commenting or submitting an article of your own.