Surgical management of giant acne keloidalis nuchae lesions.

Acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN) is a progressive inflammatory condition that affects posterior neck and occiput. Treatment options include antibiotics, steroids, lasers, radiotherapy and surgery. We present three patients with advanced 'tumor-stage' AKN that underwent radical local excision followed by either immediate or delayed skin resurfacing, and briefly review existing literature.

Recovery of Renal Function following Kidney-Specific VEGF Therapy in Experimental Renovascular Disease.

Background: Chronic renovascular disease (RVD) can lead to a progressive loss of renal function, and current treatments are inefficient. We designed a fusion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) conjugated to an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) carrier protein with an N-terminal kidney-targeting peptide (KTP). We tested the hypothesis that KTP-ELP-VEGF therapy will effectively recover renal function with an improved targeting profile.