Vismodegib as Eye-Sparing Neoadjuvant Treatment for Locally Advanced Periocular Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Locally-advanced periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) pose many therapeutic challenges due to the need to preserve functionality and cosmesis of the orbit and periocular area. Surgical excision and subsequent orbital exenteration are two recognized modalities of treatment. Vismodegib is currently an FDA-approved monotherapy for locally-advanced and metastatic BCC.

Comparison of Grenz ray and photodynamic therapy for field treatment of actinic keratoses on the forearm: A case series.

Background: Actinic Keratosis is an intraepidermal neoplasm that represents the second most common reason for dermatologic visits in the United States. Sustained clearance with existing therapies is highly variable.

Objective: To assess the effects of combination and monotherapy with photodynamic therapy (PDT), grenz ray therapy, and PDT with microneedling (microchannel skin system) for actinic damage of the dorsal forearms and hands.

Treatment of keloids with a single dose of low-energy superficial X-ray radiation to prevent recurrence after surgical excision: An in vitro and in vivo study.

Background: Although keloids have been empirically treated with steroids and radiation, evidence-based radiation parameters for keloid therapy are lacking.

Objective: To determine evidence-based radiation parameters for blocking keloid fibroblast proliferation in vitro and apply them to patients.

Methods: The effects of various radiation parameters and steroids on cell proliferation, cell death, and collagen production in keloid explants and fibroblasts were evaluated with standard assays.

Case Report: Triple Combination Therapy for Recalcitrant Perineal Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a destructive ulcerative process, which is usually idiopathic or associated with underlying systemic disease. Its pathogenesis remains unknown. A 30-year-old male with a history of Crohn’s disease presented with an advanced perineal and inguinal ulcer consistent with pyoderma gangrenosum, which only partially responded to oral and intralesional corticosteroids and adalimumab 80mg biweekly.

Ultrafast mid-infrared high harmonic and supercontinuum generation with n characterization in zinc selenide.

Polycrystalline ZnSe is an exciting source of broadband supercontinuum and high-harmonic generation via random quasi phase matching, exhibiting broad transparency in the mid-infrared (0.5-20 μm). In this work, the effects of wavelength, pulse power, intensity, propagation length, and crystallinity on supercontinuum and high harmonic generation are investigated experimentally using ultrafast mid-infrared pulses.

Practice and Educational Gaps in Radiation Therapy in Dermatology.

Guidelines for appropriate use of superficial radiation therapy are based on decades of research; although no formal appropriate use criteria have been developed, they are warranted. Superficial radiation in the outpatient dermatologic setting is the least expensive form of radiation treatment. Although higher cure rates may be possible with Mohs surgery, this should never argue against dermatologists retaining and refining a modality, nor should we limit its use by our successors.

Palmoplantar keratoses and Bowen's disease in a Vietnam veteran: Could Agent Blue be implicated?

Agent Blue was an arsenical herbicide used extensively in the Vietnam War. Arsenic is one of the known causes of acquired palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK). The most common manifestation of arsenic exposure in susceptible individuals is bilateral palmoplantar hyperkeratosis.

Urticaria after methyl aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy in a patient with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome.

Methyl aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy (MAL-PDT) is utilized in several countries for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma, but allergic sensitization has been reported by the manufacturer. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of urticaria following MAL-PDT in a patient with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Prophylactic use of antihistamines may allow continued use of MAL-PDT in this setting.

Atypical pyoderma gangrenosum of the dorsal hand mimicking squamous cell carcinoma.

We describe a rare case of atypical pyoderma gangrenosum of the dorsal hand in a patient who presented with the histopathologic diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Atypical pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare variant of pyoderma gangrenosum that occurs on the upper extremities, presenting as a cutaneous ulcer. The correct treatment is nonsurgical, and surgical intervention often results in trauma-induced expansion of lesions.