The growth of human scalp hair mediated by visible red light laser and LED sources in males.

Background And Objectives: Low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used to promote hair growth. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was undertaken to define the safety and physiologic effects of LLLT on males with androgenic alopecia.

Methods: Forty-four males (18-48 yo, Fitzpatrick I-IV, Hamilton-Norwood IIa-V) were recruited.

Clinical management with efalizumab of a patient with psoriasis and comorbid vitiligo.

Although the precise pathogenesis is not known, vitiligo appears to be an autoimmune disease involving T cell-mediated melanocyte destruction. Efalizumab, a recombinant, humanized monoclonal antibody, targets T cells, the key mediators of the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. Although a concomitant presentation of vitiligo with psoriasis is uncommon, several cases have been reported previously in the literature.

The role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the etiology of acne rosacea: response to the use of oral azithromycin.

Acne rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that requires long-term therapy. Oral azithromycin has been used successfully to treat acne vulgaris. an observation that suggested an infectious agent may play an active role in the etiology of this disorder.

Current use of anti-infectives in dermatology.

Dermatologic diseases encompass a broad category of pathologic situations. Infection remains a significant aspect of the pathology faced in patient encounters, and it is natural to expect that anti-infectives play a major element in the armamentarium utilized by dermatologists. Aside from the treatment of the classic bacterial and fungal infections, there are now new uses for antiviral agents to help suppress recurrent disease, such as herpes simplex.

Treatment of tinea imbricata: a randomized clinical trial using griseofulvin, terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole.

Background: Griseofulvin has been the mainstay of treatment for tinea imbricata (TI) for decades; however, there have been few reports of efficacy of newer antifungals in the treatment of this condition. Many patients with TI have several obstacles to treatment due to their remote geographical locations and the primitive nature of their societies.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of itraconazole, terbinafine and fluconazole with that of griseofulvin after 4 weeks of therapy.

The BEST study: evaluating efficacy by selected demographic subsets.

Acne therapy often requires continuous treatment with a combination of agents. Patient satisfaction with treatment ensures proper compliance, which ultimately leads to a successful outcome. The BenzaClin (benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin topical gel) Efficacy and Satisfaction Trial (BEST) was conducted to determine changes in the degree of satisfaction after using benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin topical gel in patients with mild to moderate acne who were not satisfied with their current therapy.

Azithromycin for the treatment of acne.

Background: Acne affects a large number of young adults, including women, who often present with facial as well as truncal involvement. Systemic antimicrobial agents currently used for the reduction of inflammatory papules and cysts require frequent administration and are sometimes associated with uncomfortable side-effects contributing to a decrease in compliance.

Methods: Ninety-nine episodes of inflammatory acne in 79 patients treated with oral antimicrobial agents were studied retrospectively over a period of 46 weeks.

A novel treatment for venous leg ulcers.

Venous ulceration, a relatively common manifestation of venous hypertension, is often difficult to treat. This article reports the authors' experience with a new wound-healing technology using a bilayered, culture-derived human skin equivalent (HSE, Apligraf) for treatment of venous ulcers. In the patients studied, HSE appeared to promote wound healing in three ways: 1) apparent graft "take"; 2) temporary wound closure (persistence of HSE with subsequent wound re-epithelialization from wound margins); and 3) stimulation of host healing without temporary persistence by acting as a biologic dressing.

Neurologic symptoms posing as dapsone-induced polyneuropathy in two patients with dermatitis herpetiformis.

The clinical picture of neuropathy caused by dapsone is usually progressive muscle weakness and wasting, most often involving distal muscles of the extremities. Two patients with neurologic symptoms following the use of dapsone for dermatitis herpetiformis are reported. Both patients had normal motor conduction velocities, and negative results on physical examination of muscle wasting.

Residents' corner: cryosurgery of clear cell acanthoma.

A case is presented of an epidermal tumor occurring in an 84-year-old male which had been treated for many years as a chronic dermatitis. Following histologic confirmation of clear cell acanthoma, cryosurgery was attempted, resulting in a complete resolution of the tumor with no recurrence at 6 months.

Flagellate pigmentation from intrapleural bleomycin. A light microscopy and electron microscopy study.

A case is presented of a 65-year-old white man with left pleural mesothelioma treated with a single intrapleural instillation of bleomycin for cavitary sclerosis. One month later the patient developed pigmented flagellate streaks on his arms and chest wall. To our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature showing these typical pigmentary changes in which a single small dose of bleomycin acted as an intrapleural sclerosing agent.