Risk Factors Associated With Invasive Fungal Infections in Kidney Transplant Patients.

Background: Kidney transplant recipients are at increased risk for developing invasive fungal infections (IFI). We queried the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) for risk factors for IFI in these patients.

Methods: Patients who underwent a kidney transplant between 2005 and 2008 were queried for an IFI diagnosis using ICD-9 codes.

Mortality risk after herpes zoster infection in end-stage renal disease patients.

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have increased risk of developing herpes zoster (zoster) compared with the general population, but mortality risk is unknown. We assessed the risk of mortality in hospitalized ESRD patients with a diagnosis of zoster from the inpatient hospital files (as opposed to outpatient records) of the United States Renal Data System.

Methods: This study analyzed incident ESRD patients from 2006 to 2009.

Assessment of melanoma follow-up trends in Medicare patients: a large scale, multi-regional analysis.

Background: Research on patient follow-up compliance after a diagnosis of melanoma has been limited.

Objective: To assess the timelines for follow-up among patients who are diagnosed with melanoma and to assess the socioeconomic and provider factors which influence follow-up adherence.

Methods: A retrospective, population-based study using nationally representative data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database was conducted to evaluate 10,813 patients who were diagnosed with melanoma from 2005-2013.

Photodermatitis for the Allergist.

Purpose Of Review: The photodermatoses represent a group of disorders of sensitivity to light that continue to pose difficulties in diagnosis and management. Photodermatoses are of interest to allergists because many photosensitive skin disorders have immunologic underpinnings, and patients often present to clinic complaining of "allergy" to the sun. We provide a concise reference for allergists on the clinical recognition and management of photodermatitis.

Vulvar Asymmetry Due to Silicone Migration and Granulomatous Immune Response Following Injection for Buttock Augmentation.

A 34-year-old woman was referred to the authors' dermatology clinic for evaluation of right labial swelling and dyspareunia. Her symptoms began after receiving a liquid silicone injection into the buttocks at a cosmetic plastic surgery clinic that was operating illegally by an unlicensed provider. A single prior debulking surgery had produced only temporary relief of symptoms, and the swelling returned.

Compounded Topical Analgesics for Chronic Pain.

Analgesic medications compounded for topical use are gaining popularity for the management of chronic pain. The advantages of topical pain medications include reduction of systemic adverse effects, improved patient acceptance, few drug interactions, ease of dose determination, avoidance of first-pass metabolism, and direct access to the target site. Compounded topical medications typically use a mixture of 3 or more single medications to achieve multiple complementary effects at lower doses of each individual medication.

Biomedical and Market Issues Surrounding the Advent of Biosimilars.

As the patents associated with the biologics are set to expire in the near future, a new type of therapy appears on the horizon, and it is quite similar to the biologics. This commentary examines the biomedical and market issues surrounding the advent of biosimilars.

Primary cutaneous zygomycosis secondary to minor trauma in an immunocompromised pediatric patient: a case report.

Zygomycosis is an opportunistic infection generally found in immunocompromised individuals. Herein we present a pediatric patient with primary cutaneous mucormycosis that developed at a site of trauma. Diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

Unusually severe case of dermatosis neglecta.

An 18-year-old black woman with cerebral palsy was admitted for evaluation of an intrathecal baclofen pump site infection. The dermatology service was consulted for treatment suggestions of a presumed diagnosis of chronic tinea capitis. Three courses of oral griseofulvin during the past 2 years failed to resolve the patient's chronic scalp dermatosis.