Extracorporeal photochemotherapy--the Columbia Presbyterian experience.

Background: Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) is a lymphoma of skin homing usually CD4 + lymphocytes. There are numerous treatments available both for the early as well as the more advanced stages of the disease. Extracorporeal photochemotherapy is a well-accepted form of treating CTCL.

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy: a case report and update.

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) was developed at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in the early 1980s for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). ECP is now used primarily in the treatment of that disease at more than 100 centers worldwide. It also has been shown to be potentially effective in treating several autoimmune diseases.

Dermatologic surgery into the next millennium, Part III.

Face-lift procedures and blepharoplasties are performed as in-office surgeries. Either local sedation or conscious sedation is used, and the patient's vital signs are carefully monitored. To avoid complications, the patient is followed closely postoperatively.

Dermatologic surgery into the next millennium, part II.

This is the second article in a 4-part series on dermatologic surgery. This section provides detailed information about filling agents and botulinus toxin A. The filling agents discussed here are frequently used in our office.

Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma in a Hispanic kindred resulting from a mutation in the keratin 9 gene.

Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (EPPK) is a localized keratinization disorder caused by mutations in the highly conserved coil 1A domain of the keratin 9 gene, KRT9. We present a Hispanic pedigree spanning three generations, with affected individuals in all generations. Using polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct sequencing we demonstrated a previously reported missense mutation in KRT9, which is expressed almost exclusively in the skin of palms and soles.

The use of conscious sedation for outpatient dermatologic surgical procedures.

Background: Dermatologic surgery has undergone increasing levels of sophistication over the past few decades. Commensurate with this demand, an established anesthesia technique called conscious sedation has been employed.

Objectives: Methods for performing office-based conscious sedation are described.

Dermatologic surgery into the next millennium: Part I.

Dermatologic cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty of dermatology that has recently been developed. In this four-part series, we describe many of the procedures performed in our ambulatory surgery setting. We also highlight the significant changes in the techniques and treatment environments for these procedures over the past three decades.

A novel application of the infrared coagulator in hair transplantation. Significant reduction of width of the donor site wound.

Background: The infrared coagulator, a by-product of laser technology, has been used in dermatology in a variety of settings. During hair transplantation sessions, we observed a significant reduction of the donor ellipse width while performing hemostasis with the infrared coagulator.

Objective: Quantitative assessment of the donor wound width after infrared coagulator use, and correlation to the number of previous transplant sessions and patients' age.

Ultraviolet radiation induces phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Ultraviolet light in solar radiation is responsible for more than 600,000 malignancies each year in the United States alone, making it the most efficient environmental carcinogen known. Ultraviolet radiation-induced direct DNA damage is thought to be responsible for its initiating properties, while the promotional aspects of such radiation are poorly defined and only recently gaining attention. We show here for the first time that physiologically relevant doses of ultraviolet radiation induce phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor in A431 keratinocytes at tyrosine sites within 30 min.

Effects of the 1,4-dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type calcium channel antagonist nimodipine and calcium channel activator Bay K 8644 on local cerebral glucose utilization in the rat.

The quantitative [14C]-2-deoxy-D-glucose autoradiographic method was used to compare the acute effects of the Ca2+ channel antagonist nimodipine (10 mg/kg) and the Ca2+ channel activator Bay K 8644 (1.25 mg/kg) on local cerebral glucose utilization of rat brain after single, intraperitoneal application. Nimodipine reduced glucose metabolism significantly in 23 of the 49 brain regions evaluated.