Improving Adherence to Topical Therapies Through Improved Clinician-Patient Communication and Shared Decision Making.

Nonadherence to topical therapies for psoriasis is common. Reasons include miscommunication or inadequate communication between patients and clinicians, a mismatch between physician and patient treatment priorities, the complexity of treatment regimens, and a lack of information conveyed to the patient about realistic expectations from therapy. Interventions to facilitate communication and education are available to support clinicians and patients.

Understanding topical therapies for psoriasis.

Although the active ingredients of the most frequently used topical therapy for psoriasis have remained the same for many years, the introduction of new vehicles and fixed-dose combination products has increased ease of patient use as well as, in some cases, efficacy and safety. Topical therapies with novel mechanisms of action are under study.

Treating psoriasis: patient assessment, treatment goals, and treatment options.

New treatments have revolutionized the care of psoriasis in recent years, enabling patients and clinicians to set aggressive goals for disease clearance. This article reviews the National Psoriasis Foundation recommendations for assessing disease severity, targets for therapy, and follow-up intervals.

Management of Truncal Acne Vulgaris with Topical Dapsone 7.5% Gel.

The majority of available data on the prevalence, grading, and management of acne vulgaris (AV) are based on studies that evaluate facial AV. Data are limited in all of these areas with truncal AV. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of topical management of truncal AV involving the chest and back in a three-center, open-label, 16-week study.

Sonographic assessment of hepatic transplants.

Liver transplantation has become a standard treatment for end-stage liver disease, with survival rates for liver transplant patients increasing steadily. Several imaging techniques are used to evaluate patients for possible complications of liver transplantation. This article focuses on the role of ultrasound and color flow and spectral Doppler in evaluating complications such as fluid collections and vascular or biliary obstructions.

Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting in two siblings with atypical pseudocholinesterase.

A 21-year-old white man was admitted with a diagnosis of mixed cellularity Hodgkin's lymphoma for staging laparotomy. His family history was positive for a brother who had both Hodgkin's lymphoma and atypical pseudocholinesterase. Serum pseudocholinesterase activity, dibucaine number and fluoride number were obtained, revealing markedly decreased pseudocholinesterase activity and dibucaine number, with an only slightly decreased fluoride number, consistent with homozygous type E1a atypical pseudocholinesterase.