Current Issue : July - September Volume : 2015 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 9 Articles
An oral marine protein supplement (MPS) is designed to promote hair growth in women with temporary thinning hair (Viviscal\nExtra Strength; Lifes2good, Inc., Chicago, IL).This double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed the ability of MPS to promote\nterminal hair growth in adult women with self-perceived thinning hair associated with poor diet, stress, hormonal influences, or\nabnormal menstrual cycles. Adult women with thinning hair were randomized to receive MPS (N = 30) or placebo (N = 30)\ntwice daily for 90 days. Digital images were obtained from a 4 cm2 area scalp target area. Each subject�s hair was washed and\nshed hairs were collected and counted. After 90 days, these measures were repeated and subjects completed Quality of Life and\nSelf-Assessment Questionnaires. MPS-treated subjects achieved a significant increase in the number of terminal hairs within the\ntarget area (P < 0.0001) which was significantly greater than placebo (P < 0.0001). MPS use also resulted in significantly less hair\nshedding (P = 0.002) and higher total Self-Assessment (P = 0.006) and Quality of Life Questionnaires scores (P = 0.035). There\nwere no reported adverse events. MPS promotes hair growth and decreases hair loss in women suffering from temporary thinning\nhair. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02297360....
Skin cancer has been shown to present asymmetrically, prevalent on the left side of the body, more so in subtypes of cutaneous\nmelanoma such as lentigo maligna. Biases have been linked to cumulative UV light exposure and auto mobile driving patterns.\nThough left-right ratios have previously correlated with the side men or women tend to position themselves or countries drive on,\nmore recent trends indicate a consistent left-sided bias. To clarify reasons for changing trends, a review of the evidence base and\nLMââ?¬â?¢s laterality in a UK cohort (99 cases 2000ââ?¬â??2011) was conducted for the first time. The strong correlation of left-sided excess,\nfound in both genders (ratios 1.381ââ?¬â??1.5, P < 0.05 X2 0.841), is congruent with more recent findings. Though evidence indicates\nthat driving position is no longer a risk factor for LM, due most likely to improved car window UV protection, it remains the most\ncommonly attributed cause. Understanding phenomena such as UV lights ââ?¬Å?scatter effectââ?¬Â or that cumulative exposure may not be\na significant risk factor helps rationalize older conclusions that would otherwise appear contradictory. The reasons for left-sided\nexcess remain unclear but may be due to factors requiring further research such as the bodyââ?¬â?¢s anatomical/embryological asymmetry....
Background: Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is one of the most common neoplasms in the world. Despite the\nlow mortality rates, NMSC can still cause severe sequelae when diagnosed at advanced stages. Malignant\nmelanoma, the third most common type of skin cancer, has more aggressive behavior and a worse prognosis.\nTeledermatology provides a new tool for monitoring skin cancer, especially in countries with a large area and\nunequal population distribution.\nThis study sought to evaluate the performance of digital photography in skin cancer diagnosis in remote areas of Brazil.\nMethods: A physician in a Mobile Prevention Unit (MPU) took four hundred sixteen digital images of suspicious lesions\nbetween April 2010 and July 2011. All of the photographs were electronically sent to two oncologists at Barretos\nCancer Hospital who blindly evaluated the images and provided a diagnosis (benign or malignant). The absolute\nagreement rates between the diagnoses made by direct visual inspection (by the MPU physician) and through the use\nof digital imaging (by the two oncologists) were calculated. The oncologists� accuracy in predicting skin cancer using\ndigital imaging was assessed by means of overall accuracy (correct classification rate), sensitivity, specificity and\npredictive value (positive and negative). A skin biopsy was considered the gold standard.\nResults: Oncologist #1 classified 59 lesions as benign with the digital images, while oncologist #2 classified 27 lesions\nas benign using the same images. The absolute agreement rates with direct visual inspection were 85.8% for\noncologist #1 (95% CI: 77.1-95.2) and 93.5% for oncologist #2 (95% CI: 84.5-100.0). The overall accuracy of the two\noncologists did not differ significantly.\nConclusions: Given the high sensitivity and PPV, Teledermatology seems to be a suitable tool for skin cancer screening\nby MPU in remote areas of Brazil....
Objectives. To evaluate and compare the efficacy, safety, hydrating properties, and tolerability of 10% lactic acid (LA) and 5%salicylic\nacid (SA) in the therapy of keratosis pilaris (KP).Material andMethod. Patients with KP were randomized for treatment with either\n10% LA or 5% SA creams being applied twice daily for 3 months. The patients were clinically assessed at baseline and after 4, 8, and\n12 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks after treatment. The functional properties of the stratum corneum (SC) were determined before\ntreatment, 12 weeks, and follow-up phase by high-frequency conductance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Results. At the\nend of the trial, the mean reduction of the lesions from baseline was statistically significant for 10% LA (66%) and 5% SA (52%).\nDuring the treatment, higher conductance values were found on both group and this improvement was maintained until the follow\nup period. No significant differences in transepidermal water loss were observed after treatment. The adverse effects were limited\nto mild irritation localized on the skin without systemic side effect. Conclusion. The study demonstrated that 10% LA and 5% SA\nare beneficial to treat KP with the significantly clearance and marked improvement as by instrumental evaluation....
Background: Morgellons disease (MD) is a complex skin disorder characterized by ulcerating lesions that have\nprotruding or embedded filaments. Many clinicians refer to this condition as delusional parasitosis or delusional\ninfestation and consider the filaments to be introduced textile fibers. In contrast, recent studies indicate that MD is\na true somatic illness associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are keratin and collagen in composition\nand that they result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the skin. Previously, spirochetes\nhave been detected in the dermatological specimens from four MD patients, thus providing evidence of an infectious\nprocess.\nMethods & Results: Based on culture, histology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and molecular testing,\nwe present corroborating evidence of spirochetal infection in a larger group of 25 MD patients. Irrespective of Lyme\nserological reactivity, all patients in our study group demonstrated histological evidence of epithelial spirochetal\ninfection. Strength of evidence based on other testing varied among patients. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia\nstrains by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or in-situ DNA hybridization were detected in 24/25 of our study\npatients. Skin cultures containing Borrelia spirochetes were obtained from four patients, thus demonstrating that\nthe organisms present in dermatological specimens were viable. Spirochetes identified by PCR as Borrelia burgdorferi\nwere cultured from blood in seven patients and from vaginal secretions in three patients, demonstrating systemic\ninfection. Based on these observations, a clinical classification system for MD is proposed.\nConclusions: Our study using multiple detection methods confirms that MD is a true somatic illness associated\nwith Borrelia spirochetes that cause Lyme disease. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment\nfor this spirochete-associated dermopathy....
Innate lymphoid cells are an emerging family of effector cells that contribute to lymphoid organogenesis,\nmetabolism, tissue remodelling and protection against infections. They maintain homeostatic immunity at barrier\nsurfaces such as lung, skin and gut (Nature 464:1367ââ?¬â??1371, 2010, Nat Rev Immunol 13: 145ââ?¬â??149, 2013). Several\nhuman and mouse studies suggest a role for innate lymphoid cells in inflammatory skin conditions including atopic\neczema and psoriasis. Here we review the innate lymphoid cell family and discuss their function in the skin and\nduring inflammation....
Background. There continues to be uncertainty on the ideal treatment of pruritus in chronic liver disease. The aim of this study\nwas to gather the latest information on the evidence-based management of pruritus in chronic liver disease. Methodology. A\nliterature search for pruritus in chronic liver disease was conducted using Pubmed and Embase database systems using the MeSH\nterms ââ?¬Å?pruritus,ââ?¬Â ââ?¬Å?chronic liver disease,ââ?¬Â ââ?¬Å?cholestatic liver disease,ââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?treatment.ââ?¬Â Results. The current understanding of the\npathophysiology of pruritus is described in addition to detailing research into contemporary treatment options of the condition.\nThese medical treatments range from bile salts, rifampicin, and opioid receptor antagonists to antihistamines. Conclusion. The\nburden of pruritus in liver disease patients persists and, although it is a common symptom, it can be difficult to manage. In recent\nyears there has been greater study into the etiology and treatment of the condition.Nonetheless, pruritus remains poorly understood\nand many patients continue to suffer, reiterating the need for further research to improve our understanding of the etiology and\ntreatment for the condition....
Background: Novel targeted agents have been increasingly developed and tested in clinical trials over the past\n5ââ?¬â??10 years, many with unknown and unanticipated side effects. We describe here a case of a patient with a history\nof metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma that we believe developed vandetanibââ?¬â??associated photoallergic dermatitis\nwhile enrolled on a phase 1 clinical trial.\nCase presentation: A 51-year-old Caucasian female with poorly differentiated, metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma\npresented with a cutaneous eruption that developed over 3 to 4 days while treated on phase 1 clinical trial with\nvandetanib-based therapy. Given the concern for photoallergic dermatitis, vandetanib was discontinued and\nsupportive care provided including topical and oral steroid administration. Her cutaneous eruption improved and\nshe was successfully re-challenged with vandetanib.\nConclusion: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as typo-vandetinib, with various therapeutic targets have come to the\nforefront of oncologic therapy in recent years. It is important to have a better understanding of the side effect\nprofile and management in order to anticipate adverse events and maintain patient safety in future clinical trials...
Background: Eczema (syn. Atopic Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis) is a chronic, relapsing, itchy skin condition which\nprobably results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The Global Resource of EczemA Trials\n(GREAT) is a collection of records of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for eczema treatment produced from a\nhighly sensitive search of six reference databases. We sought to assess the sensitivity of the GREAT database as a\ntool to save future researchers repeating extensive bibliographic searches.\nMethods: All Cochrane systematic review on treatments for eczema and five non-Cochrane systematic reviews on\neczema were identified as a reference set to assess the utility of the GREAT database in identifying randomised\ncontrolled trials (RCTs). RCTs included in the systematic reviews were checked for inclusion in the GREAT database\nby two independent authors. A third author resolved any disagreements.\nResults: Five Cochrane and six non-Cochrane systematic reviews containing a total of 105 RCTs of eczema treatments\nwere included. Of these, 95 fitted the inclusion criteria for the GREAT database and 88 were published from 2000\nonwards. Of the 88 eligible studies, 92% were found in the GREAT database. Seven trials were not included in the\nGREAT database - two of these were reported within a review paper and one as an abstract with no trial results.\nConclusions: The sensitivity of the GREAT database for trials from 2000 onwards was high (75/88 trials, 94%). Sensitivity\nfor the period prior to 2000 was less sensitive, due to differences in how the trials were identified prior to this time.\nââ?¬Ë?Dualââ?¬â?¢ filtering for new records has recently become part of the GREAT database methodology and should further\nimprove the sensitivity of the database in time. The GREAT database can be considered as a primary source for future\nsystematic reviews including randomised controlled trials of eczema treatments, but searches should be supplemented\nby checking reference lists for eligible trials, searching trial registries and contacting pharmaceutical companies for\nunpublished studies....
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