The transition from mild to moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis

Dear Editor, The clinical course of psoriasis is unpredictable, and the proportion of patients with mild psoriasis at onset who progress to moderate-to-severe disease is unclear.1 The objective of this study was to investigate the transition from mild to moderate-to-severe psoriasis and to identify risk factor

Efficacy of Fractional Versus Fully Ablative CO2 Laser for Distolateral Onychomycosis: Experience With 20 Patients

Introduction: Oral antifungals are the treatment choice for onychomycosis, and topical therapies are favored in cases of limited nail involvement. Recently, carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment has emerged as an option to enhance the effectiveness of topical therapies. Objective: Our objective was to compare the efficacy of fractional ablative and fully ablative CO2 laser treatments for distolateral subungual onychomycosis affecting a single toenail and caused by dermatophytes. Method: The records of 10 patients treated with a single fully ablative CO2 session were matched with those of 10 patients who underwent a single CO2 fractional treatment. All had previously failed topical antifungal lacquers and were discharged with the prescription of topical ciclopirox nail lacquer (8%) for 3 months. Results: The overall clinical response was 80% versus 60% in the fully ablative compared to the fractional group, with a mean onychomycosis severity index drop of 6.9±5.4 in the fully ablative group and 3.6 ±6.6 in the fractional group computed from baseline to 8.6±1.6 weeks after treatment completion. The relapse rate among responders was 12.5% in the fully ablative and 33.3% in the fractional group after a mean follow-up time of 29.4±2.3 weeks. Conclusion: Fractional and fully ablative CO2 laser in combination with ciclopirox lacquer could increase theresponse rate in onychomycosis resistant to topical antifungals when systemic therapy is contraindicated or not yet pursued. Fully ablative mode therapy is significantly more effective than fractional (p<0.05). Further studies are needed to identify prognostic response factors and assess the long-term effectiveness of CO2 laser treatment

Use of granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis in dermatology (Review)

Adsorptive granulocyte and monocyte apheresis (GMA) is an extracorporeal treatment that selectively removes activated myeloid lineage leukocytes from peripheral blood. This technique consists of a column with cellulose acetate beads as absorptive leukocytapheresis carriers, and was initially used to treat ulcerative colitis. A literature search was conducted to extract recently published studies about the clinical efficacy of GMA in patients with different skin disorders, reporting information on demographics, clinical symptoms, treatment and clinical course. Dermatological diseases, in which GMA has been performed, include generalized pustular psoriasis, pyoderma gangrenosum, palmoplantar pustular psoriasis, Behcet's disease, Sweet's syndrome, adult-onset Still's disease, impetigo herpetiformis, reactive arthritis, acne and hidradenitis suppurativa syndrome, cutaneous allergic vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In most patients, GMA was started after the failure of conventional therapeutic options and it was helpful in the majority of cases. Based on the information summarized, GMA could be considered a valid non-pharmacological treatment option for patients with several dermatological conditions, which are difficult to treat with other pharmacological preparations

Pseudoporphyria Induced by Voriconazole in a 10-year-old Boy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract is missing (Short communication

Dimethyl Fumarate Treatment in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis: A 52-week Real-life Study

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disease, with an estimated prevalence of 2–4% in Europe. Recently, a new oral formulation of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has been approved for treating adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. The aim of this multicentre retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of DMF in a real-life setting, through collecting and analysing data from DMF-treated patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasi