Eczema: tactics of choice external therapy

The therapeutic effects of synthetic tannins are based on their binding action, as well as on their anti-pruritic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Materials and methods. A clinical study of Neotanin spray, Neotanin lotion (suspension) and Neotanin cream was carried out in 8 clinical centres during the period from June, 2017 to January, 2018. The study had an open and non-comparative character. The study included 68 patients of both sex es aged from 1 month to 80 years suffering from eczema dermatosis in the acute weeping phase, including cases with complications after secondary infections (including eczema elements localized on the face). Before the study, information on the clinical history, demographic data, co-morbidities, physical examination data of the patients was collected. The treatment regimen included 2 stages: 1) Neotanin in the spray or lotion (suspension) form 3–4 times per day during 1–5 days, up to the full drying of eczema elements; 2) Neotanin in the cream form 3 times per day, up to the disappearance of the clinical manifestations of skin dermatosis. The duration of the study ranged from 5 to 14 days: the study was completed when a patient had achieved remission. The criteria for assessing the drug efficacy were as follows: dynamics of subjective complaints, objective assessment of the patient's condition (the presence and severity of clinical symptoms), dynamics of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results. Neotanin preparations showed a high efficacy in the acute and subacute stages of the inflammatory process as an antipruritic agent. Itching stopped within 5 minutes after the drug application, with the antipruritic effect lasting for an average of 3–4 hours. In 85 % of the patients, marked excoriations were absent on the 3rd day of treatment. Neotanin demonstrated a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. In 92 % of the patients, the symptoms of erythema and edema were significantly reduced one week after the beginning of treatment, with the manifestations of inflammatory exudation being conclusively decreased. One week following the beginning of treatment, 100 % of the patients demonstrated no oozing lesions. The absence of serious undesirable effects in the patients during the study evidences to the good tolerability and safety of this drug

Non-invasive diagnostic techniques for skin tumors and their potential for use in skin melanoma screening: a systematic literature review

Introduction. Currently, numerous studies are published by authors of different countries to demonstrate the effectiveness of noninvasive methods in the diagnosis of melanoma. Methods. A systematic search was conducted independently in the databases PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) until April 2020 according to certain inclusion criteria. Data extraction was carried out independently, followed by generalization using descriptive tables. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies and the impossibility of carrying out a meta-analysis in view of this, we performed a narrative description. Results. A total of 765 potential publications for inclusion were found and checked, of which 53 were included. By design, the studies were assigned to studies of simultaneous design – 40, to randomized clinical trials – 7, to meta-analysis – 6. Data in the included publications on 76802 skin neoplasms were reported, of which 9070 were melanomas. The extracted data were summarized in descriptive tables. Conclusion. With continuing technological progress, the development of noninvasive imaging technologies in the diagnosis of skin melanoma should follow the path of cost-effective, simple and accurate diagnosis

Optimization of diagnostics and treatment of posttraumatic onycholysis

Onycholysis is a peculiar and prevalent nail affection conditioned by the detachment of the distal part of the nail from the nail bed. The absence of any reliable diagnostics criteria often results in diagnostics errors, inadequate treatment and reduced patient’s life quality. Goal of the research. To find out whether it is possible to use OCT for diagnosing onycholysis and Merz Spezial Dragees for the treatment of posttraumatic onycholysis, and to reasonably confirm the drug efficacy using OCT. Materials and methods. The study involved 15 volunteers with posttraumatic onycholysis aged 20-35 (mean age: 28) including 12 female and 3 male subjects. One nail was affected in 7 cases, and two nails were affected in 8 cases. The area of the onycholysis zone was less than one third of the nail area (mean NAPSI value: 2.9 points). For the purposes of clinical control over the efficacy of Merz Spezial Dragees and nail monitoring, the OCT method was applied. Tests were performed 5 and 7 weeks after the observation and treatment onset. Results. Merz Spezial Dragees contribute to faster regression of clinical manifestations of posttraumatic onycholysis and recovery of the normal state of the nail