Although a variety of laser/light-based devices have been reported to be effective for the treatment of acne, long-term data on efficacy and safety in the management of moderate and severe inflammatory acne is lacking. The objective of this 12-week clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the KLOX BioPhotonic System, a LED blue light device using specific photo-converter chromophores, in the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris. read more
Activation of histamine H1 receptor (H1R) is a well-known hallmark of allergic and inflammatory pathology. Both types of bradykinin receptors (B1R and B2R) are also known to contribute significantly to the latter and some sort of functional interaction between them and H1R has been alluded to in the past. Here we use an experimental model of rat paw oedema formation to examine the effect of exogenously added histamine on the gene expression of H1R and bradykinin receptors B1R and B2R, alone or in combination to rupatadine, a second generation antihistamine agent. read more
In this prospective clinical study, the Q-Switched Nd:YAG 1064 nm/532 nm laser (Light Age, Inc., Somerset, NJ, USA) was used on 131 onychomycosis subjects (94 females, 37 males; ages 18 to 68 years). Mycotic cultures were taken and fungus types were detected. The laser protocol included two sessions with a one-month interval. Treatment duration was approximately 15 minutes per session and patients were observed over a 3-month time period. Laser fluencies of 14 J/cm(2) were applied at 9 billionths of a second pulse duration and at 5 Hz frequency. Follow-up was performed at 3 months with mycological cultures. Before and after digital photographs were taken. Adverse effects were recorded and all participants completed "self-evaluation questionnaires" rating their level of satisfaction. All subjects were well satisfied with the treatments, there were no noticeable side effects, and no significant differences were found treating men versus women. At the 3-month follow-up 95.42% of the patients were laboratory mycologically cured of fungal infection. This clinical study demonstrates that fungal nail infections can be effectively and safely treated with Q-Switched Nd:YAG 1064 nm/532 nm laser. It can also be combined with systemic oral antifungals providing more limited treatment time. read more
There are poorly documented variations in the journey a skin cancer patient will follow from diagnosis to treatment in the European Union. read more
A wide variety of both surgical and nonsurgical therapies is currently available for patients with skin cancer. read more
Age-associated skin lesions linked to UV radiation (UVR) include actinic keratosis, non-melanoma skin cancer-such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma-lentigo senilis and lentigo maligna. Their incidence is increasing worldwide, mainly due to exaggerated UV exposure and to an aging population. Early diagnosis and therapy of pre-malignant cutaneous lesions is crucial for the secondary prophylaxis of invasive and highly aggressive skin cancers. Combined efforts to increase public awareness, patient education about self-examination, prophylactic modalities, such as consistent and sufficient UV protection, and rigorous follow-up of high-risk groups are of highest importance. read more
Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is a rare genodermatosis considered a subtype of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and traditionally associated with mutations in the mismatch repair genes. read more
There is mounting evidence that tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is involved in the early phase of inflammatory response, but its relation to histamine action is unclear. In this study we examined the effect of drugs interfering with TNF expression (thalidomide) and activity (infliximab) and compared it to that of a H(1)R histamine receptor antagonist (loratadine) in a model of histamine-induced rat hind-paw oedema formation. Systemic administration of all three drugs effectively reduced the oedema formed by the subsequent transplantar administration of histamine into the rat paw, in a dose-dependent manner. The time-dependence of the effect exerted by thalidomide and infliximab was very similar to that of loratadine. Moreover, there appears no significant synergistic effect between infliximab and loratadine, suggesting that TNF is either a major modulator or a direct mediator of oedema formation induced by histamine, in the rat paw. read more
