In the present investigation, the benefit of physical training in patients with inflammatory myopathy was studied. In this prospective, randomized, controlled study, 14 patients with polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM) were investigated. The training, consisting of bicycle exercise and step aerobics, took place over a 6 week period. Baseline and endpoint measurements included an 'activities of daily living' (ADL) score, peak isometric torque (PIT) generated by muscle groups in the lower extremities, peak oxygen consumption (VO2max), and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels. There was no significant rise in disease activity in the training group in comparison to the controls. The ADL score for the treatment group, in comparison to the control group, improved (P < 0.02), PIT rose (P < 0.05) and there was a statistically significant increase in oxygen uptake relative to body weight (P < 0.05). No rise in inflammatory activity, but significant improvement in muscle strength, oxygen uptake and well-being, were found in patients with inflammatory myopathy as a result of physical training. Besides medication, a physical training programme consisting mainly of concentric muscle contractions should therefore be an integral part of therapy, particularly in view of the cardiopulmonary risk of these patients.

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In patients with severe chronic atopic dermatitis (AD), both photochemotherapy [psoralen ultraviolet A (PUVA)] and narrow-band (TL-01) UV B phototherapy have been reported to be very effective. As no data exist on the relative therapeutic efficacy of these two regimens, we performed a randomized investigator-blinded half-side comparison study on 12 patients with severe chronic AD. Half-side irradiation with threshold erythemogenic doses of 8-methoxypsoralen bath-PUVA and narrow-band UVB was performed three times weekly over a period of 6 weeks. The severity of the disease was assessed separately for the paired halves of the patients' bodies by a modified SCORAD score at baseline and after 2, 4 and 6 weeks of treatment. Ten of the 12 patients completed the trial. All but one showed marked improvement or complete remission with both treatments. The mean baseline SCORAD score decreased by 65.7% by the bath-PUVA treatment and by 64.1% by the narrow-band UVB treatment (P = 0.48). No serious adverse reactions to either of the two regimens were observed. Our data confirm the high efficacy of bath-PUVA and narrow-band UVB phototherapy in the treatment of patients with chronic severe AD. Both regimens appear to be equally effective when administered in equi-erythemogenic doses.

Narrow-band UVB phototherapy appears to be a very effective and safe treatment option for patients with severe seborrhoeic dermatitis.