Plantar warts are common viral infection that are usually challenging in treatment. Conventional treatment methods are usually invasive, have low efficacy, and need long recovery periods. In this study, we compared pulsed dye laser (PDL) and neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar warts. The study included 46 patients with multiple plantar warts. In each patient, lesions were divided into two groups: one treated with Nd:YAG (spot size, 7 mm; energy, 100 J/cm(2); and pulse duration, 20 ms) and the other with PDL (spot size, 7 mm; energy, 8 J/cm(2); and pulse duration, 0.5 ms). Laser sessions were applied every 2 weeks with maximum of six sessions. The study included 63% males and 37% females with a mean age of 29.6 ± 7.34 years. The cure rate was 73.9% with PDL with no significant difference (p = 0.87) from Nd:YAG (78.3%). The number of sessions required was more in PDL (mean, 5.05 ± 0.2) compared with Nd:YAG (mean, 4.65 ± 0.5) but without significant difference. Complications were significantly higher with Nd:YAG (43.5%) compared with PDL (8.7%). Hematoma was the most common complication recorded by Nd:YAG (28.3 %), and it was significantly higher (p = 0.002) than PDL (2.2%). Relapse was recorded in 8.7% with Nd:YAG compared with 13% in PDL with no significant difference (p = 0.74). Our results suggested that PDL and Nd:YAG lasers are effective in the treatment of resistant plantar warts. PDL is safer and less painful but needs more sessions, while Nd:YAG is more painful and shows more complications.
Acne is a common disorder affecting the pilosebaceous unit. Despite many advances in the treatments of acne vulgaris the best option is still controversial as the pathogenesis of acne is rather complex, necessitating various combination therapies. The objective of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy of intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) versus benzoyl peroxide 5% for the treatment of inflammatory acne. Fifty patients of both sexes, (15 males and 35 females) aged (18-27 years), with mild-to-severe acne and Fitzpatrick skin phototype IV were enrolled in this study. The patients were equally divided into two groups. The first group was treated by benzoyl peroxide while the second group was treated by IPL. For both therapies, patients experienced a significant reduction in the mean of the inflammatory lesion counts over the treatment period. Comparing the effects of both therapies, BP produced better results than IPL. The difference in the results was statistically significant at the midpoint of the study. However, this difference was insignificant at the end of study. Treatment with both benzoyl peroxide and IPL resulted in considerable improvement of the acne after 5 weeks of treatment. Comparing the effects of both therapies, BP produced better results than IPL. The difference in the results was statistically significant at the midpoint of the study. However, this difference was insignificant at the end of study.
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by patches of depigmentation. Zinc is an antiapoptotic molecule that exhibits antioxidant properties. The study aimed to investigate the serum levels of zinc in vitiligo patients compared to healthy controls and to whether exists a correlation between disease severity and serum levels of zinc. Fifty patients with vitilgo (group A) and 50 age and sex matched healthy controls (group B) were recruited and serum zinc level was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and results were compared and correlated to each other and to disease severity and extension. The mean serum zinc levels in group A was 50.93 ± 11.02 in comparison to a mean of 77.09 ± 12.16 in group B (P = .049, T = −1.993). Vitiligo area severity index (VASI) scores in the vitiligo group ranged from 0.5 to 27 with a mean ± SD of (9.19 ± 4.47). A high statistically significant negative correlation was demonstrated between serum zinc levels and the extension of vitiligo (P value = .0001 and R value = − 0.835). A significant association exists between vitiligo and serum zinc levels. Serum zinc levels correlated negatively with vitiligo disease severity and extension. Zinc supplementation and use can be of potential importance in setting vitiligo treatment protocols.
Acrochordons (fibroepithelial polyps, skin tags, papillomas) are common benign neoplasms of the skin that had been associated with a number of factors such as familial predisposition, insulin resistance, obesity, senility, and gastrointestinal (GIT) upset. They commonly present as itchy polyps around the neck, axillae, and folds but can develop anywhere in the skin. [1][2][3] The exact cause of skin tags remains to be under investigation; however, hormonal implications had been a proposed factor and epidermal growth factor (EGF) and tissue growth factor (TGF). A number of skin lesions including skin tags were correlated with the existence of colonic polyps and neoplasms, but this remains controversial. 4 To date, a very few number of reports investigated the association of skin tags with colonic polyps, and yet results remain to be inconsistent with one another taking
Background: Psoriasis is a widespread systemic chronic cell immunemediated inflammatory condition of the nails, skin, and joints that affects adults and children of different age groups. The inability to initiate and/or sustain an adequate erection for satisfactory sexual performance is known as erectile dysfunction (ED).Aim of the study: The objective of this research is to measure serum ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in the periphery and penile blood to evaluate endothelial function in psoriasis patients with or without arteriogenic erectile dysfunction thus can serve as an early marker of endothelial cell injury and their possible future role in management of these disorders. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients with psoriasis and arteriogenic ED, thirty patients with arteriogenic ED and thirty healthy donors were subjected for measuring serum ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels in the periphery and penile blood as well as assessment of erectile function by Penile Dopplex ultrasound. Results: Psoriatic patients with arteriogenic ED had significantly higher serum ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels (more in penile than peripheral blood samples) than patients with arteriogenic ED only. And the difference reached high statistical significance between psoriatic patients with ED and healthy controls.
Conclusion:In psoriasis and erectile dysfunction, measurements of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in the serum could be used as indicators of clinical treatment and outcome, allowing for early therapy and avoidance of endothelial damage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.