No abstract

Introduction. Intralesional purified protein derivative (PPD) is an affordable therapeutic option that has been studied for cutaneous warts. However, the lack of good evidence precludes its widespread use. Objective. To determine the efficacy and safety of intralesional PPD in the treatment of cutaneous warts. Methods. A systematic search for controlled clinical trials comparing intralesional PPD and placebo or any conventional therapy was conducted using electronic databases. The included studies were assessed for risk of bias, and data such as clearance rate of target and distant lesions, recurrence rate, and adverse events were extracted. Analysis was done through RevMan v5.3 Results. Four controlled clinical trials composed of 205 patients were included. All of the studies compared intralesional PPD to placebo as comparator. Intralesional PPD had a significantly higher clearance rate of target wart (RR=0.43[0.22,0.84], P=0.01) and a significantly higher clearance rate of distant lesions (RR=0.59[0.41,0.85], P=0.005) as compared to placebo. However, there was no significant difference in the recurrence rate (RR=0 [-0.07,0.07], P=0.98). Adverse events reported were only considered minor. Conclusion. Intralesional PPD is an effective and safe treatment option for cutaneous warts. However, more well-structured RCTs with longer follow-up period and those comparing it with conventional treatment are needed to further support its use.

Acquired perforating dermatosis represents one of the perforating skin disorders showing transepidermal elimination of dermal contents. Dermoscopy showing concentric zones of a central keratotic plug, white-gray structureless area and peripheral brown pigmentation may aid in diagnosis and in sample selection for biopsy.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are two related mucocutaneous disorders with different severities. Although the incidence is low, SJS and TEN are life-threatening and predominantly drug-induced conditions. There is a strong relationship between the allele and carbamazepine-induced SJS and TEN in different Southeast Asian populations. Here, we report a case of Filipino with SJS/TEN overlap probably induced by carbamazepine. The condition was treated with hydrocortisone followed by prednisone. The allele was not found in this case. The patient tested positive for the HLA-B75 serotype, suggesting that carbamazepine-induced SJS/TEN may be serotype specific. Establishing the genotype before initiation of the drug may be advantageous for some patients and will aid physicians in determining the optimal drug therapy. Prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADR) may be done if pharmacists and other healthcare professionals work as a multidisciplinary ADR team to ensure that safe medication practices are realised.