Conventional, full-body phototherapy equipment is costly and therefore patients are usually treated in dermatology centres. Such office-based therapy is often not feasible for those patients who live far away from a phototherapy centre due to lost time and wages, inability to travel because of extensive skin disease, or prohibitive travel costs. Home phototherapy has emerged as a modality that meets the needs of those patients. Our aim was to review available studies on UV sources, treatment protocols, efficacy, and safety of home phototherapy. A literature review was conducted on PubMed using the terms "home" AND "phototherapy" AND ("guide" OR "approach" OR "review" OR "protocol"). From the data extracted, narrowband UVB (311 nm) offers the best balance between safety and efficacy and is recommended for home phototherapy by most authors. Treatment is safe and possible adverse effects are related to overexposure (erythema, blistering). The usual treatment protocol was administering treatments on alternating days, including weekends, with dosing based on the patient's Fitzpatrick skin type. We also provide information on the available home phototherapy systems in Canada and their reimbursement. Home phototherapy is underused in Canada. Narrowband UVB phototherapy sources equipped with a 3-dimensional panel provides a practical and safe option.
Condyloma acuminata, also known as anogenital warts, represent a cutaneous infection caused by sexual transmission of the human papilloma virus. We present a case of overwhelming condyloma acuminata that was treated successfully without surgery using only topical imiquimod 3.75% cream. The patient, a 66-year-old female, was referred to Dermatology for large protruding verrucous plaques that covered the entire surface of her external vulva, perineum and perianal area. These lesions developed after being treated for genital warts with cantharidin. Four other cases treated with imiquimod were identified in the literature but either required surgery, higher doses or longer duration of treatment or involved pediatric populations. In patients who are not amenable to surgery, topical imiquimod may be a novel standalone or an adjunctive therapy for giant condyloma acuminata.
GSM is a debilitating and common condition that suffers from barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Current treatments are well tolerated, rewarding, and effective with rapid onset.
PMOS TFTs built on flash lamp annealed polycrystalline silicon are presented. A thin layer of chromium is used as an adhesion promoter to prevent randomized voids from forming, allowing predictable grain growth in an elongated morphology oriented away from silicon mesa edges. Operational TFTs were realized, revealing that the Cr under-layer does not result in a significant conductance in parallel with the channel, and effectively serves as a barrier to glass contaminants. The methodology supports the production of TFTs with a high degree of electrical uniformity. Comparisons are made between electrical characteristics of transistors with grains oriented in the same direction as the channel carrier pathway versus those with perpendicular orientation; the former demonstrating approximately ten percent higher channel mobility. Process details and representative electrical characteristics are described.
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