Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Dec 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyVaccination strategies for the prevention of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
Herpes zoster disease and its most common complication, postherpetic neuralgia, are associated with significant morbidity in the elderly. The zoster vaccine boosts cell-mediated immunity to varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes both varicella and herpes zoster. ⋯ Widespread use of this vaccine could prevent as many as a quarter of a million cases of zoster disease each year. The design and outcomes of the Shingles Prevention Study, which examined the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and the rationale for widespread immunization against varicella-zoster virus, are presented here.
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Jun 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyTreatment of pruritus with topically applied opiate receptor antagonist.
Pruritus is the most common and distressing skin symptom, and treatment of itch is a problem for thousands of people. The currently available therapies are not very effective. Therefore there is an urgent need to find new effective topical drugs against itching. ⋯ The placebo-controlled study showed a significant advantage of topically applied naltrexone over the placebo formulation. This finding is supported by the biopsy results from the open studies, showing a regulation of MOR expression in epidermis after treatment with topical naltrexone, especially in atopic dermatitis. These results clearly show potential for topically applied opioid receptor antagonist in the treatment of pruritus. The placebo formulation also had some antipruritic effects. This underlines the importance of rehydration therapy for dry skin in the treatment of pruritus.
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Oct 2005
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe incidence of major complications from Mohs micrographic surgery performed in office-based and hospital-based settings.
There has been significant interest in the safety of office-based surgery. ⋯ Mohs micrographic surgery and repair of associated defects can be safely performed in either an office- or hospital-based setting.
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Dec 2004
Multicenter StudySensitivity and specificity of reflectance-mode confocal microscopy for in vivo diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma: a multicenter study.
The current standard diagnostic procedure for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is histologic examination after invasive biopsy. Reflectance-mode confocal microscopy (RCM) offers noninvasive high-resolution imaging of human skin in vivo. ⋯ RCM offers a sensitive and specific tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of BCC in vivo.
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Nov 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialPimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of intertriginous psoriasis: a double-blind, randomized study.
Inverse psoriasis can be difficult to treat because of the high sensitivity of intertriginous areas to cutaneous side effects, such as irritation and striae. Pimecrolimus, a well-tolerated, nonatrophogenic, skin-selective inflammatory cytokine inhibitor, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis when applied topically under occlusion. ⋯ Pimecrolimus cream 1% is an effective treatment for inverse psoriasis with a rapid onset of action, and is safe and well-tolerated.