BACKGROUND: Plantar warts, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, are a common skin condition on the plantar surface. Despite the availability of various treatments, achieving satisfactory outcomes remains elusive. This study explores a novel therapeutic approach combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) soaking therapy with cryotherapy to address this challenge.
METHODS: This study focuses on 3 patients who presented with multiple and giant plantar warts, each with a disease duration exceeding 2 years. These patients had undergone numerous unsuccessful cryotherapy treatments, leaving them with persistent and troublesome warts.
METHODS: All 3 patients were diagnosed with multiple and giant plantar warts caused by HPV infection.
METHODS: Following unsuccessful cryotherapies, the patients were administered TCM soaking therapy as an adjunct treatment.
RESULTS: Remarkably, all 3 patients achieved complete remission of their plantar warts within 2 to 4 months after combining cryotherapy with TCM soaking therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that relying solely on cryotherapy is insufficient for effectively treating plantar warts. The key to successful treatment lies in inhibiting wart proliferation and continuously thinning them, which can be achieved through soaking in TCM. This study demonstrates the potential of combining cryotherapy with TCM soaking as a novel and effective therapeutic approach for treating multiple and giant plantar warts.

暂无摘要。

Lichen planus is a chronic lichenoid dermatosis commonly encountered by dermatologists worldwide, affecting skin, mucosa, and scalp. The current case describes a rare variant of lichen planus, plantar lichen planus, in a 17-year-old male who presented with erythematous scaly plaques on the sole for two years associated with walking discomfort. The lesion was subjected to skin biopsy and a diagnosis of lichen planus was made considering the histopathological and clinical findings. Plantar lichen planus can often be misdiagnosed. Treating plantar lichen planus can be a therapeutic challenge and, thus, more insight is needed regarding treatment protocol or outcome of such cases.

暂无摘要。

Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a rare histological subtype of cutaneous malignant melanoma that typically presents on the palms and soles. To characterize the demographic and treatment characteristics of ALM, we used the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to describe a large multi-institutional cohort of ALM patients, consisting of 4,796 ALM patients from 2004 to 2015. ALM was more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage overall compared with non-ALM cutaneous melanomas, and more likely to be thicker, ulcerated, lymph node positive, and have lymphovascular invasion and positive margins. When stratified by stage, ALM had worse survival compared with non-ALM patients, most notably in stage III patients with 5-year survival of 47.5% versus 56.7%, respectively (p < .001). In ALM patients, older age, male sex, higher comorbidity burden, increased tumor thickness and ulceration, positive lymph nodes, and positive metastasis were independently associated with lower 5-year survival. Multimodality therapy, defined as surgery in addition to systemic therapy and/or radiation therapy, was associated with higher survival in stage III patients but not in other stages. These results call for further investigation into possible treatment intensification in the ALM population in the future.

Successful management of onychomycosis is a challenge because cure rates with most antifungals are relatively low and recurrence rates are high. A drug-based approach by treating the nail alone may not suffice. There are several host-related factors (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], and patient\'s quality of life), disease-related factors (disease severity, duration, and the number of toenails affected), and comorbidities (tinea pedis and diabetes) that may affect treatment efficacy. Here, we review the post hoc analyses of the phase III trials of efinaconazole 10% solution that have investigated the impact of these factors on topical therapy for toenail onychomycosis. The significant clinical variables that may affect the efficacy of efinaconazole include sex, BMI, disease severity, disease duration, and tinea pedis. As older patients may have slower toenail growth and more severe, longstanding disease compared with younger patients, they may require longer treatment duration, beyond the 48-week standard regimen. Treatment compliance may need to be discussed for an improved health outcome. Therefore, these prognostic factors need to be carefully evaluated, which may aid in formulating individualized therapy to maximize treatment success.

暂无摘要。

The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic has been associated with a new constellation of cutaneous features in children. Among the unusual dermatologic presentations are the so-called COVID toes, inflammatory nodules of the feet and toes, sometimes involving the hands and fingers. These lesions mimic acral pernio, the synonym being chilblains. Unlike adult patients with COVID toes, children are less likely to manifest symptomatic COVID-19. Although a few studies have found some linkage to COVID-19 through the serum IgA or IgG severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein, other studies have no demonstrable linkage suggesting that barefoot children in cold weather develop such lesions. It appears that the chilblain-like lesions related to the period of the COVID-19 pandemic may reflect a brisk immune response portending a good prognosis and perhaps some form of innate immunity. The possible need to screen for coagulopathy is unclear, but this has been suggested in one report. Until we fully understand the pattern of immune response to COVID-19, questions may persist as to how disease manifestations are linked to SARS-CoV-2 exposures.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease related to HLA-DR8. Susceptibility to onychomycosis has been found in Mexican mestizos with HLA-DR8. The frequency of onychomycosis in this neurological disease is unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of onychomycosis and its clinical, mycological, and dermoscopic characteristics in patients with MS in comparison with the general population.
METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional, case-control study in patients with MS from October 2017 to February 2018. Age, gender, MS type, and time of progression from diagnosis to date and baseline treatment were collected after signed informed consent. A neurological exploration and clinical examination of fingernails and toenails for onychomycosis was conducted. Mycological and dermoscopic studies of the infected nails were performed on patients with clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis. A healthy control group was taken for each case (1:1), paired by age and gender.
RESULTS: The frequency of onychomycosis in patients with MS was higher than the healthy population (32% vs. 26%, P = 0.509). A higher frequency of non-dermatophyte fungi was found, although it was not statistically significant. The clinical manifestations and dermoscopic findings in patients with MS and onychomycosis were similar to those of the general population.
CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of onychomycosis in patients with MS is slightly higher than that of the general population. A possible association of HLA-DR8 as a susceptibility factor for onychomycosis is proposed. The etiology of opportunistic fungi in MS patients with onychomycosis may be related to immunosuppressive treatment.

Fosravuconazole L-lysine ethanolate (F-RVCZ), a ravuconazole prodrug, is a newly available agent with high expectations for efficacy in the treatment of onychomycosis. However, clinical data regarding the efficacy of F-RVCZ are limited because the drug was launched only in Japan in 2018. Therefore, we analyzed the outcome of F-RVCZ therapy in the treatment of onychomycosis at outpatient dermatology clinics in Japan. We examined data for 109 patients (68 male, 41 female) with varying clinical type, including total dystrophic onychomycosis and dermatophytoma, and a wide range of age groups, including the elderly. The complete cure rate at 12 weeks was 6.4% (7/109) and 67.9% (74/109) at the last visit (mean time to last visit: 32 ± 14.2 weeks). Mean rate of improvement in the affected nail area was 49.1 ± 23.3% at 12 weeks and 86.8 ± 22.4% at the last visit. Efficacy at 12 weeks and the last visit, respectively, was as follows: none, 4 cases and 1 case; slight, 35 cases and 4 cases; moderate, 51 cases and 21 cases; significant, 12 cases and 9 cases; complete cure, 7 cases and 74 cases. There were no serious adverse events. This retrospective survey was the first large-scale analysis of actual clinical practice outcomes and had minimal exclusions. Compared to previous reports, our results demonstrated excellent efficacy of F-RVCZ therapy in a variety of patients. Considering our results and the ease of oral administration (1 capsule/day for 12 weeks) and few adverse events, F-RVCZ therapy appears to be a useful option for the treatment of onychomycosis.