Nardo Zaias

BACKGROUND: 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.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus cream 1% versus vehicle twice a day in the treatment ...

A new method for assessing drug effectiveness in onychomycosis is presented. It is based on the clinical experience when three systemic antifungal drugs (griseofulvin, thiabendazole, and ketoconazole) are used against onychomycosis. These drugs act clinically as a barrier to the invasion of the fungus toward the proximal areas of the nail plate. A monthly quantity of normal nail plate should be produced by a given subject after the administration of an effective dose of the antifungal ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with tinea pedis often discontinue treatment before eradication of the fungus when their symptoms improve. The result is an incomplete cure/recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: Terbinafine, a topical fungicidal agent, was evaluated in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (159 patients) for its ability to achieve cure and relief of symptoms in the same time frame, that is, before compliance wanes.

METHODS: Mycologic characteristics (with potassium hydroxide examination and ...

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is an increasing problem with limited therapeutic options.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the safety and efficacy, of oral terbinafine, a new fungicidal antimycotic, in patients with toenail onychomycosis.

METHODS: A North American multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the mycologic and clinical efficacy of oral terbinafine 250 mg/day for 12 or 24 weeks in 358 patients with toenail onychomycosis.

RESULTS: A total of 74% of patients treated with ...

In separate multicentre, randomized, double-blind clinical trials, 1% ciclopirox olamine cream was compared with its cream vehicle and with 1% clotrimazole cream as treatment for tinea corporis and tinea cruris. Patients who demonstrated clinical and mycological findings consistent with the diagnoses of tinea corporis or tinea cruris were included in the study. Clinical and mycological evaluations were made pretreatment, at the end of each of the four weeks of treatment, and weekly for ...

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment of Trichophyton rubrum nail bed onychomycosis (or distal subungual onychomycosis [DSO]) with daily terbinafine for 12 weeks involves treating for a fixed period shorter than the time required for complete replacement of the nail bed and overlying nail plate by normal growth. The same total amount of terbinafine pulse-dosed for approximately 12 months would treat the patient until normal replacement of the mycotic nail bed has occurred.

OBJECTIVES: To ...

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is the most frequent cause of nail disease and represents 30% of all mycotic infections of the skin.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of intermittent dosing of itraconazole ("pulse therapy") with placebo in fingernail onychomycosis.

METHODS: Seventy-three patients with clinically and mycologically diagnosed fingernail onychomycosis were randomly selected to receive itraconazole, 200 mg twice daily, or placebo for the first ...

The nail anlage appears in fingers of embryos 9 weeks old.Externally the earliest recognizable nail structure is the primary nail field which is present in embryos at 10 weeks.The first nail structure to keratinize is the distal ridge and is seen in embryos as early as 11 weeks.The earliest matrix was found in the area of the lunula in embryos of 13 weeks.Differentiation of the matrix primordium cells into matrix cells occurs in a distal to proximal direction beginning from the lunula. ...

One hundred and eighty three abnormal toe nails were cultured for dermatophytes, molds, and yeasts. Incidence figures for all above mentioned organisms were obtained. In approximately 25% of the abnormal toe nails, dermatophytes were isolated. Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes were equally isolated. In approximately 25% of abnormal nails, no organisms were isolated. Non-dermatophytic fungi were commonly associated with abnormal nails (50%). Among these were: Arthroderma ...

BACTERIA of the Mima-Herellea group were not recognized as distinct and remained undescribed until 1942, when De Bord1 suggested the name Mimeae for a new tribe of gram-negative, nonmotile organisms which resembled Neisseria morphologically, but differed in biochemical characteristics. He named the two new organisms Mima polymorpha and Herellea vaginicola.During subsequent years, other authors reported similar organisms but gave them different names so that the situation became extremely ...

The clinical signs of lichen planus of the nails are reviewed. The inflammatory process of lichen planus may involve any or all of the four nail components; however, it may result in scarring of only the matrix with consequent obliteration of the correspondingly produced portions of the nail plate. Depending on the size of the lesion, intensity of inflammation, and scar produced, the nail plate changes may be permanent or temporary.Characteristically, one sees: (1) irregular, ...

The systemic treatment of superficial fungus infections in man at last seems a near reality. Although the polyene antibiotics derived from streptomyces were a significant advance in antifungal chemotherapy against the yeast-like fungi, they failed to influence the common dermatomycoses.1 Recent studies demonstrating the influence of serum factors in superficial fungous infections illustrated the importance of blood-borne substances in confining cutaneous invasion by dermatophytes.2,15 ...

Disability from skin diseases among American troops in Vietnam engaged in combat in warm wet areas is often the greatest medical cause of noneffectiveness. Infections are the leading causes of cutaneous disease.The most common infection is produced by a griseofulvin-sensitive elastase producing Trichophyton mentagrophytes but other dermatophytes and Candida albicans are also frequent.Modern treatment has reduced medical evacuation in comparison with World War II. The statistics give ...