Dermatologists have used tetracyclines since the 1950s to treat disorders that do not necessarily have an infectious aetiology. Their anti-inflammatory and anti-collagenase properties contribute significantly to their success in treating diseases such as rosacea and acne. This article reviews the non-antibiotic properties of tetracyclines and their clinical application in dermatology.

In remote areas, telemedicine services can improve the quality of access to specialist medical care and dermatology is well suited to the use of this technology. There is no published work on teledermatology services in Australia. Our purpose was to investigate the reliability of dermatological diagnoses obtained using a store and forward telemedicine system, which is being developed to offer specialist consultative services to patients in remote areas of Western Australia. We report on a small prospective non-randomized pilot study conducted at Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia which compared diagnoses reached following telemedicine consultations with diagnoses reached following traditional face-to-face consultations. In 25 out of 50 consultations, identical diagnoses were reached. In the remaining five cases, the preferred diagnosis and first differential diagnosis were reversed in order of preference. We feel this system is sufficiently promising to trial more extensively in the field.

Brachioradial pruritus (BRP) causes significant morbidity in the majority of patients for whom no effective treatment is found. Chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure has usually been cited as the cause, but nerve damage from cervical spine disease has also been implicated. We report on a small retrospective exploratory study, conducted by questionnaire, of a group of patients who were treated with a specific cervical spine manipulation. Ten of 14 patients reported resolution of symptoms following manipulative treatment. All six patients who had had previous cervical spine disease responded to manipulation, as did half the remaining eight patients who had no previous history of neck symptoms. Although patients with BRP, by definition, share similar symptoms, the aetiology is almost certainly multifactorial. Prospective studies looking for cervical spine disease, as well as assessment of this particular method of cervical spine manipulation as a treatment modality for BRP, should be considered.

Our results suggest that the introduction of the online modules described in this paper to support learning have improved the perceived educational experience of medical students and should be incorporated as a way to improve student teaching in the face of reduced clinic teaching.

We present a case of sclerosing lipogranuloma of the penis in a 25-year-old man of Burmese origin complicating injection of an unknown non-biodegradable oily foreign material into his external genitalia. Despite frequent complications, penile augmentation with exogenous paraffin material is still practised in some parts of the world. Sclerosing lipogranuloma is a rare condition in Australia that dermatologists need to consider in the differential of a genital ulcer or indurated penile mass, particularly in young men from South-East Asia. A causal relationship between the procedure and adverse events may not be made because complications are frequently delayed for many years. A high degree of clinical suspicion and a skin biopsy is essential, as a history of injection may not be disclosed.