background. The effectiveness of partial nail avulsion followed by matricectomy with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser for the treatment of ingrown great toenails remains unclear. objective. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of partial nail avulsion followed by matricectomy with sharpulse CO 2 laser in the treatment of recurrent ingrown great toenails associated with granulation tissue. materials and methods. Fourteen patients with a total of 18 recurrent ingrown great toenails were randomly selected for participation in this study. Partial nail avulsions followed by matricectomy with sharpulse CO 2 laser were performed on the involved nails. After at least 6 months, we evaluated the recurrence of ingrown toenails, regrowth of the nail spike, duration of post-treatment pain and post-treatment infection. results. Partial nail avulsion followed by matricectomy with sharpulse CO 2 laser in the treatment of ingrown toenails resulted in a high cure rate, short postoperative pain duration and low risk of postoperative infection. conclusion. This method we advocate is convenient and effective for the treatment of recurrent ingrown great toenail associated with granulation tissue. K-c. YANG AND Y-t. LI HAVE INDICATED NO SIGNIFICANT INTEREST WITH COMMERCIAL SUPPORTERS.

Detailed etiologies of first-attack urticaria in children in central Taiwan were analyzed. Most importantly, we found that there was a decrease in the prevalence of various infections as causative factors as the age of the children increased. The etiologies of foods and medications were more prevalent in adolescents than in younger children.

a b s t r a c tBackground: Psoriasis, a disturbing dermatological disorder, often results in ongoing disease and disability. However, relatively little has been published quantifying the quality of life (QoL) of patients with psoriasis in Taiwan.Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the impact of psoriasis on the QoL of patients and to explore determinant factors. Methods: A total of 200 patients, 100 patients with psoriasis and 100 patients with general skin diseases, were asked to fulfill a QoL questionnaire modified from Skindex-16 to include an additional five items pertaining to occupational impact. The clinical data were collected and the severity of psoriasis was evaluated with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score. The data were examined to ascertain factors that impact the QoL in patients with psoriasis. Results: Compared with patients with common skin disorders, patients with psoriasis experienced a deterioration of their QoL in the aspects of symptoms, emotions, daily life function and occupational scales. After further analysis, we noted that neither the severity of disease, duration of disease, age of patients, gender, educational level of patients, nor family history is the determinant factor that worsens their QoL. Instead, the site of the lesions, especially those on exposed areas including hand and facial involvement, has a tremendous impact on their QoL. Conclusions: Psoriasis has an appreciable effect on QoL, especially when it affects the hands and face. Of the four scales included in our study, the daily life function and occupational scales revealed the greatest effect. The sense of stigma may be the key factor that results in this outcome. To improve the QoL and therapeutic effects, a team needs to be constructed which includes dermatologists, psychologists, social workers, and help from the government is needed to accomplish the task.

BackgroundThe effect of visual arts interventions on development of empathy has not been quantitatively investigated. A study was conducted on the effect of a visual arts-based program on the scores of the Jefferson Scale for Physician Empathy (JSPE).MethodsA total of 110 clerks (n = 92) and first-year postgraduate residents (PGY1s) (n = 18) participating in the program were recruited into this study. The 4-hr program covered the subjects of learning to interpret paintings, interpreting paintings relating to medicine, illness and human suffering, the related-topics of humanitarianism and the other humanities fields and values and meaning. The JSPE was completed at the beginning (pretest) and the end (posttest) of the program.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the pretest and posttest JSPE scores. The average of the scores for the pretest was lower in the subgroup of PGY1s than the subgroup of clerks (p = 0.0358). An increased but not significantly mean posttest JESPE score was noted for the subgroup of PGY1s. Neither the females nor the males had higher posttest JSPE scores than the pretest scores.ConclusionsAlthough using a structured visual arts-based program as an intervention may be useful to enhance medical students’ empathy, our results failed to show a positive effect on the JSPE Scores for a group of clerks and PGY1s. This suggests that further experimental studies are needed if quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of visual-arts based programs on empathy is to be investigated.