Herpetic eye disease, termed herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK), is a potentially blinding infection of the cornea that results in over 300,000 clinical visits each year for treatment. Between 1 and 2 percent of those patients with clinical disease will experience loss of vision of the infected cornea. The vast majority of these cases are the result of reactivation of a latent infection by herpes simplex type I virus and not due to acute disease. Interestingly, the acute infection is the model most often used to study this disease. However, it was felt that a recurrent model of HSK would be more reflective of what occurs during clinical disease. The recurrent animal models for HSK have employed both rabbits and mice. The advantage of rabbits is that they experience reactivation from latency absent any known stimulus. That said, it is difficult to explore the role that many immunological factors play in recurrent HSK because the rabbit model does not have the immunological and genetic resources that the mouse has. We chose to use the mouse model for recurrent HSK because it has the advantage of there being many resources available and also we know when reactivation will occur because reactivation is induced by exposure to UV-B light. Thus far, this model has allowed those laboratories using it to define several immunological factors that are important to this disease. It has also allowed us to test both therapeutic and vaccine efficacy. Video LinkThe video component of this article can be found at

Palmoplantar psoriasis is a variant form of psoriasis that characteristically affects the skin of the palms and soles. It is chronic and inflammatory in nature and presents with hyperkeratotic, pustular, or mixed morphologies. Painful fissuring and bleeding may occur, which produces significant physical, functional, and social disability. Palmoplantar psoriasis is a therapeutically challenging condition and notoriously difficult to treat with topical therapy alone. Furthermore, limited data exist on treatment given that patients are typically excluded from clinical trials, which often require at least 10% body surface area (BSA) involved as an inclusion criterion. This article reviews the topical and systemic agents including biologics that have been investigated in the treatment of palmoplantar psoriasis. Combination therapy, comprising topical, systemic, and/or light treatments, with a particular focus on improvement in function and pain reduction, appears to be the most effective approach in treating these patients.

This study provides evidence that sFasL treatment has potential therapeutic benefit in reducing inflammatory infiltrate and neovascularization in primary and recurrent forms of HSK, and that it does so by augmenting the restriction of Fas+ inflammatory cells mediated by membrane FasL.

In patients with postsurgical scalp defects with exposed calvarium, collagen xenograft placement may expedite second-intention healing and offer other advantages in the elderly population.

Cosmetic and laser procedures are increasingly popular among patients and are skills in which dermatologists are regarded as well trained. Most dermatology residents intend to incorporate cosmetic procedures into their practice and prefer to learn such procedures during residency through direct patient care. However, there are notable challenges in optimizing how residents are trained in cosmetic and laser dermatology. To address these barriers and elevate the practice of cosmetic dermatology in academic medicine, the Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatology (AACD) was founded in 2021 as the lead professional society for dermatologists who direct the education of resident trainees in cosmetic and laser dermatology. The AACD, a group of board-certified dermatologists who teach cosmetic and laser dermatology to residents, aims to improve cosmetic dermatology education through collaboration, research, and advocacy.