Surgery is the therapy of choice in the guidelines to treat basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) but a variety of non-surgical options are available. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ingenol mebutate 0.05% gel for the treatment of superficial BCCs. We accepted twenty patients with superficial BCCs on the body and we treated them once daily for two consecutive days with ingenol mebutate 0.05% gel. We examined the lesions at the screening visit and after four days from the gel application to describe the local skin reaction due to the therapy. Then we followed the patients after two and six months from the first visit. All the lesions were clinically and dermoscopically documented with a digital camera and we used the LSR (local skin reaction) grading scale based on a 0-4 numerical index of severity with specific clinical parameters and a characteristic photographic image for each rating, to assess the local side effects related to the therapy.

In our experience, the new water-soluble nail lacquer proved to be effective in decreasing signs and symptoms of nail dystrophy in psoriatic patients. The effect was particularly evident on NAPSI and on pitting. The product was very well accepted by the patients.

BackgroundNail psoriasis occurs in up to 50% of patients affected by psoriasis, with a significant impact on quality of life that leads to a real clinical need for new therapeutic options.AimTo confirm whether the strengthening and hardening properties of the hydroxypropyl-chitosan (HPCH) nail lacquer could improve the structure of the nail plates on psoriatic nails.Materials and methodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel-group trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a hydrosoluble nail lacquer containing HPCH, Equisetum arvense, and methylsulfonylmethane on nail psoriasis. The test product or a placebo was applied once daily for 24 weeks to all fingernails. Efficacy assessments were performed on the target fingernail by means of the modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index score. A cut-off score of 4 was considered to define the clinical cure rate (ie, Cure ≤4, Failure >4).ResultsAfter 24 weeks, the clinical cure rate showed the statistically significant superiority of the HPCH nail lacquer compared to placebo in both the intention-to-treat (Fisher’s exact test, P=0.0445) and the per protocol population (Fisher’s exact test, P=0.0437). This superiority was already present after 16 weeks of treatment. Moreover, the analysis of the modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index-50 showed a statistically significant clinical improvement after 12 weeks of treatment in comparison to the results obtained after 8 weeks (Fisher’s exact test, P<0.05).ConclusionThe trial showed that HPCH nail lacquer could be a new, valid, effective, and safe option for decreasing the signs of nail dystrophy in psoriatic patients.

No abstract

- Psoriasis is one of the prevalent skin diseases in the World. This chronic condition has a significant negative impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). The Skindex-29 is a selfadministered questionnaire assessing QoL of patients with skin diseases in 3 domains: burden of symptoms, social functioning, and emotional responses. Recently, authors (Nijsten et al., 2006) have developed a short version made up by 17 item that measures two dimensions: burden of symptoms and psychosocial responses. The aim of present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the both versions: original (Skindex-29) and short version (Skindex-17). Confirmatory factor analyses, conducted on a group of 360 psoriasis patients, supported the construct validity of the Skindex-17. Adequate internal consistency and significant distress correlations were found. Overall results suggested that Skindex-17 represented a brief and easily administrable questionnaire as well as a useful tool for both clinicians and researchers interested to assess QoL of psoriasis patients.Key words: psoriasis, quality of life, measurement, skindex, confirmative analysesParole chiave: psoriasi, qualitŕ di vita, misura, skindex, analisi confermative