The British journal of dermatology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Prophylactic antibiotics for the prevention of cellulitis (erysipelas) of the leg: results of the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network's PATCH II trial.
Cellulitis (erysipelas) of the leg is a common, painful infection of the skin and underlying tissue. Repeat episodes are frequent, cause significant morbidity and result in high health service costs. ⋯ Although this trial was limited by slow recruitment, and the result failed to achieve statistical significance, it provides the best evidence available to date for the prevention of recurrence of this debilitating condition.
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy of biologics in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Ustekinumab, a novel monoclonal antibody for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis, has recently received regulatory approval in Europe, bringing the total number of biologic agents licensed in this indication to five. To assist treatment selection in daily practice it is essential to understand the benefit/risk profile of these agents and in the absence of a clinical trial comparing all available biologics a number of reviews have used statistical techniques to generate estimates of the comparative effectiveness of these therapies through the available network of randomized clinical trials. These estimates have previously been published for a limited range of psoriasis biologic treatments, although, to date no review has compared all the currently available agents in Europe. ⋯ The ordered probit model allowed a quantitative comparison of all currently licensed biologics, providing estimates on comparative effectiveness and a suggested ranking of treatments that is of potential use to decision-makers. However, the analysis is based on indirect comparisons of the primary endpoint reported from short-term randomized trials.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Photodynamic therapy with BF-200 ALA for the treatment of actinic keratosis: results of a multicentre, randomized, observer-blind phase III study in comparison with a registered methyl-5-aminolaevulinate cream and placebo.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) or its methylester [methyl-5-aminolaevulinate (MAL) or 5-amino-4-oxopentanoate] was recently ranked as first-line therapy for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) and is an accepted therapeutic option for the treatment of neoplastic skin diseases. BF-200 ALA (Biofrontera Bioscience GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany) is a gel formulation of ALA with nanoemulsion for the treatment of AK which overcomes previous problems of ALA instability and improves skin penetration. ⋯ BF-200 ALA is a very effective, well-tolerated new formulation for AK treatment with PDT and is superior to a registered MAL medication. Efficacies and adverse events vary greatly with the different light sources used.