The British journal of dermatology
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Teledermatology systems fall into two categories: live video or store-and-forward. In the former, video-conferencing equipment is used to connect a patient with a remote consultant. This method has been evaluated as an aid to dermatology, but it is expensive both in terms of capital and running costs. Video consultations are generally longer than conventional ones and harder to schedule. Some authors have considered store-and-forward as an alternative to live video: instead of a consultation, specialists could make a rapid inspection of a transmitted still image. ⋯ The images allowed a reasonably accurate diagnosis. The software was not reliable (six cases could not be viewed), or easy to use (it took approximately an hour to view 20 cases) but an improved version could be used in triaging outpatient appointments.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Treatment of psoriasis with oral liarozole: a dose-ranging study.
Liarozole is an inhibitor of the metabolism of all-trans-retinoic acid. Systemic administration increases tissue levels of this endogenous retinoid and has been reported to improve psoriasis in an open, uncontrolled study. ⋯ The data confirm that liarozole is an effective treatment for psoriasis and indicate that the lowest effective dose is 75 mg twice daily. The drug seems generally to be well tolerated.
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Many patients with psoriasis are known to suffer from itch. However, the data available regarding itch and its characteristics in psoriasis are sparse. ⋯ Pruritus is a common feature of psoriasis and affects quality of life.
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Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates the mitogenesis of various cells and plays a key part in wound healing. ⋯ bFGF may affect the proliferation, differentiation and migration of regenerated keratinocytes and the recruitment of inflammatory cells, as well as neovascularization in granulation tissue during wound healing. Macrophages may play a pivotal role in cutaneous wound repair by producing bFGF not only during the inflammatory or proliferative stages but also during the remodelling stage.