Isr Med Assoc J
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Clinical Trial
Low dose methotrexate therapy is effective in late-onset atopic dermatitis and idiopathic eczema.
Atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema is an itchy inflammatory skin condition with a predilection of the skin flexures. Most cases start in children although some have been reported in adults. Patients with moderate to severe disease refractory to topical corticosteroid or calcineurin inhibitors may require second-line treatment such as phototherapy or systemic immunosuppressants. Methotrexate therapy has been suggested as a useful immunosuppressant in adult atopic dermatitis. ⋯ Low dose methotrexate is an effective therapeutic alternative for late-onset atopic dermatitis or idiopathic eczema in patients unresponsive to local and other systemic therapies.
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Dupuytren's disease is a fibroproliferative disorder of the palmar fascia that can cause disabling digital contractures. The pathogensis of the disease is still unclear, and it afflicts predominantly white males of northern European origin. Gender-related differences of Dupuytren's disease and the distinctive characteristics of the disease in females are not yet well defined. ⋯ Further investigations are needed to assess the potential role of androgens in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's disease, and a possible protective role of estrogenic hormones, rendering Dupuytren's contracture a postmenopausal affliction.