Katie R. Pang

Thalidomide: dermatological indications, mechanisms of action and side-effects.

Thalidomide was first introduced in the 1950s as a sedative but was quickly removed from the market after it was linked to cases of severe birth defects. However, it has since made a remarkable comeback for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration‐approved use in the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum. Further, it has shown its effectiveness in unresponsive dermatological conditions such as actinic prurigo, adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis, aphthous stomatitis, Behçets syndrome, graft‐versus‐host disease, cutaneous sarcoidosis, erythema multiforme, Jessner–Kanof lymphocytic infiltration of the skin, Kaposi sarcoma, lichen planus, lupus erythematosus, melanoma, prurigo nodularis, pyoderma gangrenosum and uraemic pruritus. This article reviews the history, pharmacology, mechanism of action, clinical uses and adverse effects of thalidomide.

Subcutaneous fungal infections

ABSTRACT:  Subcutaneous mycoses are caused by a variety of mostly tropical organisms, usually when they are implanted into the dermis or the subcutaneous tissue. They rarely disseminate or become systemic. Sporotrichosis, mycetoma, and chromoblastomycosis are more common subcutaneous mycoses than are rhinosporidiosis, zygomycosis, pheohyphomycosis, and lobomycosis.

Therapy of common superficial fungal infections.

ABSTRACT:  Superficial fungal infections are common, especially onychomycosis, dermatophytoses, and superficial Candida infections. Most superficial fungal infections are treated with topical antifungal agents unless the infection covers an extensive area or is resistant to initial therapy. Onychomycosis often requires systemic therapy with griseofulvin, itraconazole, or terbinafine. The objective of this review is to provide the practicing dermatologist with the recommended available therapy for the treatment of common superficial fungal infections.

Biological and clinical basis for molecular studies of interferons.

The cytokine family of interferons (IFNs) has multiple functions, including antiviral, antitumor, and immunomodulatory effects and regulation of cell differentiation. The multiple functions of the IFN system are thought to be an innate defense against microbes and foreign substances. The IFN system consists first of cells that produce IFNs in response to viral infection or other foreign stimuli and second of cells that establish the antiviral state in response to IFNs. This process of innate immunity involves multiple signaling mechanisms and activation of various host genes. Viruses have evolved to develop mechanisms that circumvent this system. IFNs have also been used clinically in the treatment of viral diseases. Improved treatments will be possible with better understanding of the IFN system and its interactions with viral factors. In addition, IFNs have direct and indirect effects on tumor cell proliferation, effector leukocytes and on apoptosis and have been used in the treatment of some cancers. Improved knowledge of how IFNs affect tumors and the mechanisms that lead to a lack of response to IFNs would help the development of better IFN treatments for malignancies.

Therapy of systemic fungal infections

ABSTRACT:  The incidence of both community‐acquired and nosocomial fungal infections has significantly increased over the past several decades. The major factors for this increase are a heightened use of antibiotics, a growing population of the elderly and of immunocompromised patients as a result of HIV, cancer, and organ transplantation. In this article, we will review the indications, efficacy, and safety of the polyenes, imidazoles, triazoles, and other systemic antifungals in development that are used for systemic fungal infections.

Emerging therapies for herpes viral infections (types 1 - 8).

There are eight members of the herpesviridae family: herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein–Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpes virus-6, human herpes virus-7 and human herpes virus-8. The diseases caused by viruses of the herpesviridae family are treated with and managed by systemic and topical antiviral therapies and immunomodulating drugs. Because these viruses establish a latent state in hosts, antiherpetic agents, such as nucleoside analogues, only control symptoms of disease or prevent outbreaks, and cannot cure the infections. There is a need for treatments that require less frequent dosing, can be taken even when lesions are more advanced than the first signs or symptoms, and can treat resistant strains of the viruses without the toxicities of existing therapies. Immunomodulating agents, such as resiquimod, can act on the viruses indirectly by inducing host production of cytokines, and can thereby reduce recurrences of herpes. The new helicase primase inhibitors, which are the first non-nucleoside antiviral compounds, are being investigated for treatment of HSV disease, including infections resistant to existing therapy.