Nir Nathansohn

Efficacy of a mucoadhesive patch compared with an oral solution for treatment of aphthous stomatitis.

AbstractObjective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a mucoadhesive patch compared with a pain-relieving oral solution for the treatment of aphthous stomatitis. Methods: Patients with active aphthous stomatitis were randomly treated either once a day with a mucoadhesive patch containing citrus oil and magnesium salts (n = 26) or three times a day with an oral solution containing benzocaine and compound benzoin tincture (n = 22). All patients were instructed to apply the medication until pain had resolved, and completed a questionnaire detailing multiple clinical parameters followed by an evaluation of the treatment. Results: The mucoadhesive patch was found to be more effective than the oral solution in terms of healing time (mean ± SD: 36.0 ± 22.8 hours vs 134.7 ± 57.7, p < 0.001) and pain intensity after 12 and 24 hours (3.7 ± 2.8 vs 6.3 ± 2.6, p = 0.003, and 2.3 ± 2.7 vs 5.7 ± 2.5, p < 0.001, respectively). Local adverse effects 1 hour after treatment were significantly (p < 0.01) less frequent among the mucoadhesive patch patients compared with the oral solution patients. Conclusions: The mucoadhesive patch was found to be significantly more effective and better tolerated than the oral solution in the treatment of aphthous stomatitis.

Toenail abnormalities and onychomycosis in chronic venous insufficiency of the legs : should we treat?

Background  Toenail manifestations of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) may often mimic the nail changes of onychomycosis. The current study aims to determine the frequency of toenails deformations in patients with CVI, onychomycosis prevalence among deformed toenails and the outcome of itraconazole treatment.

Ciclopirox nail lacquer for the treatment of onychomycosis : An open non-comparative study

Onychomycosis is a relatively common disease accounting for up to 50% of all nail disorders. Topical treatment, although less effective than systemic, is usually preferred by patients. Topical antifungal nail lacquers have been formulated to provide better delivery of the antifungal agent to the nail unit. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ciclopirox nail lacquer in the treatment of onychomycosis. Patients suffering from distal and lateral subungual toenail onychomycosis (DLSO) and lateral subungual onychomycosis (LSO) were treated by ciclopirox nail lacquer once daily for 9 months. Every week the nail lacquer was removed using acetone. Clinical nail status, KOH examination and mycological culture were recorded by the same investigator at 0, 3, 6 and 9 months. Thirty‐six patients completed the 9‐month regimen. Trichophyton rubrum was the most common pathogen. At the end of the study, good improvement to complete cure was observed in 13 patients (36%), 12 patients showed only mild to moderate improvement and 11 patients (31%) had no clinical improvement. No adverse effects were noted throughout the treatment period. Ciclopirox nail lacquer seems to be slightly more effective than other topical modalities and could be used in patients who cannot or do not want systemic treatment.

Itraconazole versus ketoconazole in the treatment of tinea versicolor

Tinea versicolor is a chronic superficial infection of the skin, caused by Malassezia furfur. The disease is recurrent and hard to eradicate with topical antifungal agents. In this study we compared the efficacy, safety and tolerability of three regimens of oral treatment for tinea versicolor: itraconazole 200 mg/day for 1 week, itraconazole 100 mg/ day for 2 weeks and ketoconazole 800 mg in 2 weekly doses of 400 mg. We randomly assigned 105 patients with extensive tinea versicolor to receive each of the three regimens and followed the patients for 16 weeks (a longer period than usual). At every visit, we checked the presence of tinea versicolor by direct KOH preparation and Woods lamp, and the presence of signs and symptoms of infection were recorded. Of the 105 patients, 89 completed the study, and no major side-effects were noted with any of the treatment regimens. Our results show that there were no significant differences in efficacy (cure rate), safety and tolerability between the three treatment r...

Open randomized comparison of different itraconazole regimens for the treatment of onychomycosis

Aims: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of four different itraconazole regimens in the treatment of toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes.Methods: The four treatment regimens were: 3 months and 4 months of continuous treatment (200 mg/day of itraconazole) vs 3 months and 4 months of pulse therapy (400 mg/day of itraconazole for 1 week every month). The follow-up period was for 48 weeks after the end of treatment.Results: A total of 66 patients completed the study. Only three patients (4.5%) had reversible abnormal liver function tests. No significant difference in cure rates was noted between the pulse and the continuous treatment regimens during the follow-up period. At 12 and 24 weeks after the end of treatment, more patients in the 4-month treatment groups were cured compared with the 3-month treatment groups. However, at the end of the follow-up period the cure rates levelled among the four different regimens.Conclusion: Itraconazole, in each of the regimens tested, proved to be efficie...

A novel two-step kit for topical treatment of tinea pedis – an open study

Background  Tinea pedis is a common skin disease affecting most of the population during their lifetime. Topical and systemic treatments give only temporary relief.