Stephan Anthony Billstein

Terbinafine vs. placebo for onychomycosis in black patients.

Eight US centers enrolled in a multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group trial comparing the efficacy of 12, 16, and 24 weeks of oral therapy with terbinafine, 250 mg/day, and placebo in patients aged 18 to 75 years with both a positive KOH wet mount and mycologic culture of one or more dermatophytes from the large toenail, designated as the target toenail, or another infected toenail if no large toenail was infected. Primary exclusion criteria included: systemic antifungal therapy during the previous 3 months; topical antifungal therapy for the infected toenail(s) during the previous month; white superficial toenail onychomycosis; immunosuppression or immunodeficiency, including known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; hepatic enzymes >1.5 times the upper limit of normal at screening; and any marked laboratory abnormalities.

DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF HEAD LICE INFESTATIONS IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY SCHOOL CHILDREN

ABSTRACT: Head lice infestations have become a problem in school children in Sacramento County. An open study was conducted to determine how widespread head lice infestations were among preschool and elementary school children in Sacramento County and to see how effective a newly marketed over‐the‐counter pediculicide containing 0.3% pyrethrins synergized by 3.0% piperonyl butoxide was. The public health nurse for this study visited the homes of all reported patients infested with head lice. She verified and provided the pyrethrins‐based treatment for 248 children, aged 6 months to 12 years. The children were Caucasian, Mexican‐American, black and other ethnic backgrounds and from low, middle and upper income levels. All the patients were successfully treated, and the school children were able to return to their classes in a short time.