Pathology

In 2003, multiple studies were conducted on various skin conditions and their treatments. A retrospective review of 120 patients found that antihypertensive agents were most commonly implicated in drug-induced cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), with most patients seeing improvement within 8 weeks of discontinuing the offending drug. Other studies examined steroid-induced hypersensitivity, arsenicosis in Bangladesh, diabetic foot ulcers, neonatal herpes simplex virus infection, pediatric vasculitis, scleroderma in children, and a varicella outbreak at a daycare center. Research also focused on the transmission of vaccinia virus, the efficacy of a glycoprotein D vaccine against genital herpes simplex virus, and a vaccine against human papillomavirus type 16. A study on 113 psoriasis patients found that thrice-weekly NB-UVB phototherapy was more effective than twice-weekly treatment. Another study on 130 patients identified Disperse Blue dyes and Disperse Orange 3 as common sensitizers in hand dermatitis. Research on psoriasis suggested that monoclonal antibodies were effective in treatment, and a study of 789 psoriasis patients found a strong association between smoking and/or drinking and psoriasis in men. Two studies on primary nodular basal cell carcinoma found that 5% imiquimod cream applied daily resulted in high clearance rates. Lastly, a study on 194 females with chronic diffuse telogen hair loss found no direct relationship between low serum ferritin and hair loss.