Improved erythema and decreased blister formation in dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa following treatment with pulsed dye laser.

Dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DDEB), an inherited disorder due to type VII collagen mutations, is characterized by blisters and erosions that heal with scarring, atrophy, and milia. There is no established role for laser in the management of patients with DDEB. Pulsed dye laser (PDL) is most often used to target vascular skin lesions. We describe a patient with DDEB with marked improvement in erythema as well as fewer and less symptomatic episodes of blistering following treatment with PDL.

A pediatric approach to management of skin growths in basal cell nevus syndrome.

Little guidance on management of basal cell nevus syndrome in children exists. We report a case series of four patients diagnosed with BCNS in early childhood, in whom several highly suspicious lesions were biopsied, but several smaller and questionably concerning lesions were treated with therapies that are more tolerable for children, including topical imiquimod, 5-fluorouracil, cryotherapy, or touch electrodessication following topical anesthetic cream. These therapies were well tolerated, and all residual or persistent lesions were subsequently biopsied and found to be benign. This approach is often preferable for pediatric BCNS patients, in whom concerning lesions can be identified clinically and managed compassionately. However, any lesion that exhibits growth, bleeding, or symptoms should be biopsied for definitive diagnosis.

Comparative effectiveness of treatment of actinic keratosis with topical fluorouracil and imiquimod in the prevention of keratinocyte carcinoma: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil compared with that of imiquimod for preventing keratinocyte carcinoma is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil and that of imiquimod in preventing keratinocyte carcinoma in a real-world practice setting. METHODS: We identified 5700 subjects who filled prescriptions for 5-fluorouracil or imiquimod for treatment of actinic keratosis in 2007. An intention-to-treat analysis controlling for potential confounding variables was used to calculate 2- and 5-year cumulative risk differences for subsequent keratinocyte carcinoma overall and in field-treated areas. RESULTS: 5-Fluorouracil was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of any keratinocyte carcinoma compared with imiquimod (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-0.97), but there were no significant differences in risk by tumor subtype (for squamous cell carcinoma: aHR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.74-1.07; for basal cell carcinoma: aHR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.74-1.03) or site-specific keratinocyte carcinoma (aHR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.81-1.14). There were no significant differences in 2- or 5-year cumulative risk of keratinocyte carcinoma among those treated with 5-fluorouracil versus with imiquimod. LIMITATIONS: Generalizability to other practice settings may be limited. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas 5-fluorouracil was more effective in reducing keratinocyte carcinoma risk overall, we found no differences in the short- or long-term risk of subsequent site-specific keratinocyte carcinoma in a real-world practice setting.

Chemical vapor deposition of hexagonal boron nitride on germanium from borazine.

The growth of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) directly onto semiconducting substrates, like Ge and Ge on Si, promises to advance the integration of hBN into microelectronics. However, a detailed understanding of the growth and characteristics of hBN islands and monolayers on these substrates is lacking. Here, we present the growth of hBN on Ge and Ge epilayers on Si via high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition from borazine and study the effects of Ge sublimation, surface orientation, and vicinality on the shape and alignment of hBN islands. We find that suppressing Ge sublimation is essential for growing high quality hBN and that the Ge surface orientation and vicinality strongly affect hBN alignment. Interestingly, 95% of hBN islands are unidirectionally aligned on Ge(111), which may be a path toward metal- and transfer-free, single-crystalline hBN. Finally, we extend the growth time and borazine partial pressure to grow monolayer hBN on Ge and Ge epilayers on Si. These findings provide new insights into the growth of high-quality hBN on semiconducting substrates.

Sex-based differences in the anatomic distribution of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common malignancy in the United States, and its incidence is increasing. Ultraviolet radiation is the main environmental risk factor for cSCCs; thus, they tend to arise on sun-exposed skin. Most publications cite the head and neck as the predominant location for cSCCs, but these papers do not account for the differential anatomic predication of cSCCs by sex. No prior studies have examined the differential distribution of cSCCs by sex, particularly invasive cSCCs that have the potential for recurrence and metastasis. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between cSCC tumor features, including anatomic site and invasiveness, by key patient features, including age and sex. METHODS: Using an institutional cSCC registry, we identified 618 non-Hispanic white patients diagnosed with 2,111 histologically-confirmed cSCCs between 2000-2016. RESULTS: We found differential anatomic distributions of cSCC by patient sex. Men were more likely to have cSCCs arise on the head and neck (51.7%), whereas women were more likely to have cSCCs develop on the lower extremity (41.2%). Stratification by dichotomized age (younger [<65 years] vs. older [≥65 years]) revealed that nearly half of invasive cSCCs (47.7%) among older women arose on the lower extremities, whereas approximately half of the invasive cSCCs (52.4%) arose on the head and neck among older men. CONCLUSION: Lower extremities can be easily overlooked, particularly when practitioners perform waist-up-only skin examinations in time-limited settings. Understanding the anatomic predilection for invasive cSCCs by patient characteristics, including our findings, which suggest that the lower extremities are an important anatomic site for invasive cSCCs among women, can help further inform skin cancer screening and prevention efforts.