Bleomycin-Coated Microneedles for Treatment of Warts.

PURPOSE: Bleomycin-coated microneedles were devised for delivery of bleomycin into the sub-epidermal skin layer for the treatment of warts in order to provide patient convenience and reduce patient pain and fear. METHOD: Poly-lactic-acid (L-PLA) microneedles were fabricated by a molding process and then the tips were partially coated using a dip-coating method based on a microstructure well. The mechanical strength of the pre-coated polymer microneedles was observed by inserting them in porcine foot and back skin. The holes were stained with trypan blue and the mechanical failure of the microneedles was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The initial distribution of a model drug using microneedles was compared with distribution by intralesional injection. The amount of drug leaked below the skin using microneedles was measured and compared with that leaked by intralesional injection. The pharmacokinetic properties of bleomycin-coated microneedles were studied. The bleomycin remaining on the coated microneedles after the in vivo pharmacokinetic study was measured. RESULTS: Bleomycin was successfully coated on the tips of L-PLA microneedles. More than 80% of the bleomycin dissolved into the skin in vitro within 15 min. L-PLA microneedles possessed sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate skin with a thick stratum corneum. Compared to intralesional injection, tip-coated microneedles were more effective in distributing a drug into the sub-epidermal skin layer. A pharmacokinetic study of bleomycin-coated microneedles showed 50 min of Tmax. CONCLUSIONS: Bleomycin-coated microneedles appeared to be a convenient and painless alternative to conventional intralesional injection of bleomycin. The microneedles delivered bleomycin into the targeted dermal layer regardless of body site. Bleomycin-coated microneedles therefore provide a suitable method for the treatment of warts.

High-fluence 1064-nm Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser: Safe and effective treatment of café-au-lait macules in Asian patients.

OBJECTIVES: Café-au-lait macules (CALMs) are benign cutaneous hyperpigmentary disorders. Usually, laser therapies for cosmetic concerns result in more severe side effects in the people of Asian descent than that of Caucasians. Unfortunately, there is no gold standard for the laser treatment of CALMs in skin of people of Asian descent. To investigate the efficacy and safety of a high-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser treatment of CALMs in Asian patients. STUDY DESIGN: The medical records of 35 Korean patients (age range: 1 to 40 years old, mean age: 18.5 years) diagnosed with isolated CALMs were reviewed retrospectively. METHODS: The patients were treated with a 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The parameters were a spot size of 7 mm, a fluence of 2.2-2.4 J/cm2 with a slow single sliding-stacking pass, and a pulse rate of 10 Hz with a 1-week interval for 20-50 sessions. RESULTS: At the week of the final treatment, all treated CALMs showed considerable pigmentation removal without any permanent side effects, such as scaring, mottled hypopigmentation and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). All treated CALMs showed more than 50% clinical improvement. No recurrence was observed in any of the patients after 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: A high-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser treatment of CALMs in Asian patients is a safe and effective method without side effects and recurrence.

Efficacy of a bleomycin microneedle patch for the treatment of warts.

Warts are a common skin disease caused by infection of the human papilloma virus. Most treatments involving physical destruction of the infected cells, such as cryotherapy and electrocautery, are limited by intense pain, failure, or recurrences. Our aim was to compare the therapeutic effects of a newly developed bleomycin microneedle patch with cryotherapy in the treatment of warts. Forty-two patients with more than two wart lesions were included in the study. The two treatment modalities were randomly applied to different warts on each patient. Treatment efficacy was assessed using the Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) and the Patient's Global Assessment (PaGA). Mean PGA and PaGA scores were not significantly different between cryotherapy and bleomycin microneedle patch treatment. It was also determined that the mean size of all the warts treated with either modality shrank about equally at weeks 8 and 16 after initial treatment. Thus, treatment efficacy of the bleomycin microneedle patch was comparable to that of conventional cryotherapy. According to a visual analogue scale of pain, bleomycin microneedle patch treatment was significantly less painful than cryotherapy (p < .0001). In addition, use of the bleomycin microneedle patch was more tolerable for patients who were reluctant to receive the painful treatment. Thus, the bleomycin microneedle patch can be an effective, convenient, and innovative treatment modality for warts.

Treatment of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea with the fractionation of high-fluence, long-pulsed 595-nm pulsed dye laser.

Various lasers have been used for the treatment of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) that does not respond to systemic or topical therapy. The pulsed dye lasers (PDLs) are an effective option for ETR, and the purpuragenic fluence proved to be superior until now. Given that purpura and subsequent possible postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) are occasionally unbearable in some patients, and several studies using the low nonpurpuragenic fluence were reported. To deliver the sufficient high fluence of a PDL without generating purpura, we designed the fractionation of high fluence using five passes and longer pulse duration (6 milliseconds) of a PDL in succession. A total of eight patients with ETR were enrolled in this study; all patients were treated with PDL 10 times at 2-week intervals. Erythema and telangiectasia scores, as well as improvement, were assessed by two physicians using the digital photographs. Moderate-to-marked improvement was achieved in most of the patients, and erythema and telangiectasia scores were significantly decreased. Purpura and PIH were not reported in all patients. The fractionation of high-fluence, long-pulsed 595 nm PDL is a very safe and effective treatment for ETR.

Treatment of patients with refractory atopic dermatitis sensitized to house dust mites by using sublingual allergen immunotherapy.

Even though atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases, its treatment remains a challenge in clinical practice, with most approaches limited to symptomatic, unspecific anti-inflammatory, or immunosuppressive treatments. Many studies have shown AD to have multiple causes that activate complex immunological and inflammatory pathways. However, aeroallergens, and especially the house dust mite (HDM), play a relevant role in the elicitation or exacerbation of eczematous lesions in many AD patients. Accordingly, allergen-specific immunotherapy has been used in AD patients with the aim of redirecting inappropriate immune responses. Here, we report three cases of refractory AD sensitized to HDM who were treated with sublingual immunotherapy.