Subject(s)
Argyria , Adolescent , Argyria/blood , Argyria/diagnosis , Argyria/etiology , Argyria/pathology , Diagnosis, Differential , Dietary Supplements/adverse effects , Humans , Male , Silver/blood , Skin/pathologyABSTRACT
Cantharidin, a vesicant produced by beetles in the order Coleoptera, has a long history in both folk and traditional medicine. In dermatology, topical cantharidin has long been used to treat warts and molluscum. In 1962, cantharidin lost Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval owing to the failure of its manufacturers to submit data attesting to cantharidin's efficacy. However, it is expected that the FDA will soon include cantharidin on its "Bulk Substances List," which would permit physicians or pharmacists to compound cantharidin to be used in the office for individual patients. A comprehensive discussion of the origins, folk uses, current FDA status, current dermatologic uses, and effects of cantharidin poisoning has been compiled herein. No cases of systemic intoxication or scarring have been reported with the proper use of cantharidin by a physician. Cantharidin is a safe and valuable medication and should be readded to the dermatologic therapeutic armamentarium.
Subject(s)
Cantharidin/therapeutic use , Irritants/therapeutic use , Medicine, Traditional , Skin Diseases/drug therapy , Animals , Cantharidin/poisoning , Coleoptera , Dermatology , Drug Approval , Humans , Irritants/poisoning , United States , United States Food and Drug AdministrationABSTRACT
Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP), which is the result of a deficiency of uroporphyrinogen (URO) III synthase activity, is the most disfiguring porphyria in humans. Various methods of treatment have been used to treat CEP with varying success, including erythrocyte transfusion, hydroxyurea, and splenectomy. The only treatment that corrects the enzymatic defect resulting in a cure is bone marrow/stem cell transplantation, which has been reported previously in only 5 patients worldwide. We describe the first patient with CEP who underwent successful bone marrow transplantation performed in the United States and review the therapeutic options in the management of this challenging type of porphyria.
Subject(s)
Bone Marrow Transplantation , Porphyria, Erythropoietic/therapy , Female , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation , Humans , Infant , Porphyria, Erythropoietic/diagnosisSubject(s)
Alopecia Areata/drug therapy , Minoxidil/adverse effects , Child , Humans , Minoxidil/therapeutic useSubject(s)
Abdomen , Endometriosis/pathology , Pain/etiology , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Umbilicus/pathology , Adult , Female , HumansABSTRACT
Hay-Wells syndrome is an autosomal dominant constellation of facial clefting, ankyloblepharon filiforme adnatum (fused eyelids), and ectodermal defects. Our patient, a child who had these unusual features at birth, led us to consider possible differential diagnoses based on clinical features and review of the literature.