Patterns of admissions to a referral skin hospital in Iran

Inpatient therapy in dermatology offers a number of advantages in several ways i.e. careful monitoring of patients' conditions, improvement of their skin lesions under the supervision of trained staff, absence of domestic pressure and increasing the quality of patients' life index. The objective of this study was to describe the patterns of admission for patients with dermatological diseases in Iran. In this retrospective study, data were collected by completing a questionnaire for 481 patients admitted to Razi skin hospital in Tehran during 18 months. The mean age of admitted patients was 44.03 years +/- 19.15. Bullous diseases [39.92%], psoriasis [20.79%], dermatitis [9.56%] and neoplasms [6.65%] were found as the most common reasons for admission. The mean duration of hospitalization was 22.79 days and neoplasms had the highest mean hospitalization period. Patient's admission patterns differ from country to country and there should be prioritizing plans to reach better results

effects of different intervals of microdermabrasion sessions on skin biophysical parameters: a randomized, assessor-blind, within-patient trial

Microdermabrasion has recently become a popular procedure among physicians and patients, whereas few studies have assessed the efficacy of different microdermabrasion protocols nowadays applied. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of microdermabrasion, as well as to compare the effects of weekly and biweekly intervals of microdermabrasion sessions on skin biophysical parameters. Ten patients entered this randomized, investigator-blind, split face study and underwent a series of six microdermabrasion treatments. One side of the face was treated every week and the other side was treated every 2 weeks, randomly. Stratum corneum hydration, sebum secretion and skin pH measurements were taken before and after the procedure on all sessions and also 1 and 4 weeks after the last treatment. After 6 sessions of microdermabrasion and following comparison to baseline, a significant decrease in sebum content and a significant increase in skin pH were observed only on the side treated with the intervals of 2 weeks. Changes in skin hydration were not significant on either side. Microdermabrasion may have noticeable effects on skin barrier functions. It is recommended to have 2 week interval between sessions

Opinions of experts from Asia on the diagnosis and treatment of pemphigus vulgaris

Pemphigus vulgaris [PV] is the most common blistering disease in Iran and many other Asian countries with a relatively high incidence and involvement of both skin and mucous membranes in majority of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the opinions of Asian experts on the diagnosis and management of PV. A questionaire-based mailed/emailed survey was conducted. The questionnaire was sent to 29 dermatologists from different countries of Asia [23 from Iran and 6 from India, Kuwait, Turkey and Bangladesh] who are in charge of the treatment of autoimmune blistering disorders with at least 5 years experience in this field who visit at least five new PV patients annually. Questions induced duration of experience, number of patients treated and diagnostic and treatment approaches for PV. Descriptive data were reported using SPSS 11.5 and some data are reported as mean SD. All 29 physicians participated in the survey. Among them, 79.3% visit their patients within 6 months after the onset of symptoms. Diagnosis of PV is confirmed by histologic and direct immunofluorescence examinations by 65.5% of physicians. All of them initiate the treatment with corticosteroids [48.3% with a dose of at least 2 mg/kg/day prednisolone] and 89.7% add adjuvant immunosuppressors at the same time. Of the adjuvant agents used, azathioprine is used by 82.8% of physicians. Different trends in diagnostic techniques and treatment options for PV among the experienced authorities emphasize the urgent need for large-scale controlled trials to reach consensus st and ards in this field. In addition, regional and worldwide consensus meetings to consider all regional and genetic similarities and differences are highly recommended