Pattern of Skin Diseases in Geriatric Population: Our Year-Long Experience from Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: The average life span has increased by about two decades in Nepal in last 30 years. With increasing longevity, geriatric health care is gaining much more importance. The statistical data regarding the geriatric skin disorders in Nepalese population is limited. The aim of this study to look for the patterns of skin diseases in the geriatric population of Nepal. METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective, descriptive study where we reviewed the database of patients visiting the dermatology outpatient department of multispeciality teaching hospital in Nepal from August 2016 to July 2017. All patients from the age of 60 and above were included in the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Chi square test was done where relevant. RESULT: Total of 918 patients were included in the study with mean age of 69 years. Most common presentation was that of dermatitis (32.2%) which was followed by infectious condition (29.4%), pruritus (7.4%), psoriasis (4.6%), urticaria (3.9%), miliaria (3.9%) and others. Among the dermatitis, 23% of the patients had hand or feet eczema and 23% had sebohrreic dermatitis. Variability according to weather was noticed with in presentation of sebohrreic dermatitis, dermatophytic infections, miliaria and herpes zoster. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that dermatitis, infections and pruritus are the most significant dermatological morbidities in our population. It highlights the need of zoster vaccine for our elderly population as it is not a part of the routine vaccination scheme in Nepal.

Donor Harvesting: Strip Dissection.

Hair transplant is a constantly evolving science. From the time that it was conceived by Dr. Norman Orentreich to the present state, the procedure of hair transplant has undergone multiple advancements. In this article, we discuss in brief regarding the strip follicular unit transplantation. We summarize the major points regarding the procedure of strip follicular unit transplantation along with some nuggets of experience that we have gathered over time. We briefly deal with the indications, anesthesia, procedure, and complications of strip follicular unit transplantation and some special scenarios like the repeat excision of strip.

Itolizumab, a novel anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody: a safe and efficacious biologic agent for management of psoriasis.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis, a chronic immune-mediated skin disorder is associated with significant physical, psychological, and quality of life impairments. Along with well-documented genetic and environmental factors, immunological factors also contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Among the immunological factors, CD6 - dependent T-cell proliferation to form Th1 and Th17 cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Itolizumab is the first humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody, which selectively targets CD6. Areas covered: The current article presents the pharmacology of itolizumab and provides a review of the currently available data on the efficacy and safety of itolizumab for management of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Expert opinion: The use of biologics to attenuate the immune-mediated pathological events in psoriasis is a relatively well-established clinical practice. However, the safety and efficacy of biologics continues to be an unsettled topic of ongoing research. While available data seems to suggest that itolizumab may be a safer option, additional studies with higher sample sizes and active comparators are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn on the place of itolizumab in the management of psoriasis.