Clinical laser treatment of toenail onychomycoses.

Onychomycoses are fungal infections of the fingernails or toenails having a prevalence of 3% among adults and accounts for 50% of nail infections. It is caused by dermatophytes, non-dermatophyte filamentous fungi, and yeasts. Compressions and microtraumas significantly contribute to onychomycosis. Laser and photodynamic therapies are being proposed to treat onychomycosis. Laser light (1064 nm) was used to treat onychomycosis in 156 affected toenails. Patients were clinically followed up for 9 months after treatment. Microbiological detection of fungal presence in lesions was accomplished. A total of 116 samples allowed the isolation of at least a fungus. Most of nails were affected in more than two thirds surface (some of them in the full surface). In 85% of cases, after 18 months of the onset of treatment, culture turned negative. After 3 months months, only five patients were completely symptom-free with negative culture. In 25 patients, only after 6 months, the absence of symptoms was achieved and the cultures negativized; in 29 patients, 9 months were required. No noticeable adverse effects were reported. This study reinforces previous works suggesting the applicability of laser therapies to treat toenail onychomycosis.

New and old tools to evaluate new antimicrobial peptides.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance due to the overuse of antimicrobials together with the existence of naturally untreatable infections well demonstrates the need for new instruments to fight microbes. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising family of molecules in this regard, because they abundantly occur in nature and the results of preliminary studies of their clinical potential have been encouraging. However, further progress will benefit from the standardization of research methods to assess the antimicrobial properties of AMPs. Here we review the diverse methods used to study the antimicrobial power of AMPs and recommend a pathway to explore new molecules. The use of new methodologies to quantitatively evaluate the physical effect on bacterial biofilms such as force spectroscopy and surface cell damage evaluation, constitute novel approaches to study new AMPs.

Human papillomaviruses genotyping in plantar warts.

Plantar warts are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and have been associated with several HPV genotypes. However, there are few studies focused exclusively on plantar warts. In this work, we aim to identify the HPV genotypes of plantar warts and explore their relation to demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. A total of 72 patients diagnosed with plantar warts were recruited at the Laser unit at Podiatric Hospital, University of Barcelona, Spain. Inner hyperkeratosis laminar sections of warts were collected and DNA of samples were extracted. Amplification of a conserved region of the HPV L1 gene was performed with the SK-Polymerase chain reaction method. DNA amplicons were sequenced and HPV types identified. The most prevalent genotypes detected among the 105 analyzed plantar warts were HPV-57 (37.1%), HPV-27 (23.8%), HPV-1a (20.9%), HPV-2 (15.2%), and HPV-65 (2.8%). The majority of patients (78%) presented one single plantar wart, whereas multiple warts were detected in 22.2% of patients. One patient with multiple warts presented HPV types from two different genera, suggesting the spread of warts by self-inoculation as well as by de novo infection. No significant differences between the number of warts in toes, midfoot and heel were found. The most prevalent HPV types detected in all areas belonged to the alpha genus. This work provides new insight on plantar warts and their associated HPV genotypes, and evidences the usefulness and reliability of both the sample collection procedure and the PCR method used for HPV detection and typing. J. Med. Virol. 89:902-907, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tratamiento de la hiperhidrosis plantar con toxina butolínica tipo A / Treatment of plantar hyperhidrosis with botulinum Toxin Type A

El problema de hiperhidrosis afecta al 0,5% de lapoblación, y puede causar considerable estrés emocional,dificultando en ocasiones la vida personal,laboral y social del paciente, llevándole, por ejemplo,a evitar un acto como dar la mano o quitarse loszapatos en público. Por otra parte, el excesivo sudorpuede ocasionar maceración cutánea, acrocianosis,queratoderma e incluso deshidratación.La forma más frecuente de hiperhidrosis es laidiopática y en el 60% de los casos afecta a palmas yplantas de los pies.En este artículo presentamos la aplicación del tratamientocon la toxina butolínica tipo A

The problem of hyperhidrosis affects 0,5% of thepopulation, and can cause considerable emotionalstress, on occasions making difficulties in the personal,social and professional life of the patient, forexample avoiding shaking hands or taking shoes offin public. Likewise, the excessive perspiration cancause cutaneous maceration, acrocyanosis, keratodermaand even dehydration. The most frequentform of hyperhidrosis is the idiomatic affecting thepalms and soles of the feet in 60% of the cases.In this article we present the application of treatmentwith botulinum Toxin Type A

Estudio estadístico en cirugía ungueal / An statistical study about the nail surgical

Presentamos un estudio estadístico sobre los resultadosde las técnicas de cirugía ungueal realizadasen el Servicio de Cirugía de la Clínica Podológicade la Universidad de Barcelona en los últimos años,describiendo el método empleado para su realizacióny las conclusiones obtenidas

An statistical study about the nail surgical proceduresresults that they are realized the latest years inSurgical Service of Barcelona University PodiatricClinic is presented. It's described the used methodto realized it in addition to obtained conclusions