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Background: Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation condition. It affects around 0.1%-2% of the general population, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status of the affected individuals. Vitiliginous patches contain either reduced melanin or no pigment at all. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Erbium: YAG (Er: YAG) laser plus pimecrolimus and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) (on the right side) in comparison with Er: YAG laser plus topical steroid and NB-UVB (on the left side of the same patient) in treatment of vitiligo in the resistant localizations. Patients and methods: The study comprised thirty patients with persistent non-segmental vitiligo and at least two symmetrical lesions on bony prominences and/or extremities. Patients were selected from the Outpatient Dermatological Clinic of Mataria Teaching Hospital. Results: Regarding the area of the lesion on the right side, there was statistically significant difference between the area of the lesion before and after treatment at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th month of treatment. On the left side, there was also statistically significant difference between the area of the lesion before and after treatment at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th month of treatment. The higher percentage of improvement was seen in the knees followed by the elbows, while the lateral malleolus has 0% of improvement on both the right and left sides. Conclusion: From this study we concluded that skin ablation by Er: YAG laser followed by NB-UVB in combination with either pimecrolimus or hydrocortisone is one of the alternative treatment modalities in treatment of stable, resistant vitiligo patches with almost no difference between the two treatment lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onychomycosis is an important medical disorder affecting both health and quality of life of patients. This study was done to compare the efficacy of CO2 laser in combination with topical tioconazole versus CO2 laser only versus topical tioconazole alone in onychomycosis. A total of 120 patients with onychomycosis were randomly assigned to three groups. Group A patients were treated with fractional CO2 laser followed by topical tioconazole 28% for five sessions with 3 weeks interval. Group B patients were treated with only fractional CO2 laser for five sessions with 3 weeks interval. Group C patients were treated with only topical tioconazole 28% for 16 weeks. The clinical effect, KOH examination, and culture for the affected nails in the three groups were analyzed. One month after the last session, regarding clinical response, 55% showed complete clinical improvement in Group A versus 30% in Group B versus 25% in Group C with a significant difference in between. There was a significant difference between the three studied groups as regard KOH test and culture after treatment. Fractional CO2 laser combined with topical antifungal is a safe and effective treatment for onychomycosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onychomycosis is an important medical disorder affecting both health and quality of life of patients. This study was done to compare the efficacy of CO 2 laser in combination with topical tioconazole versus CO 2 laser only versus topical tioconazole alone in onychomycosis. A total of 120 patients with onychomycosis were randomly assigned to three groups. Group A patients were treated with fractional CO 2 laser followed by topical tioconazole 28% for five sessions with 3 weeks interval. Group B patients were treated with only fractional CO 2 laser for five sessions with 3 weeks interval. Group C patients were treated with only topical tioconazole 28% for 16 weeks. The clinical effect, KOH examination, and culture for the affected nails in the three groups were analyzed. One month after the last session, regarding clinical response, 55% showed complete clinical improvement in Group A versus 30% in Group B versus 25% in Group C with a significant difference in between. There was a significant difference between the three studied groups as regard KOH test and culture after treatment. Fractional CO 2 laser combined with topical antifungal is a safe and effective treatment for onychomycosis., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)