Perforation Rates for Nonsterile Examination Gloves in Routine Dermatologic Procedures

BACKGROUND: Low cost, nonsterile examination gloves are used routinely to perform various dermatologic procedures. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perforation rate of nonsterile examination gloves in routine dermatologic procedures. METHODS: Three hundred fifty nonsterile latex examination gloves used to perform shave biopsies were evaluated for perforations using an air inflation/water submersion method. Ninety gloves, which were intentionally perforated with a 30-gauge needle, were used as controls to assess our evaluation method. RESULTS: Eight of the 350 gloves were found to have a perforation, which corresponds to a 2.3% perforation rate. Seven of the eight perforations were found in the web space between the second and third finger sleeves, with one being an obvious manufacturing error. All 90 perforations of the control group were correctly identified. CONCLUSION: There appears to be a very low risk of glove perforation when nonsterile examination gloves are used in routine dermatologic procedures.     

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer

Background: A survival disadvantage for black women with brest cancer, which persists after controlling for stage of the disease, has been reported. This study investigates the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on breast cancer survival after controlling for age, stage, histology, and type of treatment. Methods: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the interaction between race and SES in predicting survival in a sample of 163 black, 205 Hispanic, and 964 white women with breast cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (1987–1991). Results: The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that race was not a significant predictor of survival after adjusting for SES and other confounding factors such as demographic and disease characteristics. SES remained a significant predictor of survival after all adjustments were made. There was no evidence of differences in type of treatment by race or SES if adjustments were made for stage. Conclusions: These results suggest that institutional factors, such as access to treatment, do not explain survival differences by race or SES. Other factors associated with low SES, such as life-style and behavior, may affect survival.     

Increased numbers of higher left intraocular pressures in 428 patients referred to the glaucoma clinic

Seventy-four per cent of 428 patients referred to the glaucoma clinic at Concord Hospital exhibited intraocular pressure (IOP) asymmetry. There was a preponderance of left eyes, in that two-thirds of the patients with asymmetrical pressures had the higher IOP in the left eye. As the degree of asymmetry increased, this trend became more pronounced. In addition, the statistically significant difference between right and left mean IOP among the glaucoma patients was not found among normal controls, even when the order of testing the eyes was reversed.     

Use of a Novel Pulse Dye Laser for Rapid Single-Pass Purpura-Free Treatment of Telangiectases

BACKGROUND Purpura-free elimination of telangiectases with a single pass of a pulsed dye laser with a large spot has proved difficult.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this report was to define parameters that achieve single-pass purpura-free telangiectasia reduction.
MATERIALS Thirty patients between the ages of 23 and 78 years were treated with a pulsed dye laser with a 10-mm spot and fluences ranging from 9 to 10 J/cm². The macropulse width was 20 ms. Each macropulse was composed of eight pulselets. Treatments were carried out over facial areas with discrete telangiectases.
RESULTS Smaller telangiectases (<600 μm) showed transient bluing followed by stenosis. Larger vessels (600–10,000 μm) showed bluing but inconsistent closure. A second pass typically resulted in closure.
CONCLUSION A modified pulsed dye laser was capable of single-pass purpura-free reduction with a 10-mm spot size.     

Nonablative Phototherapy for Acne Vulgaris Using the KTP 532 nm Laser

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is an acute inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous units. The bastion of treatment for acne vulgaris has been the use of topical and systemic therapies. Despite many modalities available for treatment, there exists an imperative need for effective noninvasive treatments that reduce the risks of medication side effects. OBJECTIVE: To study the safety and efficacy of the potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) 532 nm pulsed laser for the treatment of acne vulgaris. METHODS: Twenty-six subjects, clinically evaluated with moderate facial acne, were enrolled in this single-center prospective trial. The entire facial area for each subject was divided in half and randomly designated as either a treatment or a control side. Each subject was treated with four laser exposures using a KTP 532 nm laser with continuous contact cooling. The results were assessed at 1 and 4 weeks post-final treatment. Primary outcome measures were Micha?lsson acne severity score and adverse treatment effects. Secondary outcome measures included subjective evaluations from the investigator and patients assessing their overall percent satisfaction. RESULTS: Primary outcome analysis in the Micha?lsson acne severity score demonstrated a mean 34.9% (p = .011) and 20.7% (p = .25) reduction at the 1-week and 4-week post-final treatments, respectively. Subjective investigator evaluations of overall percent satisfaction indicated that all patients demonstrated a minimum 50% overall satisfaction in treatment outcomes at the 4-week follow-up period. No side effects were encountered. CONCLUSION: Use of the KTP 532 nm laser for the treatment and management of acne vulgaris is both safe and effective, with positive results enduring up to 4 weeks post-treatment.     

Surgical margins after needle-localization breast biopsy

: The use of needle-localization breast biopsy (NLBB) for the early diagnosis of breast cancer is common. The therapeutic adequacy of tumor-free margins following NLBB is unknown. We hypothesized that the presence of residual tumor after reexcision (mastectomy, tylectomy, or quadrantectomy) does not depend on the margin status following NLBB. : Retrospective cohort analysis was performed on 890 consecutive NLBBs executed between January 1990 and June 1994. Patients with invasive breast neoplasia were divided into two groups based on the tumor margins after NLBB. Group 1 were the women with positive margins, and group 2 had negative margins. Breast specimens after reexcision were reviewed for evidence of residual invasive carcinoma. : Invasive neoplasia was present in 107 patients (12%). Surgical margins and definitive records of care were avaliable for 96 of them (90%). All 45 patients in group 1 and 38 (75%) of 51 patients in group 2 underwent reexcision of the initial biopsy site (P = 0.36). Residual invasive carcinoma was present in 10 patients (22%) in group 1 and 3 (8%) in group 2 (P = 0.13). : Invasive breast neoplasia diagnosed by NLBB requires reexcision regardless of tumor margins to achieve complete local surgical eradication of tumor.     

Cat shedding of Fel d I is not reduced by washings, Allerpet-C spray, or acepromazine

Background: No published studies have compared the effectiveness of several treatments proposed to reduce cat allergenicity. Cat washing studies demonstrating efficacy involved very small sample sizes or infrequent washings. Allerpet-C (Allerpet, Inc., New York, N.Y.), a widely advertised topical spray, and acepromazine, a tranquilizer advocated as efficacious in subsedating doses, have never been scientifically studied. Objective: We compared the effects of cat washing, Allerpet-C spray, and acepromazine with that of no treatment on the shedding of the primary cat allergen, Felis domesticus I by cats. Methods: In a blinded, comparative, controlled study, we measured the amounts of Fel d I shed during an 8-week treatment period with a sample of 24 female mongrel cats randomly assigned to four groups; one group received weekly distilled water washings, one received weekly Allerpet-C spray applications, one received daily oral acepromazine, and one had no treatment (control). Thirty-minute, twice-weekly air samples were collected from each cat with a laminated plastic–acrylic chamber and air sampler. Results: One-sample, two-sided t tests comparing baseline to final-week measurements revealed no significant change in Fel d I within each group (mean change ±SD: washing; 487.6 ± 1896.4 mU per 30 minutes, p = 0.63; Allerpet-C spray, 429.2 ± 871.6 mU per 30 minutes, p = 0.46 acepromazine; −620.6 ± 1031.2, p = 0.52 per 30 minutes). Furthermore, analysis of covariance revealed no significant change in Fel d I levels between groups (p = 0.72). Conclusions: Our data do not show significant reductions in Fel d I shedding as a result of any of these treatments. Therefore we cannot recommend them to patients allergic to cats. (J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL 1995;95:1164-71.)