INTRODUCTION: Nail psoriasis treatment is challenging due to difficult drug delivery and systemic therapy toxicities. Self-dissolvable microneedle patches embedded with corticosteroids offers a potentially rapid, minimally invasive drug delivery platform with good efficacy and minimal adverse side effects. METHODS: We conducted a 4-month prospective randomised controlled trial. Subjects with psoriatic nails were randomised to receive microneedle device delivered topical steroids on one hand and control treatment (topical Daivobet gel) on the other. Two independent dermatologists blinded to the treatment assignment scored their Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) during visits at baseline, 2 and 4 months. All treatment was discontinued after 2 months. Average NAPSI score on each hand was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 25 participants were recruited, aged 22 to 73 years. Majority were Chinese (72%), followed by Indian and Malay. There was equal randomisation of treatment to the left and right nail. While there was a rapid significant improvement in average NAPSI score for the control arm at 2 months, the treatment arm had a greater, more sustained improvement of the NAPSI score at 4 months. The average NAPSI score improved for both treatment and control group at 4 months compared to baseline. However, only the NAPSI value improvement in the controls at 2 months compared to baseline was statistically significant (P=0.0039). No severe adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective randomised control trial comparing microneedle technology against conventional topical steroids in nail psoriasis treatment. Our findings demonstrate microneedle technology is as efficacious as topical therapy.
Humans ; Nail Diseases/drug therapy* ; Nails ; Prospective Studies ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Triamcinolone

Hydroxyurea is an antineoplastic agent commonly used to treat essential thrombocytosis. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman who was incidentally detected to have essential thrombocytosis after suffering an episode of cerebrovascular accident with faciobrachial monoparesis. She was subsequently initiated on hydroxyurea. Within seven weeks of therapy, the patient noticed irregular hyperpigmented patches over her feet, hands and perioral region, with bluish-grey longitudinal bands on all 20 nails. Hydroxyurea-induced hyperpigmentation and melanonychia are not commonly reported. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the third published report of hydroxyurea-induced hyperpigmentation and melanonychia involving all 20 nails. Physicians need to be aware of such mucocutaneous side effects to avoid misdiagnosis and unwarranted fear in patients. The decision to discontinue the intake of the drug depends heavily on the future risk of thrombotic events.
Female ; Humans ; Hydroxyurea ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Hyperpigmentation ; chemically induced ; Middle Aged ; Nail Diseases ; chemically induced ; Nails ; drug effects ; Stroke ; drug therapy ; Thrombocytosis ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Nail toxicity following systemic chemotherapy is common. Onychopathy during the period of neutropenia following chemotherapy may cause subungual abscesses and serious infection. Despite taxoid-related toxicity being increasingly reported since 2000, there are still phase II systemic chemotherapy studies using taxoid that have never mentioned nail changes. Recently, new criteria for the evaluation of nail toxicity have been suggested. The present report is the first of its kind, in Korea, to describe a case of docetaxel-associated onychopathy, which improved following a reduction in the docetaxel dose.
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*adverse effects ; Deoxycytidine/administration & dosage/analogs & derivatives ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Fluorouracil/analogs & derivatives ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases/drug therapy ; Middle Aged ; Nail Diseases/*chemically induced ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Taxoids/*administration & dosage/*adverse effects