Faculty Bibliography

A case of lupus erythematosus (LE) and lichen planus (LP) overlap syndrome in a 71-year-old woman is presented. This disease displays characteristics of both LE and LP. The clinical, histologic, and immunopathologic features of this disorder are reviewed

A healthy 47-year-old woman developed diffuse pustules and edema of the skin after exposure to diltiazem and cephalexin. Bacterial, fungal and viral cultures were sterile suggesting a noninfectious etiology. A skin biopsy showed spongiosis, subcorneal collections of neutrophils, papillary dermal edema and a superficial perivascular mixed cell infiltrate. The clinical and histopathologic findings were consistent with acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP). The patient was treated with supportive care and the pustular dermatitis cleared. AGEP is a rare complication of drug therapy and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with acute onset pustular dermatitis. Drug reactions are an uncommon and unpredictable complication of medical therapy. Cutaneous drug reaction rates occur with a frequency of 1% to 8% and can be higher for certain classes of drugs. They can range from mild morbilliform eruptions to more severe forms such as drug-hypersensitivity syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis or anaphylaxis. Acute generalized exanthermatous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare presentation of a drug reaction and can be difficult to distinguish from other pustular dermatoses. Herein we review a case of AGEP and include a discussion of salient clinical and histological features of AGEP

Oral mycophenolic acid (MPA) therapy has been investigated in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis since the early 1970s and has been found to be both safe and effective. By inhibiting de novo purine biosynthesis, it functions as an antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and immunosuppressive agent. The recent availability of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a morpholinoester of MPA, has created renewed interest in the antipsoriatic properties of MPA. MMF is currently indicated for the prevention of organ rejection in transplant recipients and is used concomitantly with cyclosporine and corticosteroids. This review focuses on the pharmacology of MPA and MMF, studies of MPA in the treatment of psoriasis, and therapy with MMF. There is a potential application of MMF in the treatment of severe psoriasis and other inflammatory dermatoses, as well as topical MPA for the treatment of psoriasis