Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We wish to develop and evaluate a user-friendly online interactive teaching and examination model as an adjunct to traditional bedside teaching of medical students during a clinical rotation in dermatology. METHODS: Following completion of an online examination, senior medical students at the University of British Columbia (n = 178) were asked to complete an online survey to evaluate their acceptance of this new method. The online examination model was evaluated through students' responses to the questionnaire-based evaluation they were asked to complete following their examination. Responses were evaluated on a standardized 5-point scale. RESULTS: A high response rate was achieved (98.9%). Overall, 93% of senior medical students felt that the Internet was a useful and effective way to administer a dermatology examination. Most (90%) preferred the online examination to a traditional paper-and-pencil examination and the majority (88%) felt that the quality of digital images presented was sufficient to make an accurate diagnosis. In addition, students strongly supported the further development of teaching resources on the web and would use these resources in learning dermatology (93%). CONCLUSIONS: The development of an online interactive examination tool for dermatology is technically feasible with current technology. Senior medical students are not only accepting of this new technology but also prefer it to more traditional formats and indicate enthusiasm for the development of further online teaching resources in dermatology

This study demonstrates the ability to treat successfully alopecia areata-like hair loss in both mouse and rat models using topical immunotherapy with diphencyprone.

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) is caused by androgen-dependent miniaturization of scalp hair follicles, with scalp dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implicated as a contributing cause. Finasteride, an inhibitor of type II 5alpha-reductase, decreases serum and scalp DHT by inhibiting conversion of testosterone to DHT. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether finasteride treatment leads to clinical improvement in men with male pattern hair loss. METHODS: In two 1-year trials, 1553 men (18 to 41 years of age) with male pattern hair loss received oral finasteride 1 mg/d or placebo, and 1215 men continued in blinded extension studies for a second year. Efficacy was evaluated by scalp hair counts, patient and investigator assessments, and review of photographs by an expert panel. RESULTS: Finasteride treatment improved scalp hair by all evaluation techniques at 1 and 2 years (P < .001 vs placebo, all comparisons). Clinically significant increases in hair count (baseline = 876 hairs), measured in a 1-inch diameter circular area (5.1 cm2) of balding vertex scalp, were observed with finasteride treatment (107 and 138 hairs vs placebo at 1 and 2 years, respectively; P < .001). Treatment with placebo resulted in progressive hair loss. Patients' self-assessment demonstrated that finasteride treatment slowed hair loss, increased hair growth, and improved appearance of hair. These improvements were corroborated by investigator assessments and assessments of photographs. Adverse effects were minimal. CONCLUSION: In men with male pattern hair loss, finasteride 1 mg/d slowed the progression of hair loss and increased hair growth in clinical trials over 2 years