In this report, we describe the use of extracorporeal photochemotherapy in n the treatment of two patients with rapidly advancing progressive systemic sclerosis. Both patients experienced improvement in the cutaneous as well as the systemic manifestations of their disease while undergoing therapy. The potential therapeutic mechanisms are discussed.

Photopheresis is a new extracorporeal photochemotherapy in which the patient's blood or certain blood fraction is exposed to light in the presence of a light-activatable drug. The major engineering elements involved for better system design and patient treatment, such as system model, cell separation, irradiation, and energy measurement, are discussed.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) constitutes a malignant proliferative disease involving mostly CD4(+) T cells arising in the skin. Because of the lack of curative treatment options, interferons (IFN) have been introduced into the therapy of CTCL. Although effective even in advanced disease, response rates were about 50% and the duration of response was short. To improve the results of interfer...

The triplet aryl cation photochemically generated from fluoroquinolones bearing a fluoro atom at position 8 attacks guanosine monophosphate (k(r) > 10(9) M(-1)s(-1)) and forms covalent adducts. The reaction is a model for the implementation of oxygen-independent photochemotherapy.

Nail psoriasis, affecting up to 50% of psoriatic patients, is an important cause of serious psychological and physical distress. Traditional treatments for nail psoriasis, which include topical or intralesional corticosteroids, topical vitamin D analogues, photochemotherapy, oral retinoids, methotrexate, and cyclosporin, can be time-consuming, painful, or limited by significant toxicities. Biol...

Ten years ago, a 49-year-old white patient presented with a reticulated erythema and induration of her abdominal skin. Over the next 5 years, the erythema and induration progressed to include the skin over her lower extremities, chest, back, and upper extremities. With the onset of new lesions, she frequently experienced pruritus and tenderness at the areas of involvement. She also noted decrea...

In Europe, ultraviolet (UV) B phototherapy is being increasingly used for the treatment of skin disease. While this is in part due to an increased awareness of the cancer risks of photochemotherapy (PUVA) there is also evidence that a ‘new’ UVB phototherapy source (TL-01) is more effective than conventional broadband UVB sources, and is possibly as effective as PUVA. A working party of the Brit...