“Targeted phototherapy” is a recently described therapeutic option in photodermatology. It is used to describe the phototherapy devices which can deliver high doses of ultraviolet (UV) radiation selectively to the involved skin. Several of these devices with different emission spectrums are currently in use. 308 nm monochromatic excimer light (MEL) is among these “targeted phototherapy” systems and represents one of the most important advances in phototherapy after the development of narrowband UVB. The wavelength of this new phototherapeutic option is very close to narrowband UVB. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of 308 nm MEL in several dermatological diseases, mainly psoriasis and vitiligo. Main advantages of MEL are protection of the healthy, uninvolved skin from excess UV radiation in patients with limited involvement and the much faster response to therapy compared with conventional phototherapies. We review in this article the properties of 308 nm MEL and discuss its current and future use in dermatology.

Background and Design: Skin diseases are among the most prevalent problems in medical practice. Dermatologists have become active, not only in treatment of skin diseases, but also for the cosmetic and surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the profiles of patients visiting outpatient dermatology clinic of an university hospital and a private dermatologist’s office located in Ankara.
MATERIAL-METHOD: The study comprised 5952 patients in each group. Age, gender, diagnosis, and the places they live, were all recorded.
RESULTS: There were 3778 women and 2174 men with a mean age of 37.8±15.9 years (6 months-81 years) in private visit group, and 3570 women and 2382 men with a mean age of 37.9±18.6 years (1-100 years) in hospital visit group. The most common cause for visiting dermatologist’s office was acne. It was fungal diseases for hospital visits. Women with fungal disease, alopecia, nail disorders, urticaria, psychocutaneous dermatoses, bacterial infections, and men with fungal disease, acne, alopecia, urticaria, nail disorders, preferred hospitals over private offices. Both women and men with benign and malignant tumors, nevi, pigmentation disorders, preferred private office over hospital. Men with syphilis, genital herpes, anogenital verruca preferred mainly private offices. Visits to dermatologist’s office for cosmetic procedures constituted only 4% of overall visits.
CONCLUSION: Our finding underscores the fact that medical or clinical dermatology continues to be the focus of most dermatology practices. Apart from cosmetic procedures, the main difference between patient profiles visiting private offices and hospitals is observed in sexually transmitted diseases.

Background and Design: The pemphigus family includes a number of disease which feature intraepidermal blisters with
acantholysis. Pemphigus vulgaris(PV) is the most common form of pemphigus, affects the skin and mucous membranes. Although oral mucosa is the most commonly affected site, all stratified squamous epithelium can be involved like pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, conjunctiva, vaginal, penile, and anal mucosa. We planned our study aiming to find frequency of oesophagus involvement in PV patients and to compare them immunohistopathologically with skin findings.
MATERIAL-METHOD: Twenty three female and seven male patients, who were admitted to The Health Ministry Vakýf Gureba Education and Research Hospital, Dermatology Clinic, in between January 2004 and March 2005, and were accepted as PV according to clinical and immunohistopathological findings. Mucosal biopsies were taken by oesophagoscopy from patients in the same time with skin biopsies for DIF examination. Antibody titers in serum was detected by indirect immunofluorescein method.
RESULTS: DIF was positive in twenty eight patients while two patients had negative results. During oesophagoscopy,
macroscopically nine patients (%30) had esophageal lesions supporting pemphigus vulgaris.When a relationship were
examined between dysphagia with endoscopic pemphigus vulgaris findings, skin involvement, oral mucosal involvement, genital mucosal involvement, skin DIF positivity, oesophagus DIF positivity, IIF positivity, no meaningful difference was found istatistically. In our study, four patients had endoscopic findings and nineteen patients had positive DIF results although they did not have gastrointestinal symptoms. When relationship between oesophageal DIF positivity and skin DIF positivity was examined, there was a positive correlation meaningfully.
CONCLUSION: According to our article we believe that upper GI endoscopy is a useful and neccessary diagnostic method in
pemphigus vulgaris patients who have gastrointestinal symptoms without looking for oral mucosa involvement and it should be a standard diagnostic procedure in these patients.

Background and Design: A potassium hydroxide (KOH) direct microscopic examination, histopathological investigation with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain and fungal culture are common diagnostic methods in the diagnosis of onychomycosis. The purpose of this study was to compare these three methods for the diagnosis of onychomycosis.
MATERIAL-METHOD: A total of 100 patients who were suspected clinically of having onychomycosis on their toenails were
included in this study. Three diagnostic tests were performed for each patients. In addition to clinical suspicion when one of the diagnostic tests was positive the diagnosis of onychomycosis was made. Accordingly, the sensitivity and the negative predictive value were calculated for each diagnostic test.
RESULTS: In 92 (92%) of the patients, at least one of the three diagnostic methods was positive. The sensitivites of these
methods were as follows: KOH direct microscopic examination, 92%; histopathological investigation with PAS stain, 80%; and culture, 20%. Their negative predictive values were also 53%, 42%, and 10% respectively.
CONCLUSION: KOH direct microscopic examination is the most sensitive method for the diagnosis of onychomycosis. Its high negative predictive value supports this finding.

BS is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by telangiectasias, photosensitivity, growth deficiency of prenatal onset, immunodeficiency, increased susceptibility to malignancies and diabetes mellitus. There is an increased risk of developing neoplasia at early ages. Chromosomal fractures and an increase in sister chromatid exchanges are observed in BS that presents prominent genetic instability. A sixteen year old boy applied to our clinic with complaint of erythema on his face having existed since infancy. In physical examination of the patient in whom growth retardancy has been determined, a narrow, long face, prognatism, an erythematous telangiectatic blanchable patch involving malar areas, nose, forehead, and temples have been established. The patient whose sister chromatid exchange number was determined as 107/cell in cytogenetic analyse, was cited as BS together with his phenotypic findings. The patient has been taken into follow-up in terms of cancer risk and the family was genetically informed.

Porokeratosis (PK) is a group of cutaneous entities characterized by marginate scaling lesions, histologically showing a column of parakeratotic keratinocytes (cornoid lamella). Various forms are recognized such as porokeratosis of Mibelli (PM), linear porokeratosis, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, punctate parakeratosis. PM should be treated because of the possibility of developing malignant epithelial tumors.
We are presenting a 21 year old male patient suffering from PM on the back of the hands, foot, scrotum, oral mucosa and anal region. The histological biopsy specimens showed the characteristic features of porokeratosis. We destroyed the lesions by cryotherapy sessions. Here, we present a case of PM since it is rarely seen as multiple lesions with oral, anal and scrotal involvements altogether.