Teledermatology: From the Tempest of Debate to Calmer Waters

Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) enable the controlled release of drugs across the skin into systemic circulation. They are particularly advantageous for drugs with short half-lives or narrow therapeutic indices, as they maintain consistent plasma concentrations and reduce the risk of subtherapeutic or toxic levels.TDDS are categorized into monolithic, reservoir, and mixed systems. Monolithic systems embed the drug in a polymer matrix, where diffusion governs release. Reservoir systems...

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is a clinical practice that measures specific drug levels in a patient's blood at designated intervals to ensure the drug concentration stays within a therapeutic range. This monitoring is crucial for optimizing individual dosage regimens, enhancing therapeutic efficacy, and minimizing drug-related toxicity. TDM is vital for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows, significant variability in pharmacokinetics, and a clear correlation between plasma levels and...

The issues and trends in healthcare delivery are constantly changing. The COVID-19 pandemic is one recent issue that wreaked havoc on healthcare systems, causing a shortage of healthcare workers, high demand for medicines and supplies, and increased medical expenditure due to a lack of insurance. Other issues include rising healthcare costs and care fragmentation.
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...

Dermis
The dermis might be considered the "core" of the integumentary system, as distinct from the epidermis and hypodermis. It contains blood and lymph vessels, nerves, and other structures, such as hair follicles and sweat glands. The dermis is made of two layers of connective tissue that comprise an interconnected mesh of elastin and collagenous fibers, produced by fibroblasts.
Papillary Layer
The papillary layer is made of loose, areolar connective tissue, which means the collagen...

Telephone and Verbal Reports in healthcare settings are two communication methods for conveying therapeutic instructions from healthcare providers to nurses or other healthcare staff.
Here's an overview of each type:
Telephone Orders

Epidermal stem cells (EpiSCs) are mainly located at the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells repair minor injuries of the skin and replace dead skin cells. However, EpiSCs’ cannot heal severe wounds such as major burns or those from diabetes or hereditary disorders. In such cases, culturing the epidermal stem cells from the patient is possible and has yielded successful treatment options, such as laboratory-grown skin grafts. These grafts are synthesized using a patient’s own...