***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND Oral minocycline has been recently shown to halt disease progression in active vitiligo . AIMS The present study was planned to compare the efficacy and tolerability of oral minocycline with oral mini pulse ( OMP ) corticosteroids in active vitiligo . METHODS A total of 50 patients with actively spreading vitiligo were r and omized to receive either minocycline 100 mg/day ( Group I-25 patients ) or OMP 2.5 mg dexamethasone on 2 consecutive days in a week ( Group II-25 patients ) for 6 months . These were followed-up at every 2 weeks interval . Mean vitiligo disease activity score ( VIDA ) and mean Vitiligo Area Scoring Index ( VASI ) were assessed in all patients in addition to the photographic comparison before and after treatment . RESULTS Both groups showed a significant decrease in VIDA from 4.0 to 1.64±0.86 ( P<0.001 ) in Group I and from 4.0 to 1.68±0.69 ( P<0.001 ) in Group II . However , the difference between the mean VIDA scores in the two groups was not statistically significant ( P=0.60 ) at the end of treatment period . The mean VASI declined from 1.71±1.45 to 1.52±1.43 Group I ( P=0.06 ) and from 1.39±1.31 to 1.17±1.34 in Group II ( P=0.05 ) . The difference between VASI in Group I and II was not significant at the end of 24 weeks of treatment ( P=0.11 ) . CONCLUSION Both dexamethasone OMP and oral minocycline are effective drugs for managing the arrest of disease activity in vitiligo Background Vitiligo is the most prevalent pigmentary disorder which occurs worldwide , with an incidence rate between 0.1 - 4 percent . It is anticipated that the discovery of biological pathways of vitiligo pathogenesis will provide novel therapeutic and prophylactic targets for future approaches to the treatment and prevention of vitiligo . The purpose s of this study were evaluating the efficacy of supplemental zinc on the treatment of vitiligo . Methods This r and omized clinical trial was conducted for a period of one year . Thirty five patients among 86 participants were eligible to entrance to the study . The patients in two equal r and omized groups took topical corticosteroid and combination of oral zinc sulfate-topical corticosteroid . Results The mean of responses in the corticosteroid group and the zinc sulfate-corticosteroid combination group were 21.43 % and 24.7 % , respectively . Conclusion Although , the response to corticosteroid plus zinc sulfate was more than corticosteroid , there was no statistically significant difference between them . It appeared that more robust long-term r and omized controlled trials on more patients , maybe with higher doses of zinc sulfate , are needed to fully establish the efficacy of oral zinc in management of vitiligo . Trial Registration BACKGROUND Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder with great social impact . It can be successfully treated using cultured autologous melanocytes transplantation . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of different modalities of narrow‐b and ultraviolet B ( NB‐UVB ) therapy on the outcome of cultured autologous melanocyte transplantation in treating vitiligo . METHODS Patients undergoing cultured autologous melanocyte transplantation  were r and omly assigned to four different study groups . Group 1 underwent 20 sessions of NB‐UVB treatment before transplantation ; Group 2 underwent 30 sessions of NB‐UVB treatment after transplantation ; Group 3 underwent 20 sessions of NB‐UVB treatment before transplantation and 30 sessions after transplantation ; Group 4 underwent only transplantation . RESULTS Four hundred thirty‐seven patients were enrolled . Group 3 responded best , more than 90 % repigmentation was achieved in 81.3 % of patients , and 94.8 % patients experienced 50 % or greater repigmentation . Statistical analysis showed that there was a highly significant difference between the four groups ( χ2 = 35.56 , p < .001 ) . Homogeneous skin color was obtained on the repigmentation areas , and no scarring or other serious side effects were observed . CONCLUSIONS Cultured autologous melanocyte transplantation is an effective treatment for stable vitiligo . Combination of NB‐UVB therapy with melanocyte transplantation can accelerate repigmentation of transplanted vitiliginous areas , especially if NB‐UVB is given before and after transplantation Objective : Pseudocatalase/superoxide dismutase ( PSD ) is a topical gel considered having therapeutic effects in vitiligo . This study was design ed to evaluate the efficacy of this combination in vitiligo . Methods : This was a pilot r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial on 46 symmetrical vitiligo lesions of limbs in 23 patients referring to dermatology clinics , Isfahan , Iran in 2010 . Patients were received this formula or placebo gels for the right and left lesions . Lesion area and degree of pigmentation were assessed at baseline , 2 , 4 , and 6 months . Findings : There were no significant changes in lesion area and perifollicular pigmentation in each group ( P > 0.05 ) . Conclusion : The results indicated no significant therapeutic effect for PSD in vitiligo Background : Immunosuppressive agents are used widely in the treatment of vitiligo . Corticosteroids are used either alone or as adjuvant therapy by many practitioners . Cyclophosphamide and cycloporine‐A have also been used with variable success . Azathioprine may have the potential for the treatment of vitiligo alone or in combination with other modalities . Objective : To compare the efficacy of combined low‐dose azathioprine and oral PUVA therapy versus oral PUVA therapy alone for the treatment of vitiligo . Patients and methods : A total of 60 vitiligo patients were r and omized to receive either azathioprine ( 0.6–0.75 mg/kg ) and oral PUVA therapy ( group 1 ) or oral PUVA therapy alone ( group 2 ) . Patients were followed for 4 months . A graph transparency with squares of 2.5 × 2.5 mm was used to measure the rate of repigmentatiopn after 4 months of therapy . Results : Perifollicular repigmentation started after a mean of five sessions in group 1 , and eight sessions in group 2 . The mean total repigmentation rate after 4 months was 58.4 % for group 1 and 24.8 % for group 2 . No serious side effects were seen during or after treatment . Conclusion : Azathioprine may potentiate the repigmentary effects  of PUVA therapy in vitiligo patients . A limitation of the study is the lack of vali date d measures for vitiligo assessment BACKGROUND Previous reports have shown the effectiveness of a basal layer cell suspension in the treatment of stable vitiligo ; however , there has been no mention in the literature until now of the optimal number of melanocytes required in an autologous noncultured epidermal suspension for transplantation to obtain early and acceptable results . METHODS In this r and omized prospect i ve study , we compared the efficacy of two different dilutions to determine the optimum density of melanocytes required for transplantation to achieve early and cosmetically acceptable results . We enrolled 20 patients with stable vitiligo with a body surface area involvement of < 10 % . RESULTS Fifty per cent of patients in Group A ( where the recipient area transplanted was approximately three times the size of the donor area , and the density of melanocytes transplanted per square millimeter was approximately 231.60+/- 27.03 ) showed marked ( > 75 % ) , 20 % moderate , 10 % mild , and 20 % minimal repigmentation ( or no response ) . In Group B ( where the recipient area was increased to five-fold the donor area ) , none of the patients showed marked , 10 % showed moderate , 20 % showed mild , and 70 % showed either minimal or no repigmentation . The density of melanocytes transplanted in this group was 154.90+/- 27.65/mm(2 ) . The extent of repigmentation was significantly greater ( P < 0.05 ) in Group A than in Group B , and the density of melanocytes in the suspension was also significantly greater ( P < 0.01 ) in Group A than in Group B. CONCLUSION We contend that the minimum number of melanocytes required to produce satisfactory repigmentation is probably in the range of 210 - 250/mm(2 ) Summary For effective treatment of vitiligo , it is as important to arrest the progression of the disease as it is to induce repigmentation . Recently , oxidative stress has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo . Ginkgo biloba extract has been shown to have antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties . In a double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial , we evaluated the efficacy of G. biloba extract in controlling the activity of the disease process in patients with limited and slow‐spreading vitiligo and in inducing repigmentation of vitiliginous areas . Fifty‐two patients were assigned to two treatment groups ( A and B ) in a double‐blind fashion , but only 47 patients could be evaluated , because one patient in group A and four patients in group B withdrew for reasons unrelated to the study . Patients in group A were given G. biloba extract 40 mg three times daily whereas patients in group B received placebo in similar doses . A statistically significant cessation of active progression of depigmentation was noted in patients treated with G. biloba ( P = 0.006 ) . Marked to complete repigmentation was seen in 10 patients in group A , whereas only two patients in group B showed similar repigmentation . The G. biloba extract was well tolerated . G. biloba extract seems to be a simple , safe and fairly effective therapy for arresting the progression of the disease BACKGROUND There is currently no quantitative tool for evaluating vitiligo treatment response using parametric methods . OBJECTIVE To develop and apply a simple clinical tool , the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index ( VASI ) , to model the response of vitiligo to narrowb and UV-B ( NB-UV-B ) phototherapy using parametric tests . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled , bilateral left-right comparison trial . SETTING North American tertiary care , university-affiliated phototherapy center . PATIENTS Patients older than 18 years with stable vitiligo involving at least 5 % of their total body surface in a symmetric distribution . INTERVENTION Treatment with NB-UV-B was given 3 times a week to half of the body on all patients for either 60 treatments or 6 months . The contralateral side served as a no-treatment control . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Repigmentation was assessed using the VASI , which was based on a composite estimate of the overall area of vitiligo patches at baseline and the degree of macular repigmentation within these patches over time . The VASI was vali date d separately against physician and patient global assessment s. The overall reductions in VASI for NB-UV-B and control groups were modeled by multilevel regression with r and om effects and compared parametrically . RESULTS The VASI scoring correlated well with both patient and physician global assessment s ( P = .05 and P<.001 , respectively , using ordinal logistic regression ) . The extent of repigmentation after 6 months on the treated side was 42.9 % ( 95 % confidence interval , 26.7%-59.0 % ) vs 3.3 % ( 95 % confidence interval -19.3 % to 30.0 % ) on the untreated side ( P<.001 ) . A significant difference between control and NB-UV-B groups was apparent within the first 2 months of therapy . The legs , trunk , and arms were much more likely to repigment than the feet and h and s. CONCLUSIONS The VASI is a quantitative clinical tool that can be used to evaluate vitiligo parametrically . Patients treated with NB-UV-B can be expected to achieve approximately 42.9 % repigmentation of their vitiligo after 6 months of treatment , with the greatest response being achieved over the trunk and nonacral portions of the extremities OBJECTIVE To compare factors associated with halo nevi with nonsegmental vitiligo ( NSV )  vs NSV alone . DESIGN Prospect i ve observational study in 553 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NSV attending a vitiligo clinic between January 1 , 2006 , and July 1 , 2010 . SETTING Vitiligo Clinic at the Department of Dermatology , University Hospital Center of Bordeaux , Bordeaux , France . PATIENTS The Vitiligo European Task Force question naire was informed for each patient attending the clinic with a confirmed diagnosis of NSV after the exclusion of other forms of vitiligo ( focal , mucosal , and not classifiable ) . Thyroid function and antithyroid antibodies were screened if not obtained in the previous year . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Extent of disease and markers of autoimmunity or autoinflammation . RESULTS Of the 553 patients , 130 had halo nevi-NSV and 423 had NSV .  Family history of premature hair graying ( odds ratio , 1.74 ; P < .01 ) was positively associated with halo nevi-NSV by univariate analysis 
    Output:
    
Most of the studies assessed combination therapies which generally reported better results .
Studies assessing topical preparations , in particular topical corticosteroids , reported most adverse effects .
This review has found some evidence from individual studies to support existing therapies for vitiligo , but the usefulness of the findings is limited by the different design s and outcome measurements and lack of quality of life measures .