Successful use of the 308-nm excimer laser in early patch stage mycosis fungoides.

Introduction: Mycosis fungoides (MF), a type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, is a rare condition with a variety of treatment options. A frequently utilized method in the treatment of early-stage MF is phototherapy. Full body phototherapy can be associated with photoaging of the skin and an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Targeted phototherapy, with a 308-nm excimer laser, may be just as effective and of a lower risk. This makes it especially useful in the treatment of patients with dysplastic nevi (DN) or other conditions which can put them at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. There are currently limited data on the treatment of early-stage MF with an excimer laser. Case Report: This study reports on a 43-year-old female patient presented to the clinic with early-stage (Ia) MF. Given her history of DN, she wished to pursue targeted phototherapy with an excimer laser. Localized light treatment was performed via a 308-nm excimer laser, 3 times weekly, for a total of 17 treatments to affected lesions. Following excimer laser treatment, she had a clinical resolution of her patches. On the follow-up clinic visits, she maintained her excellent response 12 months out. Conclusion: Targeted phototherapy with a 308-nm excimer laser may be a safer and equally effective alternative to generalized phototherapy in the treatment of early-stage MF. This case report demonstrates its efficacy and advantages over traditional generalized phototherapy. 

A Solitary Neck Nodule as Late Evidence of Recurrent Lobular Breast Carcinoma

Recurrent lobular breast carcinoma manifesting as a cutaneous neck nodule in a woman, 14 years after successful chemotherapy, illustrates the importance of following at-risk patients with a high level of clinical suspicion. This case emphasizes the value of combining clinical findings with appropriate histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis when evaluating a cutaneous lesion in such a patient

A biophysical Raman spectroscopic model for noninvasive screening of skin cancer

Raman spectroscopy (RS) is sensitive to the molecular composition of biological tissues. Raman optical fiber- based probes have demonstrated efficacy in noninvasive cancer screening of the skin, breast, stomach, cervical, lung and brain. Currently, statistical algorithms such as principle component analysis (PCA) are the standard approaches for describing the spectral variance of the RS data and providing tissue classification. However, a PCA-based analysis does not allow for an examination of the biophysical basis of disease, such as microstructural organization of proteins and lipids. Understanding those biophysical parameters is essential to interpret the diagnostic result similar to that a pathologist is familiar reading, and develop diagnostic algorithms for fast and accurate cancer screening. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Agitation predicts response of depression to botulinum toxin treatment in a randomized controlled trial

In a randomized, controlled trial (n = 30), we showed that botulinum toxin injection to the glabellar region produces a marked improvement in the symptoms of major depression. We hypothesized that the mood-lifting effect was mediated by facial feedback mechanisms. Here we assessed if agitation, which may be associated with increased dynamic psychomotor activity of the facial musculature, can predict response to the treatment. To test this hypothesis, we re-analyzed the data of the scales from our previous study on a single item basis and compared the baseline scores in the agitation item (item 9) of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) between responders (n = 9) and participants who did not attain response (n = 6) among the recipients of onabotulinumtoxinA (n = 15). Responders had significantly higher item 9 scores at baseline [1.56 + 0.88 vs. 0.33 + 0.52, t (13) = 3.04, d = 1.7, p = 0.01], while no other single item of the HAM-D or the Beck Depression Inventory was associated with treatment response. The agitation score had an overall precision of 78% in predicting response in a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis (area under the curve, AUC = 0.87). These data provide a link between response to botulinum toxin treatment with a psychomotor manifestation of depression and thereby indirect support of the proposed facial feedback mechanism of action. Moreover, it suggests that patients with agitated depression may particularly benefit from botulinum toxin treatment

Genome-wide analyses identify 30 loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ~1% of children and adults and is partly caused by genetic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis combining 53,660 OCD cases and 2,044,417 controls and identified 30 independent genome-wide significant loci. Gene-based approaches identified 249 potential effector genes for OCD, with 25 of these classified as the most likely causal candidates, including WDR6, DALRD3 and CTNND1 and multiple genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region. We estimated that ~11,500 genetic variants explained 90% of OCD genetic heritability. OCD genetic risk was associated with excitatory neurons in the hippocampus and the cortex, along with D1 and D2 type dopamine receptor-containing medium spiny neurons. OCD genetic risk was shared with 65 of 112 additional phenotypes, including all the psychiatric disorders we examined. In particular, OCD shared genetic risk with anxiety, depression, anorexia nervosa and Tourette syndrome and was negatively associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, educational attainment and body mass index.publishedVersio

Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Rationale and Study Design of the Largest Global Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

This article describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ). This is the largest international collaboration to date that will develop algorithms to predict trajectories and outcomes of individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and to advance the development and use of novel pharmacological interventions for CHR individuals. We present a description of the participating research networks and the data processing analysis and coordination center, their processes for data harmonization across 43 sites from 13 participating countries (recruitment across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America), data flow and quality assessment processes, data analyses, and the transfer of data to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) for use by the research community. In an expected sample of approximately 2000 CHR individuals and 640 matched healthy controls, AMP SCZ will collect clinical, environmental, and cognitive data along with multimodal biomarkers, including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, fluid biospecimens, speech and facial expression samples, novel measures derived from digital health technologies including smartphone-based daily surveys, and passive sensing as well as actigraphy. The study will investigate a range of clinical outcomes over a 2-year period, including transition to psychosis, remission or persistence of CHR status, attenuated positive symptoms, persistent negative symptoms, mood and anxiety symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. The global reach of AMP SCZ and its harmonized innovative methods promise to catalyze the development of new treatments to address critical unmet clinical and public health needs in CHR individuals