Acitretin for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Plantar Warts

Plantar warts caused by human papilloma virus (HPV)may be challenging to treat when conventionalmodalities fail. We report a case of severely recalcitrantplantar warts, successfully treated with oral acitretinand topical 40% urea cream

The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide

Background: A plant-based diet protects against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases. Dietary plants contain variable chemical families and amounts of antioxidants. It has been hypothesized that plant antioxidants may contribute to the beneficial health effects of dietary plants. Our objective was to develop a comprehensive food database consisting of the total antioxidant content of typical foods as well as other dietary items such as traditional medicine plants, herbs and spices and dietary supplements. This database is intended for use in a wide range of nutritional research, from in vitro and cell and animal studies, to clinical trials and nutritional epidemiological studies. Methods: We procured samples from countries worldwide and assayed the samples for their total antioxidant content using a modified version of the FRAP assay. Results and sample information (such as country of origin, product and/or brand name) were registered for each individual food sample and constitute the Antioxidant Food Table. Results: The results demonstrate that there are several thousand-fold differences in antioxidant content of foods. Spices, herbs and supplements include the most antioxidant rich products in our study, some exceptionally high. Berries, fruits, nuts, chocolate, vegetables and products thereof constitute common foods and beverages with high antioxidant values. Conclusions: This database is to our best knowledge the most comprehensive Antioxidant Food Database published and it shows that plant-based foods introduce significantly more antioxidants into human diet than non-plant foods. Because of the large variations observed between otherwise comparable food samples the study emphasizes the importance of using a comprehensive database combined with a detailed system for food registration in clinical and epidemiological studies. The present antioxidant database is therefore an essential research tool to further elucidate the potential health effects of phytochemical antioxidants in diet

Acitretin for the treatment of recalcitrant plantar warts

Plantar warts caused by human papilloma virus (HPV)may be challenging to treat when conventionalmodalities fail. We report a case of severely recalcitrantplantar warts, successfully treated with oral acitretinand topical 40% urea cream

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures in Psoriasis

Psoriasis, a chronic systemic inflammatory disease, has a substantial impact on patients’ quality of life (QoL): physical limitations, psychologic impact, social embarrassment, and occupational burden, as well as treatment-related complications. This paper discusses some of the uses and limitations of commonly used patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in psoriasis. We reviewed 260 papers including original research and systemic review papers looking into the PRO used in psoriasis clinical trials. Although there is still no single best PRO measure in psoriasis nor in any other disease, it was interesting to examine the common instruments that are used in psoriasis clinical trials, especially those involving newly innovated biologics as Interleukin 17 inhibitors, and assessing the psychometric properties. The International Dermatology Outcome Measures works with patients, health care providers, payers, and regulators to develop validated patient-centered clinical outcome measures for clinical research as well as clinical practice

Improving Health Literacy and Treatment Understanding of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Using Group Educational Interventions

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic immune-mediated skin disorder characterized by inflamed, painful abscesses most commonly located in the intertriginous regions that may lead to significant scarring and social stigma. It is unclear how much patients with HS understand about their disease. Objective: We sought to evaluate baseline knowledge of patients who have HS, as well as to evaluate if an educational intervention of a teaching session about the disease will help increase patient\u27s knowledge of their ailment and treatment options. These sessions also act as a support group for the participants, during which they have time to connect with one another and discuss their experiences with HS. Methods: Participants were recruited at Tufts Medical Center by searching for an ICD-10 code of HS or were identified via advertisement. Eligible subjects were given a study specific questionnaire pre- and post an educational lecture on HS. Results: Twenty subjects participated in the study, conducted from June 2017 through January 2018. Mean test score improved from 62.7% to 82.7% (p \u3c .0001). Additionally, participants reported an average of 20.3% (p = .0002) improvement in their knowledge of HS postintervention. Conclusions: Group information sessions can be an effective means to educate patients with hidradenitis suppurativa and were preferable to the majority of participants in this study

Open-label, Investigator-Initiated, Single Site Exploratory Trial Evaluating Secukinumab, an Anti IL17A Monoclonal Antibody, for Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the apocrine gland-rich intertriginous areas.(1) HS lesions have an elevated Th17 immune response, and it is often challenging to treat patients, with existing therapies having limited efficacy.(2,3) We sought to investigate the role of secukinumab, a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits Interleukin-17A, in HS treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved