Cyclosporine shows benefit as compared to methotrexate for treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis refractory to topical medications when rapidity of clinical response is of key importance to the patient

A clinical decision report appraising El-Khalawany MA, Hassan H, Shaaban D, Ghonaim N, Eassa B. Methotrexate versus cyclosporine in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis in children: a multicenter experience from Egypt. European Journal of Pediatrics. 2012;172(3):351-356. https://doi.org10.1007/s00431-012-1893-3 for a pediatric patient with severe atopic dermatitis

Universal in vivo Textural Model for Human Skin based on Optical Coherence Tomograms

Currently, diagnosis of skin diseases is based primarily on visual pattern recognition skills and expertise of the physician observing the lesion. Even though dermatologists are trained to recognize patterns of morphology, it is still a subjective visual assessment. Tools for automated pattern recognition can provide objective information to support clinical decision-making. Noninvasive skin imaging techniques provide complementary information to the clinician. In recent years, optical coherence tomography has become a powerful skin imaging technique. According to specific functional needs, skin architecture varies across different parts of the body, as do the textural characteristics in OCT images. There is, therefore, a critical need to systematically analyze OCT images from different body sites, to identify their significant qualitative and quantitative differences. Sixty-three optical and textural features extracted from OCT images of healthy and diseased skin are analyzed and in conjunction with decision-theoretic approaches used to create computational models of the diseases. We demonstrate that these models provide objective information to the clinician to assist in the diagnosis of abnormalities of cutaneous microstructure, and hence, aid in the determination of treatment. Specifically, we demonstrate the performance of this methodology on differentiating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from healthy tissue

Sun Protection Intervention for Urban Youth

Introduction: Skin cancer is less prevalent in persons with darker skin color compared to those with light skin, but contrarily is associated with greater mortality rates. Experts agree this is primarily due to late detection. Challenges in early detection include low public awareness, uncommon presentation, lower index of suspicion among health care providers, and decreased access to specialty care. To address some of these barriers, we designed a survey-based study to discover current beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of urban youth towards sun protection before and after an educational intervention. Methods: In 2022, 17 children living in metro Detroit participated in an educational presentation regarding sun protection and completed pre- and post- surveys. Statistical significance was calculated via Chi-square tests. Results: After education, there was a significant increase in likelihood of sunscreen application before going outdoors (p \u3c 0.05). There was no significant difference after education regarding sunscreen beliefs (p = 0.463), sunscreen application frequency (p= 0.835), reapplication of sunscreen (p=1.074), daily sunscreen application (p=0.099), alternative sun protection (p=0.863), and likelihood of sharing about sun protection (p=0.227). Conclusions: This study was paired with a program that encouraged children to be active outside. The aim was to increase the likelihood of sunscreen application before going outdoors. In the pre-survey, more people said they would tell family and friends, but this was not reflected in the post survey. Future directions could include an interactive activity to share educational information and reinforce objectives

Molecular profiling of melanoma brain metastases compared to primary cutaneous melanoma and to extracranial metastases.

BACKGROUND: Brain metastases are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity for patients with melanoma. We hypothesize that the development of brain metastases may be explained by molecular heterogeneity between primary cutaneous melanoma (PCM) or extracranial (ECM) and brain (MBM) melanoma metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared next-generation sequencing, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and immunohistochemical staining for PD-L1 expression, among 132 MBM, 745 PCM, and 1190 ECM. RESULTS: The most common genetic alterations among MBM included: BRAF (52.4%), NRAS (26.6%), CDKN2A (23.3%), NF1 (18.9%), TP53 (18%), ARID2 (13.8%), SETD2 (11.9%), and PBRM1 (7.5%). Four genes were found with higher frequency among MBM compared to PCM or ECM: BRAF (52.4% v 40.4% v 40.9%), SETD2 (11.9% v 1.9% v 3.9%), PBRM1 (7.5% v 1.6% v 2.6%), and DICER1 (4.4% v 0.6% v 0.4%). MBM showed higher TMB ( CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a unique molecular profile for MBM, including higher rates of BRAF mutations, higher TMB and higher PD-L1 expression, and also implicate chromatin remodeling in the pathogenesis of MBM

Outcome measures for the evaluation of treatment response in hidradenitis suppurativa for clinical practice

Importance Although several clinician- and patient-reported outcome measures have been developed for trials in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), there is currently no consensus on which measures are best suited for use in clinical practice. Identifying validated and feasible measures applicable to the practice setting has the potential to optimize treatment strategies and generate generalizable evidence that may inform treatment guidelines. Objective To establish consensus on a core set of clinician- and patient-reported outcome measures recommended for use in clinical practice and to establish the appropriate interval within which these measures should be applied. Evidence Review Clinician- and patient-reported HS measures and studies describing their psychometric properties were identified through literature reviews. Identified measures comprised an item reduction survey and subsequent electronic Delphi (e-Delphi) consensus rounds. In each consensus round, a summary of outcome measure components and scoring methods was provided to participants. Experts were provided with feasibility characteristics of clinician measures to aid selection. Consensus was achieved if at least 67% of respondents agreed with use of a measure in clinical practice. Findings Among HS experts, response rates for item reduction, e-Delphi round 1, and e-Delphi round 2 surveys were 76.4% (42 of 55), 90.5% (38 of 42), and 92.9% (39 of 42), respectively; among patient research partners (PRPs), response rates were 70.8% (17 of 24), 100% (17 of 17), and 82.4% (14 of 17), respectively. The majority of experts across rounds were practicing dermatologists with 18 to 19 years of clinical experience. In the final e-Delphi round, most PRPs were female (12 [85.7%] vs 2 males [11.8%]) and aged 30 to 49 years. In the final e-Delphi round, HS experts and PRPs agreed with the use of the HS Investigator Global Assessment (28 [71.8%]) and HS Quality of Life score (13 [92.9%]), respectively. The most expert-preferred assessment interval in which to apply these measures was 3 months (27 [69.2%]). Conclusions and Relevance An international group of HS experts and PRPs achieved consensus on a core set of HS measures suitable for use in clinical practice. Consistent use of these measures may lead to more accurate assessments of HS disease activity and life outcomes, facilitating shared treatment decision-making in the practice setting

A review of vitamin B12 in dermatology

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that is important in the hematological and nervous systems, and it has a complex relationship with the skin. Altered cobalamin levels can lead to dermatological manifestations, which may indicate a deficiency or excess of this vitamin. The biochemistry and metabolism of cobalamin is complex, and diseases can be associated with alterations of this metabolic pathway. The cutaneous manifestations of cobalamin deficiency include hyperpigmentation (most commonly); hair and nail changes; and oral changes, including glossitis. Additionally, several dermatologic conditions, including vitiligo, aphthous stomatitis, atopic dermatitis, and acne are related to cobalamin excess or deficiency. The cutaneous complications of cobalamin therapy include acne, rosacea, and allergic site reactions, or anaphylaxis with cobalamin injections. As cobalt is a component of cobalamin, patients with cobalt sensitivity have been reported to have cutaneous manifestations when receiving cobalamin replacement therapy

Improving Satisfaction of Patients Living with Hidradenitis Suppurativa through Administration of an Intake Form

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an incurable, chronic inflammatory skin that is caused by follicular occlusion and affects around 1% of people in the United States 1. Because of its chronic, grave nature, patients may be dissatisfied with their care. Improving the fecundity of HS patients’ interaction with their physicians may be an important step towards improving patient outcomes. Currently, there is no standardized patient intake form for HS patients at Wayne Health. The intake form describes key patient details, such as their current treatments, pain level, and associated symptoms. This project measures the efficacy of this tool after its introduction in order to ensure its utility. Methods All HS patients, ≥ 18 to 80 years old, presenting at Wayne Health Dermatology were asked to participate in a satisfaction survey from July 29th-November 19th. The survey data was collected using Qualtrics on an electronic tablet. It was administered to gauge patient care satisfaction before their dermatology appointment and before the intake form rollout. After administration of the intake form, we assessed patient satisfaction again with the same questions. Results Most patients were completely satisfied with their care in the pre-intake satisfaction survey (Figure 1). The intake form is currently being administered, and results for the post-intake satisfaction survey are pending. Conclusion This intake form will allow physicians to quickly target and identify main patient concerns that will allow for deeper discussion regarding these issues and prognosis. Thus, patients living with HS may be more satisfied with their physician encounter after completing it