1,721,061 research outputs found
Scurvy as Presenting Sign of Anorexia Nervosa
Full text linkA 59-year-old woman with history of anorexia nervosa presented with striped purpura and ecchymoses on the legs. Deficiency in serum vitamin C with levels <0.1 mg/dl (N.V. 0.2-2mg/dL) was found
Latest Advances for the Treatment of Chronic Plaque Psoriasis with Biologics and Oral Small Molecules
No full textPsoriasis is a common immune-mediated chronic skin disease. Disease severity is influenced by several factors including the extent and localization of skin lesions, severity of pruritus and comorbidities, such as psoriatic arthritis. Moderate to severe psoriasis is defined when cutaneous involvement is diffuse, covering more than 10% of the body surface areas and/or involving the sensitive areas such as face, genitalia, folds or nails or has high impact on patients’ quality of life, and it occurs in approximately 15% of cases. In recent years, a growing understanding of psoriasis pathophysiology allowed the development of an increasing number of effective and safe treatments, including biologicals that are indicated for moderate to severe psoriasis. Different classes of biologicals have been already approved, including TNF-α (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab and certolizumab pegol), IL-12/23 (ustekinumab), IL-17 (secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab) and IL-23 (guselkumab, risankizumab, tildrakizumab) inhibitors. The objective of this narrative review is to revise efficacy and safety data of the latest biologicals, small oral molecules and biosimilar drugs for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis at Phase III of clinical development. The latest IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitors include bimekizumab, netakimab and mirikizumab as well as oral small molecules, such as deucravacitinib, a tyrosine kinase 2 selective inhibitor, and piclidenoson, an agonist of the Gi protein-associated A3 adenosine receptor. Additional molecules are in an early phase of development. Highly promising biologicals and small oral molecules are the leading edge of the systemic treatment of psoriasis
Risk of lymphohematologic malignancies in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis: A systematic review with meta-analysis
No full textBackground: The association between chronic plaque psoriasis and lymphohematologic malignancies (LHMs) remains controversial. Objective: To investigate the risk of LHMs in patients with psoriasis according to the best evidence. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies was undertaken to assess the association of psoriasis with different LHMs. A literature search for relevant studies was performed on February 28, 2021. The random-effects model in conducting meta-analyses was applied. To evaluate the risk of bias, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was employed. Results: A total of 25 observational studies were selected, comprising collectively 2,501,652 subjects. A significantly increased risk for LHM (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 1.24-2.94) and lymphoma (HR, 1.27; 1.08-1.50) in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis compared to the general population was found. In detail, increased risks for Hodgkin lymphoma (HR, 1.71; 1.27-2.30), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HR, 1.27; 1.08-1.50), multiple myeloma (HR, 1.32; 1.03-1.69), and leukemia (HR, 1.28; 1.00-1.65) were found. The risk of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was markedly augmented in patients with psoriasis (HR, 6.22; 3.39-11.42). Limitations: Possible ascertainment bias related to the diagnosis of LHMs. Conclusion: The increased risk of LHMs, particularly cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, in patients with psoriasis could be related to exposure to systemic immunosuppressive therapies, comorbidities, and sustained immune activation, particularly in the skin
Clinical and immunological profile of patients with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor-associated bullous pemphigoid
No full textBACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease caused by antibodies against the hemidesmosomal BP180 and/or BP230 proteins. There is an increasing evidence that the use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, also known as gliptins, increases the risk for BP. The gliptins more frequently associated with BP are vildagliptin and sitagliptin. Clinical, immunological and pathological features of gliptin-associated BP have been reported to be distinct, compared to classic BP.METHODS: In this study, 15 gliptin-associated BP (g-BP) cases have been compared with 16 consecutive idiopathic BP (i-BP) to clarify whether g-BP has distinctive clinical and immunopathological characteristics. Comorbidities, concomitant treatments, latency of the onset of the disease and the time to achieve the remission were also considered.RESULTS: The mean latency from drug intake to g-BP appearance was 9.4 months (median 10, inter-quartile range [IQR] 6-12). There were no differences in sex and age prevalence between the two groups (g-BP median age 77 years, IQR: 70-84; i-BP: 81 years, IQR: 72-86). There were no differences as far clinical presentation including disease severity, lesions types (urticarial and bullous) or mucosal involvement between g-BP and i-BP cases. The median antibody anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 titers was also similar between the two groups with 29.1 UI/mL (IQR: 12.9-65.3) and 11.8 UI/mL (IQR: 1.7-26.3), respectively. Gliptins were withdrawn in ten out of 15 patients and remission was achieved with systemic corticosteroids (0.3-0.7 mg/Kg daily) alone or in association with doxycycline (100-200 mg daily) within a mean of 8 months.CONCLUSIONS: A non-inflammatory phenotype with less erythema, fewer urticarial lesions and fewer eosinophils in skin lesions has been associated with gliptins in selected Japanese BP populations. As reported in European studies, no significant differences among the considered variables in the g-BP and i-BP cases have been found in our study
Neurothekeoma: a pediatric case report and literature review
No full text: Dear Editor, Neurothekeoma is a rare, benign, soft tissue tumor that primarily affects the dermis. Initially described as a variant of nerve sheath myxoma, it was later recognized as a distinct entity because of its histopathological and immunohistochemical differences, as it is thought to be derived from fibroblast. It is most commonly observed in children and young adults, is more frequent in females, and typically arises in the head, neck, and upper extremities. [...]
Predictors of subsequent primary melanoma: a case-control study
No full textPatients with history of malignant melanoma (MM) are at risk of developing subsequent primary MM (SPM). Predictors of SPM may be helpful to identify patients at higher risk. The objective of the study is to investigate the phenotypic traits, indirect actinic exposure features and pathological variables associated with the risk of development of SPM. A ten-year retrospective case-control study was undertaken involving patients following MM excision who underwent regular video-dermoscopic examination at 4-6-month intervals for the first 5 years, followed by annual dermoscopic examination for the following five years. Patients with only one primary cutaneous MM were compared with those who developed at least one SPM. A total of 577 patients were included, 309 (53.6%) men and 268 (46.5%) women (mean age, 55 +/- 15 years), comprising 450 patients with single melanoma and 127 with at least one SPM. The median time span to the SPM was 30 (IQR 12-53) months. Compared to the first melanoma, SPM were thinner, mean Breslow 0.56 +/- 0.64 mm vs 1.37 +/- 1.83 mm (p < 0.001); in situ MM prevalence 12% vs 36% (p < 0.001). 36 % of the patients with SPM developed it in the anatomical site of the previous melanoma. At multivariate analysis, having numerous naevi (i.e. 10-50 nevi) OR = 2.88 (95% CI 1.32-6.28, previous dysplastic naevi excisions OR = 2.51 (95% CI 1.53-4.12), solar lentigo OR = 2.68 (95% CI 1.67-4.31) and actinic keratosis OR = 3.09 (95% CI 1.64-4.31) were associated with an increased risk of SPM. These features may identify persons at increased risk of developing SPM
Primary nodular localized cutaneous amyloidosis of the scalp associated with systemic lupus erythematosus
No full textPrimary nodular localized cutaneous amyloidosis of the scalp associated with systemic lupus erythematosu
Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs may mitigate the risk of psoriatic arthritis in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis
Full text linkObjective To estimate the incidence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis who had received a continuous treatment with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) compared with phototherapy. Methods A retrospective non-randomised study involving patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, who were prescribed at least 5 years of bDMARDs or at least three narrow-band ultraviolet light B (nb-UVB) phototherapy courses, and did not have a diagnosis of PsA at enrolment. Development of PsA in each patient was assessed by a rheumatologist according to the Classification for Psoriatic Arthritis criteria. The annual and cumulative incidence rate of PsA was estimated by using an event per person-years analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were undertaken to assess the hazard risk (HR) of PsA after adjustment for confounders. Results A total of 464 psoriatic patients (bDMARDs, n=234 and nb-UVB, n=230) were followed between January 2012 and September 2020 (corresponding to 1584 and 1478 person year of follow-up for the two groups, respectively). The annual incidence rate of PsA was 1.20 cases (95% CI 0.77 to 1.89) versus 2.17 cases (95% CI 1.53 to 3.06) per 100 patients/year in the bDMARDs versus phototherapy group, respectively (HR 0.29, 0.12-0.70; p=0.006). The variables independently associated with higher risk of PsA were older age (adjusted HR 1.04, 1.02-1.07), nail psoriasis (adjusted HR 3.15, 1.63-6.06) and psoriasis duration >10 years (adjusted HR 2.02, 1.09-3.76); notably, bDMARDs treatment was associated with a lower risk of incident PsA (adjusted HR 0.27, 0.11-0.66). Conclusions bDMARDs treatment may delay or reduce the risk of incident PsA in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis
Hypochondriasis and Personality Traits of Patients with Chronic Plaque Psoriasis
No full textBackground: Plaque psoriasis has been associated with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and various personality traits. However, studies on hypochondriasis, i.e. the belief of serious illness despite having no or only mild symptoms, are currently scarce. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess hypochondriasis and personality traits in psoriasis patients using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Methods: We conducted an observational study on patients with plaque psoriasis who underwent MMPI-2 testing. Demographic and clinical data, including comorbidities, alcohol consumption, and smoking, were collected. Results: A total of 136 consecutive psoriatic patients were included. The mean age (+/- SD) was 53.7 (+/- 13.5), mean PASI (Psoriasis Area Severity Index) was 12.4 (+/- 9.9), and mean disease duration was 23.3 (+/- 15.7) years. Pathologically elevated scores in the Hypochondriasis scale were observed in 27.9% of patients. Furthermore, in a few other MMPI-2 scales (Anxiety, Fears and Negative Treatment Indicators) >= 25% of patients obtained pathologically elevated scores. Conversely, the scales that had the highest proportion of low scorers were Ego Strength and Dominance. At regression analysis, higher psoriasis severity and female gender were associated with higher scores in the Hypochondriasis scale (p = 0.03 and 0.001). Finally, 72.8% reported any alcohol consumption and 8.1% heavy alcohol consumption. Conclusion: About one third of patients with psoriasis have high scores in the MMPI-2 hypochondriasis evaluation scale. Poor individual coping resources also appeared to be distinctive psychological features in a significant proportion of psoriatic patients
Adrenergic urticaria successfully treated with omalizumab
No full textAdrenergic urticaria successfully treated with omalizuma
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