Defining and Measuring the Scope of Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has no definitive diagnostic test and has a large range of phenotypes, making it a difficult disease to assess and define. However, an agreed-upon definition of AD is important for clinical trials, population-based studies, and clinical practice. Several diagnostic criteria systems have been proposed to fill these needs, with none considered the gold standard. To further aid in standardized assessment of AD patients, numerous disease severity and quality-of-life measurement tools have been proposed. There is similarly no gold standard and efforts are ongoing to develop a single consensus scale. Finally, assessment of AD-associated comorbidities, including allergic/immunologic conditions, psychiatric disorders, and metabolic/cardiac conditions, is important when evaluating this patient population.

Role of Dysregulated Cytokine Signaling and Bacterial Triggers in the Pathogenesis of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a heterogeneous group of lymphomas characterized by the accumulation of malignant T cells in the skin. The molecular and cellular etiology of this malignancy remains enigmatic, and what role antigenic stimulation plays in the initiation and/or progression of the disease remains to be elucidated. Deep sequencing of the tumor genome showed a highly heterogeneous landscape of genetic perturbations, and transcriptome analysis of transformed T cells further highlighted the heterogeneity of this disease. Nonetheless, using data harvested from high-throughput transcriptional profiling allowed us to develop a reliable signature of this malignancy. Focusing on a key cytokine signaling pathway previously implicated in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma pathogenesis, JAK/STAT signaling, we used conditional gene targeting to develop a fully penetrant small animal model of this disease that recapitulates many key features of mycosis fungoides, a common variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Using this mouse model, we show that T-cell receptor engagement is critical for malignant transformation of the T lymphocytes and that progression of the disease is dependent on microbiota.

Defining and Measuring the Scope of Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has no definitive diagnostic test and has a large range of phenotypes, making it a difficult disease to assess and define. However, an agreed-upon definition of AD is important for clinical trials, population-based studies, and clinical practice. Several diagnostic criteria systems have been proposed to fill these needs, with none considered the gold standard. To further aid in standardized assessment of AD patients, numerous disease severity and quality of life measurement tools have been proposed. There is similarly no gold standard and efforts are ongoing to develop a single consensus scale. Finally, assessment of AD-associated comorbidities, including allergic/immunologic conditions, psychiatric disorders, and metabolic/cardiac conditions, is important when evaluating this patient population.

Bacterial bloodstream infections in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients before and after implementation of a central line-associated bloodstream infection protocol: A single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: There are only few reports describing the influence of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention strategies on the incidence of bacterial bloodstream infections (BBSIs). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study among pediatric recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) to assess potential changes in BBSI rates during 3 time periods: pre-CLABSI prevention era (era 1, 2004-2005), CLABSI prevention implementation era (era 2, 2006-2009), and maintenance of CLABSI prevention era (era 3, 2010-2012). BBSI from day 0-365 following allo-HCT were studied. The comparison of person-years incidence rates among different periods was carried out by Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 10.0 years. During the study period, 126 (65%) of 190 patients had at least a single BBSI. From day 0-30, day 31-100, day 101-180, and day 181-365, 20%, 28%, 30%, and 17% of patients, respectively, experienced BBSIs. The rate of Staphylococcus epidermidis and gram-negative pathogens significantly declined from 3.16-0.93 and 6.32-2.21 per 100 person-months during era 1 and era 3, respectively (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing allo-HCT during era 3 were associated with decreased risk of BBSI (P = .012). Maintenance of CLABSI protocols by nursing staff and appropriate education of other care providers is essential to lower incidence of BBSI in this high-risk population, and further strategies to decrease infection burden should be studied.

Development and implementation of a pharmacist-managed, neonatal and pediatric, opioid-weaning protocol.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the length of wean and abstinence severity in neonatal and pediatric patients with neonatal abstinence syndrome or iatrogenic opioid dependence treated with a pharmacist-managed, methadone-based protocol compared with physician-managed patients treated with either methadone or dilute tincture of opium (DTO). METHODS: This was a prospective, single-centered, interventional evaluation of 54 pharmacist-managed patients versus 53 retrospective, physician-managed patients. Wean duration and severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome were compared between groups using the Student t test. RESULTS: Significantly shorter wean duration in in utero-exposed pharmacist-managed patients compared with patients on physician-managed DTO (11.7 days vs 24.2 days, p < 0.001), but not compared with patients on physician-managed methadone (11.7 days vs 47 days, p = 0.101). No statistically significant difference was seen in wean duration in iatrogenic-exposed pharmacist-managed patients compared with patients on either physician-managed DTO or methadone (8.69 days vs 14 days, p = 0.096) and (8.69 days vs 9.82 days, p = 0.34), respectively. There were significantly fewer abstinence scores >12 in pharmacist-managed patients versus physician-managed DTO, but not physician-managed methadone (2.05 vs 17.3, p = 0.008 and 2.05 vs 74.3, p = 0.119, respectively). Significantly fewer abstinence scores ≥8 × 3 consecutively were seen in pharmacist-managed patients compared with patients on either physician-managed DTO or methadone (2.89 vs 11.9, p = 0.01 and 2.89 vs 24, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a pharmacist-managed, methadone-based weaning protocol standardizes patient care and has the potential to decrease abstinence severity and shorten duration of wean versus physician-managed patients exposed to opioids in utero. Additionally, a methadone wean of 10% to 20% per day was well tolerated in both neonatal and pediatric patients.

The moderating effects of personal reputation on accountability-strain relationships.

Although felt accountability has predicted positive outcomes in some studies, it has demonstrated anxiety-provoking properties in others. This inconsistency has led researchers to search for moderating variables that explain why felt accountability promotes or impedes favorable outcomes. Building on these studies, the authors examine the moderating effects of personal reputation on the felt accountability-strain relationship. As hypothesized, the results indicate that a positive personal reputation ameliorated the strain reactions caused by felt accountability. In particular, as felt accountability increased, individuals with strong personal reputations experienced less job tension and depressed mood at work, as well as more job satisfaction, but individuals with weak personal reputations experienced the opposite outcomes.