Periocular Mohs Reconstruction by Lateral Canthotomy With Inferior Cantholysis: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Most eyelid defects after Mohs micrographic surgery are referred to oculoplastic surgery or plastic surgery for reconstruction, but growing evidence suggests the safety of such repairs performed by dermatologic surgeons is equivalent if not better. Lateral canthotomy with inferior cantholysis may be used by the dermatologic surgeon to reconstruct larger lower eyelid defects. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate lateral canthotomy with inferior cantholysis performed by the dermatologic surgeon can result in safe, functionally and cosmetically acceptable surgical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional review board-approved retrospective study of repairs performed by a single dermatologic surgeon between January 2013 and August 2019. Patient demographics, operative and follow-up notes were reviewed. Two cosmetic dermatologists assessed aesthetic results based on final follow-up photographs using a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Eight cases were included in the analysis. Seventy-five percent of patients were men, with a mean age of 74.1 years old. All tumors were basal cell carcinoma; the mean defect size was 2.4 cm2. No serious complications or postoperative interventions occurred. The median cosmetic score was 85.6 ± 11.5. CONCLUSION: Dermatologic surgeons can safely perform repairs of lower eyelid defects with lateral canthotomy with inferior cantholysis, achieving satisfactory functional and cosmetic outcomes.

ILK Index and Regrowth in Alopecia Areata.

There is insufficient data in the literature concerning optimal intralesional kenalog (ILK) dosing for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the utility of using the ratio of ILK received to initial Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score to guide ILK dosing in patients with AA. Using photographic data from patients at baseline and 4-months follow-up, hair loss in 15 patients treated with AA was retrospectively graded using the SALT scores. The ILK received/initial SALT score (ILK index) was calculated for each patient, and the mean ILK index for patients who experienced significant (≥50%) and suboptimal (<50%) hair regrowth at 4 months follow-up were compared. Patients who experienced suboptimal hair regrowth had a lower ILK index on average than patients who experienced significant improvement. Although the difference did not meet significance (<0.1), the trend suggests that the ILK index, a novel calculation, may be a useful tool for guiding ILK dosing in the treatment of AA.

Needs and Gaps in Resident Trainee Education, Clinical Patient Care, and Clinical Research in Cosmetic Dermatology: Position Statement of the Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatology.

Cosmetic dermatology is a key subspecialty of academic dermatology. As such, academic centers are expected to demonstrate excellence in the teaching of cosmetic dermatology skills to trainees, the clinical delivery of cosmetic dermatology services to patients, and the performance of clinical research that advances knowledge and uncovers new therapies in cosmetic dermatology. The Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatology (AACD), a newly formed medical professional society, includes as its principal aims the support of all of these areas. AACD is comprised of group of board-certified dermatologists who teach cosmetic and laser dermatology at US dermatology residency programs. An expert panel constituted by the AACD recently convened a workshop to review gaps pertaining to academic cosmetic dermatology. This panel considered needs and potential corrective initiatives in three domains: resident education, patient experience, and clinical research. The work of the panel was used to develop a roadmap, which was adopted by consensus, and which will serve to guide the AACD moving forward.

The Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatology: improving cosmetic dermatology education through collaboration, research, and advocacy.

Cosmetic and laser procedures are increasingly popular among patients and are skills in which dermatologists are regarded as well trained. Most dermatology residents intend to incorporate cosmetic procedures into their practice and prefer to learn such procedures during residency through direct patient care. However, there are notable challenges in optimizing how residents are trained in cosmetic and laser dermatology. To address these barriers and elevate the practice of cosmetic dermatology in academic medicine, the Association of Academic Cosmetic Dermatology (AACD) was founded in 2021 as the lead professional society for dermatologists who direct the education of resident trainees in cosmetic and laser dermatology. The AACD, a group of board-certified dermatologists who teach cosmetic and laser dermatology to residents, aims to improve cosmetic dermatology education through collaboration, research, and advocacy.

Inhibition of recall responses through complementary therapies targeting CD8+ T-cell- and alloantibody-dependent allocytotoxicity in sensitized transplant recipients.

Allospecific T memory cell responses in transplant recipients arise from environmental exposure to previous transplantation or cross-reactive heterologous immunity. Unfortunately, these memory responses pose a significant barrier to the survival of transplanted tissue. We have previously reported that concurrent inhibition of CD154 and LFA-1 suppresses primary CD8-dependent rejection responses that are not controlled by conventional immunosuppressive strategies. We hypothesized that CD154- and LFA-1-mediated inhibition, by targeting activation as well as effector functions, may also be efficacious for the control of alloreactive CD8+ T-cell responses in sensitized hosts. We found that treatment with anti-LFA-1 mAb alone enhanced transplant survival and reduced CD8-mediated cytotoxicity in sensitized CD4 KO recipients. However, treatment with anti-CD154 mAb alone did not have an effect. Notably, when both CD4- and CD8-dependent rejection pathways are operative (wild-type sensitized recipients), LFA-1 significantly inhibited CD8-mediated in vivo allocytotoxicity but did not correspond with enhanced hepatocyte survival. We hypothesized that this was due to alloantibody-mediated rejection. When anti-LFA-1 mAb treatment was combined with macrophage depletion, which we have previously reported impairs alloantibody-mediated parenchymal cell damage, in vivo cytotoxic effector function was significantly decreased and was accompanied by significant enhancement of hepatocyte survival in sensitized wild-type recipients. Therefore, LFA-1 is a potent therapeutic target for reduction of CD8-mediated cytotoxicity in sensitized transplant recipients and can be combined with other treatments that target non-CD8-mediated recall alloimmunity.

Cytotoxic effector function of CD4-independent, CD8(+) T cells is mediated by TNF-α/TNFR.

BACKGROUND: Liver parenchymal cell allografts initiate both CD4-dependent and CD4-independent, CD8(+) T cell-mediated acute rejection pathways. The magnitude of allospecific CD8(+) T cell in vivo cytotoxic effector function is maximal when primed in the presence of CD4(+) T cells. The current studies were conducted to determine if and how CD4(+) T cells might influence cytotoxic effector mechanisms. METHODS: Mice were transplanted with allogeneic hepatocytes. In vivo cytotoxicity assays and various gene-deficient recipient mice and target cells were used to determine the development of Fas-, TNF-α-, and perforin-dependent cytotoxic effector mechanisms after transplantation. RESULTS: CD8(+) T cells maturing in CD4-sufficient hepatocyte recipients develop multiple (Fas-, TNF-α-, and perforin-mediated) cytotoxic mechanisms. However, CD8(+) T cells, maturing in the absence of CD4(+) T cells, mediate cytotoxicity and transplant rejection that is exclusively TNF-α/TNFR-dependent. To determine the kinetics of CD4-mediated help, CD4(+) T cells were adoptively transferred into CD4-deficient mice at various times posttransplant. The maximal influence of CD4(+) T cells on the magnitude of CD8-mediated in vivo allocytotoxicityf occurs within 48 hours. CONCLUSION: The implication of these studies is that interference of CD4(+) T cell function by disease or immunotherapy will have downstream consequences on both the magnitude of allocytotoxicity as well as the cytotoxic effector mechanisms used by allospecific CD8(+) cytolytic T cells.