Treatment of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria skin infections.

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) skin infections have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, presenting a unique challenge in clinical management. This review explored the complexities of NTM infections localized to the superficial tissues and provided valuable insights into the optimal therapeutic strategies. The antibiotic selection should base on NTM species and their susceptibility profiles. It is recommended to adopt a comprehensive approach that considers the unique characteristics of superficial tissues to improve treatment effectiveness and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, infection recurrence, and treatment failure. Infection control measures, patient education, and close monitoring should complement the treatment strategies to achieve favorable outcomes in managing NTM skin infections. Further efforts are warranted to elucidate factors and mechanisms contributing to treatment resistance and relapse. Future research should focus on exploring novel treatment options, innovative drug development/delivery platforms, and precise methodologies for determining therapeutic duration. Longitudinal studies are also needed to assess the long-term safety profiles of the integrated approaches.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Melanoma Treated with Vaccinations Research from 2013 to 2023: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUNDS: Melanoma is a malignant tumor that originates from melanocytes and is known for its aggressive behavior and high metastatic potential. In recent years, vaccine therapy has emerged as a promising approach for the treatment of melanoma, offering targeted and individualized immunotherapy options. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to assess the global research trends and impact of publications related to melanoma and vaccine therapy. METHODS: We retrieved relevant literature from the Web of Science database from the past decade (2013-2023) using keywords such as "melanoma", "vaccine therapy", and "cancer vaccines". We used bibliometric indicators including publication trends, citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, and journal analysis to evaluate the research landscape of this field. RESULTS: After screening, a total of 493 publications were included in the analysis. We found that melanoma and vaccine therapy have gained significant attention in the field of cancer immunotherapy, as evidenced by the numerous research output and increasing citation impact. The United States, China, and their organizations are the leading countries/institutes in terms of publication output, and collaborative research networks are prominent in this field. Clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of vaccination treatment in melanoma patients are the focus of research. CONCLUSIONS: This study provide valuable insights into the novel research landscape of vaccine treatment of melanoma, which could inform future research directions and facilitate knowledge exchange among researchers in this field.

Skin diseases of the nipple and areola complex: A case series study from China.

Background: Skin diseases of the nipple and areola complex (NAC) are numerous and difficult to diagnose, which is a great challenge for clinicians. A better understanding of the clinical features of NAC skin diseases is of great value for the correct diagnosis. Methods: To investigate the clinical characteristics of skin diseases of the NAC, we retrospectively analyzed the demographic data, disease constitution, rash characteristics, inconsistency between the clinical and pathological diagnosis from 260 patients with NAC lesions that were confirmed by histopathology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China from 2012 to 2022. Results: The patients' average age was 43.6 (8 to 82) years, and the ratio of females to males was 13.4:1. Out of the 260 patients biopsied, the most common diseases were eczema, Paget's disease (PD), adenoma of the nipple (AN), seborrheic keratosis (SK), cutaneous metastasis of breast cancer, wart, soft fibroma, and hyperkeratosis of the nipple and areola. There were 77 (29.6%) patients with inconsistency between the clinical impressions and pathological diagnoses. AN was the most clinically misdiagnosed condition, most commonly presumed to be PD or eczema. Conclusion: Eczema and PD are the most common biopsied NAC skin diseases. Late onset, unilateral involvement, and predilection for the nipple are several characteristics of PD, which are different from eczema. NAC skin diseases are easily misdiagnosed clinically, especially AN.

Ocular Adverse Effects in Atopic Dermatitis Patients Treated With Dupilumab: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorders. Dupilumab, the first targeted biological drug approved for the treatment of AD, has been widely used, along with increasing ocular adverse effects (AEs). Objective: To perform a bibliometric analysis of all the qualified literature involving ocular AEs during the treatment of AD with dupilumab. Methods: Relevant studies were extracted from the Web of Science database and screened by researchers. The bibliographic analysis was performed using the VOSviewer. Results: A total of 138 articles were enrolled in this study. The first study was published in 2016 by Oregon Health and Science University from the United States. The majority of publications were published in the past 3 years. British Journal of Dermatology published the highest number of articles. The United States was the country with the most publications. Sanofi (France) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (USA) were the leading organizations with the most contributions. Conjunctivitis was the most common ocular AE. The management of AD will continue to be the research hotspot and development trend in this area. The milestone research is the first article "Two Phase 3 Trials of Dupilumab vs. Placebo in Atopic Dermatitis" published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Most of the top 10 papers were mainly randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials and real-life large cohort studies. Conclusions: This study may help better understand ocular AEs in the dupilumab treatment of AD, and grasp the research trends and most influential topics in this field.

Association between metabolic syndrome and psoriasis: a meta-analysis of observational studies with non-psoriasis control groups.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a highly prevalent condition that affects the quality of life of affected individuals. Several studies have indicated an association between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the results were inconsistent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between psoriasis and MS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCO, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and Cochrane) were searched systematically for published studies up to November 2, 2018. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the association between psoriasis and MS. The heterogeneity of the study was estimated with the I2 statistic and analyzed by meta-regression and subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies with a total of 137,053 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Psoriasis was associated with MS and the combined OR (95% CI) was 2.02 (1.67-2.43). The results showed high heterogeneity (I 2 = 83.60%, p < 0.001) and no publication bias among the included studies (p = 0.119). The source of controls may have influenced the heterogeneity according to the meta-regression. There was no heterogeneity in studies with matched non-psoriasis control groups according to the subgroup analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis was associated with MS. The source of the control group was an influencing factor on heterogeneity in this study. Treating for MS in patients with psoriasis might improve psoriasis and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The efficacy and safety of DermalaxTM DEEP in the correction of moderate to severe nasolabial folds: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the efficacy and safety of Dermalax in the correction of moderate to severe nasolabial folds (NLFs) compared to Restylane. METHODS: A total of 324 subjects with moderate to severe NLFs were enrolled in this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled clinical study. Eligible subjects were randomly assigned to the test group received Dermalax injection (n = 162) or control group received Restylane injection (n = 162). Clinical efficacy and safety were assessed based on the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS) and the Global Esthetic Improvement Scale(GAIS) at weeks 2, 8, 16, 24, 36 and 48 weeks after injection. RESULTS: At week 24, similar improvements of effective rate were obtained on the Dermalax group (93.75%) and Restylane group (89.44%). Significances were found at 36 weeks and 48 weeks after injection, Dermalax seemed be better than Restylane in maintaining the effect in the later period. The improvement of mean WSRS score for test group was superior to that of control group with significance. GAIS scores rated at week 24 were 1.65 VS 1.94 (p < .001) and 2.10 VS 2.27 (p = .060), seperately. CONCLUSIONS: Dermalax was no inferior to or better than that of the control filler Restylane in correcting of moderate to severe NLFs in Chinese subjects.

Generalized multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma with possible origin from fibroblasts: A clinicopathological study of 15 cases.

Multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma (MCAH) is a vascular and fibrohistiocytic proliferation with unknown pathogenesis. Clinical lesions tend to be localized to an anatomical area. Exceptionally, the generalized variant is rare. This study reports three cases of generalized MCAH, and analyzes the clinicopathological features of 15 cases reviewed in the published work. Compared with the localized variant, generalized MCAH affected both sexes equally, had an earlier age of onset and a predilection for the trunk and extremities. Histopathologically, the most characteristic feature is the giant, bizarre multinucleate cells with angulated cytoplasm. Systemic diseases or abnormal immune conditions were revealed in six patients with generalized MCAH. For the first time, we found that the present cases showed increased elastic fibers in the affected areas, suggesting that the synthetic function of fibroblasts was active. This study suggested that MCAH originates from fibroblasts and is a distinct entity with potential correlation with abnormal immune states.

Rapamycin blocks the IL-13-induced deficiency of Epidermal Barrier Related Proteins via upregulation of miR-143 in HaCaT Keratinocytes.

Interleukin (IL)-13 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Our preliminary study demonstrated that forced expression of miR-143 could block IL-13-induced down-regulation of epidermal barrier related proteins in epidermal keratinocytes. As previous studies suggested that miR-143 expression was regulated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, we investigated the mechanism of mTOR signaling pathway in the epidermal barrier dysfunction of AD. The HaCaT cells were stimulated by IL-13 and subsequently treated with rapamycin. The expression levels of miR-143, IL-13 receptor α1 (IL-13Rα1), p-mTOR, p-S6K1, p-Akt, and epidermal barrier related proteins were analyzed through RT-qPCR and/or western blotting. The current study showed that IL-13 increased the expression levels of p-mTOR, p-S6K1, and p-Akt, and that rapamycin blocked IL-13-induced down-regulation of miR-143, suppressed the IL-13Rα1 expression and up-regulated the expressions of filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin in HaCaT cells. This study proposed that IL-13 could activate the mTOR signaling pathway, and confirmed the vital role of mTOR-miR-143 signaling axis in the pathogenesis of AD. It provided solid evidences regarding rapamycin as a potential effective therapeutic option in the management of AD.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Longevity and Diffusion Pattern of Hyaluronic Acid in Nasolabial Fold Correction through High-Frequency Ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Injectable hyaluronic acid fillers have been widely applied in the clinical treatment of facial wrinkles. However, further information and clinical evidence concerning dermal changes and hyaluronic acid filler longevity after injection and diffusion pattern are limited. METHODS: The authors evaluated the longevity and diffusion pattern of two hyaluronic acid fillers generated by different cross-linking technologies used in the treatment of nasolabial folds using high-frequency ultrasound. Forty-one subjects were treated with Restylane 2 and the remaining 41 were treated with Dermalax DEEP. Wrinkle severity rating scale score and high-frequency ultrasound evaluation of nasolabial folds were performed before and after the injection of hyaluronic acid filler. The ultrasound images were acquired and analyzed to determine dermal thickness and the shape and distribution of hyaluronic acid filler. RESULTS: At 2 and 24 weeks from baseline, increased dermal thickness induced by hyaluronic acid filler treatment was not significantly different between groups. At 48 weeks after injection, increased dermal thicknesses of the Restylane 2 group (0.14 ± 0.12 mm) were much lower than those of the Dermalax DEEP group (0.20 ± 0.13 mm). Ultrasound examination revealed that hyaluronic acid materials form well-demarcated and hypoechogenic areas. Restylane 2 tended to form a more diffuse pattern, with multiple smaller bubbles, whereas Dermalax DEEP developed into a more localized configuration, with larger clumps. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first long-term assessment of nasolabial fold correction that reveals the performance of different hyaluronic acid materials in vivo and validates high-frequency ultrasound as a simple and rapid modality. Hyaluronic acid fillers generated by different cross-linking technologies display differential diffusion patterns in skin tissues. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.

Lack of association of the IL-1RN and IL-10 polymorphisms with risk of psoriasis: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The present study carried out a meta-analysis to investigate whether the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) VNTR polymorphism and three IL-10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1800896, rs3021097, and rs1800872 are associated with psoriasis risk. METHODS: Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Medline, and PubMed databases were searched for potential studies published until 2 November 2017. Forest plots were generated. RESULTS: Thirteen case-control studies were included in the review. The results of meta-analyses revealed no association of the IL-1RN*2 allele with psoriasis in the overall populations (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.89-1.50, p = 0.279), Asians (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.73-2.23, p = 0.403), and Caucasians (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.88-1.23, p = 0.669). Under the allelic model, there was no statistically significant association of psoriasis with the IL-10 SNPs rs1800896 (G allele vs. A allele: OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.90-1.18, p = 0.639), rs3021097 (C allele vs. T allele: OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.88-1.56, p = 0.288), and rs1800872 (C allele vs. A allele: OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.81-1.25, p = 0.951). No publication bias was found by Egger's test and Begg's funnel plots. CONCLUSION: Current published studies fail to support an association of the IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism and IL-10 SNPs rs1800896, rs3021097, and rs1800872 with psoriasis risk.