Efficiency of continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal oxygen therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 develop acute respiratory distress syndrome characterized by relatively well-preserved pulmonary compliance but severe hypoxemia. The challenge in managing such patients lies in optimizing oxygenation, which can be achieved through either high oxygen flow or noninvasive mechanical ventilation. This study was performed to compare the efficiency of two methods of noninvasive oxygen therapy: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved 668 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the "Sf. Apostol Andrei" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Galati, Romania from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (CPAP, n = 108; HFNO, n = 108). RESULTS: Mortality was significantly lower in the CPAP and HFNO groups than in the group of patients who underwent intubation and mechanical ventilation after ICU admission. Mortality in the ICU was not significantly different between the CPAP and HFNO groups. CONCLUSIONS: HFNO and CPAP represent efficient alternative therapies for patients with severe COVID-19 whose respiratory treatment has failed. Studies involving larger groups of patients are necessary to establish a personalized, more complex management modality for critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Once-Daily Abrocitinib for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Adults and Adolescents Aged 12 Years and Over: A Short Review of Current Clinical Perspectives.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with high prevalence and a complex pathophysiology. This relapsing and remitting skin disorder has many negative consequences on the patient's quality of life and that of his family. Until now, moderate-to-severe AD treatment was a symptomatic one, using skin emollients, topical corticosteroids, phototherapy, antihistamines and systemic drugs - immune suppressants and other systemic treatments (dupilumab). Starting from 2021, abrocitinib, a Janus kinase-1 inhibitor, was approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe cases of AD in Europe, in adults. Multiple phase three studies (JADE MONO-1 [NCT03349060]; JADE MONO-2 [NCT03575871]; JADE TEEN [NCT03796676]; JADE COMPARE; GOODERHAM; JADE EXTEND) have yielded positive results in adults and adolescents suffering from this disease, with efficacy, a good tolerance, safe profile, and with generally mild side effects. The positive results were obtained even starting from the first stages of the oral drug administration. The low frequency of side effects and the advantage of having an orally administered medication makes abrocitinib an important additional tool for the treatment of moderate-to-severe forms of AD.

Nevi, biologics for psoriasis and the risk for skin cancer: A real concern? (Case presentation and short review).

Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory cutaneous disease that affects approximately 2% of the world's population. Systemic treatments and biologic treatment therapies are a powerful option for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. Some studies from the literature indicate an overall small, but increased, risk of neoplasia in patients with psoriasis treated with phototherapy or systemic medication. The relationship between psoriasis and malignancy is not very well established; there are few studies with conflicting results. We present the case of a 31-year-old male patient, diagnosed with psoriasis, who was deemed eligible for systemic therapy. Treatment with methotrexate was initiated, but without a satisfactory outcome. Given the patient's resistant disease involving 15% of his body surface, his desire to have a clear skin, besides his being naïve to biologic therapy, he was proposed to start treatment with secukinumab 300 mg monthly. The patient experienced complete clearance of lesions and was followed-up on the basis of clinical and biological parameters. There are limited data concerning the relationship between melanocytic lesions, psoriasis and melanoma. Immunologic pathways implicated in psoriasis induce a reduction in the number of melanocytic nevi. Nevertheless, little is known concerning the association of melanocytic nevi with psoriasis. Thorough skin examination, meaning clinical and dermoscopic evaluation of melanocytic lesions, must be encouraged in patients treated with systemic therapies such as biologic agents.

Influence of phytochemicals in induced psoriasis (Review).

Cytokines involved in pathogenesis of psoriasis such as interleukins (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17, IL-22, IL-23), interferon-α, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ can also become therapeutic targets. Research currently uses murine models of imiquimod-induced psoriatic-type dermatitis in order to analyze potentially helpful phytotherapeutics for psoriasis treatment: Curcuma longa, Aloe vera, Nigella sativa, Rubia cordifolia, Smilax china, Thespesia populnea, Wrightia tinctoria, Scutellaria baicalensis, Cassia tora, Pongamia pinnata and various Chinese herbal formulas. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with complex pathogenic mechanisms that yield abnormal immune responses with clinical and morphological echoes (erythematous, scaly plaques with a histopathological basis made up of alterations i.e. keratinocyte aberrant proliferation, parakeratosis or chronic inflammation). The current therapeutic approach has only been able to manage the disease, without ensuring a certified treatment, thus giving rise to the need for better medications. This novel therapeutic approach has shown promising results in preclinical studies, giving hope for future phytochemical animal-based studies.