Efficacy and safety of crisaborole ointment in Chinese and Japanese patients aged ≥2 years with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a significant impact on the overall wellbeing of patients and their families. Crisaborole ointment, 2%, is a nonsteroidal phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis in multiple countries. However, in the key pivotal trials, a low proportion of the overall patient population was Asian, therefore the safety and efficacy of crisaborole in the Asian population with atopic dermatitis remains unclear. CrisADe CLEAR was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, phase 3 study (NCT04360187) to assess the efficacy and safety of crisaborole ointment in Chinese and Japanese patients aged ≥2 years with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis involving ≥5% treatable body surface area. Patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive crisaborole or vehicle twice daily for 28 days. The primary endpoint was percentage change from baseline in the Eczema Area and Severity Index total score at day 29. Additional endpoints were improvement and success per Investigator's Static Global Assessment score at day 29 and change from baseline on the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale at week 4. Safety was assessed using rates of treatment emergent adverse events, serious adverse events, and clinically significant changes in vital signs and clinical laboratory parameters. Crisaborole-treated patients showed a significantly greater reduction versus vehicle in percentage change from baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index total score at day 29 (P = 0.0002). Response rates for achievement of Investigator's Static Global Assessment improvement and success at day 29 were significantly higher for patients treated with crisaborole versus vehicle (P = 0.0124 and P = 0.0078, respectively). Crisaborole-treated patients showed a significantly greater reduction versus vehicle in change from baseline on the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale at week 4 (P = 0.0009). No new safety signals were identified. Treatment with crisaborole was effective and well tolerated in Chinese and Japanese patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis.

Novel mutations in Chinese hypotrichosis simplex patients associated with LSS gene.

Hypotrichosis simplex (HS) is a rare form of hereditary alopecia caused by a variety of genetic mutations. Currently, only four studies regarding LSS-related HS have been reported. In this study, we try to make a definite diagnosis in two unrelated Chinese families with three pediatric patients clinically suspected of HS. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed for these two families to reveal the pathogenic mutation. WES revealed two different compound heterozygous mutations in LSS in two probands that confirmed the diagnosis, including three novel mutations. In this paper, we describe a new accompanying phenotype of teeth dysplasia in a HS patient. Moreover, we provide a review of all reported LSS mutation-related patients and infer some potential genotype-phenotype correlations for the first time.

Wnt5a/Ca (2+) /calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T signaling pathway as a potential marker of pediatric melanoma.

Melanoma is rare in children, but its incidence appears to be increasing. Melanoma accounts for the highest mortality among all skin cancer types. This disease is characterized by high-grade malignancy, easy metastasis, poor prognosis, and high death rate. Melanoma in children may be biologically different from that in adults. Therefore, novel biomarkers need to be developed to understand the mechanism by which melanoma cells migrate and infiltrate. Such biomarkers will also be useful for the molecular recognition and targeted therapy of melanoma. Ca 2+ regulates the migration, proliferation, infiltration, and metastasis of cancer cells. Consequently, many studies investigated the relationship of the Wnt/Ca 2+ signaling pathway to tumor occurrence and development. This review summarizes and discusses the function of the Wnt5a/Ca 2+ /calcineurin/nuclear factor of the activated T signaling pathway in melanoma and evaluates its potential to be a biomarker of pediatric melanoma.