Safety and efficacy of high-dose clobetasol propionate 0.05% in cutaneous lichen planus.

Cutaneous lichen planus is a highly pruritic dermatosis with an unmet need in its management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effect and tolerance of high doses of clobetasol propionate 0.05% in cutaneous lichen planus. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021. All adults treated with high-dose (>5 g/day) clobetasol propionate 0.05% for cutaneous lichen planus were included. Patients with less than 10% affected body surface area at initial presentation or who received concomitant systemic therapy were excluded. The primary endpoint was the rate of complete remission by week 16. Secondary endpoints included maximum daily and median cumulative doses, reduction in pruritus and occurrence of adverse events. Fifty-seven patients, 60% female, with a mean age of 48 years (min-max,18-83) were included. Cutaneous lichen planus had been present for a median duration of 2 months at initial presentation (min-max, 1-4) and involved a median body surface area of 27%. Pruritus was reported by 55/57 (96%) patients. At week 16, 41/57 (72%) patients had achieved complete remission without treatment modification, among whom 25/41 (61%) had achieved it at week 6. The median daily and cumulative doses were, respectively, 20 g/day (IQR, 10-20) and 560 g (IQR, 320-925). Three patients experienced mild adverse events. No statistical association was demonstrated between the duration of the disease before treatment initiation and clinical response. In conclusion, high-dose clobetasol propionate 0.05% seems to be an effective, well-tolerated, and easy-to-implement treatment for cutaneous lichen planus.

A process modelling approach to assess the impact of teledermatology deployment onto the skin tumor care pathway.

BACKGROUND: Teledermatology was raised as a potential answer to increase access and decrease delay for skin cancer management. However, its influence on non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) care pathway has never been studied. OBJECTIVES: To compare conventional care pathway to teledermatology (TD) in NMSC care pathways using a process modelling approach. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A period study including three groups was conducted in a department of dermatology. During the first period from January till February 2013 a NMSC care pathway was mapped for a group a prior TD integration. During the second period from September 2016 till October 2018, the NMSC care pathway was determined for patients managed by a conventional care process and after TD diagnosis. Patients characteristics, type of tumors and processes were compared using time as a key performance indicator. Mean were reported with their ± SD. Linear regression was performed using time between multidisciplinary consultation and surgery as outcome adjusted on sex, age and cancer type. RESULTS: During the first period (prior to TD) 89 NMSC patients were managed (mean age = 76 yr old ± 13) during the second period, 36 patients NMSC were managed after TD, mean age of 89 years old ± 6 and 954 patients in a conventional process, mean age of 78 years old ±12. In comparison between the two periods patient's age, sex and cancer distribution significantly differed while the rate of surgery was not significantly different (p = 0.967). Linear multivariate regression using time between multidisciplinary consultation and surgery as outcome adjusted on sex age and cancer type displayed that during the second period patients in the TD group spent 17.6 days more [0.98,34.25] while patient in the conventional care process group had 9.8 days [1.85,17.74] more than patient in the study period 1, (p = 0.04, p = 0.02) without significant difference for age and sex (p = 0.29, p = 0.51). Patients with a SCC had a decreased time between multidisciplinary consultation and surgery of -12.97 days [-17.43, -8.5], p < 10-3. CONCLUSION: Interestingly, patients managed by TD were significantly older than those managed using a conventional care pathway. Unexpectedly their total time spent in the process was not shorter. The results of this analysis illustrated the interest of using process modelling approach to assess the impact of a healthcare innovation integration and to further rethink coordination and care pathways for NSMC post TD.

Portomesenteric venous gas in a 2-week-old Holstein calf.

A 2-week-old Holstein Friesian female calf was presented with profuse diarrhea and abdominal distension. Clinicopathological findings included marked hypoproteinemia, hypoglycemia and leucopenia, mild hyperlactatemia, and hyperfibrinogenemia. On abdominal ultrasonography, features were consistent with portomesenteric venous gas (PVG), a rare condition reported in the medical literature. The PVG in this calf was associated with severe gastrointestinal illness and sepsis.

Gaz veineux porto-mésentérique chez un veau Holstein âgé de 2 semaines. Une génisse Holstein-Friesian âgée de 2 semaines a été présentée avec une diarrhée abondante et une distension abdominale. Les résultats clinicopathologiques ont inclus de l'hypoprotéinémie, de l'hypoglycémie et de la leucopénie marquées ainsi qu'une hyperlactatémie et une hyperfibrinogénémie légères. À l'échographie abdominale, les caractéristiques étaient conformes à du gaz veineux portomésentérique (GVP), une affection rare signalée dans la littérature médicale. Le GVP de ce veau était associé à une maladie gastrointestinale et à une septicémie graves.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Neutrophils are not less sensitive than other blood leukocytes to the genomic effects of glucocorticoids.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophils are generally considered less responsive to glucocorticoids compared to other inflammatory cells. The reported increase in human neutrophil survival mediated by these drugs partly supports this assertion. However, it was recently shown that dexamethasone exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects in equine peripheral blood neutrophils. Few comparative studies of glucocorticoid effects in neutrophils and other leukocytes have been reported and a relative insensitivity of neutrophils to these drugs could not be ruled out. OBJECTIVE: We assessed glucocorticoid-responsiveness in equine and human peripheral blood neutrophils and neutrophil-depleted leukocytes. METHODS: Blood neutrophils and neutrophil-depleted leukocytes were isolated from 6 healthy horses and 4 human healthy subjects. Cells were incubated for 5 h with or without LPS (100 ng/mL) alone or combined with hydrocortisone, prednisolone or dexamethasone (10(-8) M and 10(-6) M). IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-8, glutamine synthetase and GR-α mRNA expression was quantified by qPCR. Equine neutrophils were also incubated for 20 h with or without the three glucocorticoids and cell survival was assessed by flow cytometry and light microscopy on cytospin preparations. RESULTS: We found that glucocorticoids down-regulated LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mRNA expression in both cell populations and species. These drugs also significantly increased glutamine synthetase gene expression in both equine cell populations. The magnitude of glucocorticoid response between cell populations was generally similar in both species. We also showed that dexamethasone had a comparable inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory gene expression in both human and equine neutrophils. As reported in other species, glucocorticoids significantly increase the survival in equine neutrophils. CONCLUSIONS: Glucocorticoids exert genomic effects of similar magnitude on neutrophils and on other blood leukocytes. We speculate that the poor response to glucocorticoids observed in some chronic neutrophilic diseases such as severe asthma or COPD is not explained by a relative lack of inhibition of these drugs on pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in neutrophils.