Volume 191, Issue 1, July 2024

The discovery of severity biomarkers is crucial for facilitating a proactive, risk-stratified approach in the management of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. This review describes the multifaceted aspects and challenges in defining disease severity in the context of biomarker research. Important considerations when analysing datasets across diverse study types are summarized to help expedite biomarker development for inflammatory skin diseases in the future.

This study reveals that anxiety and depression are prevalent in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CM), with significant peaks during treatment, particularly in women, younger individuals and those with lower education levels. The risk of depression increases notably with advanced-stage CM and is higher among patients receiving interferon-α and chemotherapy. These findings highlight the necessity for multidisciplinary vigilance and prompt screening for anxiety and depression, especially post-treatment, to manage the risk of recurrence and support patient wellbeing.

Treatment with guselkumab showed higher efficacy and a more tolerable safety profile than fumaric acid esters (FAE) in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Guselkumab, as a first-line systemic treatment or second-line systemic treatment in FAE nonresponders, was associated with long-term clinical efficacy up to week 100, including a withdrawal period.

In a general population cohort, 2153 infants with frequent oil baths from 2 weeks of age had reduced skin barrier function through infancy compared with controls, largely attributed to higher TEWL at 3 months of age. Dry skin at 3 and 6 months was less common in infants subjected to the skin intervention.

Atopic dermatitis is a common illness of childhood. In this study we demonstrate that antibiotics received during pregnancy and early in the child’s life are associated with atopic dermatitis.

There is a lack of studies of the importance of early nutrition in the development of psoriasis. Early nutrition has a significant effect on the risk of developing psoriasis later in life. Breastfeeding should be encouraged and facilitated, and the introduction of formula postponed until after 4 months of age.

The Instrument for Scoring Clinical Outcome of Research for EB (iscorEB) is an EB-specific measurement tool, combining a clinician score (iscorEB-c) and a patient questionnaire (iscorEB-p). The aim of this study is to establish the iscorEB-p as an independent patient-related outcome measure tool by exploring its psychometric properties. Data analysis was performed with 95 participants across all EB types. The iscorEB-p was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess the patient-reported view on the health status of patients with EB.

While several definitions of an AD flare have been proposed, no single definition is widely accepted and it is unclear what the term AD flare means from the patient perspective. An online focus group study conducted by the National Eczema Association aimed to understand how adults with AD define a flare, and resulted in a framework of six constructs that are important for defining AD flares. These results provide a broader appreciation of the complexity and diversity of AD are based on patients’ lived experiences and will help support care and treatment conversations, as well as future assessments of treatment efficacy and patient-reported outcomes in clinical research.

Prediction, screening and characterization of skin bioactive peptides. (1) In silico cleavage site prediction for common skin proteases acting on dermal extracellular matrix proteins identifies a panel of small peptides as candidate matrikines. (2) Synthesis and in vitro screening against cultured human dermal fibroblasts results in the selection of two candidate peptides: GPKG and LSVD. (3) In vivo screening demonstrates efficacy of the peptide combination in restoring fibrillin-1 in the papillary dermis and enhancing the transcription of genes involved in key epidermal and dermal processes.

We identify loss-of-variants in GLMN underlying autosomal-dominant generalized skin hyperpigmentation with or without glomuvenous malformation. Our study reveals a potential relation between glomulin and melanogenesis and expands the phenotypic spectrum of GLMN variants.

In this retrospective cohort study, cutaneous malignancies, including squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, are associated with an increased risk of cutaneous immune-related adverse events and subsequent survival benefits. Given their increased risk, patients with cutaneous malignancies may benefit from appropriate counselling and monitoring during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy to optimize quality of life and outcomes.

We investigated the diagnostic performance of an AI-based decision support in the form of a mobile app to detect melanoma when used by primary care physicians. The app proved to have high levels of diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing melanomas from other skin lesions. We conclude that it appears to be a potentially valuable diagnostic aid for the primary care physician in the assessment of skin lesions of concern.

Dermatologists regularly encounter skin-related manifestations tied to the menopause transition, from hair loss and acne to vaginal dryness and hyperhidrosis. Yet, despite the frequency and significance of these presentations, there remains a conspicuous gap when it comes to training dermatologists in menopause care. This omission is highlighted by the absence of menopause-related content and guidance in dermatological educational materials. This article emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to menopause care in dermatology and suggests strategies to address the existing knowledge and practice gap.

Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis, caused by biallelic loss-of-function variants in SERPINB7, is the most prevalent palmoplantar keratoderma in East Asia and manifests as diffuse palmoplantar erythema and hyperkeratosis. We report four different variants of SERPINA12 in six Chinese individuals and identified the recurrent variant c.970_971del as a founder variant among East Asians.

We report two cases of recalcitrant epidermolysis bullosa aquisita with associated systemic lupus erythematosus treated with combination rituximab and belimumab therapy. This resulted in the complete resolution of cutaneous lesions and a partial response of the mucosal lesions. These cases support the use of combined rituximab and belimumab for the treatment of recalcitrant immunobullous disease.

Anti-p200 pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disease that often resembles other pemphigoid disorders. We developed a test for the detection of autoantibodies against laminin β4, an autoantigen in anti-p200 pemphigoid, to facilitate its diagnosis. The test demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity, making it a valuable tool for diagnosing this disease and distinguishing it from similar skin disorders.

Antibiotic use in hidradenitis suppurativa is decreasing, while the use of adalimumab, glucagon-like peptide agonists and spironolactone increased between 2015 and 2021.

The results of this study suggest that progressive discontinuation of mogamulizumab (Moga) should be considered once a response is obtained in patients with Sézary syndrome, even after a short treatment duration. This may minimize the risk of adverse effects, costs and resistance to Moga. Additionally, our study emphasizes that Moga rechallenge should be encouraged as a first choice in relapsing patients.

This is a response to ‘Rapid emergence of recalcitrant dermatophytosis caused by a cluster of multidrug-resistant Trichophyton indotineae in China’ by Xie et al.