Article
Immunology
Ramona A. A. Eichkorn, Morna F. F. Schmidt, Elias Walter, Michael Hertl, Jens Malte Baron, Jens Waschke, Amir S. S. Yazdi
Summary: This study reveals the molecular mechanisms underlying auto-antibody-induced acantholysis in pemphigus vulgaris and identifies UVA as a cofactor for acantholysis. It demonstrates that UVA induces IL-1 secretion in keratinocytes and enhances the loss of epidermal adhesion mediated by anti-Dsg3 antibodies. These findings suggest that UVA plays a caspase-dependent exogenous role in blister formation in pemphigus vulgaris.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Francesco Moro, Davide Ciccone, Luca Fania, Feliciana Mariotti, Adele Salemme, Siavash Rahimi, Sabatino Pallotta, Giovanni Di Zenzo
Summary: Topical Imiquimod therapy may induce atypical pemphigus vulgaris in some patients.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Dejan Vidovic, Lucy Kathryn Helyer, Sylvia Pasternak, Carman Anthony Giacomantonio
Summary: Cutaneous melanoma, a type of skin cancer, has a high incidence and mortality rate. Surgical treatment is the main approach, but adjuvant therapies are often necessary for patients with advanced disease. Although systemic immunotherapy has revolutionized melanoma treatment, some patients experience toxicities that limit the effectiveness of these treatments. Intralesional immunotherapies, however, may provide benefits for patients with nodal and in-transit melanoma. This case series demonstrates the use of intralesional IL-2 and BCG in ten patients with in-transit metastatic melanoma, and suggests that this combination therapy is safe and effective.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Danielle K. DePalo, Matthew C. Perez, Anne Huibers, Roger Olofsson Bagge, Jonathan S. Zager
Summary: In-transit metastasis (ITM) occurs in approximately 10% of melanoma patients, and its treatment can be difficult due to its size and location. Surgical resection is the standard treatment, but it is often not feasible. Oncolytic viral therapies, which selectively infect tumor cells, are a non-surgical treatment option for ITM. This discussion focuses on the mechanism and available literature of the two most established herpes virus-based therapies.
CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL METASTASIS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Maryam Pourmaleki, Caitlin J. Jones, Charlotte E. Ariyan, Zheng Zeng, Mono Pirun, Daniel A. Navarrete, Yanyun Li, Mianlei Zhang, Subhiksha Nandakumar, Carl Campos, Saad Nadeem, David S. Klimstra, Claire F. Temple-Oberle, Thomas Brenn, Evan J. Lipson, Kara M. Schenk, Julie E. Stein, Janis M. Taube, Michael G. White, Raymond Traweek, Jennifer A. Wargo, John M. Kirkwood, Billel Gasmi, Stephanie L. Goff, Alex D. Corwin, Elizabeth McDonough, Fiona Ginty, Margaret K. Callahan, Andrea Schietinger, Nicholas D. Socci, Ingo K. Mellinghoff, Travis J. Hollmann
Summary: Our study reveals the importance of intact tumor-cell antigen presentation and the role of exhausted CD8(+) T cells in IL2 therapy for melanoma.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Radwa M. Bakr, Doaa S. Sayed, Alaa S. Abd-Elkader, Amira A. Kamel, Aya Y. Badran
Summary: The study found that serum IL-33 levels are elevated in patients with Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and strongly correlated with disease activity. IL-33 may play a role in the pathogenesis of PV and could be used as a marker for monitoring disease severity and treatment efficacy.
DERMATOLOGIC THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Ashley Drohan, Jennifer Melvin, Joanne Murphy, Carman Giacomantonio, Lucy Helyer
Summary: This case report presents a unique case of locally recurrent and metastatic subungal porocarcinoma treated successfully with intralesional interleukin-2. Surgical excision is the standard of care, however, there are high rates of local and distant recurrence in eccrine porocarcinoma.
Review
Oncology
Danielle K. DePalo, Jonathan S. Zager
Summary: Despite advances in systemic therapy, the prognosis for locoregionally advanced and metastatic melanoma remains poor. Intralesional therapies have the advantage of delivering treatment directly to the site(s) of disease, minimizing systemic side effects and resistance. Numerous potential intralesional therapies have been investigated in the past 5 years, but only a few have reached phase 2 clinical trials. This article discusses the scientific rationale and status of these therapies, aiming to inform providers about current and upcoming intralesional therapeutic options for advanced melanoma.
Article
Dermatology
Natalie Garcia, Om U. Patel, Lauren Graham
Summary: This literature review explores novel therapies that have been shown to be effective in treating pain in pemphigus, emphasizing the importance of considering both the underlying autoimmune disease and the pain caused by lesions in pemphigus treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Adi Diab, Scott S. Tykodi, Gregory A. Daniels, Michele Maio, Brendan D. Curti, Karl D. Lewis, Sekwon Jang, Ewa Kalinka, Igor Puzanov, Alexander Spira, Daniel C. Cho, Shanhong Guan, Erika Puente, Tuan Nguyen, Ute Hoch, Sue L. Currie, Wei Lin, Mary A. Tagliaferri, Jonathan Zalevsky, Mario Sznol, Michael E. Hurwitz
Summary: This study found that the combination of BEMPEG and NIVO showed promising antitumor activity in first-line metastatic melanoma, including extended median progression-free survival. Early on-treatment blood biomarkers were associated with treatment response.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Ashley Drohan, Dejan Vidovic, Penelope Jane Barnes, Carman Anthony Giacomantonio, Lucy Kathryn Helyer
Summary: Breast cancer is a common and significant cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. However, there is limited evidence on the effective treatment for cutaneous breast cancer metastases. This case report presents a successfully treated case of hormone receptor negative, HER2 positive cutaneous breast cancer metastasis using intralesional IL-2 and topical imiquimod, which showed good tolerance with only minor side effects. Literature review suggests that intralesional IL-2 and imiquimod may be considered a safe option for treating cutaneous breast cancer metastases.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pratibha Ramani, Renu Ravikumar, Deepak Pandiar, K. Monica, Reshma Poothakulath Krishnan, Abilasha Ramasubramanian, Gheena Sukumaran
Summary: Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) is a severe autoimmune disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes, with severe oral manifestations. The exact mechanism is not completely understood, but recent research suggests that apoptotic enzymes play an important role in acantholysis development.
Article
Oncology
David Rafei-Shamsabadi, Saskia Lehr, Max Behrens, Frank Meiss
Summary: This study suggests that intralesional Interleukin-2 (IL-2) treatment can be beneficial for melanoma patients who show primary resistance to PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors. The treatment response was significantly associated with absence of active distant metastases, response of locoregional metastases, increase of absolute eosinophil count, and an influx of CD8(+) tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Carefully selecting patients for this treatment option could lead to improved progression-free and overall survival.
Article
Dermatology
Avani Kolla, Payal Shah, Rachel Cymerman, Renee Fruchter, Prince Adotama, Nicholas A. Soter
Summary: Methotrexate can be an effective and well-tolerated option as a single or steroid-sparing agent for the treatment of pemphigus. It has shown efficacy in controlling the disease and achieving remission, although relapses are common and some patients may require topical or systemic therapies.
DERMATOLOGIC THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Supreeda Tambunlertchai, Sean M. Geary, Aliasger K. Salem
Summary: Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and surgery remains the preferred treatment. However, in some cases, alternative treatments are necessary. Resiquimod (RSQ) is an immunomodulatory molecule that shows promise as a potential treatment for melanoma.
Article
Dermatology
Jessica R. Terrell, Iryna Rybak, Yue Lyu, Thomas Konia, Maxwell A. Fung, Lihong Qi, Maija Kiuru
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
C. Alexanian, W. Liakos, A. Toussi, J. Kao, M. Y. Cheng, E. A. Wang, J. Nava, M. Tran, A. I. Marusina, A. A. Merleev, A. R. Leal, M. A. Fung, S. T. Le, G. Luxardi, E. Maverakis
Summary: LMDF is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology, most commonly seen in young adults. Transcriptomic analysis revealed genes linking LMDF to alterations in T helper 1 immunity, and increased tumor necrosis factor pathway activity may contribute to treatment resistance. Treatment with TNF inhibitors showed excellent response for a patient refractory to multiple treatments.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Evan Austin, Eugene Koo, Alexander Merleev, Denis Torre, Alina Marusina, Guillaume Luxardi, Andrew Mamalis, Roslyn Rivkah Isseroff, Avi Ma'ayan, Emanual Maverakis, Jared Jagdeo
Summary: Red light phototherapy can improve skin fibrosis by regulating extracellular matrices, proliferation, and cellular responses to oxygen-containing compounds. The study found that red light therapy may have anti-fibrotic effects by increasing the expression of MMP1 and PRSS35.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Joseph M. Tuscano, Christina Poh, Paul Kaesberg, Guilluame Luxardi, Alexander Merleev, Alina Marusina, Ann Brunson, Aaron Rosenberg, Brian Jonas, Emanual Maverakis
Summary: Rituximab plus lenalidomide followed by continuous lenalidomide is effective with manageable toxicity in patients with previously untreated and R/R iNHL. This regimen produces durable remissions, even in heavily pretreated patients, with some lasting greater than 10 years. GranB(+) CD8(+) T cells and B cell levels may allow prediction of treatment response.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Maxwell A. Fung, Claudia I. Vidal, Eric A. Armbrecht, Aleodor A. Andea, David S. Cassarino, Nneka I. Comfere, Patrick O. Emanuel, Tammie Ferringer, Alexandra C. Hristov, Jinah Kim, Scott R. Lauer, Konstantinos Linos, Tricia A. Missall, Kiran Motaparthi, Roberto A. Novoa, Rajiv Patel, Sara C. Shalin, Uma Sundram, Antoanella Calame, Daniel D. Bennett, Lyn M. Duncan, Dirk M. Elston, Gregory A. Hosler, Yadira M. Hurley, Alexander J. Lazar, Lori Lowe, Jane Messina, Jonathan Myles, Jose A. Plaza, Victor G. Prieto, Vijaya Reddy, Andras Schaffer, Antonio Subtil
Summary: A study aimed to update and expand Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for selected tests in dermatopathology practice. 78% of the 220 clinical scenarios were reached consensus by panel raters, with 70% rated usually appropriate or rarely appropriate and 30% appropriateness uncertain. The study design only measures appropriateness, without considering cost, availability, test comparison, and additional clinical considerations.
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Dermatology
Maria Fernanda Ortega-Springall, Maija Kiuru, Maxwell A. Fung
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Luke T. Dang, Jessica R. Terrell, Thomas Konia, Maxwell A. Fung, John D. McPherson, Maija Kiuru
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Allergy
Emanual Maverakis, Antonio Ji-Xu, Marie-Charlotte Brueggen
Letter
Dermatology
Emanual Maverakis, William Liakos, Dayoung Park, Forum Patel, Fariha Siddiqui, Muchena J. Kailemia, L. Renee Ruhaak, Alina I. Marusina, Guillaume Luxardi, Johann E. Gudjonsson, Stephanie T. Le, April W. Armstrong, Wilson Liao, Alexander A. Merleev, Carlito B. Lebrilla
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Tess N. Engel, Tanishq Mathew Abraham, Taryn Morningstar, Maxwell A. Fung, Arshia Rangchi, Maija Kiuru, Farzad Fereidouni, Richard Levenson
Summary: This study investigated the potential application of background fluorescence imitating brightfield imaging (FIBI) in dermatopathology. By processing skin samples embedded in paraffin blocks and applying deep-learning models, the results showed that FIBI images are comparable to traditional H&E-stained slides.
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
George Gondo, Megan Mosca, Julie Hong, Emanual Maverakis, Joseph F. Merola, April W. Armstrong, Tina Bhutani, Stacie J. Bell, Wilson Liao
Summary: This study found that patient perception of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remission is most strongly associated with patient-reported psoriasis remission.
DERMATOLOGY AND THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Dermatology
Samantha Herbert, Renee Haughton, Jordan Nava, Antonio Ji-Xu, Stephanie T. Le, Emanual Maverakis
Summary: Targeting the skin microbiome is of increasing interest. Topical probiotics have shown potential efficacy in atopic dermatitis, but further research is needed before they can be recommended to patients.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Leah Antoinette Caro-Chang, Maxwell Alexander Fung
Summary: Eosinophils are present in inflammatory skin diseases and can serve as indicators for certain diseases. Different skin diseases show varied characteristics in terms of lesional eosinophils.
Article
Dermatology
Maria Fernanda Ortega-Springall, Sarah Yang, Anupam Mitra, Maxwell A. A. Fung
Summary: In this study, the presence of the Free Sign was found in most cases of morphea, indicating its potential role as a clue to evolving sclerosis. The Free Sign may also be seen in other sclerosing disorders. However, it is important to consider technical artifact as a possible cause of false-positive Free Sign.
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Summer N. Meyer, Stephanie Le, Leah Antoinette Caro-Chang, Smita Awasthi, Maxwell A. Fung, Maija Kiuru
Summary: Some Aspergillus species can produce oxalate as a fermentation byproduct, leading to the formation of insoluble calcium oxalate crystals in tissues through the reaction with calcium ions. Although these crystals are commonly associated with pulmonary Aspergillus infections, their presence in primary cutaneous aspergillosis is rare. Here, we present a case of calcium oxalate crystals detected in cutaneous specimens from primary cutaneous Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus infections in an immunocompromised, premature infant. No metabolic sources of oxalosis were identified.
JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY
(2023)