Brief Communication: Treatment Outcomes for Advanced Melanoma of Unknown Primary Compared With Melanoma With Known Primary.

Most patients with advanced melanomas have a known primary site [melanoma of known primary (MKP)]. However, 2%-9% of patients are diagnosed with melanoma metastasis of unknown primary (MUP). As MUP and MKP have similar UV-induced mutations and molecular signatures, it is proposed that the primary tumor has regressed completely in patients with MUP.

Impact of Diabetes in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Within 48 Hours.

Background: Diabetic patients with coronary artery disease may benefit from elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. It is unknown whether this merit is transferable to patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing surgery.

Method: A total of 1,427 patients underwent CABG within 48 hours of being diagnosed with AMI at the current institution between 2001 and 2019.

Long-term follow-up of patients with complex coronary artery disease treated with minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass.

Background: Patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD) may benefit from surgical myocardial revascularization but weighing the risk of peri-operative complications against the expected merit is difficult. Minimally invasive direct artery bypass (MIDCAB) procedures are less invasive, provide the prognostic advantage of operative revascularization of the left anterior descending artery and may be integrated in hybrid strategies. Herein, the outcomes between patients with coronary 1-vessel disease (1-VD) and patients with 2-VD and 3-VD after MIDCAB procedures were compared in this single-center study.

Topical 188Re Ionizing Radiation Therapy Exerts High Efficacy in Curing Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.

Purpose Of The Report: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most frequent malignancy. Surgical intervention is the common treatment but may lead to disappointing results; alternative treatment options are needed.

Methods: In this monocentric pilot study, topical 188Re resin was investigated as a treatment for invasive NMSC up to 3-mm thickness.

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study to Assess the Response and Tolerability of Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Rosacea.

Introduction: Rosacea is a common, facial, chronic inflammatory skin disease. Due to its complex pathogenesis, adequate therapy of rosacea can be challenging. An innovative recent therapeutic tool is cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), which is already established in the treatment of chronic wounds and promising in different other skin diseases.

Tumor-derived GDF-15 blocks LFA-1 dependent T cell recruitment and suppresses responses to anti-PD-1 treatment.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy is beneficial and even curative for some cancer patients. However, the majority don't respond to immune therapy. Across different tumor types, pre-existing T cell infiltrates predict response to checkpoint-based immunotherapy.

Real-world systemic treatment of patients with psoriasis: A retrospective study based on German claims data.

Background And Objectives: Psoriasis is a common skin disorder with a high physical and psychological burden for patients. Up to 30% of the patients are candidates for a systemic treatment. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and the real-world systemic treatment of psoriasis patients.

Real-world outcomes using PD-1 antibodies and BRAF + MEK inhibitors for adjuvant melanoma treatment from 39 skin cancer centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Background: Programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibodies and BRAF + MEK inhibitors are widely used for adjuvant therapy of fully resected high-risk melanoma. Little is known about treatment efficacy outside of phase III trials. This real-world study reports on clinical outcomes of modern adjuvant melanoma treatment in specialized skin cancer centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Immune checkpoint inhibition and targeted therapy for melanoma: A patient-oriented cross-sectional comparative multicentre study.

Background: Choosing the adequate systemic treatment for melanoma is driven by clinical parameters and personal preferences.

Objective: Evaluation of the impact of disease and treatment on the daily life of patients receiving systemic therapy for melanoma.

Methods: A German-wide, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at 13 specialized skin cancer centres from 08/2020 to 03/2021.

Homozygous CRISPR/Cas9 Knockout Generated a Novel Functionally Active Exon 1 Skipping XPA Variant in Melanoma Cells.

Defects in DNA repair pathways have been associated with an improved response to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). In particular, patients with the nucleotide excision repair (NER) defect disease Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) responded impressively well to ICI treatment. Recently, in melanoma patients, pretherapeutic XP gene expression was predictive for anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) ICI response.

The Prognostic and Predictive Role of Xeroderma Pigmentosum Gene Expression in Melanoma.

Background: Assessment of immune-specific markers is a well-established approach for predicting the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Promising candidates as ICI predictive biomarkers are the DNA damage response pathway genes. One of those pathways, which are mainly responsible for the repair of DNA damage caused by ultraviolet radiation, is the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway.

Prevalence of pathological skin-picking in dermatological patients.

Objective: The prevalence of pathological skin-picking (PSP) has predominantly been studied in students and the community, but not yet in dermatological patients. However, those may be at increased risk of PSP because it is often triggered by the feel or look of the skin. Thus, its prevalence among patients with a physician-diagnosed dermatological disease remains to be determined.

[Wound therapy with cold atmospheric plasma in severe recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa : A pilot study].

Background: Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has antimicrobial and wound-healing properties. Patients affected by severe autosomal recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) suffer from widespread, difficult-to-treat wounds, which require complex wound management.

Objective: In a pilot project, we investigated over a period of 5 months the response and tolerability of a CAP wound therapy in a 21-year-old and a 28-year-old female patient with severe generalized RDEB and following cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSSC) in the older patient.

The Response and Tolerability of a Novel Cold Atmospheric Plasma Wound Dressing for the Healing of Split Skin Graft Donor Sites: A Controlled Pilot Study.

Introduction: Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has positive effects on wound healing and antimicrobial properties. However, an ongoing challenge is the development of specific modes of application for different clinical indications.

Objectives: We investigated in a prospective pilot study the response and tolerability of a newly developed CAP wound dressing for the acute healing of split skin graft donor sites compared to conventional therapy.

Patterns of care and follow-up care of patients with uveal melanoma in German-speaking countries: a multinational survey of the German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (DeCOG).

Purpose: Uveal melanoma (UM) is an orphan cancer of high unmet medical need. Current patterns of care and surveillance remain unclear as they are situated in an interdisciplinary setting.

Methods: A questionnaire addressing the patterns of care and surveillance in the management of patients with uveal melanoma was distributed to 70 skin cancer centers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Influence of moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest on outcome in patients undergoing elective replacement of thoracic aorta.

Background: The ideal technique of cerebral protection in the surgical operation of the ascending aorta.is currently controversial. The current analysis evaluates the influence of moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA) on elective replacement of the ascending aorta.

Risk Factors for Mortality in Acute Aortic Dissection Type A: A Centre Experience Over 15 Years.

Introduction: Acute aortic dissection Type A (AADA) is still associated with a high mortality rate and frequent postoperative complications. This study was designed to evaluate the risk factors for mortality in AADA patients.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective analysis included 344 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for AADA in moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (20-24°C nasopharyngeal) between 2001 and 2016.

Treatment Motivations and Expectations in Patients with Actinic Keratosis: A German-Wide Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Trial.

Patient-centered motives and expectations of the treatment of actinic keratoses (AK) have received little attention until now. Hence, we aimed to profile and cluster treatment motivations and expectations among patients with AK in a nationwide multicenter, cross-sectional study including patients from 14 German skin cancer centers. Patients were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire.

Effect of moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest on neurological outcomes in elderly patients undergoing replacement of the thoracic aorta.

Background: Various studies evaluated the relationship between hypothermic circulatory arrest and neurological outcome in patients undergoing replacement of ascending aorta. The current analysis focuses on the effect of moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA) on elderly patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of MHCA on neurological outcomes in elderly patients undergoing replacement of the ascending aorta.

IFN-gamma-induced PD-L1 expression in melanoma depends on p53 expression.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibition and in particular anti-PD-1 immunotherapy have revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma. In this regard, higher tumoral PD-L1 protein (gene name: CD274) expression is associated with better clinical response and increased survival to anti-PD-1 therapy. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that tumor suppressor proteins are involved in immune regulation and are capable of modulating the expression of immune checkpoint proteins.