Publications by authors named "Alisa N Femia"

The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of many immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Although Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) are an effective treatment for several IMIDs, they have come under scrutiny as a class because of a potential risk of venous thromboembolism and cardiovascular (CV) events, specifically noted with the oral JAKi, tofacitinib, as reported in the ORAL Surveillance Trial of a high CV risk rheumatoid arthritis population. This trial resulted in a black box warning from the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency regarding risk of venous thromboembolism and CV events that was extended across several types of JAKi (including topical ruxolitinib) when treating IMIDs, leading to considerable controversy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a strikingly heterogenous disease characterized by a broad and ever-evolving spectrum of cutaneous manifestations that transcend the classic "hallmarks" defined by Peter and Bohan in 1975. Despite the increasing preponderance and ubiquity of autoantibody, radiologic, and electrophysiologic testing, the diagnosis of DM still hinges largely on prompt detection of cutaneous manifestations of this condition. While pathognomonic cutaneous features of DM are more readily recognizable, many patients present with subtle and/or atypical skin manifestations, and diagnosis of DM may require clinician identification of these cutaneous clues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Precision medicine, which recognizes and upholds the uniqueness of each individual patient and the importance of discerning these inter-individual differences on a molecular scale in order to provide truly personalized medical care, is a revolutionary approach that relies on the discovery of clinically-relevant biomarkers derived from the massive amounts of data generated by epigenomic, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, microbiomic, and metabolomic studies, collectively known as multi-omics. If harnessed and mined appropriately with the help of ever-evolving computational and analytic methods, the collective data from omics studies has the potential to accelerate delivery of targeted medical treatment that maximizes benefit, minimizes harm, and eliminates the "fortune-telling" inextricably linked to the prevailing trial-and-error approach. For a disease such as dermatomyositis (DM), which is characterized by remarkable phenotypic heterogeneity and varying degrees of multi-organ involvement, an individualized approach that incorporates big data derived from multi-omics studies with the results of currently available serologic, histopathologic, radiologic, and electrophysiologic tests, and, most importantly, with clinical findings obtained from a thorough history and physical examination, has immense diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This case series characterizes the initial presentation and treatment of lupus erythematosus panniculitis/profundus and its association with systemic lupus erythematosus and discoid lupus erythematosus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This cohort study examines the clinical response outcomes of 14 patients with eosinophilic fasciitis treated with mycophenolate mofetil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This case series reports the clinical presentation and course of treatment for 32 women with biopsy-proven idiopathic granulomatous mastitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a vascular neoplasm that is one of the most common human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related malignancies. We present the case of a 42-year-old man with a new diagnosis of HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related epidemic KS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF