Publications by authors named "Anna Belloni Fortina"

Social media platforms have become integral to healthcare communication, particularly in dermatology, where visual assessment and patient education are paramount. While platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer significant opportunities to raise awareness about skin health, promote preventive measures, and encourage early detection of dermatological conditions, the unregulated dissemination of health information poses substantial risks due to misinformation. In response to these challenges, the Italian Association of Hospital Dermatologists (ADOI) has launched a nationwide survey titled "Use of Social Media by Dermatology Professionals: Impact on Public Awareness, Appropriateness of Information, and Correctness of Prevention Messages-An Italian Survey".

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Tralokinumab has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment atopic dermatitis (AD) in both clinical trials and real-world settings. However, limited data exists on the long-term use of tralokinumab in real-world settings.

Objective: A multicentric Italian study, evaluating tralokinumab's drug survival (DS) and efficacy up to 18 months of treatment among 471 patients with severe AD was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disease significantly impacting women, with disease severity often modulated by hormonal fluctuations. This review examines the influence of hormonal changes on the course of psoriasis in women, focusing on key life stages-including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause-and their impact on disease progression and symptomatology. Estrogen, the principal female sex hormone, plays a critical role in immune modulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • CD2, CD25, and CD30 expression in extracutaneous mast cells is a minor diagnostic criterion for systemic mastocytosis (SM), as categorized by the World Health Organization and International Consensus Classification.
  • A study of 5,034 patients revealed that lower percentages of CD2, CD25, and/or CD30 in mast cells are seen in indolent SM compared to advanced forms like aggressive SM and mast cell leukemia.
  • The absence of CD2 in mast cells is linked to significantly lower overall survival and indicates the potential for disease spread outside the bone marrow to organs like the spleen and liver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare type of low-grade cancer that can be difficult to diagnose.
  • It often looks similar to benign skin lesions, which can lead to confusion in diagnosis.
  • Prompt recognition and differentiation from other skin conditions are important for effective treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

While atypical, the development of psoriatic plaques over vascular malformations in children is plausible and should not necessarily prompt clinicians to perform costly or invasive procedures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by different pathomechanisms, clinical presentations, and prognoses. Treatment is often challenging because of limited approved drugs, and severe CHE is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL) and poor overall health measures in terms of psychological, functional, and occupational challenges. This study aims to describe the real-life management practices of Italian dermatologists who frequently treat patients with CHE, compare these practices with existing guidelines, and propose practical clinical recommendations for the management of these patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study, employing an interim analysis, investigates the effects of the Dermamecum protocol, a structured educational and tailored approach that stratifies ostomy patients into risk paths (green, yellow, red) based on pre-operative and post-operative characteristics. The green path indicates a low risk of peristomal skin complications (PSCs), focusing on sustaining healthy behaviours and basic stoma care. The yellow path represents a moderate risk, emphasizing the need for patients to self-monitor and recognize early signs of complications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The systematic literature review analyzed six relevant studies from a total of 64, examining the effectiveness of these treatments on nine patients, highlighting benefits like long-term tissue remodeling and improved skin aesthetics.
  • * The findings suggest that the combination of laser therapy and fillers could enhance treatment for LS patients, indicating a need for more research to develop a solid clinical approach and improve patient quality of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects about 14.8% of adolescents and can negatively impact their sleep, academic performance, mood, self-esteem, and social interactions.
  • Upadacitinib was recently approved for treating moderate-to-severe AD in adolescents 12 years and older, and this real-world study aimed to assess its effectiveness and safety.
  • The study found significant improvements in the severity of AD among patients treated with upadacitinib over 52 weeks, with most achieving substantial reductions in symptoms and good overall safety outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This comprehensive review offers a detailed look at atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment in Italy, focusing primarily on the use of biologics and small molecules. In response to advancing knowledge of AD's causes and treatments, there's a global need for updated guidelines to provide physicians with a more comprehensive clinical perspective, facilitating personalized treatment strategies. Dupilumab, a groundbreaking biologic, gained approval as a significant milestone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is still a demanding challenge in clinical practice. Type 2 inflammation is the most common inflammatory pathway in children and adolescents with AD. Anti-inflammatory drugs, mainly corticosteroids (CS) and immunomodulant agents are the primary therapeutic approach to dampening type 2 inflammation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The efficacy and safety of dupilumab in atopic dermatitis (AD) have been defined in clinical trials but limited real-world evidence on long-term treatment outcomes is currently available to inform clinical decisions.

Objectives: To describe the long-term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab up to 48 months in patients with moderate-to-severe AD.

Methods: A multicentre, retrospective, dynamic cohort study was conducted to assess long-term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in patients with moderate-to-severe AD in a real-world setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Acral amelanotic melanomas (AAMs) are rare skin cancers found on areas like palms and soles, often misdiagnosed due to their lack of pigmentation and benign appearance, which leads to treatment delays and worse outcomes.
  • A systematic review analyzed 26 cases of AAMs misdiagnosed as other conditions, revealing a balanced gender distribution, an age range of 38-91 years, and highlighting that the foot was the most common site of these lesions.
  • The study emphasizes the need for more biopsy evaluations in lower extremity lesions to improve diagnosis rates, as only 7.1% of foot lesions underwent histological assessment, compared to 50% for upper extremity cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Hypersensitivity reactions (HR) are common in mastocytosis, a condition analyzed using data from the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (ECNM), involving 2485 adults.
  • About 38.1% of patients reported HR, with Hymenoptera venoms being the primary trigger for cutaneous mastocytosis and indolent systemic mastocytosis, while drug reactions were more common in advanced systemic mastocytosis.
  • Key risk factors for HR include lower tryptase levels, minimal mast cell infiltration in bone marrow, and a diagnosis of indolent systemic mastocytosis, with new reactions occurring in 4.8% of patients over four years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a common inflammatory skin disease caused by delayed hypersensitivity to chemical and biotic contact allergens. ACD significantly affects the patients' quality of life negatively impacting both occupational and non-occupational settings. Patch testing is the gold standard diagnostic in vivo test to precise the ACD etiology and to correctly perform prevention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Certain laboratory abnormalities correlate with subvariants of systemic mastocytosis (SM) and are often prognostically relevant. To assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of individual serum chemistry parameters in SM, 2607 patients enrolled within the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis and 575 patients enrolled within the German Registry on Eosinophils and Mast Cells were analyzed. For screening and diagnosis of SM, tryptase was identified as the most specific serum parameter.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a rare tumor with four clinical forms, diagnosed through histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses, and treated using a mix of local and systemic methods.
  • A retrospective study analyzed 86 KS patients treated over 29 years, showing that most were male and had the classical variant, with surgery and chemotherapy being the common treatments.
  • The study found a persistent treatment response in about 65% of patients, a 22% relapse rate, and an overall survival rate of 90% to 70% over 2 to 10 years, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to manage the disease effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME), a member of the cancer/testis antigen family, is central to the field of skin cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. As a nuclear receptor and transcriptional regulator, PRAME plays a critical role in inhibiting retinoic acid signalling, which is essential for cell differentiation and proliferation. Its aberrant overexpression in various malignancies, particularly cutaneous melanoma, is associated with more aggressive tumour phenotypes, positioning PRAME as both a diagnostic and prognostic marker.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Approved systemic treatment options are limited for pediatric patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of apremilast over 16 weeks in pediatric patients with plaque psoriasis.

Methods: SPROUT (NCT03701763) was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of apremilast in patients aged 6-17 years with moderate-to-severe psoriasis (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] ≥12, body surface area ≥10%, static Physician Global Assessment [sPGA] ≥3) inadequately controlled by/inappropriate for topical therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pancreatic cancer is notorious for its aggressive nature and low survival rate, with less than 10% of patients surviving beyond five years. Early detection is difficult, but skin metastases can be a rare but significant indicator. This systematic review focuses on the epidemiology, clinical features, and histology of skin metastases from pancreatic cancer to determine their importance in early diagnosis and overall management of the disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionibh3526d1nbjfuqt7m39buro469ejnjo): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once