Publications by authors named "Bjorn Thomas"

Background: Atopic eczema is a common, chronic, inflammatory skin condition with considerable heterogeneity. South Asian people living in the UK frequently have low serum vitamin D3 (25(OH)D), and those with atopic disease can present with severe eczema. The association between vitamin D deficiency and eczema severity, and the role of vitamin D supplementation in atopic eczema is inconsistent, and under-researched in people with Asian ancestry.

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Background: Acne vulgaris (AV) is the eighth most common nonfatal disease globally. Previous work identified an association between AV and increased filaggrin (FLG) protein expression in the follicular epidermis, but further work did not find a clear link between loss-of-function (LoF) FLG gene mutations and protection from AV.

Objectives: To explore any association between AV and FLG LoF mutations in a cohort of genotyped patients of Bangladeshi ancestry with atopic eczema (AE) in East London.

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  • A study compared the safety and effectiveness of ciclosporin (CyA) and methotrexate (MTX) in treating severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in children and young people aged 2-16 who didn't respond to topical treatments.
  • Cyclists showed more significant improvement at the 12-week mark, with more patients achieving at least a 50% improvement in their AD scores compared to those on MTX.
  • However, by the 60-week follow-up, MTX demonstrated better long-term outcomes, indicating its potential superiority beyond the initial treatment period.
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  • Hyperlinear palms, particularly the 'prominent diamond' pattern, are linked to loss-of-function (LoF) variants in the filaggrin (FLG) gene among young participants with atopic eczema of Bangladeshi descent in East London.
  • The study, conducted on 506 participants, identified five distinct palm patterns and found that these patterns correlate with eczema severity (EASI), skin hydration (SH), and transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
  • Results suggest that specific palm patterns can effectively indicate the presence of LoF FLG variants, with the most significant predictive ability seen in patterns such as fine perpendicular/prominent diamonds.
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Background: Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic relapsing, pruritic disease that greatly affects the child and family's quality of life (QoL). It is usually common and severe among children of Bangladeshi ethnicity.

Objectives: This is a cross-sectional quantitative study in patients with AE of Bangladeshi origin, which aims to analyse different components of the family, children and adult quality-of-life indices and their relationship to patient age, sex, eczema severity and distribution, other allergic associations, parental education and socioeconomic level.

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  • Atopic eczema is a prevalent and complicated disease, potentially influenced by environmental factors rather than just genetics, particularly in industrializing nations.
  • A study conducted from May 2018 to March 2020 focused on eczema severity in younger Bangladeshi individuals in East London, examining the connection between weather and pollution.
  • Results indicated that long-term exposure to high levels of ground-level ozone was strongly linked to more severe eczema, with fine particulate matter acting as a secondary factor.
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Inherited monogenic palmoplantar keratodermas are a heterogeneous group of conditions characterised by persistent epidermal thickening of the palmoplantar skin. Palmoplantar keratodermas are grouped depending on the morphology of the keratoderma into diffuse, focal/striate or papular/punctate. Some palmoplantar keratodermas just affect the skin of the palms and soles and others have associated syndromic features which include changes in hair, teeth, nails, hearing loss or cardiomyopathy.

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Introduction: We describe a case of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH) and disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) with development of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a 62-year-old man of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK.

Case Presentation: The patient had a background of ulcerative colitis for which he took prednisolone and azathioprine. He presented with fever, lethargy, cough, weight loss and skin redness, and was initially treated for bacterial cellulitis and investigated for underlying malignancy.

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Objective: To develop a three-dimensional (3D) laryngostroboscopic examination unit, compare the optic playback quality in relation to established 2D procedures, and report the first case series using 3D rigid laryngostroboscopy for diagnosis and management of laryngotracheal diseases.

Study Design: Laboratory study, prospective case series.

Methods: The optical efficacy of newly developed rigid 3D endoscopes was examined in a laboratory setting.

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Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) and the tumor suppressor genes CDKN2A-CDKN2B are frequently deleted in malignancies. The specific role of MTAP in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma subgroups, mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS), is unknown. In 213 skin samples from patients with MF/SS, MTAP copy number loss (34%) was more frequent than CDKN2A (12%) in all cutaneous T-cell lymphoma stages using quantitative reverse transcription PCR.

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Background: Hair dye exposure is the most common cause of sensitization to p-phenylenediamine (PPD). Cross-reactions with structurally related allergens occur.

Objectives: It is suggested that a stronger patch test reaction (3+ rather than 1+) to PPD (usually tested as 1% petrolatum) is associated with an increased propensity for cross-reactions.

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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing, intensely pruritic dermatosis that usually affects infants, children, and young adults. The treatment of AD entails an individualized regimen that depends on the age of the patient, the stage and variety of lesions present, the sites and extent of involvement, the presence of infection, and the previous response to treatment.

Objectives: To identify the evidence surrounding potential strategies for closing these gaps-ultimately improving the quality of care, the care process itself, and patient outcomes-and to encourage discussions that help develop tools to bridge the gap between suggested therapy and what is done by the patient.

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Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are rare, distinct forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Of which, mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS) are two of the most common forms. Careful, clear classification and staging of these lymphomas allow dermatologists to commence appropriate therapy and allow correct prognostic stratification for those patients affected.

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