Scalp and serum profiling of frontal fibrosing alopecia reveals scalp immune and fibrosis dysregulation with no systemic involvement.

Background: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a progressive, scarring alopecia of the frontotemporal scalp that poses a substantial burden on quality of life. Large-scale global profiling of FFA is lacking, preventing the development of effective therapeutics.

Objective: To characterize FFA compared to normal and alopecia areata using broad molecular profiling and to identify biomarkers linked to disease severity.

An integrated scalp and blood biomarker approach suggests the systemic nature of alopecia areata.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is characterized by immune dysregulation in both scalp and blood, but a large-scale approach establishing biomarkers of AA incorporating both scalp tissue and serum compartments is lacking. We aimed to characterize the transcriptomic signature of AA lesional and nonlesional scalp compared to healthy scalp and determine its relationship with the blood proteome in the same individuals, with comparative correlations to clinical AA disease severity.

Methods: We evaluated lesional and nonlesional scalp tissues and serum from patients with moderate-to-severe AA (n = 18) and healthy individuals (n = 8).

Objective Evaluation of Skin Sensitivity Across Fitzpatrick Skin Types.

Context: Skin sensitivity may be best defined as self-reported intolerance to application of skincare products. It is commonly believed that individuals with darker skin are generally less sensitive, while those lighter skin are more sensitive. However, there is little objective data correlating sensitivity with skin type or with objective measures of sensitivity.

Cross-sectional study of blood biomarkers of patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata reveals systemic immune and cardiovascular biomarker dysregulation.

Background: Although there is increased understanding of the alopecia areata (AA) pathogenesis based on studies in scalp tissues, little is known about its systemic profile.

Objective: To evaluate the blood proteomic signature of AA and determine biomarkers associated with increased disease severity.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed 350 inflammatory and cardiovascular proteins using OLINK high-throughput proteomics in patients with moderate to severe AA (n = 35), as compared with healthy individuals (n = 36), patients with moderate to severe psoriasis (n = 19), and those with atopic dermatitis (n = 49).

Crisaborole 2% ointment for the treatment of intertriginous, anogenital, and facial psoriasis: A double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled trial.

Background: Psoriasis of the intertriginous, anogenital, and facial regions remains a therapeutic challenge, with current algorithms lacking a topical agent that exhibits both high efficacy and minimal side effects.

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of crisaborole 2% ointment-a nonsteroidal phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor-in the treatment of intertriginous, anogenital, and facial psoriasis.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled trial was conducted in 21 participants.

Blood endotyping distinguishes the profile of vitiligo from that of other inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases.

Background: Peripheral blood skin-homing/cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA) T cells emerge as biomarkers of cutaneous immune activation in patients with inflammatory skin diseases (atopic dermatitis [AD] and alopecia areata [AA]). However, blood phenotyping across these subsets is not yet available in patients with vitiligo.

Objective: We sought to measure cytokine production by circulating skin-homing (CLA) versus systemic (CLA) "polar" CD4/CD8 ratio and activated T-cell subsets in patients with vitiligo compared with patients with AA, AD, or psoriasis and control subjects.

Definitive Chemoradiation With Full-dose Gemcitabine for Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer: Efficacy of Involved-Field Radiotherapy.

Objectives: Definitive chemoradiotherapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer has traditionally involved 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. Our institution has a long history of combining gemcitabine and radiotherapy (RT), and performed a retrospective review of all patients treated in this manner.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the records of 180 patients treated from 1999 to 2012.

The association of telomere length with colorectal cancer differs by the age of cancer onset.

Objectives: Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures that cap the end of chromosomes and shorten with sequential cell divisions in normal aging. Short telomeres are also implicated in the incidence of many cancers, but the evidence is not conclusive for colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association of CRC and telomere length.

Telomere length varies by DNA extraction method: implications for epidemiologic research.

Background: Both shorter and longer telomeres in peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) DNA have been associated with cancer risk. However, associations remain inconsistent across studies of the same cancer type. This study compares DNA preparation methods to determine telomere length from patients with colorectal cancer.

Large kindred evaluation of mitofusin 2 novel mutation, extremes of neurologic presentations, and preserved nerve mitochondria.

Background: Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) is a mitochondrial membrane protein mediating mitochondrial fusion and function. Mutated MFN2 is responsible for Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2A2. In small kindreds, specific MFN2 mutations have been reported to associate with severity of axonal neuropathy, optic atrophy, and involvement of the central nervous system.