Effective treatment of actinic keratosis on the hands with red light photodynamic therapy using BF-200 ALA.

Background: Acral actinic keratosis (AK) lesions are considered difficult to treat, and published data for photodynamic therapy (PDT) on these lesions is limited. Thus, we evaluated sustained efficacy, safety, and satisfaction after PDT for AK on the hands.

Methods: We analysed subgroup data for treatment on the hands from a randomised, double-blind, intra-individual phase III study.

Reflectance confocal microscopy as a non-invasive imaging tool in vulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and lichen sclerosus: A descriptive morphological study in patients and healthy volunteers.

Incorrect and delayed diagnosis of vulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (vHSIL) and lichen sclerosus (LS) increases malignant progression risks and negatively impacts prognosis and quality of life. There is a need to improve diagnosis and monitoring. Reflectance confocal microscopy is a non-invasive imaging tool that visualizes skin structures at cellular resolution.

In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy as a Response Monitoring Tool for Actinic Keratoses Undergoing Cryotherapy and Photodynamic Therapy.

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) presents a non-invasive method to image actinic keratosis (AK) at a cellular level. However, RCM criteria for AK response monitoring vary across studies and a universal, standardized approach is lacking. We aimed to identify reliable AK response criteria and to compare the clinical and RCM evaluation of responses across AK severity grades.

Red light photodynamic therapy with BF-200 ALA showed superior efficacy in the treatment of actinic keratosis on the extremities, trunk, and neck in a vehicle-controlled phase III study.

Background: Actinic keratoses (AK) may occur in all sun-exposed skin areas. Those occurring outside the head area are generally more resistant to treatment than those on the face.

Objective: To determine efficacy and safety of BF-200 ALA versus vehicle in the treatment of mild-to-severe AK located on extremities, trunk, and neck with red light photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Wound Healing Process After Thermomechanical Skin Ablation.

Background And Objectives: Energy-based devices have been widely applied for skin ablation. A novel ablation technique based on thermomechanical principles (Tixel ) has been recently developed. The aim of this study was to examine the wound-healing process and clinical aspects after thermomechanical skin ablation.

Reflectance confocal microscopy for noninvasive examination of nonmelanocytic tumors and virus-associated skin lesions in organ transplant recipients.

Background: Drug-induced immunosuppression is necessary to prevent rejection of the foreign organ in transplanted patients, but neoplastic and virus-associated skin diseases are frequent complications. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) recently emerged as a promising tool for the early diagnosis of skin lesions.

Materials And Methods: A total of 61 skin lesions, among them 20 basal cell carcinomas, six Bowen's diseases, 23 actinic keratoses, and 12 verrucae, were analyzed.

Ultrastructural and Molecular Analysis of Ribose-Induced Glycated Reconstructed Human Skin.

Aging depicts one of the major challenges in pharmacology owing to its complexity and heterogeneity. Thereby, advanced glycated end-products modify extracellular matrix proteins, but the consequences on the skin barrier function remain heavily understudied. Herein, we utilized transmission electron microscopy for the ultrastructural analysis of ribose-induced glycated reconstructed human skin (RHS).

The vascular morphology of melanoma is related to Breslow index: An in vivo study with dynamic optical coherence tomography.

Background: Malignant melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer, which can lead to metastasis development. Vascularization enhancement is fundamental for tumor growth, worsening the prognosis. Dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) enables the in vivo evaluation of vascular patterns in skin lesions.

Differentiation of Different Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Types Using OCT.

Background: Early detection of various types of nonmelanoma skin cancer has been a challenge in dermatology. Noninvasive examination procedures such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) play an increasingly important role, besides the established gold standard of histological tissue sample analysis. OCT is a noninvasive, cross-sectional, real-time technique that allows conclusions to be drawn with regard to the presence of pathologies.

In vivo differentiation of common basal cell carcinoma subtypes by microvascular and structural imaging using dynamic optical coherence tomography.

The subtype of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) influences the choice of treatment. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging tool, and a recent development of an angiographic version of OCT has extended the application of OCT to image the cutaneous microvasculature (so-called dynamic OCT, D-OCT). This study explores D-OCT's ability to differentiate the common BCC subtypes by microvascular and structural imaging.

Imaging Blood Vessel Morphology in Skin: Dynamic Optical Coherence Tomography as a Novel Potential Diagnostic Tool in Dermatology.

Conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables the visualization of morphological changes of skin cancer. The use of OCT in the diagnostic investigation and in the therapy decision of non-melanoma skin cancer and other skin changes is already established, and has found its way into routine practice. With the development of speckle-variance OCT, also named dynamic OCT (D-OCT), the vascular architecture and the blood flow of the skin can be displayed in vivo and in 3D.

Biological Effects of Ingenol Mebutate Gel in Moderate to Severe Actinic Fields Assessed by Reflectance Confocal Microscopy: A Phase I Study.

Ingenol mebutate represents a topical treatment for fields with actinic keratosis (AK). The biological effects of ingenol mebutate in AK, subclinical (SC)-AK, and reference-skin were assessed and graded by in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and histology. Patients with AK and SC-AK lesions in one 25 cm2 field on hands or forearms, and with an area of reference skin on the inner upper arm, were included.

Differentiation of Basal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes in Multi-Beam Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography (MSS-OCT).

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a technique that enables real-time in-vivo examination of tissue. This technology provides the clinician with the potential to use a non-invasive tool in the identification and diagnosis of many skin lesions. However, the diagnostic features of basal cell carcinoma have not yet been described with comparison to their histopathology.

The barrier function of organotypic non-melanoma skin cancer models.

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most frequent human cancer with continuously rising incidences worldwide. Herein, we investigated the molecular basis for the impaired skin barrier function of organotypic NMSC models. We unraveled disturbed epidermal differentiation by reflectance confocal microscopy and histopathological evaluation.

Dynamic Optical Coherence Tomography in Dermatology.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) represents a non-invasive imaging technology, which may be applied to the diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer and which has recently been shown to improve the diagnostic accuracy of basal cell carcinoma. Technical developments of OCT continue to expand the applicability of OCT for different neoplastic and inflammatory skin diseases. Of these, dynamic OCT (D-OCT) based on speckle variance OCT is of special interest as it allows the in vivo evaluation of blood vessels and their distribution within specific lesions, providing additional functional information and consequently greater density of data.

Relationship between Histological and Clinical Course of Psoriasis: A Pilot Investigation by Reflectance Confocal Microscopy during Goeckerman Treatment.

Alterations of the skin microvasculature are known to play an important role in the development and maintenance of psoriatic skin lesions. In this study, we investigated lesional skin in 11 psoriatic patients during a modified Goeckerman treatment using reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to study the relationship between clinical clearance and histological normalization of psoriatic skin and the significance of histological abnormalities on the course of disease. The treatment regimen resulted in a significant reduction of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) as well as capillary and papillary diameters (p < 0.

Oxygen-dependent regulation of c-di-GMP synthesis by SadC controls alginate production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces increased levels of alginate in response to oxygen-deprived conditions. The regulatory pathway(s) that links oxygen limitation to increased synthesis of alginate has remained elusive. In the present study, using immunofluorescence microscopy, we show that anaerobiosis-induced alginate production by planktonic PAO1 requires the diguanylate cyclase (DGC) SadC, previously identified as a regulator of surface-associated lifestyles.

Comparison of morphologic criteria for actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma using in vivo multiphoton tomography.

The routine diagnostic procedure of actinic keratosis (AK) and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a histological examination after taking a biopsy. In the past decades, non-invasive optical methods for skin examination have been developed. Patients with clinical diagnosis of AK or SCC were examined.

In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy characterization of field-directed 5-fluorouracil 0.5%/salicylic acid 10% in actinic keratosis.

Actinic keratosis (AK), a frequently diagnosed cutaneous neoplasm in individuals with chronic sun exposure or fair skin, is a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma. AK presents as clinically visible lesions and/or as subclinical lesions where an entire field of area (field cancerization) contains lesions of various grades. The diagnosis and surveillance of subclinical AK is challenging.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells prevent autoimmunity, but induce pulmonary inflammation in cystic fibrosis.

Background/aims: Inflammation is a major and critical component of the lung pathology in the hereditary disease cystic fibrosis. The molecular mechanisms of chronic inflammation in cystic fibrosis require definition.

Methods: We used several genetic mouse models to test a role of iNKT cells and ceramide in pulmonary inflammation of cystic fibrosis mice.

Evidence for field cancerisation treatment of actinic keratoses with topical diclofenac in hyaluronic acid.

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common skin disease seen in daily practice. It is associated with a risk of progression to invasive squamous cell carcinoma and can be regarded as a marker of increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer. The use of a field-directed treatment approach reflects the need to initiate early treatment over an affected area to prevent tumour development and local recurrence.

BIIL 284 reduces neutrophil numbers but increases P. aeruginosa bacteremia and inflammation in mouse lungs.

Background: A clinical study to investigate the leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4))-receptor antagonist BIIL 284 in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients was prematurely terminated due to a significantly increased risk of adverse pulmonary events. We aimed to establish the effect of BIIL284 in models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection, thereby contributing to a better understanding of what could have led to adverse pulmonary events in CF patients.

Methods: P.

Optical coherence tomography for presurgical margin assessment of non-melanoma skin cancer - a practical approach.

In the clinical setting, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is applicable for the non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer and may in particular be used for margin definition prior to excision. In this regard, OCT may improve the success rate of removing tumor lesions more effectively, preventing repetitive excision, which may subsequently result in smaller excisions. In this study, we have aimed to evaluate the applicability of OCT for in vivo presurgical margin assessment of non-melanocytic skin tumors (NMSC) and to describe the feasibility of different scanning techniques.