Publications by authors named "Mitchell Braun"

Background/objectives: Hope is a universal, multidimensional, and nuanced concept that may have specific meaning for young people living with chronic health conditions anticipated to last into adulthood. We previously identified definitions of hope for youth living with chronic health conditions derived from young people's and their caregivers' own words. Here, we aimed to develop a hope assessment tool to facilitate the future evaluation of interventions to support wellness and health for young people growing up with chronic health conditions; Methods: We developed Likert-type scale questions using the young people's and caregivers' definitions of hope and applied the think-aloud cognitive interview method to assess understanding and to inform sequential iteration.

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  • A study was conducted to compare infantile hemangiomas (IH) in preterm infants versus term infants, focusing on their clinical features and risks of scarring.
  • Results showed that preterm infants had a higher incidence of thicker and more irregular IH than term infants, with the severity correlating with how premature they were.
  • The study had limitations, including its retrospective design and potential bias from only including patients from specialized centers, indicating that findings may not apply to all cases.
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Purpose: The nonbinary and genderqueer (NBGQ) youth population is growing, yet scant research focuses on this distinct group. We aim to gain a deeper understanding of desired gender-affirming care and interventions pursued by NBGQ youth.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of NBGQ patients seen at the University of California, San Francisco Child and Adolescent Gender Center from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2020, was performed.

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Objective: To characterize long-term outcomes of PHACE syndrome.

Study Design: Multicenter study with cross-sectional interviews and chart review of individuals with definite PHACE syndrome ≥10 years of age. Data from charts were collected across multiple PHACE-related topics.

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Introduction: In-person dermatology clinical research studies often face recruitment and participation challenges due to travel-, time-, and cost-associated barriers. Studies incorporating virtual/asynchronous formats can potentially enhance research subject participation and satisfaction, but few mobile health tools are available to enable remote study conduct. We developed SkinTracker, a patient-facing mobile app and researcher-facing web platform, that enables longitudinal collection of skin photos, patient reported outcomes, and biometric health and environmental data.

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  • A retrospective study analyzed 435 infants with anogenital infantile hemangiomas (IHs), revealing that 73% of the patients were girls.
  • The study found that 6.4% of these infants had associated congenital anomalies, with ulceration rates significantly higher for segmental or partial segmental IHs (72%) compared to focal IHs (45%).
  • Key findings highlighted the increased odds of ulceration based on specific IH characteristics and locations, contributing to better understanding of high-risk features for these types of hemangiomas.
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Dengue is the world's fastest-growing vector borne disease and has significant epidemic potential in suitable climates. Recent disease models incorporating climate change scenarios predict geographic expansion across the globe, including parts of the United States and Europe. It will be increasingly important in the next decade for dermatologists to become familiar with dengue, as it commonly manifests with rashes, which can be used to aid diagnosis.

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Microtia is the term for congenital malformation of the ear in which the external and internal ear are absent or malformed. Surgical reconstruction is a common management approach and occasionally requires hair reduction of the newly constructed auricle. Few studies have investigated lasers for this purpose.

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Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK) is an autosomal recessive PPK. We report four patients, highlight two new genetic variants, and emphasize the possibility of misdiagnosing the condition. Concomitant atopic dermatitis, specifically, may make correct diagnosis challenging.

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Background: Ulceration is an important complication in infantile hemangiomas (IHs). Prior to the use of β-blockers, the estimated incidence of this complication in a referral population was between 15% and 30%. The incidence and factors associated with ulceration have not been systematically studied since the emergence of β-blocker therapy.

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Infantile myofibroma (IM) commonly presents as a benign cutaneous fibrous tumor in infancy. Although the majority of solitary IM regress without any morbidity, some cases have underlying bone or visceral involvement that can lead to both morbidity and mortality. In this report with review of the literature, we present two cases of solitary cutaneous IM with internal involvement and discuss screening cases of solitary IM with full body imaging.

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Objectives: To characterize the skin and mucosal findings of NEMO syndrome.

Methods: Retrospective review of clinical characteristics from a cohort of two families with mutations in IKBKG (the NEMO-encoding gene). A literature review identified 86 studies describing 192 patients with IKBKG mutations whose data were also included.

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Background/objectives: Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are common benign vascular tumors of infancy. IHs tend to grow in the first few months of life and then gradually involute over years, often leaving fibrofatty residua or textural changes in their place. Classically, these lesions are painless throughout their entire natural history; however, we now report on seven patients with involuted IH with intermittent but persistent sensory symptoms.

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  • Onychoheterotopia is a rare condition where nails grow in unusual areas, often noted as congenital, but some cases can be acquired after trauma.
  • A case study of a child with acquired onychoheterotopia was presented, along with a review of other pediatric cases for comparison.
  • Among the reviewed literature, a significant number of cases were linked to crush injuries and infections, suggesting specific risk factors, though overall data on this condition remains limited and requires more research.
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Both mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their corresponding small extracellular vesicles (sEVs, commonly referred to as exosomes) share similar immunomodulatory properties that are potentially beneficial for the treatment of acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD). We report that clinical grade Wharton's Jelly-derived MSCs (WJMSCs) secrete sEVs enriched in programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), an essential ligand for an inhibitory immune checkpoint. A rapid increase in circulating sEV-associated PD-L1 was observed in patients with aGvHD and was directly associated with the infusion time of clinical grade WJMSCs.

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  • Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy is a personalized cancer treatment involving the cultivation and infusion of tumor-reactive T cells, but traditional methods struggle with efficacy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
  • The study investigates whether the "panning" technique for removing adherent cells before TIL expansion can enhance the quality of TILs by lowering immunosuppressive signals from tumor and stromal cells.
  • Results show that the panning protocol successfully generated TIL cultures from most clear cell RCC samples, demonstrating improved TIL profiles by reducing regulatory T cell influences and emphasizing functional potential.
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An intriguing aspect of the tumor suppressor p53 is its ability to communicate to the adaptive immune system and control the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response to cancer cells. Wild-type p53 (wtp53) communicates with CTLs through proteins involved in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen presentation pathway [e.g.

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