Current Utilization of Qualitative Methodologies in Dermatology: A Scoping Review.

The focus of this review was to determine how qualitative methods are used in dermatology research and whether published manuscripts meet current standards for qualitative research. A scoping review of manuscripts published in English between January 1, 2016 and September 22, 2021 was conducted. A coding document was developed to collect information on authors, methodology, participants, research theme, and the presence of quality criteria as outlined by the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.

Natural history of disease activity and damage in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Background: Long-term studies characterizing disease course of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) patients on standard-of-care treatments are lacking.

Objective: We characterized and compared disease course of CLE patients using Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI).

Methods: In total, 83 CLE patients with CLASI scores collected from ≥3 study visits within 2 years had disease activity and damage trends calculated by average change scores (ACS).

Phototherapy for sclerosing skin conditions.

Phototherapy is an effective treatment strategy for a variety of sclerosing skin conditions. There are a number of phototherapeutic modalities used for the treatment of sclerosing skin conditions, including ultraviolet (UV)A1, broadband UVA, psoralen plus UVA, and narrowband UVB phototherapy. As controlled trials with validated outcome measures are lacking for these therapies, existing evidence is largely level II for morphea and is even more minimal for scleroderma and other sclerosing disorders (scleroderma, lichen sclerosus, and chronic graft-versus-host disease, among others).

A subset of CD163+ macrophages displays mixed polarizations in discoid lupus skin.

Introduction: Lesional skin of patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) contains macrophages, whose polarization has yet to be investigated. To test our hypothesis that M1 macrophages would be increased in DLE skin, we examined transcriptome alterations in immune cell gene expression and macrophage features in DLE and normal skin by using gene expression and histochemical approaches.

Methods: Gene expression of RNA from DLE lesional and normal control skin was compared by microarrays and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).