Assessing the Risk of Omalizumab Add-on Therapy for Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern for increased risk of infection while on immunomodulatory therapy. Omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody, is an add-on therapy for the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) when first line therapy alone fails to achieve appropriate response. Current understanding of the response to COVID-19 infection is largely varied and actively under investigation.

Review of Apremilast Combination Therapies in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition resulting from the dysregulation of cytokines. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor is approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients who are eligible for phototherapy or systemic therapy. The drug increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate, cAMP, modulating the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Estimating the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection with rituximab use for pemphigus vulgaris.

The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised new uncertainties for dermatologists and their patients, importantly concerning initiation and continuation of immunosuppressants for dermatological conditions at this time. We review two phase III trials of rituximab, a chimeric CD20 monoclonal antibody, used for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris. Without specific data studying rituximab use and susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2, we hope to utilize available data in order to assist clinician decision making for rituximab in the context of the pandemic.

Management of psoriasis with biologics in clinical practice: an update for 2020.

This article aims to address updates on recent clinical trial findings (April 2019 to April 2020) regarding biologic therapy initiation and maintenance for adult patients. Prescribers should use this update as guidance for determining the appropriate biologic class based on patient characteristics and for approaching biologic-experienced patients with refractory psoriasis. This update also may serve as a reference for the recommended dosing regimens of the 11 approved biologics.

Postnatal outcome of prenatally diagnosed severe fetal renal pelvic dilatation.

Objective: We correlated the prenatal severity with the postnatal outcome of prenatally detected renal pelvic dilatation (RPD).

Methods: Cases of prenatally detected RPD referred between January 2002 and December 2008 were included. Severe RPD was defined as an anterior-posterior diameter of 15 mm, mild and moderate dilatation was defined as 6 to <10 mm and 10 to <15 mm, respectively.