Publications by authors named "Silke Hofmann"
Background: Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized melanoma treatment, but the high number of non-responders still emphasizes the need for improvement of therapy. One potential avenue for enhancing anti-tumor treatment is through the modulation of coagulation and platelet activity. Both have been found to play an important role in the tumor microenvironment, tumor growth and metastasis.
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- Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) are severe, drug-induced skin conditions that can be life-threatening and are now viewed as different levels of the same disease known as epidermal necrolysis (EN).
- A new guideline has been created based on scientific literature and expert consensus to help medical professionals in diagnosing and treating EN.
- This guideline targets various specialists like dermatologists and intensive care doctors, as well as informing patients, families, insurers, and policymakers about EN and includes recommendations for acute care and follow-up treatment.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzes the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on inpatient dermatosurgical care across nine German clinics over three years (2019-2021).
- A total reduction in dermatosurgical cases was observed, with a 14.5% drop in 2020 and an 8.5% drop in 2021 compared to 2019, particularly affecting surgeries for melanoma and benign lesions.
- The findings highlight that while there was a significant decline in 2020, the number of inpatient cases began to stabilize in 2021, indicating ongoing demand for inpatient treatment despite challenges from the pandemic.
Article Synopsis
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are serious, mostly drug-related conditions that affect the skin and mucous membranes, categorized under the umbrella term epidermal necrolysis (EN), which varies in severity.* -
- A new guideline for diagnosing and treating SJS/TEN was created based on extensive scientific research and consensus among experts, involving various medical specialties to provide a comprehensive approach to patient care.* -
- The guideline is designed for healthcare professionals across multiple fields, as well as patients, their families, insurers, and policymakers, with the first part specifically addressing diagnosis, initial treatment, and systemic immunotherapy.*
Photodynamic therapy in dermatology: established and new indications.
J Dtsch Dermatol Ges
December 2024
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is internationally established as an approved treatment option for in situ forms of keratinocytic skin cancer (actinic keratoses, Bowen's disease, basal cell carcinoma). For these indications, there are standardized treatment protocols using narrow-spectrum light sources or (artificial) daylight, the use of which is associated with successful healing, a low rate of lesion recurrence, and a very good cosmetic result. Daylight PDT is superior to conventional PDT in terms of significantly less pain and associated higher patient acceptance.
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- Solar urticaria is a rare skin condition triggered by UV radiation or visible light, likely caused by an allergic reaction, leading to severe symptoms that significantly affect patients' quality of life.
- Polymorphous light eruption, in contrast, is a more common condition resulting from a type IV allergic reaction to photoallergens, with skin lesions that heal despite sun exposure and generally less impact on quality of life.
- Both conditions are diagnosed through light provocation and can benefit from a treatment approach called light hardening, highlighting their distinct clinical features and management strategies.
Article Synopsis
- * A case study highlights the effective use of certolizumab pegol, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor (TNFi), to manage severe GPPP in a 28-year-old woman.
- * The report includes a review of existing literature on TNFi treatments for GPPP, featuring only 11 documented cases, and discusses the underlying mechanisms of GPPP and why TNFi might be a suitable treatment choice.
Article Synopsis
- Paraneoplastic pemphigus is a severe autoimmune disease causing significant mucosal and skin lesions, and a case study is presented about a 16-year-old girl with early symptoms mistaken for mucosal pemphigoid.
- Initial treatment improved her condition, but she later faced severe respiratory issues linked to bronchiolitis obliterans, necessitating a lung transplant.
- During the evaluation for transplant, she was diagnosed with Castleman's disease, which led to the identification of paraneoplastic pemphigus, and both tumor removal and lung surgery resulted in positive outcomes and lasting remission.
Article Synopsis
- Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is linked to a higher risk of skin cancers such as Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) and pleomorphic sarcoma (PDS) compared to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
- A study analyzed data from 146 AFX/PDS patients and 438 SCC/BCC controls over a seven-year period, finding that HCTZ use was significantly more common among AFX/PDS patients (44.5% vs. 25.3%).
- The findings suggest that HCTZ may be a risk factor for developing AFX/PDS, with diabetes mellitus also linked to an increased risk.
Telephone follow-up after outpatient nail surgery - a retrospective analysis.
J Dtsch Dermatol Ges
April 2024
Background: One of the areas of care in dermatosurgery is the surgical treatment of diseases of the nail organ. Side effects and complications after nail surgery were investigated by telephone follow-up (TFU), and its suitability for postoperative monitoring and consultation was assessed.
Patients And Methods: All patients who underwent nail surgery at the Department of Dermatology at the Ludwigshafen City Hospital from October 2019 to December 2021 in outpatient setting were contacted by telephone on the second to third postoperative day and questioned in a standardized manner about postoperative complaints and counselled if necessary.
Article Synopsis
- Linear IgA Dermatosis (LAD) is a rare autoimmune skin disease characterized by IgA deposits at the skin's basement membrane, affecting both children and adults with diverse clinical features.
- The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) developed consensus guidelines by collaborating with 29 experts across multiple countries to ensure a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.
- The resulting guidelines provide a combination of evidence-based and expert-based recommendations to aid dermatologists in effectively diagnosing and managing LAD.
Scope: Edible insects contain allergens with potential cross-reactivity to other invertebrates. Here, this study examines IgE-reactive proteins in a house cricket snack (Acheta domesticus) leading to an allergic reaction in a 27-year old man followed by a similar reaction days later after eating shrimps.
Methods And Results: Prick to prick tests verify the IgE-mediated allergy to crickets and skin prick testing confirms a type I sensitization to house dust mite without any clinical relevance for the patient, and to shrimp extracts, but is negative for several other foods.
Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a pore-forming exotoxin produced by certain Staphylococcus (S.) aureus strains, which is responsible for the increased virulence of the pathogen. Thus, infections caused by PVL-positive S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Management of bullous pemphigoid and mucous membrane pemphigoid].
Dermatologie (Heidelb)
December 2022
Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common blistering autoimmune dermatosis and, as an age-associated disease, is also the bullous dermatosis with the highest increase in incidence in recent years due to demographic developments. Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), which is less common, is a clinically and immunopathologically heterogeneous blistering autoimmune dermatosis characterized by blisters and erosions on mucous membranes.
Objective: This work summarizes the manifold clinical characteristics of both diseases and provides an up-to-date overview of diagnostics and therapy of BP and SHP.
Article Synopsis
- Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) can coexist in patients, contrary to the belief that they are opposing diseases, especially with modern targeted therapies.
- Treatment with anti-IL-13 antibody tralokinumab led to the development of psoriasis vulgaris in a 36-year-old male patient who had severe intrinsic AD, highlighting unexpected complications from such treatments.
- This case indicates that both dual and selective IL-13 inhibition can disrupt immune balance, resulting in paradoxical psoriasis, but there are currently no clinical guidelines to predict this outcome in patients receiving biologic therapies.
Background: The aim of the survey was to investigate a possible impairment of inpatient dermatological and dermatosurgical care in Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: An online survey on the impact of pandemic-related measures on inpatient care was sent to all German dermatology clinics. Only one person per clinic was asked to participate.
Background: To counteract the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have been licensed since December 2020. Shortly after the start of the vaccination campaigns, occasional allergic reactions related to vaccines were described, thus, leading to concerns in many patients with a history of allergies. The aim of this work was to evaluate which anamnestic events represented a reason for an allergology work-up before COVID-19 vaccination.
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