The influence of hormonal combined contraceptive in the onset of hidradenitis suppurativa: a retrospective cohort study.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disease characterized by recurrent painful nodules, abscesses and sinus tract on the apocrine gland-bearing skin. The role of sex hormones in the pathogenesis as well as the use of hormonal treatment in the management of HS is still debated. We performed a retrospective cohort study including 183 patients to assess the influence of combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptive (COC) in HS onset and disease severity.

Real-life effectiveness and safety of baricitinib in patients with severe alopecia areata: A 24-week Italian study.

Background: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by rapid hair loss in the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, for which treatments are limited. Baricitinib, an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, has been recently approved to treat alopecia areata.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving 23 medical centres across Italy, enrolling patients affected by severe alopecia areata (SALT >50), for more than 6 months.

Role of antioxidants supplementation in the treatment of atopic dermatitis: a critical narrative review.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by itching, epidermal barrier dysfunction, and an unbalanced inflammatory reaction. AD pathophysiology involves a dysregulated immune response driven by T helper-2 cells. Many factors, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), are involved in AD pathogenesis by causing cellular damage and inflammation resulting in skin barrier dysfunction.

Circulating tumor DNA-based assessment of molecular residual disease in non-metastatic melanoma.

In patients with resected non-metastatic melanoma, the liquid biopsy for the assessment of molecular residual disease (MRD) by circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) represents a promising tool to stratify the risk and to monitor tumour evolution. However, its validation requires the demonstration of analytical validity, clinical validity and utility. Indeed, the development of sensitive and specific assays can optimize prognostication and eventually help clinicians to modulate adjuvant treatments, in order to improve clinical outcomes.

Topical and Systemic Retinoids in the Management of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating chronic skin disorder characterized by painful inflammatory nodules, abscesses and sinus tracts involving intertriginous areas and has an adverse impact on patient quality of life. Over the past decade, the therapeutic options of HS have increased significantly to comprise multiple modalities, including topical medication, systemic therapies (mainly antibiotics, retinoids, and biologics), surgical approaches, and lifestyle modifications. Biologics alone or in combination with surgery remain the treatment of choice for moderate to severe disease.

Knockdown of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase suppresses proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance of Merkel cell carcinoma cells in vitro.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer, with a propensity for early metastasis. Therefore, early diagnosis and the identification of novel targets become fundamental. The enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) catalyzes the reaction of N-methylation of nicotinamide and other analogous compounds.

Type III Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome with Concurrent Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome: A Case Report.

Case: The patient, a 21-year-old female Division I track and field athlete, presents with bilateral calf pain, tightness, numbness, and swelling during activity. Initially diagnosed with chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), she underwent bilateral four-compartment fasciotomies. After 4 months, she experienced persistence of some of her prefasciotomy symptoms and was referred to vascular surgery.

The Split-Luciferase Complementation Assay to Detect and Quantify Protein-Protein Interactions in Planta.

Protein-protein interactions play a critical role in plant viral infection and defense responses against pathogens. This protocol provides a detailed and reliable methodology for investigating protein-protein interactions using a luciferase-based complementation assay that includes easy luminescence-based normalization within a single plate. The protocol includes step-by-step procedures, reagent lists, and considerations for data interpretation, ensuring robust and reproducible results.

CT Patterns of Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis: A Retrospective Case Series Study.

Recently published articles reported an association between psoriasis and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in ILD computed tomography (CT) patterns between smoker and never smoker plaque psoriasis (PP) patients under topical treatment without psoriatic arthritis (PA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or connective tissue diseases (CTDs). : Two radiologists evaluated chest CT examinations of 65 patients (33 smokers, 32 never smokers) with PP.

The sources of antimicrobial peptides against Gram-positives and Gramnegatives: our research experience.

Antibiotic resistance of Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria is becoming increasingly prevalent. For this reason, the search for new molecules that can overcome current resistance and also recover antibiotics that are no longer effective is becoming increasingly urgent. Our research group at the 'Polytechnic University of Marche' managed to study the effectiveness of certain antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).

Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma: A Narrative Review.

Pembrolizumab has been shown to increase survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. Considering the numerous oncoming studies, we decided to conduct a narrative review of the latest efficacy evidence regarding the use of pembrolizumab, alone or in combination, in patients with metastatic melanoma. A search was conducted in PubMed using "pembrolizumab," and "metastatic melanoma" as keywords, considering studies from 2022 onward.

Systemic Antibiotic Therapy in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Review on Treatment Landscape and Current Issues.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, recurrent, and inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful, deep-seated, nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts in sensitive areas of the body, including axillary, inguinal, and anogenital regions. Antibiotics represent the first-line pharmacological treatment of HS because of their anti-inflammatory properties and antimicrobial effects. This narrative review summarizes the most significant current issues on the role of systemic antibiotics in the management of HS, critically analyzing the main limits of their use (antibiotic resistance and toxicity).

Melanoma and subcutaneous adipose tissue: Role of peritumoral adipokines in disease characterization and prognosis.

In the last decades, the concept of adipose organ has emerged, giving adipose tissue an active endocrine and immunologic function through the secretion of multiple cytokines and chemokines that seem to be implicated in the development and progression of several cancer, including cutaneous melanoma. In this pilot experimental study, we analyzed the expression in the peritumor subcutaneous adipose tissue of the most significant adipokines involved in the processes of carcinogenesis and metastasis in a population of melanoma patients and in two control groups composed of melanocytic nevi and epidermoid cysts, respectively. We correlated the results obtained with the main disease prognostic factors observing a statistically significant increase in the expression of PAI1, LEP, CXCL1, NAMPT, and TNF-α at the level of the peritumor tissue of the melanoma samples compared to the control groups and a correlation of the same with the histopathological prognostic factor of melanoma.

The Role of Diet in Children with Psoriasis: Emerging Evidence and Current Issues.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory systemic disease with skin tropism and chronic relapsing course; it is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk and with many metabolic comorbidities, emerging during childhood in 22-33% of cases. Diet influences the presentation and the clinical course of inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis; in particular, it was shown that a Mediterranean, gluten-free, or low-calorie diet may positively affect disease control in adult patients with psoriasis and adequate pharmacological therapy. These three dietary regimens may play a role also in children with psoriasis.

Tumor Microenvironment in Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma: A Systematic, Narrative Review.

Although diagnosis and treatment of vestibular schwannomas (VSs) improved in recent years, no factors have yet been identified as being capable of predicting tumor growth. Molecular rearrangements occur in neoplasms before any macroscopic morphological changes become visible, and the former are the underlying cause of disease behavior. Tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses cellular and non-cellular elements interacting together, resulting in a complex and dynamic key of tumorigenesis, drug response, and treatment outcome.

Vitiligo, from Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Advances: State of the Art.

Vitiligo is an acquired hypopigmentation of the skin due to a progressive selective loss of melanocytes; it has a prevalence of 1-2% and appears as rounded, well-demarcated white macules. The etiopathology of the disease has not been well defined, but multiple factors contribute to melanocyte loss: metabolic abnormalities, oxidative stress, inflammation, and autoimmunity. Therefore, a convergence theory was proposed that combines all existing theories into a comprehensive one in which several mechanisms contribute to the reduction of melanocyte viability.

Tissue Biomarkers Predicting Lymph Node Status in Cutaneous Melanoma.

Cutaneous melanoma is a severe neoplasm that shows early invasiveness of the lymph nodes draining the primary site, with increased risk of distant metastases and recurrence. The tissue biomarker identification could be a new frontier to predict the risk of early lymph node invasiveness, especially in cases considered by current guidelines to be at low risk of lymph node involvement and not requiring evaluation of the sentinel lymph node (SLN). For this reason, we present a narrative review of the literature, seeking to provide an overview of current tissue biomarkers, particularly vascular endothelium growth factors (VEGF), Tetraspanin CD9, lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1), D2-40, and gene expression profile test (31-GEP).

Liquid Crystalline Nanoparticles Conjugated with Dexamethasone Prevent Cisplatin Ototoxicity In Vitro.

The conjugation of drugs with nanoparticles represents an innovative approach for controlled and targeted administration of therapeutic agents. Nanoparticle-based systems have been tested for the inner ear therapy, increasing the drug diffusion and being detected in all parts of the cochlea when locally applied near the round window. In this study, glycerol monooleate liquid crystalline NanoParticles were conjugated with Dexamethasone (NPD), a hydrophobic drug already used for inner ear treatments but defective in solubility and bioavailability.

Erratum: miR-199a-3p increases the anti-tumor activity of palbociclib in liver cancer models.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.