Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Risk Among Patients in the Psoriasis Longitudinal Assessment and Registry (PSOLAR).

To the Editor: Patients with psoriasis are at increased risk of developing non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).1,2 The risk is especially elevated among those who previously received systemic treatment or phototherapy.2 Systemic treatments, including biologic therapies and methotrexate (MTX), are effective in managing immune-mediated diseases; however, they may increase susceptibility to NMSC due to immunosuppression or other factors.

Gastrointestinal Signs and Symptoms Related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis.

Background: Psoriasis (PsO) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that may be associated with comorbidities, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), given common immunopathogenic mechanisms. Whether PsO patients are more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) signs and symptoms has not been well-characterized. Understanding their prevalence in PsO patients may inform strategies to evaluate for GI signs and symptoms, screen for those at risk for IBD, and guide choice of therapy.

Depressive symptoms, depression, and the effect of biologic therapy among patients in Psoriasis Longitudinal Assessment and Registry (PSOLAR).

Background: Patients with psoriasis are at an increased risk for depression. However, the impact of treatment on this risk is unclear.

Objective: Evaluate the incidence and impact of treatment on depression among patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Dermatologist and Patient Preferences in Choosing Treatments for Moderate to Severe Psoriasis.

Introduction: The objective of the study was to determine the relative importance (RI) of treatment attributes psoriasis patients and physicians consider when choosing between biologic therapies based on psoriasis severity.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) weighting preference for eight sets of hypothetical treatments for moderate or severe psoriasis was conducted. DCE hypothetical treatments were defined and varied on combinations of efficacy, safety, and dosing attributes [frequency/setting/route of administration (ROA)].

Reliability and convergent validity of two outcome instruments for pemphigus.

A major obstacle in performing multicenter controlled trials for pemphigus is the lack of a validated disease activity scoring system. Here, we assess the reliability and convergent validity of the PDAI (pemphigus disease area index). A group of 10 dermatologists scored 15 patients with pemphigus to estimate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the PDAI and the recently described ABSIS (autoimmune bullous skin disorder intensity score) instrument.

Factor VIII ectopically expressed in platelets: efficacy in hemophilia A treatment.

Activated platelets release their granule content in a concentrated fashion at sites of injury. We examined whether ectopically expressed factor VIII in developing megakaryocytes would be stored in alpha-granules and whether its release from circulating platelets would effectively ameliorate bleeding in a factor VIIInull mice model. Using the proximal glycoprotein 1b alpha promoter to drive expression of a human factor VIII cDNA construct, transgenic lines were established.