Transcriptomic Analyses Predict Enhanced Metabolic Activity and Therapeutic Potential of mTOR Inhibitors in Acne-Prone Skin.

Current acne therapies center on preventing new lesions in patients with acne. These therapies were historically found to be beneficial yet were chosen without knowledge of the specific changes in the skin that favor lesion development. A major challenge in developing new treatments is the incomplete understanding of nonlesional (NL), acne-prone skin's molecular characteristics.

International expert consensus recommendations for the use of dermocosmetics in acne.

Background: A wide variety of dermocosmetics (products with both active skincare and cosmetic activity) are available for the management of acne vulgaris. These products are important because they may be the first line of approach for patients desiring to self-treat and they can also have beneficial effects-reducing lesion counts and improving global acne severity. When used in conjunction with medical therapy, dermocosmetics can improve tolerability and enhance results.

Integrated Short-Term and Long-Term Efficacy of Topical Clascoterone Cream 1% in Patients Aged 12 Years or Older With Acne Vulgaris.

Background: Clascoterone cream 1% is approved for the treatment of acne vulgaris in patients aged 12 years or older based on results from two identical pivotal Phase 3 trials. Integrated efficacy of clascoterone in patients aged 12 years or older with acne vulgaris from the pivotal trials (NCT02608450 and NCT02608476) and long-term extension (LTE) study (NCT02682264) is reported.

Methods: In the pivotal trials, patients with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris were randomized 1:1 to twice-daily application of clascoterone cream 1% or vehicle for 12 weeks; they could then enter the LTE study, where all patients applied clascoterone to the face and, if desired, trunk for up to 9 additional months.

International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) - Report from the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Background: The International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of evidence-based, consensus-driven outcome measures in dermatological diseases. Researchers and stakeholders from various backgrounds collaborate to develop these objective benchmark metrics to further advance treatment and management of dermatological conditions.

Summary: The 2022 IDEOM Annual Meeting was held on June 17-18, 2022.

Evaluation of DermSat-7 for Assessing Treatment Satisfaction in Patients with Acne.

Importance: Treatment satisfaction is important to achieving therapeutic success in patients with inflammatory dermatological diseases, such as acne.

Objective: To evaluate the structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity of the DermSat-7, a questionnaire-based measure of treatment satisfaction, in patients with acne seen in routine clinical practice.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included adults with acne who were fluent in English and treated at an outpatient clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital between July 2022 and May 2023.

Is There a Clinically Relevant Risk of Hyperkalemia with Topical Clascoterone Treatment?

Clascoterone cream 1% is an androgen receptor inhibitor approved for the treatment of acne vulgaris in patients aged 12 years or older with clinical studies completed in subjects aged nine years or older. Blood potassium levels above the upper limit of normal (i.e.

Treatment response to isotretinoin correlates with specific shifts in Cutibacterium acnes strain composition within the follicular microbiome.

There are no drugs as effective as isotretinoin for acne. Deciphering the changes in the microbiome induced by isotretinoin in the pilosebaceous follicle of successfully treated patients can pave the way to identify novel therapeutic alternatives. We determined how the follicular microbiome changes with isotretinoin and identified which alterations correlate with a successful treatment response.

Efficacy and Safety of 1% Clascoterone Cream in Patients Aged > 12 Years With Acne Vulgaris.

Background: Two randomized phase 3 studies evaluated efficacy and safety of 1% clascoterone cream, a topical androgen receptor inhibitor, in patients aged ≥9 years with moderate-to-severe facial acne vulgaris after 12 weeks of treatment.

Objectives: To present a pooled data analysis of the efficacy and safety of 1% clascoterone cream after 12 weeks of treatment in patients aged ≥12 years from the 2 phase 3 trials.

Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1 to twice-daily treatment of the whole face with clascoterone or vehicle.

Anti-IL-17A blockade did not significantly reduce inflammatory lesions in a placebo-controlled pilot study in adult patients with moderate to severe acne.

Background: CJM112 is a potent anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody, whose clinical efficacy in psoriasis was recently documented. This study aimed to assess the effect of IL-17A blockade, using CJM112, in patients with moderate to severe acne.

Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, proof-of-concept study was conducted on patients with moderate to severe acne.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review of Measure Development and Measurement Properties.

Importance: Multiple patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) exist for patients with acne. However, little is known about the content validity and other measurement properties of these PROMs.

Objective: To systematically review PROMs for HRQoL in adults or adolescents with acne.

Isotretinoin Laboratory Monitoring in Acne Treatment: A Delphi Consensus Study.

Importance: Although isotretinoin may rarely be associated with laboratory abnormalities such as hypertriglyceridemia, the optimal approach to laboratory monitoring is uncertain, and there is wide variation in clinical practice.

Objective: To establish a consensus for isotretinoin laboratory monitoring among a diverse, international cohort of clinical and research experts in acne.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Using a modified electronic Delphi process, 4 rounds of anonymous electronic surveys were administered from 2021 to 2022.

The Personalised Acne Care Pathway-Recommendations to guide longitudinal management from the Personalising Acne: Consensus of Experts.

Background: Acne is a chronic disease with a varying presentation that requires long-term management. Despite this, the clinical guidelines for acne offer limited guidance to facilitate personalized or longitudinal management of patients.

Objectives: To generate recommendations to support comprehensive, personalized, long-term patient management that address all presentations of acne and its current and potential future burden.

Identifying gaps and providing recommendations to address shortcomings in the investigation of acne sequelae by the Personalising Acne: Consensus of Experts panel.

Background: The physical sequelae of acne include erythema, hyperpigmentation, and scarring, which are highly burdensome for patients. Early, effective treatment can potentially limit and prevent sequelae development, but there is a need for guidance for and evidence of prevention-oriented management to improve patient outcomes.

Objective: To identify unmet needs of acne sequelae and generate expert recommendations to address gaps in clinical guidance.

Gaps and recommendations for clinical management of truncal acne from the Personalising Acne: Consensus of Experts panel.

Background: Truncal acne is common and burdensome for patients; however, there is paucity of evidence and guidance for the management of truncal acne. Currently, clinical practice guidelines provide very little guidance on the assessment or management of truncal acne.

Objectives: To identify unmet needs in truncal acne and make recommendations to address clinical and management gaps using an international consensus.

Parametric Acne Severity (PAS) Score and Lesion Counts From Multi-Modality Facial Image Analysis Correlates Strongly with Investigator Assessment.

Variability in acne lesion counting and assessing global severity necessitates large sample sizes that increase trial costs. Lack of standardized measures for these outcomes precludes the conduct of meta-analyses needed to compare efficacy of acne treatments. The goal of this study was to evaluate objective measures of lesion counts and global severity using analysis of multimodal photography.

Keeping the peace: commensal Cutibacterium acnes trains CD4+ TH17 cells to trap and kill.

Commensal or pathogenic bacterial communities of the skin interact with the host immune system to preserve homeostasis or sustain disease. In this issue of the JCI, Agak et al. substantially advance our conceptual understanding of TH17 cell biology.

Building a System to Engage and Sustain Research Careers for Physicians.

There are increasing needs for physician-investigators to translate the rapid expansion of knowledge, technology/interventions, and big data into the clinical realm at a time of increasing age-related disabilities and communicable diseases. Yet, the number of physician-investigators has continued to decline, and only a small number of medical school graduates in the United States are actively engaged in research. This problem may be particularly pronounced in small- and medium-sized academic institutions due to more limited educational and mentoring infrastructure.