Publications by authors named "Werth V"

Article Synopsis
  • Regulatory guidance on disease outcome measures is crucial for improving clinical trials for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and increasing participant diversity.
  • A study of 377 CLE patients analyzed erythema variations across different subtypes and racial/ethnic groups to see how these differences impact eligibility for trials.
  • Results showed significant erythema differences among CLE subtypes and among racial/ethnic groups, particularly with SCLE and hypertrophic CCLE being primarily classified as red.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous (SC) abatacept and standard of care (SOC) for the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) over 52 weeks.

Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial, patients with treatment-refractory IIM received SC abatacept (125 mg weekly) + SOC (abatacept group) or placebo + SOC (placebo group) (NCT02971683). A 24-week double-blind period was followed by an open-label period to assess outcomes from continued therapy with abatacept and initiation with abatacept (placebo-to-abatacept switch group) from 24 to 52 weeks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study focused on anti-synthetase syndrome (ASSD), a rare autoimmune disease, aiming to identify clinical and lab features for potential classification criteria.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from 948 ASSD patients and 1077 control subjects, finding that certain symptoms like arthritis and specific autoantibodies were more common in ASSD cases.
  • - The findings will assist clinicians in diagnosing ASSD and contribute to creating more standardized, data-driven classification criteria for the syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Iberdomide, a cereblon modulator, promotes degradation of transcription factors Ikaros and Aiolos.

Objective: Evaluate iberdomide efficacy and safety in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) in a phase 2 study.

Methods: Patients were randomized (2:2:1:2) to iberdomide 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease mainly seen in older adults, significantly affecting their quality of life.
  • The disease involves autoantibodies against specific proteins and displays characteristics of type 2 inflammation, including high levels of IgE and eosinophils, along with increased type 2 cytokines in skin lesions.
  • This review highlights the pathophysiology of BP, the impact of biologics targeting type 2 immune mediators, and the potential for future targeted therapies to improve treatment options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune disease affecting the skin and is often difficult to treat, with standard medications sometimes ineffective; lenabasum, a selective cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist, shows promise in managing these skin-related symptoms.
  • - In a study involving a 3-year open-label extension of a Phase 2 trial with 20 patients resistant to traditional treatments, researchers assessed the long-term effectiveness and recurrence of DM symptoms while on lenabasum.
  • - Results indicated significant improvements in skin disease activity and stability, with 58.3% of patients maintaining stable conditions and a notable reduction in flare-ups, suggesting lenabasum as a viable treatment for difficult-to-manage DM cases. *
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Rationale: Ultraviolet-B (UVB) light induces dermal inflammation, although it is mostly absorbed in the epidermis. Recent reports suggest extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as a mediator of photodamage signaling. Melatonin is reported to be a protective factor against UV-induced damage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune disease that primarily affects the skin and can involve muscles, with new classification systems recognizing skin-dominant forms.
  • Recent research has improved our understanding of the disease’s mechanisms and the role of specific autoantibodies, leading to the development of new treatments.
  • This report focuses on recent advancements in treatments and outcome measures for DM, particularly from a dermatological perspective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease that can have a profound negative impact on quality of life. BP most often affects the elderly, a population with a high medical burden and special safety concerns. In this review, we outline the BP disease course, diagnosis, epidemiology and comorbidities, and describe tools commonly used to assess BP disease activity and severity and the impact of BP on health-related quality of life.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the significant disease burden of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), there have been no United States Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for 65 years. To facilitate advancement of therapies, severity scores are needed to evaluate QOL, how patients feel, activity of disease, and organ-specific damage to assess response to therapies and disease progression. In this paper, we delineate the development process of provider- and patient-reported severity scores for CLE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A 29-year-old female presented to a rheumatology-dermatology clinic with a pruritic rash that began 6 months prior, after a viral illness. She had previously been diagnosed with eczema and treated with antihistamines and topical steroids without improvement. She also noted fatigue, hair loss, and severe scalp pruritus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the use of herbal supplements in patients with autoimmune skin diseases, specifically dermatomyositis (DM) and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), using data from 673 patients treated at a clinic.
  • Results show that 32% of patients reported using herbal supplements, with higher usage among younger patients and Hispanic/Latino individuals, while no significant differences were noted based on sex or disease type.
  • The research highlights that herbal supplements, especially elderberry, can potentially worsen symptoms for patients, emphasizing the need for healthcare providers to inform and guide patients about these products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: This review addresses the challenges and advances in clinical endpoints for myositis, with a particular focus on ensuring comprehensive assessment of both muscle and skin disease activity. The relevance of this review stems from recent developments in outcome measures and their implications for clinical trial design and patient inclusivity. While quality of life (QoL) and lung involvement are also important aspects of myositis, they are beyond the scope of this review and need to be addressed in future studies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to update the 1998 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Core Outcome Set by evaluating existing domains and generating new ones, involving both patients and collaborators in the process.
  • - A survey collected responses from 100 patients and 145 collaborators, revealing that patients focused on life-impact domains while collaborators emphasized clinical aspects, highlighting a need for balanced input from both groups.
  • - Findings showed agreement on some domains for inclusion in the updated SLE Core Outcome Set, while also identifying areas that need more explanation and suggesting new domains for consideration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how living in deprived areas affects the severity of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) in adult patients.
  • It involved 154 patients, predominantly women (83%) and primarily Black individuals (64%), and revealed that those residing in highly disadvantaged areas had significantly higher odds of experiencing moderate to severe DLE damage and activity.
  • Concurrent smoking also increased these odds, while race did not show a significant association after controlling for other factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF