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This article examines the effectiveness of risankizumab, a medication used to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The study found that risankizumab was effective in improving psoriasis symptoms, with a high percentage of patients experiencing significant improvement and complete skin clearance. The study also found that patients who had not previously been treated with biologic drugs and those with a shorter disease history had better responses to the treatment. However, the study has some limitations, and further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of risankizumab on psoriasis. [Extracted from the article]

OBJECTIVE: Bazex syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic skin disorder of unknown pathogenesis. Cutaneous findings are usually noticed before the diagnosis of the underlying malignancy, more frequently squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract or metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. Association with other malignancies has been reported. CASE REPORT: Herein, we describe a case in course of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma and review the relevant literature. RESULTS: A bibliographic search was conducted and a total of 8 studies concerning the association were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians be aware of unexpected cutaneous conditions as a possible sign of underlying tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of 52-year-old woman who had undergone resection of a stage III cutaneous melanoma of her back 10 years earlier is presented. Topics include examines that she was being treated with nivolumab since 2019 due to the extensive metastasizing in bilateral lung parenchyma, celiac trunk lymph nodes, bilateral ilo-mediastinal recesses and right cardiophrenic angle.

Background Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusions Facial (FP) and genital psoriasis (GP) significantly affect patients' quality of life. Despite the advances in treatments, limited data on efficacy and safety are available on these difficult‐to‐treat areas. Guselkumab is an interleukin (IL)‐23 inhibitor which has been proven effective in treating patients with moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis.The aim of this interim analysis was to report the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in the treatment of patients with FP and/or GP.GULLIVER is a 52‐week Italian observational study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of guselkumab in a real‐life setting in patients with FP and/or GP. Adult patients with facial and/or genital moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis (sPGA score ≥ 3) were included. The primary endpoint of this analysis was the percentage of patients achieving a facial or genital sPGA score of 0 (clear) or 1 (almost clear), at Week 12. The change in the score of the facial or genital sPGA components in patients with a score ≥3 for each sPGA component was assessed. PASI score in patients with a baseline PASI above or below 10 was evaluated.Overall, 351 patients were included in the study; 83.3% of FP and 76.5% of GP patients achieved the primary endpoint. Similar response rates were observed for the facial or genital sPGA components in patients with a baseline facial or genital sPGA score ≥3 in each component. Among patients with a baseline PASI score >10, mean PASI score improved from 19.0 (SD 8.3) to 2.2 (SD 4.8). Forty‐four AEs were observed in 32 patients; two mild and transient AEs (fatigue and nausea) were considered treatment related. No SAEs were observed.Guselkumab, showing to be effective and safe in treating FP and GP, may be a valid therapeutic option for patients with psoriasis localized in these difficult‐to‐treat areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated, inflammatory skin disease, associated with multiple comorbidities and psychological and psychiatric disorders. The quality of life of patients with this disease is severely compromised, especially in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Secukinumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody, was the first anti-interleukin (IL)-17 biologic approved for treating psoriasis. Secukinumab demonstrated long-lasting efficacy and a good safety profile in individuals with plaque psoriasis, and it is associated with an improvement in health-related quality of life. While there is evidence that early treatment with systemic therapy can affect disease progression and improve long-term outcomes in other autoimmune diseases, evidence is limited in psoriasis, especially in real-world settings. This review provides an overview of studies describing the effectiveness of secukinumab in the treatment of psoriasis summarizing the literature and focusing on real-world evidence and early intervention., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) currently extends beyond male factor infertility, notably replacing conventional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in scenarios like limited oocyte availability, where it is used as a precaution against complete fertilisation failure. While existing studies on the use of conventional IVF in such situations provide some reassurance, the available evidence is somewhat insufficient and ICSI is commonly used., Aims: To evaluate whether conventional IVF can be a feasible option when only one oocyte is retrieved., Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the fertilisation rate with conventional IVF in women retrieving only one oocyte and whose partner had normal semen. The study aimed at evaluating whether the fertilisation rate was aligned with the threshold indicated by recognized IVF laboratory performance indicators (Vienna Consensus). Clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were secondary outcomes., Results: Out of 304 cycles with a single oocyte inseminated with conventional IVF, 209 achieved normal fertilisation and 82 did not. Thirteen had no mature oocytes. The fertilisation rate was 69% (95% CI: 63-74%) and increased to 72% (95% CI: 66-77%) when immature oocytes were excluded. The fertilisation rate surpassed the minimum competency threshold of the Vienna Consensus (60%), even if below the benchmark value (75%). Clinical pregnancy and live birth rates per oocyte retrieval were 10% and 8%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses failed to identify any predictive factor of fertilisation., Conclusion: Conventional IVF with one oocyte met Vienna Consensus standards even if it fell short of higher benchmarks., (© 2024 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by recurrent and painful nodules and abscesses in intertriginous skin areas, which can progress to sinus tract formation, tissue destruction, and scarring. HS is highly debilitating and severely impairs the psychological well-being and quality of life of patients. The therapeutic approach to HS is based on medical therapy and surgery. First-line medical therapy includes topical antibiotics, systemic antibiotics, and biologics. Main surgical procedures include deroofing, local excision, and wide local excision. Despite the availability of multiple therapeutic options, the rates of disease recurrence and progression continue to be high. In recent years, the possibility of combining biologic therapy and surgery has raised considerable interest. In a clinical trial, the perioperative use of adalimumab has been associated with greater response rates and improved inflammatory load and pain, with no increased risk of postoperative infectious complications. However, several practical aspects of combined biologic therapy and surgery are poorly defined. In June 2022, nine Italian HS experts convened to address issues related to the integration of biologic therapy and surgery in clinical practice. To this purpose, the experts identified 10 areas of interest based on published evidence and personal experience: (1) patient profiling (diagnostic criteria, disease severity classification, assessment of response to treatment, patient-reported outcomes, comorbidities); (2) tailoring surgery to HS characteristics; (3) wide local excision; (4) presurgery biologic treatment; (5) concomitant biologic and surgical treatments; (6) pre- and postsurgery management; (7) antibiotic systemic therapy; (8) biologic therapy after radical surgery; (9) management of adverse events to biologics; and (10) management of postoperative infectious complications. Consensus between experts was reached using the Estimate-Talk-Estimate method (Delphi Method). The statements were subsequently presented to a panel of 27 HS experts from across Italy, and their agreement was assessed using the UCLA Appropriateness Method. This article presents and discusses the consensus statements., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To evaluate whether laser-mediated assisted hatching (AH) performed on vitrified/warmed blastocysts before embryo transfer can improve live birth rate., Design: The "pArtiaL zonA pelluciDa removal by assisteD hatchINg of blastocysts (ALADDIN)" is a 2-center comparative study with a parallel randomized controlled design., Setting: University hospital., Patients: Participants were recruited between September 2018 and November 2021. They were aged 18-39 years, underwent nondonor in vitro fertilization cycles, and were scheduled for elective single embryo transfer with vitrified/warmed blastocysts. Those with uterine abnormalities, body mass index of >35 kg/m 2 , severe male factor infertility, or performing preimplantation genetic testing were excluded., Intervention: Assisted hatching was performed using a 1,480 nm diode laser, removing approximately one-third of the zona pellucida with continuous 0.2 ms pulses applied from the 1-5 o'clock positions., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was the live birth rate. Secondary end points included clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, multiple pregnancies, preterm births, obstetric and neonatal complications, and congenital anomalies., Results: Overall, 698 participants met the inclusion criteria and were randomized: 352 patients were assigned to the AH arm and 346 to the control arm. Of the participants, 105 (29.8%) and 101 (29.2%), respectively, achieved a live birth after treatment. The relative risk of live birth in patients with vitrified/warmed blastocysts treated with AH was 1.02 (95% confidence interval, 0.86-1.19). Exploratory subgroup analyses for women's age, recruiting centers, indications for in vitro fertilization, method of insemination, blastocyst quality, and days of blastocyst development failed to highlight any clinical situation that could benefit from AH in thawed blastocysts., Conclusion: In patients undergoing frozen embryo transfer with vitrified/warmed blastocysts, laser AH does not improve the live birth rate. Further studies are required to rule out milder but potentially interesting benefits in specific subgroups of patients., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03623659., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests E.P. reported grants and personal fees from MSD, grants from Ferring, IBSA, TEVA, and Gedeon Richter, grants and personal fees from Merck. P.V. received honoraria for editorial engagements. E.S. received honoraria for presentations at meetings from IBSA and Gedeon Richter, and also is handling 2 research grants from Ferring and IBSA. A.A. has nothing to disclose. M.R. has nothing to disclose. C.G. has nothing to disclose. V.B. has nothing to disclose. G.B. has nothing to disclose. M.P. has nothing to disclose. E.R. has nothing to disclose. S.F. has nothing to disclose. A.P. has nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The introduction of biological therapies has revolutionized the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. In particular, ixekizumab, an inhibitor of interleukin-17A, has shown great results in terms of efficacy and safety in both clinical trials and real-world experiences. However, there is a lack of long-term real-world data available for ixekizumab., Methods: We conducted a multicenter real-life study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ixekizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI) was collected at baseline and after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years. The occurrence of any adverse events was recorded at each time point., Results: We enrolled 1096 patients treated with ixekizumab for at least 1 year. At week 52, the percentages of PASI 90 and PASI 100 were 85.04% and 69.07%, respectively. After 5 years of treatment with ixekizumab, out of 145 patients, a PASI 90 response was achieved by 86.90% of patients, while complete skin clearance was reached by 68.28% of patients. We did not observe any new significant safety findings throughout the study period., Conclusion: This study supports the long-term effectiveness and safety of ixekizumab in a real-world setting., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To evaluate whether a second biopsy, following a first diagnostic failure on blastocysts tested for preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic diseases (PGT-M), allows to obtain genetic diagnosis and to what extent this procedure can influence clinical pregnancy and live birth rates compared to the PGT-M process with a successful genetic diagnosis from the first biopsy., Methods: Embryos from women who underwent PGT-M in an infertility centre and who had been transferred after two biopsies for genetic analysis (n = 27) were matched in a 1:1 ratio accordingly to women's age (± 1 year) and fertility status (fertile vs infertile), as well as with the study period, with embryos who were transferred after receiving a conclusive PGT result straight after the first biopsy (n = 27). The main evaluated outcome was clinical pregnancy rate following embryo transfers in which healthy embryos were transferred after only one biopsy and those in which an embryo was transferred after being re-biopsied. Live birth rate was the secondary outcome., Results: Clinical pregnancy rate was 52% (95% CI: 34-69) following the transfer of a single-biopsy blastocyst and 30% (95% CI: 16-48) following the transfer of a re-biopsied blastocyst. The likelihood to have a healthy baby was 33% (95% CI: 19-52) following the transfer of a blastocyst biopsied once and 22% (95% CI: 11-41) following the transfer of a re-biopsied blastocyst., Conclusions: The re-biopsy intervention seems to considerably reduce the pregnancy potential of a blastocyst. However, a greater sample size is necessary to clarify this issue definitively., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Switch patterns among different biologics and from originators to biosimilars (and vice versa) can be complex in patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA)., Objective: The aim of this study was to describe switching patterns of biological drugs in PsO/PsA patients and to explore predictors of multiple switches and switch-back., Research Design and Methods: A large-scale retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Italian VALORE database. Bio-naïve users treated for PsO/PsA during 2010-2022 were included. Time to switch/swap and predictors of multiple switches and switch-back were analyzed., Results: Thirty-thousand seven hundred bio-naïve users were included. At 3 and 5 years of follow-up, patients with at least one switch/swap were 37.1% and 47.8%, respectively. The median time to first switch/swap was significantly shorter ( p < 0.001) for TNF-α inhibitors (2,068 days) than anti-IL (2,780 days). At 1 year of follow-up patients starting with IL-23 switched/swapped biological therapy less frequently than those with anti-IL-12/23 and anti-IL-17 (4.9% vs. 8.7% and 9.4%, respectively). Patients starting with anti-IL-12/23 reported a significantly lower risk of multiple switches and switch-back (0.74, 95% CI, 0.67-0.83; 0.58, 95% CI, 0.44-0.77, respectively) than those with TNF-α inhibitors., Conclusions: Patients with PsO/PsA starting with TNF-α inhibitors switch/swap more rapidly and frequently than those with anti-IL, which are also associated with a reduced risk of multiple switches during follow-up.

Introduction: The introduction of biologics for the treatment of plaque psoriasis is one of the major therapeutic advances of the last decades in dermatology. The efficacy of this class of drugs can be influenced by multiple factors including obesity, being overweight, prior treatment failures, and disease severity., Areas Covered: Most of the currently available approved biologics are limited by their lack of dosing flexibility for adapting the therapy to the complexity of real-world patients with psoriasis. Among the class of anti-interleukin-23, tildrakizumab allows a greater dosing flexibility, increasing clinical benefits of patients with high burden of the disease or body weight >90 kg., Expert Opinion: This meta-opinion discusses the clinical data that were foundational for tildrakizumab dosage flexibility, elaborates on the definition of high burden of disease specifically linked to tildrakizumab dosage, and profiles the ideal patient that could benefit from treatment with the higher approved tildrakizumab dosage of 200 mg.

Background: Risankizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively inhibits interleukin-23. It has been approved for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and has shown efficacy and safety in clinical trials and real-world experiences. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness, safety, and drug survival of risankizumab in a real-life setting., Materials and Methods: We included patients treated with risankizumab from January 2019 to February 2023. A Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI) was collected at weeks 0, 16, 28, 52, 104, and 156, when available. The occurrence of any adverse events was recorded at each visit., Results: We enrolled 1047 patients. At week 52, a ≥90% improvement in PASI was observed in 81.44% of patients, with a continuous improvement throughout the study (88.99% and 99.07% at weeks 104 and 156, respectively). After three years of treatment, all patients involving the scalp, palms/soles, and genitalia and 95% of patients with nail psoriasis achieved a complete or almost complete skin clearance. No significant safety findings were observed, and 90.73% of the patients were still on treatment after 36 months., Conclusions: This study supports the long-term effectiveness and safety of risankizumab in a real-world setting, even in patients involving difficult-to-treat areas.

Introduction: The development of several effective biological drugs for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis has dramatically changed the lives of patients. Despite the wide use of interleukin (IL) inhibitors, limited data are available to date regarding long-term treatment persistence., Method: This multicenter retrospective real-world study evaluated 5932 treatment courses across 5300 patients, all treated with interleukin inhibitors. Drug survival was expressed by using the Kaplan-Meier estimator for each biological drug at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months. We also stratified by discontinuation associated with primary or secondary ineffectiveness., Results: In our study, the most prescribed drugs were secukinumab (1412), ixekizumab (1183), and risankizumab (977). After four years of follow-up, risankizumab emerged as the treatment with the highest drug survival overall, as 91.6% of patients were still on treatment. The overall probability of drug survival at four years was comparable for tildrakizumab (83.5%), ixekizumab (82.6%), guselkumab (82.4%) and brodalumab (81.8%). When evaluating only patients who discontinued the treatment because of ineffectiveness, once again risankizumab was the molecule with the highest drug survival at 4 years (93.4%), this time followed by ixekizumab (87%). Our study, in which all IL inhibitors were adequately represented, confirmed a slightly better treatment persistence for IL-23 inhibitors, consistent with other real-world studies., Conclusion: Our experience showed that IL-23 inhibitors, and risankizumab in particular, had a higher probability of drug survival overall during a 4-year follow-up. Risankizumab and ixekizumab were less likely to be discontinued because of ineffectiveness after four years., Competing Interests: LG has been a consultant for Almirall. LI has been a consultant for Almirall. PM has been a speaker for AbbVie, Lilly, Novartis, Janssen-Cilag, Celgene, Leopharma and Almirall. AB has received honoraria for participation in advisory boards, meetings or as speaker for AbbVie, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, Eli Lilly, Novartis Pharma, Pfizer, Sanofi-Genzyme and UCB Pharma. FB has been a consultant advisor and clinical study investigator for Eli Lilly, Abbvie, Novartis, Leo Pharma, Sandoz, Bristol Myers, Abiogen-Pharma, Celgene and Janssen. MB has acted as a speaker and consultant for AbbVie, Janssen, Amgen, Novartis, Eli Lilly and UCB Pharma. CC has served as a board participant or speaker for Abbvie, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Celgene, Almirall and Leopharma. GD served as consultant and/or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, LeoPharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi and UCB and received unrestricted grants from Pfizer and Almirall. PD has been a speaker for Novartis, Abbvie, Sanofi, UCB, Janssen, Lilly and LeoPharma. FG acted as a speaker or consultant for Novartis, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Celgene, LeoPharma and Almirall. GG served as consultant and/or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Biogen, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Eli-Lilly, LeoPharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Samsung, Sanofi and UCB. CG has been a scientific consultant/speaker/clinical study investigator for Abbvie, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Almirall and LEO Pharma. CL declares a conflict of interest with Abbvie, Novartis, Lilly and Almirall. FL served on advisory boards and/or received honoraria for lectures from Abbvie, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, Lilly and Sanofi. AM reports consultancy/advisory boards disease-relevant honoraria from AbbVie, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi and UCB. MM acted as a speaker or consultant for Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Leo-Pharma, UCB and Novartis. AC has served as an advisory board member, consultant and has received fees and speaker’s honoraria or has participated in clinical trials for Abbvie, Almirall, Biogen, LEO Pharma, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi Genzyme and UCB-Pharma. AN has served on advisory boards, received honoraria for lectures and research grants from Almirall, Abbvie, Leo Pharma, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Sanofi-Genzyme, Amgen and Boehringer Ingelheim. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Gargiulo, Ibba, Malagoli, Balato, Bardazzi, Burlando, Carrera, Damiani, Dapavo, Dini, Gaiani, Girolomoni, Guarneri, Lasagni, Loconsole, Marzano, Megna, Mercuri, Travaglini, Costanzo and Narcisi.)

Clinical embryologists are highly trained laboratory professionals with multiple roles, including laboratory, clinical, biobanking and quality system management. In most European countries, clinical embryologists are trained to work in Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) centres without a specifically dedicated educational path. The criteria required for employment vary according to the educational structure and the public or private nature of the centre. We have herein described the educational profile required by Italian clinical embryologists to work in MAR centres of the National Health System (NHS). Public centres currently represent 36% of all the Italian MAR clinics. According to the Italian law, a future clinical embryologist must achieve a 3-4 year unpaid post-graduate specialization in a different field, choosing from Genetics, Microbiology, Clinical Pathology or Nutrition. Accesses to the above-mentioned post-graduate courses are themselves very limited. Clinical embryologists are basically trained by senior colleagues. This situation makes inevitably difficult to recruit laboratory staff in NHS centres. Moreover, it represents an emblematic example of the need for an equal training curriculum, possibly ensuring a comparable education quality, mobility of trainees and dissemination of skills for clinical embryologists all over Europe.

Background: Long-term real-life data on secukinumab use in psoriasis are limited., Objectives: Determine the long-term effectiveness of secukinumab in moderate-to-severe psoriasis in real-life., Methods: Multicenter retrospective study analyzing data from adult patients treated with secukinumab for at least 192 weeks and up to 240 weeks in Southern Italy, between 2016 and 2021. Clinical data, including concurrent comorbidities and prior treatments were collected. Effectiveness was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Body Surface Area (BSA), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores at the initiation of secukinumab and at weeks 4, 12, 24, 48, 96, 144, 192, and 240., Results: Two hundred and seventy-five patients (174 males), mean age 50.80 ± 14.78 years, were included; 29.8% had an uncommon localization, 24.4% psoriatic arthritis, 71.6% comorbidities. PASI, BSA, and DLQI improved significantly from week 4 and continued to improve over time. Between weeks 24 and 240, PASI score was mild (≤10) in 97-100% of patients, 83-93% had mild affected BSA (BSA ≤ 3), and 62-90% reported no effect of psoriasis on their quality of life (DLQI 0-1). Only 2.6% of patients reported adverse events and no patient discontinued the treatment during the study period., Conclusions: Secukinumab effectiveness in the long-term treatment of psoriasis is confirmed in real-world.

Background: Tertiary hyperparathyroidism (3HPT) is defined as a condition of excessive autonomous excretion of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) with persistent hypercalcemia (>10.5 mg/dL) that lasts for more than 12 months after a successful kidney transplantation, in the context of a long course secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT). The chronic high levels of iPTH cause a worsening of graft function, accompanied by systemic symptoms of hypercalcemia. The only curative therapy is parathyroidectomy (PTX). It remains unclear whether total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (TPTX-AT) or subtotal parathyroidectomy (SPTX) lead to better outcomes., Aims: The aim of this retrospective, single-institution cohort study is to evaluate the rate of persistent or recurrent disease and postoperative calcium/iPTH disturbances in patients treated with TPTX-AT or SPTX for 3HPT., Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of 3HPT patients submitted to TPTX-AT or SPTX between 2007-2020 with at least 24 months follow-up was conducted. The outcome parameters included persistence/recurrence of disease, incidence of transitory hypocalcemia, and temporary/permanent hypoparathyroidism., Results: A cohort of 52 patients was analyzed and divided in two groups: 38 (73%) were submitted for TPTX-AT, and 14 patients (27%) were submitted for SPTX. The TPTX-AT population showed lower plasmatic calcium concentrations compared with the SPTX group during the entire follow-up period (p<0.001). There were eight cases (21%) of transitory hypocalcemia in the TPTX-AT group and none in the SPTX group, with p=0.065. Two cases (5%) of temporary hypoparathyroidism occurred in the TPTX-AT group and none in the SPTX group, with p= 0.530. There were no cases of permanent hypoparathyroidism and no cases of persistent disease. No statistical difference was assessed for the recurrence of 3HPT between the TPTX-AT group and the SPTX group (N=1, 3% vs N=1, 7%) (p=0.470)., Conclusion: No significative difference was registered between the TPTX-AT and SPTX groups in terms of persistence/recurrence of disease, incidence of transitory hypocalcemia, and temporary/permanent hypoparathyroidism. Mean calcium levels iPTH values were statistically lower among the TPTX-AT group compared with the SPTX group while remaining always in the range of normality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Casella, Guarneri, Campanile, Adhoute, Gelera and Morandi.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: the authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: In March 2018, the European pregnancy prevention programme for oral retinoids was updated as part of risk minimisation measures (RMM), emphasising their contraindication in pregnant women. Objective: To measure the impact of the 2018 revision of the RMMs in Europe by assessing the utilisation patterns of isotretinoin, alitretinoin and acitretin, contraceptive measures, pregnancy testing, discontinuation, and pregnancy occurrence concomitantly with a retinoid prescription. Methods: An interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to compare level and trend changes after the risk minimisation measures implementation was conducted on a cohort of females of childbearing age (12-55 years of age) from January 2010 to December 2020, derived from six electronic health data sources in four countries: Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. Monthly utilisation figures (incidence rates [IR], prevalence rates [PR] and proportions) of oral retinoids were calculated, as well as discontinuation rates, contraception coverage, pregnancy testing, and rates of exposed pregnancies to oral retinoids, before and after the 2018 RMMs. Results: From 10,714,182 females of child-bearing age, 88,992 used an oral retinoid at any point during the study period (mean age 18.9-22.2 years old). We found non-significant level and trend changes in incidence or prevalence of retinoid use in females of child-bearing age after the 2018 RMMs. The reason of discontinuation was unknown in >95% of cases. Contraception use showed a significant increase trend in Spain; for other databases this information was limited. Pregnancy testing was hardly recorded thus was not possible to model ITS analyses. After the 2018 RMM, rates of pregnancy occurrence during retinoid use, and start of a retinoid during a pregnancy varied from 0.0 to 0.4, and from 0.2 to 0.8, respectively. Conclusion: This study shows a limited impact of the 2018 RMMs on oral retinoids utilisation patterns among females of child-bearing age in four European countries. Pregnancies still occur during retinoid use, and oral retinoids are still prescribed to pregnant women. Contraception and pregnancy testing information was limited in most databases. Regulators, policymakers, prescribers, and researchers must rethink implementation strategies to avoid any pregnancy becoming temporarily related to retinoid use., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Durán, Riera-Arnau, Abtahi, Pajouheshnia, Hoxhaj, Gamba, Alsina, Martin-Perez, Garcia-Poza, Llorente-Garcia, Gonzalez-Bermejo, Ibánez, Sabaté, Vidal, Ballarín, Sanfélix-Gimeno, Rodríguez-Bernal, Peiró, García-Sempere, Sanchez-Saez, Ientile, Ingrasciotta, Guarneri, Tanaglia, Tari, Herings, Houben, Swart-Polinder, Holthuis, Huerta, Gini, Roberto, Bartolini, Paoletti, Limoncella, Girardi, Hyeraci, Andersen, Kristiansen, Hallgreen, Klungel and Sturkenboom.)

Psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa are chronic inflammatory skin diseases that can develop together, negatively impacting on the patient's quality of life. We aimed to review the most up-to-date information regarding the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and possible therapeutical choices in patients with both psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa, thus linking these two autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions. A narrative review of articles dating from 2017 to 2022 has been performed using the PubMed database. We analyzed the case reports and case series found in the literature regarding patients who suffered from both psoriasis and HS. Psoriasis arose before hidradenitis suppurativa in the majority of cases, while only a minority of them had hidradenitis suppurativa before psoriasis. Interestingly, some patients suffered from paradoxical hidradenitis suppurativa following biological therapy administered to treat the already present psoriasis. Lastly, new biological drugs have been marketed with great success for the outcome of psoriasis, but similar progress did not happen for hidradenitis. Novel therapeutic approaches and lines of research are needed for the treatment of these pathologies, even if concomitant, in order to improve patient's quality of life., Competing Interests: CG has received consultation fees and/or grants for research projects, advisory panels and giving educational lectures from Wyeth-Pfizer, Abbott Immunology-Abbvie, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, LEO-Pharma, LEO-Pharma Denmark, Ely-Lilly, Celgene, Merck-Serono, Sanofi-Aventis, Amgen and Almirall. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Macca, Li Pomi, Ingrasciotta, Morrone, Trifirò and Guarneri.)

Introduction: Brodalumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the subunit A of the interleukin-17A receptor (IL17RA), inhibiting the signaling of various isoforms of the IL-17 family. It has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis after being evaluated in three Phase-3 trials. However, long-term data on brodalumab in a real-life setting are still limited., Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of brodalumab in psoriasis. We also assessed the drug survival of brodalumab in a 3 years timespan. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study on 606 patients followed up at 14 Italian dermatology units, all treated with brodalumab according to Italian guidelines. Patients' demographics and disease characteristics were retrieved from electronic databases. At baseline and weeks 12, 24, 52, 104 and 156, we evaluated the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and investigated for adverse events. The proportions of patients reaching 75, 90 and 100% (PASI 75, PASI 90 and PASI 100, respectively) improvement in PASI, compared with baseline, were also recorded., Results: At week 12, 63.53% of the patients reached PASI 90 and 49.17% PASI 100. After 3 years of treatment, 65.22% of patients maintained a complete skin clearance, and 91.30% had an absolute PASI of 2 or less. Patients naïve to biological therapies had better clinical responses at weeks 12, 24 and 52. However, after 2 years of treatment, no significant differences were observed. Body mass index did not interfere with the effectiveness of brodalumab throughout the study. No new safety findings were recorded. After 36 months, 85.64% of our patients were still on treatment with brodalumab., Conclusion: Our data confirm the effectiveness and the safety of brodalumab in the largest real-life cohort to date, up to 156 weeks., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Gargiulo, Ibba, Malagoli, Amoruso, Argenziano, Balato, Bardazzi, Burlando, Carrera, Damiani, Dapavo, Dini, Fabbrocini, Franchi, Gaiani, Girolomoni, Guarneri, Lasagni, Loconsole, Marzano, Megna, Sampogna, Travaglini, Costanzo and Narcisi.)

Background: Actinic keratosis (AK) is one of the most common skin diseases, with a low risk of progression into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We aim to assess efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 4% with once daily application for the treatment of multiple AKs., Methods: A pilot study was performed on 30 patients with a clinical and dermoscopic diagnosis of multiple AKs, enrolled between September 2021 and May 2022 at the Dermatology Departments of two Italian hospitals. Patients were treated with 5-FU 4% cream once daily for 30 consecutive days. The Actinic Keratosis Area and Severity Index (AKASI) was calculated before starting therapy, and at each follow-up, to assess objective clinical response., Results: The cohort analyzed included 14 (47%) males and 16 (53%) females (mean age: 71 ± 12 years). A significant decrease in AKASI score at both 6 and 12 weeks ( p < 0.0001) was observed. Only three patients (10%) discontinued therapy, and 13 patients (43%) did not report any adverse reactions; no unexpected adverse events were observed., Conclusions: In the setting of topical chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the new formulation of 5-FU 4% proved to be a highly effective treatment for AKs and field cancerization.

Brodalumab is a recombinant, fully human immunoglobulin IgG2 monoclonal antibody specifically targeted against interleukin-17RA that has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in Europe. We developed a Delphi consensus document focused on brodalumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Based on published literature and their clinical experience a steering committee drafted 17 statements covering 7 domains specific to the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis with brodalumab. A panel of 32 Italian dermatologists indicated their level of agreement using a 5-point Likert scale (from 1 = "strongly disagree" to 5 = "strongly agree") using an online modified Delphi method. After the first round of voting (32 participants), positive consensus was reached for 15/17 (88.2%) of the proposed statements. Following a face-to-face virtual meeting, the steering committee decided that 5 statements would form "main principles" and 10 statements formed the final list. After a second round of voting, consensus was reached in 4/5 (80%) of the main principles and 8/10 (80%) for consensus statements. The final list of 5 main principles and 10 consensus statements identify key indications specific to the use of brodalumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in Italy. These statements aid dermatologists in the management of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Background: Guselkumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds selectively to the p19 subunit of interleukin-23, which has shown efficacy in patients with previous incomplete response to ustekinumab in the NAVIGATE clinical trial. [Correction added on [28-02-2023], after first online publication: 'humanized monoclonal antibody' has been changed to 'fully human monoclonal antibody' in the preceding sentence.] OBJECTIVES: We conducted a 104-week multicenter retrospective study to assess the effectiveness and safety of guselkumab in patients affected by plaque psoriasis with an inadequate response to ustekinumab in a real-life setting., Methods: Our retrospective study included 233 adults affected by moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, enrolled in 14 different Italian centres, and treated with guselkumab after failing therapy with ustekinumab. Patient characteristics and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score at each visit (baseline, weeks 16, 52 and 104) were recorded. The percentages of patients achieving 75%, 90% and 100% (PASI 75, PASI 90 and PASI 100) improvement in PASI, compared with baseline, were registered., Results: At week 52, PASI 75 was reached by 89.88% of patients, PASI 90 by 71.43%, PASI 100 by 58.83% and absolute PASI ≤2 by 90.48%. At week 104, similar effectiveness results were observed. Compared to the NAVIGATE trial, we observed higher rates of PASI 75/90/100. Patients with the involvement of difficult-to-treat areas were significantly less likely to achieve PASI90 and PASI100 at week 16. Obese patients had significantly lower rates of PASI75 and PASI ≤2 at week 52. At week 104, comparable responses were observed among all patients' subgroups, regardless of BMI status, involvement of difficult-to-treat areas, presence of cardiometabolic comorbidities and concomitant psoriatic arthritis. No significant safety findings were reported throughout the study., Conclusion: Our data suggest that the efficacy of guselkumab in patients with inadequate response to ustekinumab for plaque psoriasis in 'real-life' clinical practice is comparable with NAVIGATE study with higher percentages of patients achieving PASI90 and PASI100 at weeks 16, 52 and 104., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, great interest has been given to this disease, especially to its possible clinical presentations. Besides classical respiratory symptoms, dermatological manifestations occur quite often among infected and non-infected patients, particularly in children. A prominent IFN-I response, that is generally higher in children compared to adults, may not only cause chilblain lesions, but it could also prevent infection and viral replication, thus justifying the negative swab results, as well as the absence of relevant systemic symptoms in positive cases. Indeed, reports have emerged describing chilblain-like acral lesions in children and adolescents with either proven or suspected infection., Methods: Patients aged from 1 to 18 years old were enrolled in this study from 23 Italian dermatological units and were observed for an overall period of 6 months. Clinical pictures were collected along with data on the location and duration of skin lesions, their association with concomitant local and systemic symptoms, presence of nail and/or mucosal involvement, as well as histological, laboratory and imaging findings., Results: One hundred thirty-seven patients were included, of whom 56.9% were females. Mean age was 11.97±3.66 years. The most commonly affected sites were the feet (77 patients, 56.2%). Lesions (48.5%) featured cyanosis, chilblains, blisters, ecchymosis, bullae, erythema, edema, and papules. Concomitant skin manifestations included maculo-papular rashes (30%), unspecified rashes (25%), vesicular rashes (20%), erythema multiforme (10%), urticaria (10%) and erythema with desquamation (5%). Forty-one patients (29.9%) reported pruritus as the main symptom associated with chilblains, and 56 out of 137 patients also reported systemic symptoms such as respiratory symptoms (33.9%), fever (28%), intestinal (27%), headache (5.5%), asthenia (3.5%), and joint pain (2%). Associated comorbid conditions were observed in 9 patients presenting with skin lesions. Nasopharyngeal swabs turned out positive in 11 patients (8%), whereas the remainder were either negative (101, 73%) or unspecified (25, 18%)., Conclusions: COVID-19 has been credited as the etiology of the recent increase in acro-ischemic lesions. The present study provides a description of pediatric cutaneous manifestations deemed to be potentially associated with COVID-19, revealing a possible association between acral cyanosis and nasopharyngeal swab positivity in children and teenagers. The identification and characterization of newly recognized patterns of skin involvement may aid physicians in diagnosing cases of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic COVID patients.

Background: In women scheduled for cancer treatment, oocytes cryopreservation is a well-established procedure. Random start protocols have been a substantial improvement in this setting, allowing to prevent delay in the initiation of cancer treatments. However, there is still the need to optimize the regimen of ovarian stimulation, to make treatments more patient-friendly and to reduce costs., Methods: This retrospective study compares two periods (2019 and 2020), corresponding to two different ovarian stimulation regimens. In 2019, women were treated with corifollitropin, recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonists. Ovulation was triggered with GnRH agonists. In 2020, the policy changed, and women were treated with a progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) protocol with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) and dual trigger (GnRH agonist and low dose hCG) Continuous data are reported as median [Interquartile Range]. To overcome expected changes in baseline characteristics of the women, the primary outcome was the ratio between the number of mature oocytes retrieved and serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in ng/ml., Results: Overall, 124 women were selected, 46 in 2019 and 78 in 2020. The ratio between the number of mature oocytes retrieved and serum AMH in the first and second period was 4.0 [2.3-7.1] and 4.0 [2.7-6.8], respectively (p = 0.80). The number of scans was 3 [3-4] and 3 [2-3], respectively (p<0.001). The total costs of the drugs used for ovarian stimulation were 940 € [774-1,096 €] and 520 € [434-564 €], respectively (p<0.001)., Conclusions: Random start PPOS with hMG and dual trigger represents an easy and affordable ovarian stimulation protocol for fertility preservation in women with cancer, showing similar efficacy and being more friendly and economical., Competing Interests: The authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: E.S. received honoraria for presentations at meetings from Gedeon-Richter and Merck-Serono. He is also handling two grants of research from Ferring. None of the remaining authors reported any conflict of interest. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2023 Filippi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp (EPDS) is a rare inflammatory disorder of elderly individuals, characterized by relapsing pustular and eroded lesions of the scalp, which may lead to scarring alopecia. Treatment is challenging and classically based on topical and/or oral corticosteroids., Case Report: From 2008 to 2022, we treated fifteen cases of EPDS. We used mainly topical and systemic steroids with good results. Nevertheless, several non-steroidal topical drugs have been described in literature for the treatment of EPDS. We have carried out a brief review of these treatments., Conclusions: Topical calcineurin inhibitors represent a valuable alternative to steroids to avoid skin atrophy. Emerging evidence about other topical treatments, such as calcipotriol, dapsone, zinc oxide, together with photodynamic therapy, are evaluated in our review.

Background: Pilomatrix carcinoma (PC) is a rare skin tumor arising from hair follicle matrix cells. It is locally aggressive with a high rate of local recurrence after surgical excision. Few cases in the literature have been described and the management is not well defined., Objectives: The aim of this study was to present two cases of PC located on the head and review the relevant literature about epidemiology, clinical and dermoscopic evaluation, characteristics of local and distant metastases, local recurrence rate and management of this rare skin tumor., Methods: We consulted databases from PubMed, Research Gate and Google Scholar, from January 2012 to November 2022. We reviewed the literature and reported two additional cases., Results: We selected 52 tumors in middle-aged to older patients located mostly on the head. Dermoscopy evaluation was rarely performed in the pre-operative diagnostic setting. The most definitive treatment was wide local excision, but local recurrences were common. In total, we observed 11 cases of recurrences and 9 patients with locoregional or distant metastases. Four patients received adjuvant radiotherapy, two patients needed chemotherapy and local cancer therapy and one patient received radiochemotherapy., Conclusion: Our reports and the review of the literature can provide a better awareness and management of this rare tumor.

Background: Tildrakizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds selectively the p19 subunit of interleukin-23. It is approved for treatment of moderate-severe chronic plaque psoriasis., Objectives: We conducted a 52-week retrospective study to assess the effectiveness and safety of tildrakizumab in a real-life setting., Methods: Our retrospective study included 237 consecutive adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, enrolled in 10 different Italian centres, treated with tildrakizumab up to Week 52. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, previous treatments and the PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score at each visit (baseline, Week 16, Week 28 and Week 52) were retrieved from the electronic medical records. The percentages of patients achieving 75%, 90% and 100% (PASI 75, PASI 90 and PASI 100) improvement in PASI with respect to baseline PASI were registered., Results: At Week 52, 90.91%, 73.55% and 58.68% of patients achieved a PASI reduction ≥75% (PASI 75), PASI 90 and PASI 100, respectively. An absolute PASI ≤ 2 was reached by 85.95% at Week 52. Compared with Phase 3 clinical trials, we observed similar rates of PASI 75/90 responses and higher percentages of patients achieving PASI 100. Patients who had not responded to previous biologic treatments and patients with cardio-metabolic comorbidities were significantly more likely to achieve PASI 100 at Week 28 and PASI 90 at Week 52. The higher body mass index did not interfere with the odds of reaching PASI 75/90/100 at each time point. No significant safety findings were recorded throughout the study, and none of the patients had to interrupt the treatment because of adverse events., Conclusion: Our data suggest that the efficacy of tildrakizumab for plaque psoriasis in 'real-life' clinical practice is comparable with Phase 3 clinical trials with higher percentages of patients achieving complete skin clearance (PASI 100) at Weeks 16, 28 and 52., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)