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Background: Social media platforms are increasingly used by patients to research and discuss medical problems. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify by whom, how frequently, and in what manner allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is discussed on social media sites. Methods: Search terms "allergic contact dermatitis" and "contact dermatitis" were queried across Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and Google search metrics. The frequency, content, and creators of the content were assessed. Results: ACD content was identified on all platforms, generated by by patients, physicians, professional organizations, and companies. When comparing the volume of posts, more content was on Instagram than Twitter, particularly among patients. Patient support groups were identified on Facebook but not on Reddit. A formal analysis of YouTube videos found that the medical information presented in these videos was often of poor quality. Conclusions: Patch testing physicians should be aware that information on ACD exists across social media sites. While some content is generated by physicians, patients and industry groups also post and share material. Patch testing physicians should know that there is an opportunity to share ACD information, but they should also be aware that patients are posting and creating online support communities independent of physicians. Highlights: Online support communities exist for patients with ACD on Facebook.Online information is of lower quality, with a mean QUEST quality score of 7.4/28 on reviewed YouTube videos.Of the five social media sites reviewed, patients are most active on Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook.Approximately 9000 Google searches per month are conducted using contact dermatitis‐related search terms.Differences in terminology exist between physicians and non‐physicians. While the most popular hashtag term was "contact dermatitis", physicians disproportionately authored posts tagged with "allergic contact dermatitis." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objective: Relative to adults, rates of melanoma are lower in children. Due to its rarity, it is difficult to assess the incidence, trends, and outcomes of this malignancy. Much of our understanding comes from single institution or regional cancer registries which may not be large enough to detect subtleties in the burden of pediatric melanoma. Methods: Data from the 2004 to 2016 National Cancer Database were analyzed; this database captures approximately 70% of all cancer diagnoses in the United States. Results: Our analysis consisted of 1903 cases. A majority were White (89.8%), the mean age was 12.4 years, and the ratio of females: males was 1.2:1.0. The most common anatomic location was the trunk (31.1%). Between 2004 and 2016, a decreasing trend in the number of new melanoma cases was observed. Comparing histologic subtype by age, there was an increased percentage of nodular and epithelioid and spindle cell tumors in the pre‐teen children and a greater percentage of superficial spreading tumors in teenagers. Overall, a majority of cases were stage 0 or I (56.9%), with relatively few stage IV cases (2.0%). A 5‐year all‐cause survival of greater than 90% was observed for stage I‐III tumors, with stage IV tumors having a 5‐year all‐cause survival of 34.4%. Conclusion: Comparable to previous studies, pediatric melanoma occurred most often in Whites, females, and adolescents. However, we detected a decreasing trend in new cases, noted differences between histologic subtype and age, and observed a 5‐year all‐cause survival rate of greater than 90% for stage I‐III tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration ended the lifetime blood donation deferral for men who have sex with men (MSM) and replaced it with a 1-year deferral period. It is currently unknown how many MSM may meet the new deferral policy and how many are willing to comply with it.Study Design and Methods: An anonymous survey was shared on MSM-focused social media sites between May and July 2016 and enrolled self-identified American MSM who were at least 18 years old. The survey assessed the willingness of MSM to donate blood, donation history, and knowledge regarding current blood donation needs and testing limitations.Results: A total of 764 men met criteria to be included in the final data set. Only 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9%-10.9%) met the current 12-month deferral criteria, yet 90.6% (95% CI, 88.5%-92.7%) were interested in donating. Among men interested in donating blood, 57.9% (95% CI, 54.3%-61.4%) would consider donating blood without meeting the 12-month deferral criteria. Overall, 26.7% (95% CI, 23.6%-29.8%) admitted to donating blood at least once in the past despite not meeting deferral criteria.Conclusions: Few MSM met the current deferral criteria, yet many were interested in donating, even without meeting deferral criteria. Possible motivations to donate without meeting deferral criteria may include a perceived shortage of donated blood and infallibility of current blood testing technology to detect human immunodeficiency virus. If the current 1-year deferral is maintained, it is essential that there is outreach to the MSM community to explain and educate why this policy exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Photochemotherapy with psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA), with or without adjuvant interferon-α (IFN-α), is a first-line therapy for early-stage mycosis fungoides and other forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). However, the mechanism by which PUVA with IFN-α work in CTCL is poorly understood. Purpose To develop a model to investigate the mechanisms of PUVA and PUVA with IFN-α in CTCL cells. Methods An in vitro model to study the molecular mechanisms of PUVA was created using two different CTCL cell lines, MyLa, which has functional p53, and HuT-78, in which p53 is inactivated due to a homozygous nonsense mutation. Results PUVA caused G2/M cell cycle block and apoptosis of MyLa and HuT-78 accompanied by increase in the expression of the mitochondrial pro-apoptotic genes Bax, BAK, and PUMA and a downregulation in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. p53 was induced and c-Myc was repressed by PUVA, but neither were essential for PUVA-induced apoptosis. IFN-α augmented PUVA-induced apoptosis via the JAK1 pathway, and this activity could be inhibited by ruxolitinib. Conclusion PUVA induces p53-independent apoptosis in CTCL cell lines, and this process is augmented by type I interferons via the JAK1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft tissue tumors are a known, albeit uncommon, cause of cutaneous malignancy in children. Little is known about which types and how frequently these tumors initially present in the skin or subcutis of children. Using data from the 2000‐2014 SEER‐18 database, we have identified 12 malignant soft tissue tumor types, which initially presented in the skin or subcutis of children in over 50% of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Since 1983 in the United States, any man who has had sex with another man ( MSM) at any time since 1977 has been deferred from donating blood for life. Although there has been a push to change the deferral, there is a paucity of information on both the rates of MSM blood donation and the willingness of MSMs to donate if the deferral were changed. Study Design and Methods A 15-question survey was given at two lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender festivals in Chicago and New Orleans. Participants were asked about a previous history of blood donation and whether they would be willing to donate were the lifetime deferral changed. Participants were also asked to determine whether it was safe for hypothetical MSMs with varying sexual practices to donate blood and whether they believed that it was safe for them to donate their own blood. Results Our study found that 42.0% of all participants had not complied with the deferral policy and have donated blood at least once, with a mean number of donations of 4.84. Additionally, 85.9% of participants would be willing to donate blood if the deferral were changed. Conclusion Despite the lifetime deferral, many MSMs have previously donated blood, and many more are willing to donate. Given this, along with the safe implementation of temporary deferral policies in other nations, the United States should consider adopting a temporary deferral policy for MSMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is a rare autoimmune bullous disease of the mucosa and skin characterized by the presence of anti-collagen VII antibodies at the dermoepidermal junction. Most patients respond to immunosuppressive or antiinflammatory agents, although patients whose condition is refractory to these therapies will require more aggressive treatment. We present a 12-year-old girl with refractory epidermolysis bullosa acquisita who responded to extracorporeal photopheresis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG) is a disease of fibrotic or telangiectatic granulomatous papules and nodules that can ultimately progress into ulcerated plaques. Although the exact cause of NXG is unknown, it most often occurs in patients with paraproteinemia secondary to a hematologic disease. Consequently, therapy for NXG is targeted at treating the underlying hematologic disease, and subsequent paraproteinemia, with alkylating agents, antimetabolites, radiation, and/or immunosuppressive agents. Cases refractory to these therapies often have poor outcomes. We report the successful treatment of two patients with refractory NXG with two different modalities: extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The first case shows a patient without paraproteinemia who had success with ECP and IVIG, and the second is a patient with paraproteinemia treated effectively with IVIG. The beneficial response of our patients to IVIG, as well as ECP, shows that they may be an effective treatment option for refractory NXG., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)