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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease that affects both children and adults. However, limited research has been conducted on gender differences in AD. Objectives: This study aimed to assess gender differences in adult AD patients, focusing on demographic and clinical features, comorbidities and treatment approaches. Methods: In this multicentre, observational, cross‐sectional study, we enrolled 686 adult patients with AD (357 males and 329 females). For each patient, we collected demographic data (age and sex), anthropometric measurements (weight, height, hip circumference, waist circumference and waist‐to‐hip ratio), clinical information (onset age, disease duration, severity, itching intensity, impact on quality of life) and noted comorbidities (metabolic, atopic and other). We recorded past and current topical and systemic treatments. We analysed all collected data using statistical techniques appropriate for both quantitative and qualitative variables. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was employed to evaluate the relationships among all clinical characteristics of the patients. Results: We found no differences in age at onset, disease duration, severity and quality of life impact between males and females. Males exhibited higher rates of hypertriglyceridaemia and hypertension. No significant gender differences were observed in atopic or other comorbidities. Treatment approaches were overlapping, except for greater methotrexate use in males. MCA revealed distinct patterns based on gender, disease severity, age of onset, treatment and quality of life. Adult males with AD had severe disease, extensive treatments and poorer quality of life, while adult females had milder disease, fewer treatments and moderate quality of life impact. Conclusions: Our study reveals that gender differences in adult AD patients are largely due to inherent population variations rather than disease‐related disparities. However, it highlights potential undertreatment of females with moderate AD and quality of life impact, emphasizing the need for equitable AD treatment. JAK inhibitors may offer a solution for gender‐based therapeutic parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-nine (54%) lacked BCL-2 expression, 20 had a scarce (more than 10 but less than 50%) expression of BCL-2 (16%), 11 (8%) displayed more than 50% and up to 75% of the neoplastic infiltrate with an expression of the BCL-2 molecule, 26 (20%) had a positivity >75% (Fig. In the 26 cases with BCL-2 staining superior to 75% of all the tumour cells, 13 (50%) relapsed (showing the same high BCL-2 expression), while only 16 relapsed in 69 cases without BCL-2 expression (23%, I P i = 0.016, Fig. BCL-2 expression in primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma is associated with a higher risk of cutaneous relapses: A study of 126 cases. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the decline of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) cases in Italy and the reasons behind it. The report mentions that there has been a steady decline in new diagnoses globally, but surveillance systems should still be maintained, especially in high-risk categories. The article presents a case of a 59-year-old Italian man who visited a dermatology center with symptoms of MPXV after a recent trip to Germany. The reduction in MPXV cases in Italy is attributed to factors such as vaccination campaigns and natural infection-induced herd immunity. However, the article emphasizes the need for further research and clinical trials to evaluate the long-term efficacy of the vaccine. [Extracted from the article]

A cranial CT angiography was performed due to persistence of headache, revealing superior sagittal sinus thrombosis (Fig. A 65-year-old male patient with unremarkable medical history, except for recent administration of the second dose of Vaxvetria (AZD1222) COVID-19 vaccine, was hospitalized for a mucocutaneous eruption occurred 10 days after the injection. Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by Vaxvetria (AZD1222) COVID-19 vaccine. [Extracted from the article]

Background: UV radiation represents the main risk factor for non‐melanoma skin cancers. Chronic UV exposure induces 'p53 patches', i.e. clonal outgrowths of keratinocytes with high nuclear expression of mutated p53, which might progress to actinic keratosis (AK) and ultimately squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Aims: Analysis of ingenol mebutate gel (150 and 500 mcg/g) effects in the reduction in 'p53 patches' inside skin cancerization field (CF) in patients with multiple AKs of face/scalp or trunk/extremities, in order to investigate whether the expected reduction in p53+ keratinocytes might have a direct role in the long‐term AK reduction in treated areas. Results: We enrolled n = 10 patients, treated with ingenol mebutate and evaluated at 2 and 6 months after treatment. We observed clinical responses in the majority of patients (n = 7), with AK reduction or complete clearance (n = 6 and n = 1, respectively). Notably, two patients did not respond to the treatment, and in one patient, after initial partial response, new lesion was recorded. In untreated skin CF samples (n = 3), we observed numerous p53+ keratinocytes, similar to those observed in invasive SCC samples (53.56 ± 8.79 and 74.34 ± 22.05, respectively; P = 0.2). After treatment, we observed a variable p53+ keratinocyte reduction in CF samples at 2 months (24.67 ± 31.19; P = 0.19). Importantly, the amount of p53+ keratinocytes strongly and directly correlated with AK number (R2 = 0.81). Conclusion: Untreated skin CF expresses high level of p53+ keratinocytes as invasive SCC. Ingenol mebutate is able to reduce p53+ keratinocytes with variable efficacy, this reduction degree directly correlating with clinical efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 8th edition of TNM has introduced new rules for staging cutaneous melanoma. Objective: To compare TNM 7th and 8th editions in defining pathological stages of melanoma. Methods: A population‐based series of 1847 skin melanoma from Romagna cancer registry (Italy) incident during 2003–2012 has been used to measure the agreement (with Cohen's kappa) between TNM 8th and 7th editions in defining melanoma stage. Disease‐specific survival has been computed for each stage according to TNM 7th and 8th. Results: The agreement between the two TNM editions was quite good when considered on average (kappa = 70.7%), moderate for stage I (61.5%), nearly perfect for stage II (95.0%), but extremely poor for stage III (8.1%). The overall melanoma‐specific observed survival was 90.8% at 5 year and 88.9% at 10 year with a strong prognostic effect of stage. Conclusion: TNM 8th edition introduces several changes which do not seem really helpful in addressing the care of stage I melanoma and may complicate the definition and comparability of stage III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the presence of an aggressive variety of peripheral T-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified and mentions the prognostic outcome of the skin disorder. The efficiency of radiotherapy and outcome between patients with solitary and multiple lesions is also discussed. A chart discussing the principal characteristics of patients with T-cell lymphomas is presented.

Abstract: UV‐based (PUVA and narrowband UVB) phototherapy is broadly and commonly used in the treatment of Cutaneous T‐cell Lymphomas (CTCL), yet unfortunately, the evidence for the efficacy of these treatments is based only on case series or prospective but non‐randomized studies. Therefore, no internationally approved guidelines exist and no standardization of schedules has been proposed. Recently, consensus guidelines have been published by the United States Cutaneous Lymphoma Consortium. The aim of this study was to review the biological and clinical evidences on PUVA and NB‐UVB in CTCL and to critically evaluate acceptability and feasibility of these guidelines in the real‐life setting from the perspective of the Cutaneous Lymphoma Task Force of the Italian Lymphoma Foundation (Fondazione Italiana Linfomi, FIL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bexarotene as maintenance treatment after therapies other than skin-directed therapy in advanced-stage mycosis fungoides: a pilot study Advanced-stage mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS) patients have a poor quality of life and quickly relapse irrespective of the administered treatment.[1] Most of the available therapies do not warrant long-lasting remission.[1] In the last 10 years, the need for an MF maintenance treatment has been investigated in the literature, with most of experiences focusing on the early stages[[2]] and a few on the advanced phases.[[2], [4]] Encouraging results on the chances of achieving lasting responses after the treatment have been reported in patients on brentuximab vedotin.[5] However, only a small cohort of patients have been enrolled in clinical trials[5]; thus, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. European organisation for research and treatment of cancer consensus recommendations for the treatment of mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome - update 2017. [Extracted from the article]

The occurrence of acute infective events (AIE) and serious infections in patients with psoriasis is a recent matter of debate, linked to the ideally chronic immunosuppression mediated by systemic conventional and biologic treatments.[[1]] We aimed to investigate the overall prevalence of AIE in patients with psoriasis, either naïve or treated with biologics, and to identify potential biomarkers useful to monitor and help with therapeutic decision process. Indeed, we found a higher incidence of AIE in patients treated with biologics compared with naïve patients (38/167, 22.8% patients on biologics vs. 8/69, 11.6% naïve patients, I P i = I i 0.03; 53 AIE events in biologic-treated patients vs. 9 events in naïve patients; Table). [Extracted from the article]

Background 'Hydroxyurea-induced Squamous Dysplasia' ( HISD) is a cutaneous side-effect related to chronic oral treatment with Hydroxyurea. Ingenol mebutate gel is a topical drug approved for the treatment of multiple, non-hypertrophic actinic keratoses ( AK) localized within a limited cancerization field. Since HISD may be considered as a drug-induced variant of classic AK, ingenol mebutate is likely to have therapeutic effects. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of ingenol mebutate 150 mcg/g and 500 mcg/g, as a treatment of HISD lesions on face/scalp and trunk/extremities respectively. Methods Seven areas with a mean of lesions of 5.9 ± 1.7 in five patients with HISD were treated. Patients with lesions on face/scalp self-treated a 25 cm2 skin affected area with ingenol mebutate gel 150 mcg/g, one tube daily for 3 days. Patients with lesions localized on trunk/extremities treated the same size affected area with ingenol mebutate gel 500 mcg/g, one tube daily for 2 days. Clinical assessment and count of HISD lesions has been performed by an experienced dermatologist at day 0, at day 57, and at time of last feasible follow-up visit (median 337 days). Safety assessment included the report of all SAEs. Results At 57-day follow-up, we observed an overall response rate ( ORR) - the sum of Complete Responses ( CR) + Partial Responses ( PR) - of 87.5%, with a 57.1% CR, and a 78.0% total lesions' reduction compared to time 0 ( P < 0.01). On a median follow-up of 337 days, we observed a long-term ORR of 71.4%, a 57.1% CR ratio and a 65.9% total lesions' reduction compared to time 0 ( P = 0.01). No severe (grade 3-4) adverse events have been reported. Conclusion Although obtained in a small case series, these encouraging data lead us to propose ingenol mebutate gel as a possible treatment for HISD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Having a familial member affected by cutaneous melanoma is a risk factor for this neoplasm. Only a few epidemiological case-control studies have been carried out to investigate whether familial and sporadic melanomas show different clinical and histopathological features. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate eventual different features and risk factors in subjects affected by familial and sporadic cutaneous melanoma. Methods A case-control multicentre study interesting 1407 familial ( n = 92) and sporadic ( n = 1315) melanomas in the Italian population. The analysis was made using t-test for continuous variables and chi-squared test for categorized ones. The variables which have shown statistically significant differences in the two groups in the univariate analysis were included in a multivariate model. Results The results showed some main significantly clinical differences between the two groups investigated: earlier age at diagnosis, a greater proportion of sunburns and a higher number of naevi were observed for the familial cases compared with sporadic ones. Nevertheless, we did not find a diagnostic anticipation in familial melanomas, in fact the invasion level and the thickness of melanomas was similar in the two groups. Conclusion Some relevant clinical differences are observed between the two groups examined. The familial melanoma members, although carriers of constitutional risk factors, are not careful enough to primary and secondary prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We report two cases of cutaneous B-cell pseudolymphoma (PCBCL) induced by intradermal antigen injections for specific immune therapy (SIT). In both cases, the lesions had first developed on the area of injection; years later, new lesions appeared far from the original site. The histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of the lesions showed features consistent with the diagnosis of PCBCL in both cases. In particular, the staining for sIg light chains showed a polyclonal pattern, and the molecular analysis by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot showed a germ-line configuration of the Ig heavy chain genes. While the development of PCBCL related to a specific stimulus is well known and widely reported, the development of histologically and immunohistologically identical lesions far from the injection site is definitely worthy of note. This behaviour might be due to the presence of retained antigens in the injection site. This chronic antigenic stimulation could induce the progressive selection – and subsequent dissemination – of antigen-specific B cell clones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances of skin barrier function occur in several skin diseases, e.g., atopic dermatitis (AD), irritant/allergic contact dermatitis (ICD, ACD). Skin barrier damage triggers the production of cytokines that stimulate lipogenesis which may also cause inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a topical skin lipid mixture in the treatment of ICD, ACD and AD. 580 consecutive patients suffering from ICD, ACD or AD were treated with a skin lipid mixture containing ceramide-3 and patented nanoparticles. Patients received the lipid mixture alone or in combination with topical corticosteroids until clearance or for 8 weeks. Both treatment groups statistically improved all parameters considered at week 4 and 8 as compared to baseline. Between the 2 treatment groups, there was a statistically significant difference in favour of combined therapy for (ICD, ACD, AD, respectively): erythema, pruritus and overall disease severity; erythema and pruritus; erythema, pruritus, fissuring and overall disease severity. No statistically significant difference was found for (ICD, ACD, AD, respectively): dryness, scaling and fissuring; scaling, fissuring and overall disease severity; dryness and scaling. Between the 2 ACD treatment groups, there was a statistically significant difference in favour of the skin lipid mixture for dryness. In conclusion, the study shows that balanced lipid mixtures are effective in improving barrier properties and the clinical condition of the skin in contact dermatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Langerhans cells can originate in vitro from immature precursors stimulated with granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and stem cell factor (SCF). We asked whether these cytokines also control the differentiation state of Langerhans cells within the epidermis and upon leaving this tissue. We harvested sheets of human epidermis by controlled dispase hydrolysis of keratomes, cultured them in RPMI and 10% fetal calf serum for 48 h and analysed the sheets and the cells migrated spontaneously into the medium, most of which were Langerhans cells containing Birbeck granules.1 By flow cytometry, the intensity of CD1a expression was reduced quite evenly among Langerhans cells migrated from sheets within 48 h. The cells in the sheets underwent loss of dendrites, with a significant reduction in the cell perimeter that was prevented by GM-CSF and TNF-α together. Either of these cytokines induced expression of CD18 by cells in the sheets and those in the medium. Moreover, TNF-α induced expression of CD54 by cells in the medium, but not by those retained in the sheets, whereas human SCF induced, dose dependently, expression of CD54 by cells in the sheets, but not from those in the medium.2 The proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes was much higher when stimulating Langerhans cells were harvested from cultures with any cytokine, rather than from cultures without cytokines. We conclude the following: (i) GM-CSF and TNF-α help to maintain full differentiation of Langerhans cells within the epidermis; (ii) cytokine influence on Langerhans cells adhesiveness is in part context dependent; and (iii) pretreatment with cytokines influences positively the number or accessory activity of Langerhans cells on lymphocytes during subsequent mixed leucocyte reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Chemotherapy and immunotherapy are treatments currently employed in advanced melanoma, but responses obtained are poor, and metastatic melanoma patients with visceral localization rarely survive for more than 6 months. Thus, different therapeutic regimens are used in metastatic melanoma and no standardized therapy exists so far. Methods We report a retrospective survival study involving 80 patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated either with chemotherapy [dacarbazine (DTIC) alone or DTIC in monotherapeutic or polychemotherapeutic regimen] or immunochemotherapy [interferon (IFN)-α at low doses added to chemotherapy]. Survival of patients was statistically evaluated in an actuarial curve taking into account as predictive variables sex, age, marital status, site of primary tumour, histological type, Clark level, sites of metastases, and the different therapeutic regimens (i.e. DTIC alone, DTIC plus IFN-α, or others, with or without IFN-α). Results Site of primary melanoma, histological type, Clark level and therapy regimen appeared to exhibit a prognostic significance in survival; when a multivariate analysis was performed to obtain a mutual adjustment of survival values for each variable, only the therapeutic regimen was found to be significant as an independent prognostic variable. Patients treated with immunochemotherapy, i.e. DTIC plus IFN-α, showed a probability of dying of 0.41 (95% confidence interval 0.2–0.8) compared with patients treated with DTIC alone. Conclusions In our study immunochemotherapy, comprised of DTIC plus IFN-α at low doses, was associated with a significantly longer survival of patients, in comparison with chemotherapy comprised of only DTIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linked article: L. Visseaux et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2019; 33: e193–e193. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.15451 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Discusses facts about cutaneous B-cell lymphomas. Expression of dissemination from primarily extracutaneous site; Incidence rate; Follicle center of cell lymphoma; Clinical signs and symptoms.

The article presents several case studies related to management of local skin reactions (LSRs) after application of ingenol mebutate (IM) gel for treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). Topics discussed include patient having five red AKs on the scalp and having a history of AKs and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being satisfied with clinical outcome of therapy, patient having mild erythema after treatment and dermatologists conveying to patients that LSRs are manifestation of IM effects.

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses the case of a 37-year-old man with mycocis fungoides (MF) who developed pyoderma gangrenosum-like CD30+ cutaneous T-cell lymphoma after one year of treatment.

Editorial. Reports a case of primary cutaneous CD30+ T-cell lymphoma (CD30+ CTCL). Key features of CD30+ CTCL; Functional relevance of CD30 and its natural ligand; Main patterns of CD30+ cells.

Background: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by rapid hair loss in the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, for which treatments are limited. Baricitinib, an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, has been recently approved to treat alopecia areata., Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving 23 medical centres across Italy, enrolling patients affected by severe alopecia areata (SALT >50), for more than 6 months. Clinical and trichoscopic assessment was performed at each visit and impact on quality of life, anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Skindex-16 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively., Results: A total of 118 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 39 years and a mean SALT >95. The mean value of the SALT score decreased from an average of 96.6 (±8.23 sd) to 48 (±35.2 sd) after 24 weeks of treatment and 42.3% of patients achieved a SALT 30, 31.3% a SALT 20 and 20.3% a SALT 10 by Week 24. Trichoscopic signs showed fewer yellow dots and black dots significantly earlier than hair regrowth. Adverse events during the treatment period (mild laboratory test abnormalities) were reported in 12.7% patients. No drop-out were registered., Conclusion: Data on the effectiveness and safety of baricitinib are promising and support the use of this drug in severe forms of AA, also in the early stages. We also suggest performing trichoscopy in order to reveal early response to therapy., (© 2024 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (PCBCLs) are lymphoproliferative disorders that appear on the skin without evidence of extracutaneous manifestations at the time of diagnosis. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for their clinical management due to the availability of very few large scale studies and controlled clinical trials. Here we present and discuss a series of major unmet clinical needs (UCNs) in the management of PCBCLs by a panel of 16 experts involved in research and clinical practice of PCBCL. The Panel produced recommendations on the appropriateness of the clinical decisions concerning the identified clinical needs and proposed research for improving the knowledge needed to solve them. Recommendations and proposals were achieved by multiple-step formalized procedures to reach a consensus after a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature. Recommendations and proposals lay in the domain of classification uncertainties of PCBCL, optimization of diagnosis, optimization of prognosis, optimization of staging and critical issues on therapeutic strategies with particular focus on new treatments. These recommendations are intended for use not only by experts but above all by dermatologists and hematologists with limited experience in the field of PCBCLs as well as general practitioners., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The prognostic impact of variant allele frequency (VAF) on clinical outcome in BRAFV600 mutated metastatic melanoma patients (MMPs) receiving BRAF (BRAFi) and MEK inhibitors (MEKi) is unclear., Materials and Methods: A cohort of MMPs receiving first line BRAFi and MEKi was identified by inspecting dedicated databases of three Italian Melanoma Intergroup centres. VAF was determined by next generation sequencing in pre-treatment baseline tissue samples. Correlation between VAF and BRAF copy number variation was analysed in an ancillary study by using a training and a validation cohort of melanoma tissue samples and cell lines., Results: Overall, 107 MMPs were included in the study. The VAF cut-off determined by ROC curve was 41.3%. At multivariate analysis, progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly shorter in patients with M1c/M1d [HR 2.25 (95% CI 1.41-3.6, p < 0.01)], in those with VAF >41.3% [HR 1.62 (95% CI 1.04-2.54, p < 0.05)] and in those with ECOG PS ≥1 [HR 1.82 (95% CI 1.15-2.88, p < 0.05)]. Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in patients with M1c/M1d [HR 2.01 (95% CI 1.25-3.25, p < 0.01)]. Furthermore, OS was shorter in patients with VAF >41.3% [HR 1.46 (95% CI 0.93-2.29, p = 0.06)] and in patients with ECOG PS ≥1 [HR 1.52 (95% CI 0.94-2.87, p = 0.14)]. BRAF gene amplification was found in 11% and 7% of samples in the training and validation cohort, respectively., Conclusions: High VAF is an independent poor prognostic factor in MMP receiving BRAFi and MEKi. High VAF and BRAF amplification coexist in 7%-11% of patients., (© 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.)

Total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) is one of the mainstays of treatment for mycosis fungoides. The most common modalities are standard dose (30-36 Gy) and low dose (10-12 Gy). To review the literature on the efficacy and safety profiles of standard dose and low dose TSEBT. We searched electronic databases for studies that enrolled patients with Mycosis Fungoides and treated with TSEBT. We estimated the event rates associated with low dose and standard dose TSEBT. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline was followed. Main outcomes were complete response rate, partial response rate, mild and severe adverse events rate low dose TSEBT had a Complete Response Rate of 28% [0.19, 0.37], an Overall Response Rate of 85% [0.76, 0.93], a mild adverse events rate of 93% [0.82, 1.04] and a severe adverse events rate of 5% [-0.04; 0.14] Standard dose TSEBT had a Complete Response Rate of 57% [0.41; 0.73], the Overall Response Rate was 99% [0.97; 1.02], the mild adverse events rate was 100%, the severe adverse events rate was 7% [-0.01; 0.16]. Comparing standard dose TSEBT in the early versus advanced stages, advanced stages patients had a Risk Ratio = 0.77 in obtaining a Complete Response [0.64, 0.92](p = 0.0158). TSEBT is an associated with an excellent short term safety profile. Both schedules show high ORR, with standard dose TSEBT demonstrating highest CRR. Advanced stage of disease negatively influence the CRR., (© 2022 The Authors. Dermatologic Therapy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In this paper, we present a review of critical concepts, and produce recommendations on management issues in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) of adults. A panel of nine experts was selected for their expertise in research and clinical practice of CTCLs. During an initial meeting, the areas of major concern in the management of CTCLs were selected by generating and rank-ordering clinical key questions using the criterion of clinical relevance, through group discussion. Recommendations were achieved by multiple-step formalized procedures to reach a consensus after a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature. The panel produced recommendations on how to facilitate the clinical suspicion of CTCL; indication of cutaneous biopsy; optimal histological diagnosis, immunohistochemistry and genetic markers; and staging pathway and up-to-date therapeutics (with particular focus on new treatments). The critical concept of integration of the different medical expertise in the management of the patients with CTCL was thoroughly examined. These recommendations are intended for use not only by expert centers but above all by "not experienced" dermatologists and hematologists as well as general practitioners., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The rifampicin (RF)-clindamycin (CL) combination is recommended as first line therapy in moderate to severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) by European S1 guidelines. Although prolonged use of RF should be discouraged, there are currently few alternatives to this combination therapy. The aim of the present study was to assess retrospectively the efficacy of oral CL monotherapy in patients diagnosed with HS. In the period January 2017-May 2018, 31 HS patients who received a 300 mg b.i.d. oral dose of CL were studied retrospectively. Efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by comparing the main HS severity scores (Sartorius score modified by Revuz, Hidradenitis Suppurativa Physician Global Assessment [HS-PGA] and International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System [IHS4]) before (W0) and after (W12) CL oral therapy. CL efficacy was demonstrated by the extreme and significant reduction of all three disease severity parameters during the 12-week period (p ≤ .01). There was also a statistically significant change in the mean visual analogue scale for pain. The present study demonstrates the efficacy of oral CL monotherapy as RF-sparing regimen alternative to RF-CL combination in a selected group of patients., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Psoriasis is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease, clinically characterized by erythematous and scaly plaques. Treatment approach is mainly driven by disease severity, though several factors should be considered in order to identify the optimal therapeutic choice. Mild psoriasis may be treated with a wide array of topical agents including corticosteroids, vitamin D analogs, keratolytics, and calcipotriol/betamethasone propionate compound. Because guidelines may not provide practical indications regarding the therapeutic approach, the use of topical agents in psoriasis is more individually tailored. In order to homogenize the standard of care, at least in a local setting, we collected the real-life-based recommendations for the use of topical therapies from an expert panel, the Tuscany Consensus Group on Psoriasis, representing all leading centers for psoriasis established in Tuscany. With this document, this consensus group sought to define principles guiding the selection of therapeutic agents with straightforward recommendations derived from a real-life setting., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)