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Objective: To update guidance regarding the management of psoriatic disease during the COVID-19 pandemic., Study Design: The task force (TF) includes 18 physician voting members with expertise in dermatology, rheumatology, epidemiology, infectious diseases, and critical care. The TF was supplemented by nonvoting members, which included fellows and National Psoriasis Foundation staff. Clinical questions relevant to the psoriatic disease community were informed by inquiries received by the National Psoriasis Foundation. A Delphi process was conducted., Results: The TF updated evidence for the original 22 statements and added 5 new recommendations. The average of the votes was within the category of agreement for all statements, 13 with high consensus and 14 with moderate consensus., Limitations: The evidence behind many guidance statements is variable in quality and/or quantity., Conclusions: These statements provide guidance for the treatment of patients with psoriatic disease on topics including how the disease and its treatments affect COVID-19 risk, how medical care can be optimized during the pandemic, what patients should do to lower their risk of getting infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (including novel vaccination), and what they should do if they develop COVID-19. The guidance is a living document that is continuously updated by the TF as data emerge., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Dr Gelfand has served as a consultant for Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Biologics, Novartis Corp, Regeneron, UCB (Data Safety and Monitoring Board), Sanofi, and Pfizer, receiving honoraria; has received research grants (to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania) from AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis Corp, Sanofi, Celgene, OrthoDermatologics, and Pfizer; has received payment for continuing medical education work related to psoriasis that was supported indirectly by Eli Lilly and Company and Ortho Dermatologics; is a copatent holder of resiquimod for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; and is a deputy editor for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, receiving honoraria from the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Dr Armstrong has served as a research investigator and/or scientific advisor to Leo, AbbVie, UCB, Incyte, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Ortho Dermatologics, Sun, Dermavant, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Regeneron, Dermira, and Modmed. Dr Bell is an employee of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Dr Anesi is supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (K12HS026372) and has received fees from UpToDate for authoring COVID-19 clinical reference material. Dr Blauvelt has served as a scientific advisor and/or clinical study investigator for AbbVie, Almirall, Arena, Athenex, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Dermavant, Eli Lilly and Company, Evommune, Forte, Galderma, Incyte, Janssen, Leo, Novartis, Pfizer, Rapt, Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, Sun Pharma, and UCB Pharma. Dr Calabrese is a speaker for Sanofi-Regeneron and consultant for AbbVie. Dr Feldman has received research, speaking, and/or consulting support from Galderma, GlaxoSmithKline/Stiefel, Almirall, Alvotech, Leo Pharma, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mylan, Celgene, Pfizer, Ortho Dermatology, AbbVie, Samsung, Janssen, Lilly, Menlo, Merck, Novartis, Regeneron, Sanofi, Novan, Qurient, National Biological Corporation, Caremark, Advance Medical, Sun Pharma, Suncare Research, Informa, UpToDate, and National Psoriasis Foundation; has consulted for others through Guidepoint Global, Gerson Lehrman, and other consulting organizations; is the founder and majority owner of www.DrScore.com; and is a founder and part owner of Causa Research, a company dedicated to enhancing patients' adherence to treatment. Dr Gladman is a consultant for AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Galapagos, Gilead, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB and has received grants from AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB. Dr Kircik has served either as an investigator, consultant, or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Arcutis, Bausch Health Canada, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cellceutix, Celgene, Coherus, Dermavant, Dermira, Eli Lilly, Leo, MC2, Maruho, Novartis, Ortho Dermatologics, Pfizer, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Sun Pharma, UCB, Taro, and Xenoport. Dr Lebwohl is an employee of Mount Sinai; receives research funds from AbbVie, Amgen, Arcutis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dermavant, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Janssen Research and Development, Leo Pharmaceuticals, Ortho Dermatologics, Pfizer, and UCB; and is a consultant for Aditum Bio, Allergan, Almirall, Arcutis, Avotres Therapeutics, BirchBioMed, BMD Skincare, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cara Therapeutics, Castle Biosciences, Corrona, Dermavant Sciences, Evelo, Facilitate International Dermatologic Education, Foundation for Research and Education in Dermatology, Inozyme Pharma, Kyowa Kirin, LEO Pharma, Meiji Seika Pharma, Menlo, Mitsubishi, Neuroderm, Pfizer, Promius/Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Serono, Theravance, and Verrica. Dr Martin is a consultant for Almirall, Athenex, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, LEO, Ortho Dermatologic, Pfizer, and UCB and a scientific advisor for Almirall, Athenex, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, LEO, Ortho Dermatologic, Pfizer, and UCB. Dr Merola is a consultant and/or investigator for Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie, Dermavant, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Janssen, UCB, Sun Pharma, Pfizer, and EMD Serono. Dr Scher is a consultant for UCB, Janssen, AbbVie, Pfizer, Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Sanofi and is supported in part by the Riley Family Foundation and the Beatrice Snyder Foundation. Dr Schwartzman is a speaker for AbbVie, Genentech, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB; owns stock in Amgen, Boston Scientific, Gilead, Medtronic, and Pfizer; is a consultant for AbbVie, Myriad, Janssen, Gilead, Lilly, Novartis, and UCB; is a scientific advisory board member for Myriad; and is a board member of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Dr Van Voorhees has been an investigator for Celgene, Lilly, and AbbVie and an advisor/consultant for AbbVie, Allergan, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Dermira, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, and Valeant. Dr Syed is supported by a grant from Pfizer. Authors Gondo, Heydon, and Koons are employees of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Dr Ritchlin reports personal fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Novartis, UCB, and Boehringer Ingelheim, as well as grants from Amgen, UCB, and AbbVie outside the submitted work. Drs Dommasch, Lo Re, Treat, Ellebrecht, Fenner, Ocon, and Weinstein have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To provide guidance about management of psoriatic disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic., Study Design: A task force (TF) of 18 physician voting members with expertise in dermatology, rheumatology, epidemiology, infectious diseases, and critical care was convened. The TF was supplemented by nonvoting members, which included fellows and National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) staff. Clinical questions relevant to the psoriatic disease community were informed by questions received by the NPF. A Delphi process was conducted., Results: The TF approved 22 guidance statements. The average of the votes was within the category of agreement for all statements. All guidance statements proposed were recommended, 9 with high consensus and 13 with moderate consensus., Limitations: The evidence behind many guidance statements is limited in quality., Conclusion: These statements provide guidance for the management of patients with psoriatic disease on topics ranging from how the disease and its treatments impact COVID-19 risk and outcome, how medical care can be optimized during the pandemic, what patients should do to lower their risk of getting infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and what they should do if they develop COVID-19. The guidance is intended to be a living document that will be updated by the TF as data emerge., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Suicide gene therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may be a viable approach to the treatment of this cancer. However, human OSCC cells are relatively resistant to efficient transfection by non-viral vectors. To identify an optimal vector for gene delivery, we compared the transfection activities and efficiencies of Glycofect, Metafectene, Metafectene Pro, Metafectene Easy and FuGENE HD, using the OSCC cell line, HSC-3, and the cervical carcinoma cell line, HeLa. The size distribution and ζ-potential of the complexes of these vectors with plasmid DNA were assessed by nanoparticle tracking analysis and electrophoretic mobility measurements, respectively. Metafectene Easy and FuGENE HD mediated the highest transfection activity (measured as luciferase expression) and efficiency (measured as the percentage of cells transfected with ß-galactosidase). These vectors were used to deliver a plasmid encoding herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase, followed by ganciclovir treatment. By day 9, HeLa cell viability was 22±3% of controls with FuGENE HD and 26±3% with Metafectene Easy. The viability of HSC-3 cells was 42±25% with FuGENE HD, and 58±28% with Metafectene Easy. The reduction in viability was statistically significant in both cases (p⩽0.005; average of 3 independent experiments), although there was considerable variability between experiments with the HSC-3 cells., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Our objective in this study was to compare stiffness of bilateral lower extremities (LEs) in ballet dancers performing sauté on a low-stiffness "sprung floor" to that during the same movement on a high-stiffness floor (wood on concrete). LE stiffness was calculated as the ratio of vertical ground reaction force (in kN) to compression of the lower limb (in meters). Seven female dancers were measured for five repetitions each at the point of maximum leg compression while performing sauté on both of the surfaces, such that 43 ms of data were represented for each trial. The stiffness of bilateral LEs at the point of maximum compression was higher by a mean difference score of 2.48 ± 2.20 kN/m on the low-stiffness floor compared to a high-stiffness floor. Paired t-test analysis of the difference scores yielded a one-tailed probability of 0.012. This effect was seen in six out of seven participants (one participant showed no difference between floor conditions). The finding of increased stiffness of the LEs in the sprung floor condition suggests that some of the force of landing the jump was absorbed by the surface, and therefore did not need to be absorbed by the participants' LEs themselves. This in turn implies that a sprung dance floor may help to prevent dance-related injuries.

This research demonstrates near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a flexible methodology for measuring cortical activity during overt speech production while avoiding some limitations of traditional imaging technologies. Specifically, language production research has been limited in the number of participants and the types of paradigms that can be reasonably investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) - where a sensitivity to motion has encouraged covert (i.e., nonvocalized) production paradigms - and positron emission tomography (PET), which allows a greater range of motion but introduces practical and ethical limitations to the populations that can be studied. Moreover, for these traditional technologies, the equipment is expensive and not portable, effectively limiting most studies to small, local samples in a relatively few labs. In contrast, NIRS is a relatively inexpensive, portable, noninvasive alternative that is robust to motion artifacts associated with overt speech production. The current study shows that NIRS data is consistent with behavioral and traditional imaging data on cortical activation associated with overt speech production. Specifically, the NIRS data show robust activation in the left temporal region and no significant change in activation in the analogous right hemisphere region in a sample of native, English-speaking adults in a picture-naming task. These findings illustrate the utility of NIRS as a valid method for tracking cortical activity and advance it as a powerful alternative when traditional imaging techniques are not a viable option for researchers investigating the neural substrates supporting speech production.

Photorefractive keratectomy for the correction of myopia was performed in 32 eyes of 16 green monkeys. The corneas healed satisfactorily, with normal formation of basal lamina and hemidesmosomal attachments visible in 14-week histologic specimens. No recurrent erosions were observed clinically. After a transient period of faint haze, all corneas were clear at 17 weeks and remained clear through the 1-year follow-up. In terms of accuracy, all corneas demonstrated a significant flattening compared with preoperative values, but no significant difference was seen between the groups with different intended corrections (1.5 and 3 diopters). The changes in corneal shape stabilized by 17 weeks, as measured by keratometry. The clinical results suggest that mechanical removal of the epithelium is preferable to laser ablation of the epithelium. Overall, the results demonstrate that excimer laser ablation of the corneal stroma can produce a stable diptric change in the primate cornea with good healing and long-term corneal clarity.

The excimer laser offers entirely new corneal surgery procedures. In this paper, we describe conditions for one such procedure, photorefractive keratectomy, the direct reshaping of the cornea's central optical zone using tissue ablation with far ultraviolet radiation. We present equations for the required tissue ablation to achieve required refractive corrections. Conditions for beam uniformity are presented and a method of achieving better beam uniformity using beam integration by rotation is demonstrated. The healing of rabbit corneas after area ablation was observed. Five days after treatment, the surface quality of deep cuts was very irregular; the shallow cuts produced more regular results, as predicted by our calculations of beam characteristics.