Efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin compared with triamcinolone acetonide as injective therapy in the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus: a pilot study

Clinical Oral Investigations - Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic immune-mediated disease that affects the oral cavity. Topical steroids are considered the treatment of choice for painful...     

A novel vehicle for the treatment of psoriasis

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the topical use of an aerosol foam combination of calcipotriol 50 μg/g plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.5 mg/g (Cal/BD foam, Enstilar®) in adults with moderate plaque psoriasis. A total of 120 male and female adult psoriasis patients (53.3% male) from two Italian dermatological units were enrolled in an 8‐week prospective study performed between November 2018 and January 2019. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was evaluated at baseline (T0) and 4 weeks (T4) of daily application, and a further evaluation was carried out 4 weeks after suspension (T8). Furthermore, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was evaluated at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment (T4). At baseline, patients presented a mean PASI of 7 (7.0 ± 2.1). After 4 weeks (T4) of once‐daily application, an important improvement in PASI was observed (1.1 ± 0.3). At Week 4, DLQI was reduced by 5.5 points from baseline (mean: 12 ± 3.1 at T0 vs 6.5 ± 1.8 at T4). Four weeks after suspension (T8), mean PASI was 2.6 ± 1.9, which was stable compared to the previous evaluation; only 8.3% of the treated patients showed worsening of plaque psoriasis. This study suggested that the Cal/BD aerosol foam is an effective topical therapy to treat plaque psoriasis.     

Autologous platelet‐rich fibrin injections in the management of facial cutaneous sinus tracts secondary to medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw

Medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) is an infectious complication of antiresorptive or antiangiogenic drug therapies. In severe stages of this disease cutaneous sinus tracts may be observed. Platelet‐rich fibrin (PRF) is a second‐generation platelet concentrate used in medicine and dentistry for to promote tissue healing. This report describes the management of facial cutaneous sinus tracts secondary to MRONJ with autologous PRF injections. Eight patients with the diagnosis MRONJ and facial sinus tracts were enrolled in this study and received treatment. MRONJ lesions underwent pharmacological and surgical treatment. Sinus tracts received 1‐mL injections of PRF around the fistula using an insulin syringe once a week for four times starting from the day of the surgical treatment. After 4 weeks, six patients showed healing of the fistula and bone lesions, only one patient showed healing of the fistula, and no remission was reported in another one. All patients reported an improvement of the symptoms in the first 2 days after the treatment session. Patients were also satisfied from an aesthetic point of view. Further studies will be needed to determine if PRF is a valid therapeutic option in dermatology.     

Blue light-emitting diodes in hair regrowth: the first prospective study

Lasers in Medical Science - Different studies highlight photo-receptors’ presence on the hair follicle that seems to be capable of eliciting hair growth. This study aims to demonstrate blue...     

CO2 laser and photodynamic therapy: Study of efficacy in periocular BCC

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common type of skin cancer in the world, usually arises in sun‐exposed areas of the skin. The therapeutic approach to periocular BCC has changed in the last few years. Currently the treatment, considering the delicate localization of the disease, must not only ensure complete recovery from the neoplastic disease, but must also satisfy functional and aesthetic criteria. In this study we tried to evaluate the efficacy of CO₂ laser and photodynamic therapy in periocular BCC.     

Biological effects induced by variable levels of BCR-ABL protein in the pluripotent hematopoietic cell line UT-7.

There is currently no satisfactory model allowing analysis of dose-effect relationships of BCR-ABL proteins in human hematopoietic cells. To study comparatively the proliferative, differentiative and anti-apoptotic actions of different levels of BCR-ABL proteins in the context of the same cellular background, we have introduced the BCR-ABL gene into the GM-CSF-dependent pluripotent human cell line UT-7. Individual clones expressing BCR-ABL were analyzed by Western blots. After normalization to equivalent levels of endogenous ABL protein, 14 clones always grown in GM-CSF were found to express low but variable levels of BCR-ABL whereas two clones selected in the absence of GM-CSF expressed very high levels of BCR-ABL. All low-level BCR-ABL expressing clones exhibited a behavior similar to that of the GM-CSF-dependent parental cells as they ceased to proliferate upon growth factor deprivation and showed a strong proliferative response upon GM-CSF addition. One out of 14 clones showed progressive GM-CSF independence during culture over several weeks and was found to have a significant increase of BCR-ABL expression at that time. The resistance of this clone (E8-2) to different apoptotic stimuli was found to be increased as compared to its low BCR-ABL-expressing counterpart (E8-1) and similar to that observed in clones with very high levels of BCR-ABL (UT-7/9 and UT-7/11) which were totally resistant to apoptotic stimuli. When injected into nude mice, parental UT-7 cells and clones with low-level of BCR-ABL were not tumorigenic over 10 weeks of observation whereas UT-7 clones with high levels of BCR-ABL (UT-7/9, UT-7/11 and UT-7/E8-2) induced aggressive tumors in 2-4 weeks with a significant correlation between the amount of BCR-ABL protein and the rate of tumor growth. In conclusion, the establishment of an in vitro and in vivo CML model using UT-7 cells suggests for the first time in human cells, that the fully transformed phenotype induced by BCR-ABL requires high levels of BCR-ABL expression. These findings suggest that variable levels of BCR-ABL in primary patient cells could also be responsible for the different phenotypic features seen in chronic and acute phases of CML, such as the differentiation ability induced by growth factors.     

Angiotensin‐converting‐enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers induced pemphigus: A case series and literature review

Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune diseases characterized by the formation of erosions and/or flaccid bullae of the skin and/or mucosae. The definition “drug‐induced pemphigus” has been coined to indicate cases of pemphigus with clinical, histological and immunopathologic features similar to those of the idiopathic disease but induced by systemic ingestion or local use of some drugs. The present authors analyzed a case series of three case reports with clinical and pharmacological features compatible with the diagnosis of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blocker drug‐induced pemphigus. The patients were visited by the dermatological Unit of Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro. All suspected drug induced pemphigus were treated by suspending the suspected drug and by starting a treatment with systemic corticosteroid drugs, leading to a remission of the clinical manifestations in some months. When a drug induced bullous disease is probable, it is necessary to interrupt the suspected substance and to start a high dose treatment with corticosteroid drugs to resolve the clinical case in a short period of time.     

What's new in the treatment of atopic dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a pruritic, chronic and inflammatory skin disease, with an usual onset in the pediatric age. Several drugs are used in the treatment of this skin disease. Drugs as steroid, calcineurin inhibitors, and moisturizing creams are widely used in the treatment of this disease but often patients are not satisfied with the obtained results. New drugs like dupilumab or crisaborole seem to be a promising option for moderate and severe forms of AD. This article analyzes the newest therapy available today for the treatment of AD.