bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of Novel Topical Anti-Acne Cream Containing Postbiotics for Mild-to-Moderate Acne
Authors: Cui Hongchang , Feng Congrui , Guo Chaoqun , Duan Zhi 
Published: May 2024

Background:
Acne is one of the most common skin diseases in adolescents and results in high healthcare costs and psychological burdens severely affecting individuals. Treatments other than contraceptives, antibiotics, and photodynamic therapies are needed to prevent and/or improve acne's onset and evolution.

Aims:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a fermentation lysate of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum VHProbi® V22 in ameliorating acne.

Methods:
An anti-acne skincare cream containing fermentation culture lysate was applied to subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris for 4 weeks. The assessments were evaluated based on instrumental measurements using Visia®-CR and CK-MPA® systems.

Results and Conclusions:
The anti-acne skincare cream was found to be safe and not cause any irritation. Significant improvements in the acne lesion proportion (P < 0.01), transepidermal water loss (P < 0.001), and sebum secretion (P < 0.05) were observed in comparison to the baseline in the subjects. The analysis of the statistical data after 4 weeks of treatment showed a positive decrease in skin tone, stratum corneum hydration, and superficial pH without statistical significance, compared with the baseline. The results of this study suggest that the topical application of the anti-acne skincare cream was effective and safe in subjects with mild-to-moderate acne and could represent an optional complement for acne treatments.
Elevation of Serum SSCCAII in Cutaneous and Oral Lichen Planus
Authors: Mikhael Nancy W , El latif Walid Abd , Elhabak Doaa M 
Published: May 2024

Context:
Lichen planus (LP) is an immune mediated inflammatory condition. SCCAII is a useful biomarker reflecting Th17 type inflammation. It is also a tumour marker, especially for Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) Mechanism of carcinogenesis in LP is still unknown. Chronic inflammation may facilitate the development of cellular clones in the epidermis.

Aims:
Estimation of serum level of SCCA II in patients with cutaneous and oral LP (OLP) to detect its role in LP pathogenesis, and to reveal the missing link in understanding mechanism of carcinogenesis in LP.

Methods and Material:
A case control study, where 100 subjects were included; 80 LP patients (40 cutaneous & 40 oral) and 20 apparently healthy controls. We obtained an informed written consent from each subject prior the participation. Cutaneous and oral LP were diagnosed clinically, SCCA II level was measured by ELISA technique.

Statistical analysis used:
Statistical analysis was done using SPSS vs.25. (IBM, Armonk, New York, United states). Numerical data was summarized as means and standard deviations or medians and ranges.

Results:
Median SSCCAII level was significantly higher in LP cases compared to controls (P < 0.001) and was significantly higher in patients with OLP compared to patients with cutaneous LP (P ≤ 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that median SSCCAII was significantly higher in patients with ulcerative type compared to both reticular type and others. It was also significantly higher in patients with actinic type compared to both hypertrophic type and classic type. Median SSCCAII was significantly higher in patients with ulcerative OLP compared to actinic LP (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:
Our study revealed that serum SCCAII level was higher in patients with cutaneous and OLP. This might be linked to the pathogenesis of LP, especially actinic and erosive OLP. SCCAII level could facilitate the screening and early detection of patients at risk, a potential alarm to launch accurate assessment and continue follow up of cutaneous as well as O LP patients.
Ingrown Toenail Treated by the Modified Howard–Dubois Technique
Authors: Tian Jia , Chen Zhenbing , Li Jin 
Published: May 2024

Background:
According to the Mozena classification system, stage IIb and stage III ingrown toenail cases are considered as severe ones; however, limited options are available for treatment.

Aims:
To lower the recurrence rate and achieve primary intention healing in severe ingrown toenail cases by the modified Howard–Dubois technique.

Methods:
Forty patients were included in this study. In this procedure, a fish-mouth like soft tissue along the nail groove to the tip of the toe was resected, the upper surface of the distal phalanx was flattened and the nail bed matrix was remodelled. The European Quality of Life (EuroQol) questionnaire and Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire were used to assess the outcomes.

Results:
There were no recurrences observed during the follow-up period. Healing time from surgery to back to school or work was 10.82 days on an average (range: 7–23 days). According to the results of EuroQol questionnaire, improvements were achieved in the areas of mobility (50%), looking after myself (10%), doing usual activities (35%), having pain or discomfort (95%) and feeling worried, sad, or unhappy (55%). According to the results of Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire, 38 (95%) patients indicated that they would undergo the surgery again if they 'had to do it all over again' and 36 (90%) patients said that they would recommend the procedure to others.

Conclusions:
This modified Howard–Dubois technique was an effective, safe and cosmetic alternation for the treatment of ingrown toenail in severe or relapsed cases.
Do Platelet Count and mean Platelet Volume have a Predictive Role as a Marker in Children with Atopic Dermatitis?
Authors: Akcal Omer , Taskırdı İlke 
Published: May 2024

Background:
It is known that platelets play an important role in inflammatory diseases. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, itchy, recurrent inflammatory skin disease that affects 2%-30% of the population, especially in childhood.

Aims:
We investigated the role of platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) as biomarkers in children with AD.

Methods:
This cross-sectional retrospective study examined the medical reports of patients who were referred to the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Outpatient Clinic of the Medical Faculty Hospital, Istanbul Biruni University and the Pediatric Immunology and Allergy Diseases Outpatient Clinics of the Izmir S.B.U Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, for AD. A total of 167 children with AD and 170 healthy children were included in the study.

Results:
Among all participants, 36.5% (n = 61) and 31.8% (n = 54) were female in the patient and control groups, respectively. The mean age was 2.8 ± 2.8 and 3.3 ± 2.5 years in the patient and control groups, respectively. MPV was statistically significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (P =0.003). Mean platelet to neutrophil ratio and mean absolute lymphocyte count values were significantly higher in the patient group (P <.0001 for both values). However, the mean absolute neutrophil count was lower in the patient group than in the control group and it was considered statistically significant (P <.0001).

Conclusion:
In conclusion, we found significantly higher platelet counts in patients with AD. The decrease in the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio rate was remarkable. However, there was no significant difference in the MPV values between the patient and control groups.
Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Pemphigus Vulgaris
Authors: Namazi Nastaran , Ariaeenejad Shahram , Azad Mitra Esmailii , Pishgahi Mehdi 
Published: May 2024

Background:
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare immunobullous disease with a higher mortality rate than the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion (PWD) in patients with PV as predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Materials and Methods:
In this case-control study, the risk of AF development was determined by measuring maximum and minimum P-wave duration (P-max and P-min) and PWD in 45 PV patients and 45 healthy individuals. The incidence of metabolic syndrome was evaluated.

Results:
PWD and P-max values of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group. No difference was observed between PWD with regards to disease duration and disease phenotype (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference regarding the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in PV patients compared with the control group.

Conclusion:
PWD and P-max, which are accepted as risk factors for AF development, were found to be higher in PV patients. Some components of metabolic syndrome were more prevalent in PV patients. It seems that there is an increased risk of CVD and AF in PV patients.
Contact Sensitization to Allergens of Biological Origin from the Compositae Family and Original Extracts of Ubiquitous Weed Plants of Vojvodina among Patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Authors: Ljuba Vujanović , Sanja Jakovljević , Zoran Golušin , Olivera Levakov 
Published: May 2024

Background:
The use of alternative treatment methods, particularly medicinal herbs from the family Compositae, significantly contributes to the increase in the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis among patients with chronic venous insufficiency.

Objective:
Estimating frequency of contact sensitization among patients with chronic venous insufficiency and determining the most common contact sensitizers from the series of bio-origin allergens from the Compositae family and ubiquitous weeds of Vojvodina.

Materials and Methods:
The total number of 266 patients with suspected contact dermatitis was divided into two groups: the experimental group consisted of patients with chronic venous insufficiency (EG), and the control group consisted of patients without chronic venous insufficiency (CG). All subjects were tested with allergens of biological origin from the family Compositae, screening allergen SL-mix and original extracts of ubiquitous weed plants of Vojvodina.

Results:
Patch test revealed a positive reaction to allergens of the Compositae family in 6.69% in the experimental group, and in 4.17% in the control group. The standardized response rate to the SL-mix in the experimental group was 2.07%, while in the control group, it was 1.51%. The presence of a positive reaction to at least one extract of ubiquitous weed plants of Vojvodina was determined in 6.11% in the experimental group, and in 3.23% of patients in the control group. No statistically significant difference in response rates was found between the examined groups.

Conclusions:
Establishing the diagnosis of Compositae dermatitis can be supplemented by additional testing with weed plant extracts from a specific geographical area, resulting in the detection of novel unknown allergens.
The Difference in Expression of Autophagy-Related Proteins in Lesional and Perilesional Skin in Adult Patients with Active and Stable Generalized Vitiligo—A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study
Authors: Yu Haiyan , Lin Xiaoxia , Huang Yaoyao , Cheng Hao , Seifert Oliver 
Published: May 2024

Background:
Autophagy plays an important role in maintaining intracellular homeostasis and is essential for cell survival and cell death. Dysfunction of autophagy has been described in many autoimmune diseases but data on vitiligo are scarce.

Aims:
The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the expression of autophagy-related proteins in patients with vitiligo.

Methods:
Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3II/I), autophagy-related gene 5 (Agt5), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p62 in lesional and perilesional vitiligo skin from seven patients with active generalized vitiligo and nine patients with stable generalized vitiligo compared to control skin from six healthy subjects.

Results:
Our data showed increased expression of the autophagy marker LC3II/I and decreased p62 protein expression in lesional skin of active and stable vitiligo compared to control skin (P < 0.01). No significant difference in the expression of LC3II/I and p62 was found in perilesional skin of active vitiligo patients (P > 0.05) compared to control skin. Expression of LC3II/I in stable vitiligo lesional skin was higher and p62 expression was lower compared to active vitiligo lesional skin (P < 0.01). Decreased p62 expression was shown in perilesional skin of stable vitiligo patients (P < 0.05). Agt5 protein in lesional and perilesional skin of both active and stable vitiligo patients were increased (P < 0.01 and P< 0.05) compared to control skin. The expression of mTOR protein in lesional and perilesional skin of active and stable vitiligo patients was significantly lower than in control skin (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:
The present study indicates increased autophagy in lesional skin in vitiligo patients. Stable vitiligo lesional skin showed increased autophagy compared to active vitiligo lesional skin. Missing activation of autophagy in active vitiligo perilesional skin suggests disturbed autophagy to be associated with vitiligo.
Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Dupilumab for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Indian Patients
Authors: Dhar Sandipan , De Abhishek , Srinivas Sahana M 
Published: May 2024

Introduction:
Treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is a real challenge for the dermatologists. Dupilumab is the first targeted biologic therapy approved for the treatment of children and adults with moderate-to-severe AD. The efficacy and safety of dupilumab in Indian patients is limited to date, it is necessary to assess the performance of this treatment in real clinical practice in the Indian context.

Methodology:
Patients from three centers of India, two from Kolkata and one from Bangalore were included in the study for retrospective chart analysis. Efficacy was assessed by comparing the SCORAD and EASI and impact on quality of life was assessed by DLQI scores. All patients received standard doses of Dupilumab. Any side effect of the treatment was noted in the bi-weekly follow-up visit.

Results:
Twenty-five patients who were treated with dupilumab for at least 6 months were retrospectively included to study. The mean EASI score improved from 19.48 at baseline to 4.84 at six months. Seventeen patients (68%) achieved EASI 75 (≥75% improvement from baseline) at the end of 6 months of treatment. All these patients were earlier treated with at least one systemic immunomodulator without any significant improvement. The mean SCORAD score also improved with dupilumab treatment from 37.32 at baseline to 8.04 at six months. The improvement were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). The quality of life also improved significantly (P < 0.001) from a baseline mean of 17.08 at baseline to 6.52 at 6 months.

Conclusions:
We observed significant efficacy, tolerability, and safety of dupilumab in Indian patients with AD in a real-world setting, which was similar to that shown in clinical trials in the western populations.
Frequency and Spectrum of Cutaneous Metastases of Visceral Malignancies
Authors: Rana Vandana , Kulhari Kanchan , Dabbas Disha , Murthy Harish S. , Takkar Puneet 
Published: May 2024

Background:
In spite of the skin being the largest organ of the body, cutaneous malignancies are uncommon especially in people of color as compared to the white population. The incidence of cutaneous metastases of visceral malignancies is further low and accounts for 0.5% to 10% of cancer cases as per written literature. Cutaneous metastasis as the presenting sign of underlying internal malignancy is extremely rare and is a marker of poor prognosis. Limited data is available in written literature about the frequency and spectrum of metastatic skin lesions in the Asian population.

Objective:
1) To find the frequency of metastasis of visceral malignancies in skin biopsies. 2) To evaluate the clinicopathological presentation and immunohistochemistry (IHC) profile of cutaneous metastases.

Subjects and Methods:
It is a retrospective analysis of all the skin biopsies received in our department of Pathology for HPE from 01 Jan 2017 till 31 Dec 2019. Cases of cutaneous malignancy were segregated into primary and metastatic categories. Clinical details of the cases of cutaneous metastases were retrieved and analyzed. All the cases of cutaneous metastases were studied in detail for their clinical presentation, histomorphological features, and findings on IHC.

Results:
Out of a total of 484 skin biopsies in 3 years, 9.7% showed features of malignancy. Total ten cases of cutaneous metastases (2%) were found, out of which three were the primary presentation of silent visceral malignancy. The lung, breast, colon, and ovary were the common primary sites to manifest as cutaneous metastases with the abdominal wall being the commonest site. Histomorphological features aided by the IHC panel helped in diagnosing the cutaneous metastases and site of the primary malignancy.

Conclusion:
Cutaneous metastasis as the primary presentation of visceral malignancy is rare and should not be missed as it indicates a poor prognosis. Clinico-pathological correlation and histomorphological features assisted by IHC markers help pathologists in diagnosing the site of primary malignancy in cases of cutaneous metastases.
A Quality of Life Study in Patients with Leprosy Using DLQI and WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaires
Authors: Tare Dakshata A , Viswanath Vishalakshi , Pai Kalpita S , Samel Dinesh R 
Published: May 2024

Context:
India accounts for 60% of the global leprosy burden. Deformities lead to a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). There is a paucity of Indian studies evaluating the QoL in patients with leprosy.

Aims:
This study was undertaken to assess QoL in leprosy patients with two different questionnaires, correlate QoL with demographic and clinical profile and evaluate the impact on health-related QoL scores.

Settings and Design:
A cross-sectional study to evaluate the QoL was conducted in the dermatology OPD of a tertiary center in Maharashtra, India.

Materials and Methods:
Demographic and clinical profile along with evaluation of QoL using DLQI and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires was conducted in 60 leprosy patients.

Statistical Analysis Used:
Parametric test, R test, Chi-square test, Z test, Student's t-test (t), and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) were used.

Results:
The mean DLQI score was 8.4 ± 4.4 and 40% of patients had moderate impact on QoL, and the mean WHOQOL-BREF score was 3.13 ± 0.9. The demographic profile, type of leprosy and reactions did not have a statistically significant correlation with DLQI. Presence of deformity had significant impact on DLQI and a statistically significant impact on physical, psychological, and environmental domain in WHOQOL-BREF analysis.

Conclusions:
Deformities have a profound impact on QoL in leprosy patients on evaluation with DLQI and WHOQOL- BREF questionnaires. The social domain was least affected, whereas severe impact was noted in psychological domain. DLQI is a practical and simple questionnaire, whereas WHOQOL- BREF provides a comprehensive approach on all domains.
Comparison of Autologous Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix and Transplantation of Autologous Noncultured Epidermal Cell Suspension in the Treatment of Chronic Non Healing Ulcer
Authors: Singh Satyendra K. , Rupa Sri 
Published: May 2024

Context:
Chronic non-healing ulcer causes significant morbidity, high cost and reduced quality of life.

Aims:
To compare autologous platelet-rich fibrin matrix and transplantation of autologous non-cultured epidermal cell suspension in the treatment of chronic non-healing ulcers.

Methods:
The study was single-centre, prospective, randomised comparative study conducted in a tertiary care center in North India. Patients with chronic non-healing ulcer were included and randomly divided into two treatment groups- Group 1: Platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM) procedure was done every 2 weeks with maximum three sittings and in Group 2: Transplantation of autologous noncultured epidermal cell suspension (NCES) procedure was done once. Follow-up was done every 2 weeks for 8 weeks then monthly for up to 5 months to evaluate the healing of the ulcer. The data were analysed by statistical package for social science (SPSS) trial version 22. To find out a significant difference in mean value between groups, the Chi-square test, student's t-test, and Mann–Whitney U test were used.

Results:
A total of 41 patients were included in the study. Complete healing of ulcers occurred in 89.5% of the patients in the PRFM group and 93.8% of the patients in the NCES group at the end of 5 months (P = 0.33). The mean duration of complete healing in PRFM was 1.7 months and in NCES was 2.13 months (P = 0.20).

Conclusions:
Both procedures were effective, and there was no significant difference between the two procedures.
Prospective Study to Evaluate the Role of Dual Point Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Differentiation of Brain Tumoral from Nontumoral Tissue: A Magnetic Resonance/PET Study
Authors: Mangalore Sandhya , Pradeep Guddanti Venkata Naga , Murthy Venkatesh K. S. , Bairwa Pawan , Kumar Pardeep , Saini Jitender , Prasad Chandrajit , Sadashiva Nishanth , Beniwal Manish , Santosh Vani 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Purpose:
Follow-up imaging of gliomas is crucial to look for residual or recurrence and to differentiate them from nontumoral tissue. Positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the problem-solving tool in such cases. We investigated the role of dual point contrast (DPC)-enhanced MRI to discriminate tumoral from the nontumoral tissue compared to PET-MRI taken as the gold standard.

Materials and Methods:
The institutional ethics committee approved the study, and consent was obtained from all the patients included in the study. We prospectively did immediate and 75-min delayed contrast MRI in glioma cases who came for follow-up as a part of PET-MRI study in our institute. Subtracted images were obtained using immediate and 75-min delayed contrast images. Color-coded subtracted images were compared with PET-MRI images. 75-min delayed contrast MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) images with Gray Scale inversion were compared with PET attenuation-corrected images.

Results:
We included 23 PET MRI cases done with different radiotracers in our study. Overall, we found PET-DPC correlation in (20/20 ~ 100%) cases of enhancing tumors. In two cases (DOPA and fluorodeoxyglucose), since they were nonenhancing low-grade gliomas and the other one was melanoma with intrinsic T1 hyperintensity and the DPC technique could not be used. DWI-PET correlated in 17/19 (~89.4%) cases, and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI)-PET dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)/ASL correlated in 14/18 (~77.7%) cases after cases with hemorrhage were excluded.

Conclusion:
DPC MRI showed a good correlation with PET MRI in discriminating tumoral from the nontumoral tissue. DPC MRI can act as a potential alternative to PET MRI in peripheral hospitals where PET is not available. However, the DPC technique is limited in low-grade nonenhancing gliomas.