A Pilot Study to Assess the Reliability of Digital Image-Based PASI Scores Across Patient Skin Tones and Provider Training Levels.

INTRODUCTION: The ability to perform psoriasis skin assessments remotely through digital image-based psoriasis area and severity index (DIB-PASI) would be a valuable tool for psoriasis clinical trials. An ideal teledermatological assessment would be robust across patients of diverse skin tones as well as across assessors of varying experience levels. In this pilot study, we evaluated the reliability of face-to-face (FTF) versus DIB-PASI scores determined by trained clinical assessors with a spectrum of experience and with patients of different skin tones. METHODS: Fourteen subjects of varying skin tones with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were treated with adalimumab. In-person PASI assessments and digital photography were performed in the clinic at weeks 0, 12, and 24. Photographs were reviewed by four independent assessors to derive a digital image-based PASI score. The concordance of face-to-face PASI (FTF-PASI) and DIB-PASI were analyzed across patient and assessor factors. RESULTS: Overall concordance between FTF-PASI and DIB-PASI was high (ICC 0.82, p < 0.0001), with good agreement across individual assessors. When analyzed by PASI score component or body region, digital assessors also demonstrated good agreement with the FTF assessor. Similarly, DIB-PASI showed high concordance with FTF-PASI for patients with light skin tones and patients with medium-to-dark skin tones, and across clinical training levels. CONCLUSION: Overall, PASI scores derived from digital images showed good agreement with those determined in person. Importantly, these remote assessments were reliable for both light and medium-to-dark skin tones, and robust to training level of the assessor. The findings from this pilot study lay the foundation for expanding teledermatology-based clinical trials for patients with psoriasis and enabling accurate, remote monitoring of disease severity and therapy response.

Implementation of an Ultraviolet Phototherapy Service at a National Referral Hospital in Western Kenya: Reflections on Challenges and Lessons Learned.

INTRODUCTION: In order to manage skin conditions at a national referral hospital level in Kenya, specialized dermatology services, such as dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology, phototherapy, and sub-specialty care, should be offered, as is typically available in referral hospitals around the world. A Kenyan patient with prurigo nodularis, whose severe itch remitted after phototherapy treatment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), inspired the development of a phototherapy service at Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), a partnership in Western Kenya between Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Moi University College of Health Sciences, and a consortium of North American academic medical centers. METHODS: Initial project funds were raised through a crowdfunding campaign and fundraising events. A new narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy unit and replacement bulbs were donated and air shipped to Eldoret, Kenya. A team of dermatologists and phototherapy nurses from UCSF conducted a 2-day training session. US-based dermatologists affiliated with AMPATH provide ongoing support through regular communication and on-site visits. RESULTS: Early in implementation, challenges faced included training clinical staff with limited experience in phototherapy and improving communication between nurses and clinicians. More recent challenges include frequent rotation of specialty clinic nurses in the dermatology clinic, adaptation of phototherapy guidelines to balance patient volume with service delivery capacity, and training assessment of disease activity in darkly pigmented skin. CONCLUSION: Strategies that have been helpful in addressing implementation challenges include: increasing on-site and remote training opportunities for clinicians and nurses, developing a tiered payment schema, educating patients to combat misconceptions about phototherapy, dynamic phototherapy referral guidelines to accommodate service delivery capacity, and prioritizing the engagement of a multidisciplinary team.

A cross-sectional study of the distribution of psoriasis subtypes in different ethno-racial groups.

Skin of colored patients with psoriasis are more likely to remain undiagnosed and experience a greater impact on quality of life than their white counterparts. A better understanding of the ethno-racial differences in the presentation of psoriasis can help address these disparities. To compare the prevalence of psoriatic subtypes (plaque, guttate, pustular, erythrodermic, palmoplantar, and inverse) and lesion locations in Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino patients, we analyzed cross-sectional, patient-reported, physician-reviewed survey data from 882 adult and 16 pediatric psoriasis patients seen at the University of California, San Francisco Department of Dermatology between 2006 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the prevalence of psoriasis subtypes and lesional distributions amongst the ethno-racial groups. Asians and Hispanics/Latinos had higher odds of having pustular psoriasis compared to Caucasians (OR=4.36 [95%CI: 1.24-17.62], P=0.026; and OR=5.94 [95%CI: 1.03-31.03], P=0.036, respectively). Asians also had a higher frequency of erythrodermic psoriasis (OR=5.56 [95%CI: 1.41-27.17], P=0.018), but a lower frequency of inverse psoriasis compared to Caucasians (OR=0.26 [95%CI: 0.06-0.80], P=0.036). These differences may relate to genetic or environmental factors or access to care. Clinician awareness of ethno-racial differences in psoriasis subtype and lesion location can facilitate earlier diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

Survey of Patch Test Business Models in the United States by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) remains a significant burden of disease in the United States. Patch testing is the criterion standard for diagnosing ACD, but its use may be limited by reimbursement challenges. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the current rate of patch test utilization among dermatologists in academic, group, or private practice settings to understand different patch testing business models that address these reimbursement challenges. METHODS: All members of the American Contact Dermatitis Society received an online survey regarding their experiences with patch testing and reimbursement. RESULTS: A "yes" response was received from 28% of survey participants to the question, "Are you or have you been less inclined to administer patch tests or see patients needing patch tests due to challenges with receiving compensation for patch testing?" The most commonly reported barriers include inadequate insurance reimbursement and lack of departmental support. CONCLUSIONS: Compensation challenges to patch testing limit patient access to appropriate diagnosis and management of ACD. This can be addressed through a variety of innovative business models, including raising patch testing caps, negotiating relative value unit compensation, using a fixed salary model with directorship support from the hospital, and raising the percentages of collection reimbursement for physicians.

Review of the mechanism of action of coal tar in psoriasis.

PURPOSE: Crude coal tar and its derivatives have been used in modern medicine for the treatment of psoriasis since at least 1925 as part of the Goeckerman regimen. To this day, coal tar remains a safe and highly effective option for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. However, the mechanism by which coal tar has its therapeutic effect is unknown. This review summarizes current knowledge of the mechanism by which coal tar has its therapeutic effect in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A Pubmed search was conducted on March 13, 2017 for relevant English language journal articles on the subject and were relevant journal articles were included in this review. RESULTS: Crude coal tar consists of thousands of ingredients, many of which are unidentified. Of these ingredients, the most research has gone into analyzing polycyclic aryl hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are thought to be the most likely component of crude coal tar that leads to its effects in psoriasis. Of the aryl hydrocarbons, carbazole has been the most well studied in psoriasis and is hypothesized as being responsible for the treatment efficacy of crude coal tar. CONCLUSIONS: Polycyclic aryl hydrocarbons, and specifically carbazole, are thought to be the mechanism by which crude coal tar has its effect in psoriasis. However, further research is warranted to fully characterize the mechanism of action of crude coal tar, with the potential to create new therapies for psoriasis.

The metabolomics of psoriatic disease.

Metabolomics is an emerging new "omics" field involving the systematic analysis of the metabolites in a biologic system. These metabolites provide a molecular snapshot of cellular activity and are thus important for understanding the functional changes in metabolic pathways that drive disease. Recently, metabolomics has been used to study the local and systemic metabolic changes in psoriasis and its cardiometabolic comorbidities. Such studies have revealed novel insights into disease pathogenesis and suggest new biochemical signatures that may be used as a marker of psoriatic disease. This review will discuss common strategies in metabolomics analysis, current findings in the metabolomics of psoriasis, and emerging trends in psoriatic metabolomics.

Monoclonal antibodies inhibiting IL-12, -23, and -17 for the treatment of psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, immune-mediated skin condition that affects 3 to 4% of the adult US population, characterized by well-demarcated, erythematous plaques with silver scale. Psoriasis is associated with many comorbidities including cardiometabolic disease and can have a negative impact on quality of life. The current armamentarium of psoriasis treatment includes topical therapies, phototherapy, oral immunosuppressive therapies, and biologic agents. Over the past 2 decades, there has been rapid development of novel biologic therapies for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. This article will review the role of IL-12, IL-23, and IL-17 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and the monoclonal antibodies (ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, guselkumab, tildrakizumab, and risankizumab) that target these cytokines in the treatment of this disease.

The Role of the Skin and Gut Microbiome in Psoriatic Disease.

PURPOSE: To understand the changes in the microbiome in psoriatic disease, we conducted a systematic review of studies comparing the skin and gut microbiota in psoriatic individuals and healthy controls. FINDINGS: Our review of studies pertaining to the cutaneous microbiome showed a trend towards an increased relative abundance of Streptococcus and a decreased level of Propionibacterium in psoriasis patients compared to controls. In the gut microbiome, the ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes was perturbed in psoriatic individuals compared to healthy controls. Actinobacteria was also relatively underrepresented in psoriasis patients relative to healthy individuals. SUMMARY: Although the field of the psoriatic microbiome is relatively new, these first studies reveal interesting differences in microbiome composition that may be associated with the development of psoriatic comorbidities and serve as novel therapeutic targets.

Frequency and Management of Sleep Disturbance in Adults with Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Intense nocturnal pruritus as well as the complex pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) can severely affect sleep and become a major factor in negatively impacting quality of life in adults. However, much of the literature on sleep disturbance in AD patients is on the pediatric population, and it is not well studied in adults. Furthermore, limited studies are available to guide effective management of sleep disturbance in AD in general. We review the literature to present the studies that have investigated the relationship between AD and its effect on sleep in adults and provide an approach for clinicians caring for this population. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted through the PubMed and EMBASE databases using the search terms "atopic dermatitis" OR "eczema" AND "sleep." The articles generated by the search and their references were reviewed. RESULTS: A high prevalence of sleep disturbance is experienced by adults with AD. The likelihood of sleep disturbance is much higher in patients with AD compared to those without AD. Sleep disturbance appears to worsen with AD severity. Pruritus and scratching appear to be large contributors to sleep disturbance in adult patients with AD. CONCLUSION: It is important that clinicians evaluate the severity of AD and ask general questions about itching, sleep, impact on daily activities, and persistence of disease during each patient visit and follow-up with the complaint of sleep disturbance. Management of sleep disturbance in AD should focus on adequate disease control of AD as well as possible medical interventions to help improve sleep. The pathophysiology of sleep disturbance in AD is extremely complex, and further research is needed to better understand the interplay of the immune system, circadian rhythm, and environmental factors implicated in both AD and sleep.

Guselkumab for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Review of Phase III Trials.

INTRODUCTION: Interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitors are a new class of biologics currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Phase III studies of guselkumab, an IL-23 receptor monoclonal antibody, are currently underway. METHODS: We summarize the available phase III results to date, establishing the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. RESULTS: Currently, there are available data of up to 48 weeks from two Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and comparator-controlled clinical trials, VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2. At week 16, the proportion of patients attaining at least a 90% improvement from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) was 73.3% in VOYAGE 1 and 70.0% in VOYAGE 2. Guselkumab remained efficacious through 48 weeks of treatment. Guselkumab maintained a satisfactory safety profile with the most frequently reported adverse events being nasopharyngitis, headache, and upper respiratory tract infection. CONCLUSION: Phase III trials of Guselkumab suggest a favorable efficacy and safety profile of this novel drug. Although further studies are needed to assess long-term safety and efficacy, based on the results to date, guselkumab appears to be a promising therapeutic option for moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis.

Beyond monotherapy: a systematic review on creative strategies in topical therapy of psoriasis.

The largest proportion of psoriasis patients are candidates for topical treatment rather than treatment paradigms encompassing systemic, biologic and apremilast, and phototherapy, making skillfulness with topical therapy of paramount importance. As such, numerous studies have been conducted to demonstrate the benefits of using topical therapy in combination with other therapies. In addition, innovative uses of otherwise conventional methods, such as proactive use to minimize flare, have been developed. This article reviews five types of strategies for improved efficacy from topical agents beyond monotherapy. These strategies include proactive use, rotational therapy, sequential therapy, using topical agents to shorten the onset of therapeutic action for slower internal agents or phototherapy, and combination use for added efficacy. Each of these is reviewed in detail.

Clinical utility of ixekizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic, immune-mediated systemic disease that affects7.5 million people in the US. It can be treated with many therapies, often in combination, which include topicals, phototherapy, oral systemics, and biologics. Biologic agents target specific components of the immune system involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis including TNF-alpha, IL-12, IL-17, and IL-23. The biologic ixekizumab, approved for the treatment of moderate-severe plaque psoriasis in the US, targets IL-17. This review describes the role of IL-17 in psoriasis, the mechanism by which ixekizumab targets this cytokine, and the clinical utility of ixekizumab.