Tips, Trends, and Truths: A Study of Psoriasis Treatment Content on TikTok.

INTRODUCTION: With more than two billion downloads since its launch, TikTok is the fastest-growing video-sharing platform in the world. Many people turn to TikTok for dermatologic medical information. However, there is limited data about psoriasis and psoriasis treatment content on this social media platform. OBJECTIVE: To compare the viewer engagement, content quality, and viewer experience of psoriasis treatment TikTok videos between physicians and non-physicians. METHODS: We searched the terms "psoriasis" and "psoriasis treatment" on TikTok. Video characteristics were collected. Content quality was evaluated using DISCERN. Viewer experience was assessed using the AVA. RESULTS: Viewer engagement did not significantly differ between physicians and non-physician content creators (0.033 plus/minus 0.005 vs 0.047 plus/minus 0.001, P=0.066). Compared to non-physicians, physicians created videos of higher quality (DISCERN: 1.76 plus/minus 0.058 vs 1.44 plus/minus 0.032, P<0.001) and of greater viewer experience (AVA: 2.55 plus/minus 0.183 vs 1.96 plus/minus 0.081, P=0.001). However, there is room for improvement in terms of creating videos of higher quality by both physicians and non-physicians. CONCLUSION: TikTok can be a powerful tool to promote health literacy and dispel misinformation. Dermatologists may consider focusing their efforts on creating comprehensive educational content and incorporating trending features to reach a wider audience. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(2): doi:10.36849/JDD.7050e.

A modified mental state assessment tool for impact analysis of virtual reality-based therapeutic interventions in patients with cognitive impairment.

Objectives: This work has developed a modified mental state assessment tool for impact analysis of therapeutic interventions for patients with cognitive impairment. This work includes a pilot study to validate the proposed tool and assess the impact of virtual reality-based interventions on patient well-being, which includes assessment of cognitive ability and mood. Methods: The suggested tool's robustness and reliability are assessed in care home facilities with elderly residents over the age of 55. Because of the repetitive nature of the pilot study, test-retest strategy for Cronbach's alpha coefficient is employed to validate the internal consistency of the proposed tool over time. Qualitative and quantitative analyses are performed on the collected data to draw inferences on the impact of virtual reality-based interventions on patients with cognitive impairments. Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient value shows that the proposed tool's resilience is comparable to that of its pre-intervention counterparts. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient values are determined for Pre-virtual reality and Post-virtual reality interventions, which include 116 virtual reality sessions for 52-participant, and three cohorts of virtual reality sessions for 21 participants. These values for a majority of the interventions remained within the acceptable range of 0.6-0.8. Conclusions: The proposed modified mental state assessment tool is observed to be a reliable tool for investigating the impact of virtual reality-based interventions on patients with cognitive impairments. One of the notable significance of the proposed tool is that this allows for resource allocation for such interventions to be tailored to the needs of the patient, leading to greater therapeutic efficacy and resource efficiency.

Consensus Statements on the Use of Corticosteroid-Containing Topical Medications in Psoriasis.

This article aims to provide consensus statements on the use of corticosteroid-containing topical medications for the management of psoriasis. This Psoriasis Expert Group (PEG) includes dermatologist voting members with expertise in psoriasis who convened and evaluated the use of topical medications and previously published guidelines. A modified Delphi process was conducted to reach consensus results. Two rounds of voting were conducted for each topic and panel consensus was determined.  Nine statements were developed regarding topical medication efficacy, patient quality of life, frequency of application, medication "feel", and safety and tolerability. Dermatologist experts voted on the statements separately. Patients were not polled. All items received agreement: 15 with high consensus and 1 with moderate consensus.  For the treatment of psoriasis, the PEG agreed that patients and physicians prefer topical medications that are effective, provide long-lasting results, have a quick onset of action, and "feel good on the skin" with few adverse effects. The developed consensus statements provide guidance on the topical treatment of psoriasis, including combination therapies, such as a vitamin D and topical corticosteroid analog. These recommendations will be continuously reviewed and updated as more evidence continues to emerge.  April W. Armstrong AW, Reddy R, Khan S, et al. Consensus statements on the use of corticosteroid-containing topical medications in psoriasis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(8):736-741. doi:10.36849/JDD.7453.

INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE: Fixed Combination Calcipotriene/Betamethasone (Cal/BDP) Cream: Evaluating the Role of Polyaphron Dispersion (PAD) Technology in Psoriasis Treatment.

Most patients with plaque psoriasis exhibit mild-to-moderate disease and topical therapies remain the mainstay treatment option for these patients. The use of topical steroids in combination with vitamin D analogs can produce synergistic effects and minimize adverse effects. However, due to the incompatible pH ranges of topical steroids and vitamin D analogs, combination formulations can be difficult to manufacture. Until recently, only anhydrous formulations of these 2 agents were developed as foam, gel/suspension, and ointment. However, anhydrous vehicles can often result in greasy or oily skin, thus limiting treatment adherence. Recently, Polyaphron Dispersion (PAD) technology presents a new, more cosmetically appealing vehicle that allows for both topical steroids and vitamin D analogs to coexist in an aqueous environment, such as a cream formulation. The calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate (CAL/BDP) cream enhances drug delivery by reducing the greasy and oily side effects of anhydrous formulations. Phase 3 clinical trials have demonstrated CAL/BDP cream’s superior efficacy in treating psoriasis over gel/suspension, and the clinical trials have also shown significantly improved patient satisfaction with the cream formulation.   .

No Racial Differences Found in Access to Biologics: A Population-Based Study of Psoriasis Patients in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Conflicting evidence exists regarding the role of race in access to biologics for patients with psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To compare biologic use among adult and pediatric United States psoriasis patients of different racial backgrounds. METHODS: Population-based study of US psoriasis patients using the 2003 to 2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). RESULTS: Among 31,525,500 adults and children with psoriasis (weighted), 3,026,578 (9.6%) were on biologics. Among psoriasis patients, 27,464,864 (87.1%) self-identified as white, 2,033,802 (6.5%) self-identified as Black, 1,173,435 (3.7%) self-identified as Asian or Pacific Islander, and 853,399 (2.7%) self-identified as other races. Among those on biologics, 2,778,239 (91.8%) self-identified as white, 84,971 (2.8%) identified as Black, 89,452 (3.0%) self-identified as Asian or Pacific Islander, and 73,917 (2.4%) self-identified as other races. Multivariate logistic regression revealed no significant differences in biologic access between whites and non-whites after adjusting for sociodemographic factors including insurance status (OR for Blacks: 0.347 [0.118, 1.021], P=0.055; OR for Asians: 0.616 [0.240, 1.579], P=0.311; OR for other races: 0.850 [0.216, 3.336], P=0.814. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that race alone is not independently associated with access to biologics among adult US psoriasis patients. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate factors independently associated with biologics access among adults and children with psoriasis in the US. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(8):835-837. doi:10.36849/JDD.7134 Reddy R, Khan S, Yee D, et al. No racial differences found in access to biologics: a population-based study of psoriasis patients in the United States. .

Differences in accessing dermatology offices, primary care offices, and emergency departments between Hispanics and Non-Hispanic White Patients.

How Hispanic patients access dermatologic care for skin diseases is unknown. This study aims to determine if differences exist in accessing the emergency department (ED), primary care, and outpatient dermatologic offices for skin diseases between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients. This cross-sectional study used nationally representative data from the Medical Panel Expenditure Survey (MEPS) from 2016-2019. A total of 109,337,668 (weighted) patients with any skin disease diagnosed at an ED, primary care, or dermatology visit were identified. Hispanics comprised 13.0% and non-Hispanic Whites comprised 68.8% of this subpopulation. Overall, 94.1% of Hispanic patients attended a primary care visit for their skin complaint, 5.8% saw a dermatologist, and 0.1% attended an ED visit. Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics were more likely to attend a primary care visit (aOR 1.865; 95%CI, 1.640-2.122) and less likely to attend an outpatient dermatology visit (aOR 0.536; 95%CI, 0.471-0.610), after adjusting for insurance status, education, income, sex, age, and comorbidities. Our study suggests that, compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic patients access primary care more frequently and outpatient dermatologic offices less frequently for their skin conditions. Language barriers, less familiarity with the healthcare system, and lack of adequate health insurance may play roles in this observation.

Evaluating Sentiment, Engagement, and Perception of Biologics Among Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis on Reddit.

BACKGROUND: Limited analyses of social media content among psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients exist. These patients may turn to social media to gain insight into treatments such as biologics. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze the content, sentiment, and engagement of social media posts regarding biologics for PsO and PsA. METHODS: Posts and comments discussing biologics were extracted from publicly accessible PsO and PsA Reddit groups. Posts were assigned higher (HOT) and lower order (LOT) themes, sentiments, and engagement scores. RESULTS: Of 1141 posts extracted, 705 posts were classified under the HOT general/efficacy. Twelve lower order themes (LOTs) were identified: general advice/experience (10.2%), symptoms improved (36.6%), switching biologics (10.5%), and time to results (13.4%). 61.3% of content was of positive sentiment, 24.0% was neutral, and 14.7% was of negative sentiment. The mean sentiment score, defined as the average of all posts' sentiment scores (where negative=-1, neutral=0, and positive=1), was overall positive at 0.47, 95% CI [.41-.52]. Mean sentiment scores between LOTs were significantly different (P<0.001). Information regarding biologics on Reddit is mostly positive; however, there remains a significant number of users expressing dissatisfaction with their efficacy or with biologics in general. Many users sought anecdotal advice. CONCLUSION: These findings can help guide educational efforts to anticipate concerns and appease hesitancy regarding biologics and their efficacy. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(3):306-309. doi:10.36849/JDD.7124.

Therapeutic Use of Trace Elements in Dermatology.

Trace elements (microminerals) play a role in many physiological functions, including hormone production and cellular growth. However, their importance in diagnosing and treating dermatologic disease has not been well examined. In this review, we discuss the functions, sources, and recommended requirements of each micromineral. In addition, we analyze the systemic and dermatological manifestations associated with micromineral imbalances. The pathogenesis of genodermatoses, such as Wilson disease, Menkes disease, acrodermatitis enteropathica, and allergic dermatitis, are also discussed. Included are studies examining the potential therapeutic role of zinc, selenium, and copper in inflammatory diseases, skin cancer, and photoaging.

Biologics to breast milk: A cross-sectional study of popular eczema treatment content on TikTok.

We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare viewer engagement, content quality and viewer experience of eczema related medical content on TikTok between health care professionals and non-health care professionals. Compared to non-health care professionals, health care professionals created videos of higher quality and superior viewing experience. Viewer engagement did not differ significantly between videos made by health care professionals and non-health care professionals. Overall, content creators should focus on producing comprehensive, evidence-based videos.

"I'm Off My Meds": Public Perception of Interactions Between SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Anti-Psoriatic Treatments Online.

IMPORTANCE: Psoriasis patients may seek information about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and their diagnosis from social media platforms. Analyses of social media interactions may help guide dermatologists’ educational efforts during this pandemic. OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the content and sentiment of online social media posts about the medication interaction between SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and anti-psoriatic therapies among psoriasis patients. DESIGN: Publicly accessible Facebook and Reddit groups regarding psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis were identified. Posts uploaded between March 1, 2021, and July 31, 2021, with information about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, were extracted. Themes, sentiment scores, and engagement scores were assigned to each post. RESULTS: 477 posts contained content pertaining to the vaccine and psoriatic medications. 19 (4%) of the posts contain negative sentiment, 232 (48.6%) contain neutral sentiment, and 226 (47.4%) contain positive sentiment. Several themes emerged from this study. A majority of posts (32.5%) contained concerns about holding or stopping medications prior to obtaining the vaccine. Other common concerns included fear of negative reaction (21.8%) and uncertainty about the ability to generate an efficient immune response to the vaccine while on anti-psoriatic medications (19.9%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Concerns identified by our content analysis should be incorporated into education efforts to address the reasons for vaccine hesitancy among patients with psoriatic diseases. These patient concerns can also help guide our strategy for implementing evidence-based recommendations on COVID-19 vaccination. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(8):901-905. doi:10.36849/JDD.6853.

Alopecia syphilitica, from diagnosis to treatment.

Alopecia syphilitica (AS) is an uncommon manifestation of secondary syphilis, with a prevalence that ranges from 3% to 7%. It is a nonscarring alopecia that can present in a diffuse pattern, a moth-eaten pattern, or a mixed subtype. Due to its low prevalence and similar presentation to other forms of alopecia such as alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and tinea capitis, dermatologists must maintain a high degree of suspicion for prompt diagnosis. The diagnosis of AS is made by eliciting the patient's history, obtaining serologic tests, and examining histopathologic or dermatoscopic findings. First-line treatment includes benzathine penicillin G injection, which leads to hair regrowth weeks to months after administration. In this article, we present a focused review on the diagnosis of AS and discuss evidence-based therapeutic approaches for the management and treatment of this condition.

Big Data for Treatment Planning: Pathways and Possibilities for Smart Healthcare Systems.

BACKGROUND: Treatment planning is one of the crucial stages of healthcare assessment and delivery. Moreover, it also has a significant impact on patient outcomes and system efficiency. With the evolution of transformative healthcare technologies, most areas of healthcare have started collecting data at different levels, as a result of which there is a splurge in the size and complexity of health data being generated every minute. INTRODUCTION: This paper explores the different characteristics of health data with respect to big data. Besides this, it also classifies research efforts in treatment planning on the basis of the informatics domain being used, which includes medical informatics, imaging informatics and translational bioinformatics. METHODS: This is a survey paper that reviews existing literature on the use of big data technologies for treatment planning in the healthcare ecosystem. Therefore, a qualitative research methodology was adopted for this work. RESULTS: Review of existing literature has been analyzed to identify potential gaps in research, identifying and providing insights into high prospect areas for potential future research. CONCLUSION: The use of big data for treatment planning is rapidly evolving, and findings of this research can head start and streamline specific research pathways in the field.

Public Perception of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Among Psoriasis Patients in Social Media: Content, Sentiment, and Engagement Analysis.

Background: Psoriasis patients may seek information about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and their disease from social media platforms. Analyses of social media interactions may help guide dermatologists' educational efforts during this pandemic. Objectives: This study analyzes social media interactions among patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis regarding the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to determine the misinformation circulating and the apprehension to receiving the vaccine. Methods: Publicly accessible Facebook and Reddit groups regarding psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis were identified. Posts uploaded between March 1, 2021 and July 31, 2021 which contained information about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were extracted. First-order themes, sub-themes, sentiment scores and engagement scores were assigned to each post. Results: 345 posts within the first-order theme of vaccination decision and 1379 posts within the first-order theme of vaccine reaction were analyzed. Within vaccination decision, common sub-themes for refusing the vaccine include fear of psoriasis flare up, vaccine is experimental, vaccine is unnecessary, vaccine is dangerous, and concern for reaction/vaccine efficacy while on psoriasis medications. 41.4% of posts contained positive sentiment; whereas, 38.3% contained negative sentiment. Within vaccine reaction, common sub-themes identified were no change to psoriasis, skin/joint flare up, skin flare up attributed specifically to stopping psoriasis medications, skin/joint improvement, and skin flare up but vaccine was worth it. 77.8% of posts contained positive sentiment; whereas, 6.2% contained negative sentiment. Conclusions: Our study identified common SARS-CoV-2 vaccine concerns within the psoriasis community which should be used to guide educational efforts.

Reappraising Elements of the Aseptic Technique in Dermatology: A Review.

Dermatologic procedures are performed under varying degrees of antisepsis, and no clear guidelines exist regarding the role of the aseptic technique in dermatology. This review aims to clarify the terminology surrounding surgical asepsis and examines the importance of various components of the aseptic technique in cutaneous surgery. Included are studies examining optimal glove type, surgical instruments, skin antisepsis, and cost-reducing protocols. Our review highlights that most dermatology procedures are not performed under completely sterile conditions due to the lack of environmental and foot traffic controls in dermatology offices. In addition, for some outpatient procedures, such as for minor excisions and Mohs surgery before reconstruction, elements of the clean technique can be used without increasing infection rates. However, data on the feasibility of a clean protocol for Mohs reconstruction is conflicting. Future prospective, randomized trials analyzing various components of the aseptic technique in dermatology are greatly needed so that guidelines can be established for practicing dermatologists.