Rates of suicidal ideation/behavior and depression are low in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis receiving bimekizumab, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. There exists an increased prevalence of mental health disorders among patients with psoriasis compared with the general population. Bimekizumab, an interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitor, is efficacious in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and was approved for this indication in 2023. To better understand the effects of IL-17 inhibitors on mental health disorders, res ..read more

Radiation treatment for newly diagnosed breast cancer may put patients at significantly increased risk for melanoma and hemangiosarcoma, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open. Research surrounding risks associated with radiation treatment for breast cancer has focused largely on secondary lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the risk for radiation-associated skin cancer among patients with breast cancer. Investigators from Stanford University sourced data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Survey, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER ..read more

HealthDay News — All expecting mothers should get a blood test for syphilis three times during pregnancy, new guidance issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends. The practice advisory calls on doctors to test for syphilis at a pregnant woman’s first prenatal care visit, then again during the third trimester and at birth. The advisory comes in response to a dramatic increase in syphilis rates among pregnant women and newborns. Previously, ACOG recommended risk-based testing in the third trimester only for women living in communities with high rates of syphilis ..read more

Should dermatologists prescribe emergency contraception at isotretinoin visits and is there a need for more education about emergency contraception for dermatologists prescribing isotretinoin? The answer is yes to both. Access to emergency contraception is essential for patients taking isotretinoin, a known teratogen, according to the authors of a Viewpoint article in JAMA Dermatology. Since the implementation of iPLEDGE REMs program in 2006, the number of pregnancies occurring among women taking isotretinoin has decreased, however, there is still an average of 200 to 300 pregnancies annually ..read more

A machine learning model was found to predict incident HIV infection in patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with a high degree of accuracy, indicating the potential use of such models toward the development of tailored interventions for HIV prevention. These findings were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Researchers conducted a study to assess the accuracy of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based machine learning model for predicting the incidence of HIV infection. Data for this study were sourced from the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System and E ..read more

Immunosuppressive treatment plays a crucial role in managing connective tissue disease (CTD)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD), particularly in high-risk cases. Treatment strategies need to be individualized for each patient, with careful monitoring for infections, according to study results published in Clinical Rheumatology. Connective tissue diseases such as Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis (SSc), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) share autoimmune origins and often involve ILD, impacting patient prognosis. Understanding ILD variations among different CTDs is crucial for tailoring trea ..read more

In patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), the initial site of metastasis and the presence of multiple metastatic sites are predictors of survival, according to study results published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology. In a retrospective study, investigators evaluated the pattern of initial distant metastatic spread based on primary MCC location. Their goal was to assess the implications of this pattern in terms of time to distant metastasis and overall and MCC-specific survival among patients progressing to stage IV MCC disease after curative-intent t ..read more

In patients with diabetes, the prevalence of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by medical devices such as glucose sensors and insulin pumps may be underestimated, according to study results published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology. Following PRISMA guidelines, researchers conducted a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis to assess the prevalence and incidence of dermatitis, particularly ACD, associated with use of medical devices in close, prolonged contact with the skin for treatment and monitoring of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Data w ..read more

There is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting a causal link between the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and dermatologic conditions such as atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis (PsO), acne, and alopecia areata (AA), according to a review published in the International Journal of Molecular Science.1 Every person develops their own unique GI microflora composition between the ages of 2 to 5, which remains relatively constant throughout life.2,3 The dominant bacteria of a healthy adults microbiome consist of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Ve ..read more

Researchers say they have developed a gene expression score that may help guide treatment in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.1 This Uveal Melanoma Immunogenomic Score (UMIS) may be able to predict outcomes of adoptive cell transfer and prevent unnecessary surgeries in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, according to researchers. They described the development and testing of UMIS in Nature Communications. The researchers began by analyzing samples from patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. The team obtained samples from 100 sites of metastasis in 84 patients. The samples were ta ..read more