MDedge Dermatology

Although in many cases, food-allergen tolerance can be achieved with oral immunotherapy, primary prevention of food allergies remains crucial, according to the French Society of Allergology. In new recommendations that were presented at a session of the Congress of French Pediatric Societies, the academic society advocated early introduction of allergens for all children, starting at 4 months of age.

The latest prevention data from two major studies, LEAP and EAT, have prompted European and French experts to rethink their stance on food diversification. The new French proposals were recently published under the coordination of Dominique Sabouraud-Leclerc, MD, pediatrics department, Reims (France) University Hospital, on behalf of the Food Allergy Working Group of the French Society of Allergology.

For all newborns, regardless of whether they have a history of atopic or nonatopic dermatitis, food diversification is now recommended from 4 months of age instead of 6 months, as was previously recommended. If the child does not develop atopic dermatitis or develops only a mild form, peanuts, eggs, and nuts may be introduced at home.

However, if the child experiences severe atopic dermatitis, an allergy testing panel for peanuts, nuts, eggs, and cow’s milk proteins should be performed. An oral food challenge may be conducted at the allergist’s discretion.

Regarding peanuts, the working group proposed introducing a purée in the form of either a mixture of peanuts/hazelnuts/cashew nuts (1 level teaspoon five times a week; 2 g of protein/food per week) or a 100% peanut paste (1 scant teaspoon four times a week; 2 g of peanut protein/week). If the family is worried, the allergist can suggest monitoring the child in the clinic waiting room for 30 minutes after the first dose.

“We shouldn’t delay the introduction of the primary allergens anymore, regardless of whether children are at risk for a food allergy, and particularly a peanut allergy,” explained Stéphanie Lejeune, MD, pediatric pulmonologist and allergist at Lille (France) Regional University Hospital, who presented these new findings at the congress. “In fact, if we only target at-risk children, we overlook children with no family history who will nevertheless develop food allergies. The idea is to introduce everything, especially peanuts, between 4 and 6 months of age and to no longer do so gradually, one food after another, as was being done until now, beginning at 6 months and over. We must give priority to regularity over quantity.”

Although this approach is based on clinical trials, no real-life data are currently available.
 

LEAP and EAT studies support early introduction of peanuts

A study from 2021 summed up the risk factors for peanut allergy. About 61% of infants (4-11 months) had atopic dermatitis, 18% had a food allergy, 62% had a first-degree relative with a peanut allergy, and 11% had a confirmed peanut allergy. The risk of peanut allergy increased with age and severe eczema.

In 2015, the LEAP study, which was conducted in the United Kingdom with 640 infants aged 4-11 months who had risk factors for peanut allergy, revolutionized peanut-allergy primary prevention. Regardless of whether the children were sensitized or not, the number of children who developed a peanut allergy was systematically lower in the group that ingested the allergen in comparison with the “avoidance” group.

Additionally, the LEAP-ON study showed that protection against peanut allergy persisted for 12 months after cessation of consumption between ages 5 and 6 years among children who had consumed peanuts previously.

Early diversification in the general population was investigated in the EAT study, which involved 1303 breastfed infants. Of these infants, 24% had atopic dermatitis (median SCORAD score, 7.5). They were divided into two arms: avoidance and breast feeding until 6 months (standard introduction) or early introduction at 3 months (boiled egg, milk, peanuts, sesame, white fish, wheat, 2 g of protein twice a week). In the per-protocol analysis, there were 13 cases of peanut allergy in the standard introduction group; there were no cases in the early introduction group.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Although in many cases, food-allergen tolerance can be achieved with oral immunotherapy, primary prevention of food allergies remains crucial, according to the French Society of Allergology. In new recommendations that were presented at a session of the Congress of French Pediatric Societies, the academic society advocated early introduction of allergens for all children, starting at 4 months of age.

The latest prevention data from two major studies, LEAP and EAT, have prompted European and French experts to rethink their stance on food diversification. The new French proposals were recently published under the coordination of Dominique Sabouraud-Leclerc, MD, pediatrics department, Reims (France) University Hospital, on behalf of the Food Allergy Working Group of the French Society of Allergology.

For all newborns, regardless of whether they have a history of atopic or nonatopic dermatitis, food diversification is now recommended from 4 months of age instead of 6 months, as was previously recommended. If the child does not develop atopic dermatitis or develops only a mild form, peanuts, eggs, and nuts may be introduced at home.

However, if the child experiences severe atopic dermatitis, an allergy testing panel for peanuts, nuts, eggs, and cow’s milk proteins should be performed. An oral food challenge may be conducted at the allergist’s discretion.

Regarding peanuts, the working group proposed introducing a purée in the form of either a mixture of peanuts/hazelnuts/cashew nuts (1 level teaspoon five times a week; 2 g of protein/food per week) or a 100% peanut paste (1 scant teaspoon four times a week; 2 g of peanut protein/week). If the family is worried, the allergist can suggest monitoring the child in the clinic waiting room for 30 minutes after the first dose.

“We shouldn’t delay the introduction of the primary allergens anymore, regardless of whether children are at risk for a food allergy, and particularly a peanut allergy,” explained Stéphanie Lejeune, MD, pediatric pulmonologist and allergist at Lille (France) Regional University Hospital, who presented these new findings at the congress. “In fact, if we only target at-risk children, we overlook children with no family history who will nevertheless develop food allergies. The idea is to introduce everything, especially peanuts, between 4 and 6 months of age and to no longer do so gradually, one food after another, as was being done until now, beginning at 6 months and over. We must give priority to regularity over quantity.”

Although this approach is based on clinical trials, no real-life data are currently available.
 

LEAP and EAT studies support early introduction of peanuts

A study from 2021 summed up the risk factors for peanut allergy. About 61% of infants (4-11 months) had atopic dermatitis, 18% had a food allergy, 62% had a first-degree relative with a peanut allergy, and 11% had a confirmed peanut allergy. The risk of peanut allergy increased with age and severe eczema.

In 2015, the LEAP study, which was conducted in the United Kingdom with 640 infants aged 4-11 months who had risk factors for peanut allergy, revolutionized peanut-allergy primary prevention. Regardless of whether the children were sensitized or not, the number of children who developed a peanut allergy was systematically lower in the group that ingested the allergen in comparison with the “avoidance” group.

Additionally, the LEAP-ON study showed that protection against peanut allergy persisted for 12 months after cessation of consumption between ages 5 and 6 years among children who had consumed peanuts previously.

Early diversification in the general population was investigated in the EAT study, which involved 1303 breastfed infants. Of these infants, 24% had atopic dermatitis (median SCORAD score, 7.5). They were divided into two arms: avoidance and breast feeding until 6 months (standard introduction) or early introduction at 3 months (boiled egg, milk, peanuts, sesame, white fish, wheat, 2 g of protein twice a week). In the per-protocol analysis, there were 13 cases of peanut allergy in the standard introduction group; there were no cases in the early introduction group.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Although in many cases, food-allergen tolerance can be achieved with oral immunotherapy, primary prevention of food allergies remains crucial, according to the French Society of Allergology. In new recommendations that were presented at a session of the Congress of French Pediatric Societies, the academic society advocated early introduction of allergens for all children, starting at 4 months of age.

The latest prevention data from two major studies, LEAP and EAT, have prompted European and French experts to rethink their stance on food diversification. The new French proposals were recently published under the coordination of Dominique Sabouraud-Leclerc, MD, pediatrics department, Reims (France) University Hospital, on behalf of the Food Allergy Working Group of the French Society of Allergology.

For all newborns, regardless of whether they have a history of atopic or nonatopic dermatitis, food diversification is now recommended from 4 months of age instead of 6 months, as was previously recommended. If the child does not develop atopic dermatitis or develops only a mild form, peanuts, eggs, and nuts may be introduced at home.

However, if the child experiences severe atopic dermatitis, an allergy testing panel for peanuts, nuts, eggs, and cow’s milk proteins should be performed. An oral food challenge may be conducted at the allergist’s discretion.

Regarding peanuts, the working group proposed introducing a purée in the form of either a mixture of peanuts/hazelnuts/cashew nuts (1 level teaspoon five times a week; 2 g of protein/food per week) or a 100% peanut paste (1 scant teaspoon four times a week; 2 g of peanut protein/week). If the family is worried, the allergist can suggest monitoring the child in the clinic waiting room for 30 minutes after the first dose.

“We shouldn’t delay the introduction of the primary allergens anymore, regardless of whether children are at risk for a food allergy, and particularly a peanut allergy,” explained Stéphanie Lejeune, MD, pediatric pulmonologist and allergist at Lille (France) Regional University Hospital, who presented these new findings at the congress. “In fact, if we only target at-risk children, we overlook children with no family history who will nevertheless develop food allergies. The idea is to introduce everything, especially peanuts, between 4 and 6 months of age and to no longer do so gradually, one food after another, as was being done until now, beginning at 6 months and over. We must give priority to regularity over quantity.”

Although this approach is based on clinical trials, no real-life data are currently available.
 

LEAP and EAT studies support early introduction of peanuts

A study from 2021 summed up the risk factors for peanut allergy. About 61% of infants (4-11 months) had atopic dermatitis, 18% had a food allergy, 62% had a first-degree relative with a peanut allergy, and 11% had a confirmed peanut allergy. The risk of peanut allergy increased with age and severe eczema.

In 2015, the LEAP study, which was conducted in the United Kingdom with 640 infants aged 4-11 months who had risk factors for peanut allergy, revolutionized peanut-allergy primary prevention. Regardless of whether the children were sensitized or not, the number of children who developed a peanut allergy was systematically lower in the group that ingested the allergen in comparison with the “avoidance” group.

Additionally, the LEAP-ON study showed that protection against peanut allergy persisted for 12 months after cessation of consumption between ages 5 and 6 years among children who had consumed peanuts previously.

Early diversification in the general population was investigated in the EAT study, which involved 1303 breastfed infants. Of these infants, 24% had atopic dermatitis (median SCORAD score, 7.5). They were divided into two arms: avoidance and breast feeding until 6 months (standard introduction) or early introduction at 3 months (boiled egg, milk, peanuts, sesame, white fish, wheat, 2 g of protein twice a week). In the per-protocol analysis, there were 13 cases of peanut allergy in the standard introduction group; there were no cases in the early introduction group.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Chemotherapy, now streaming at just $15.99 a month!

It’s a lazy Sunday and you flip on Netflix, looking for something new to watch. There’s an almost-overwhelming number of shows out there, but right at the top of the recommended list is something that strikes your fancy right away. The algorithm behind the scenes is doing its job well, winnowing the universe of content right down to the few things you’ll find relevant, based on what you’ve watched and liked in the past.

rawpixel

Now, the almighty content algorithm is coming for something a little more useful than binge watching obscure 80s sitcoms: cancer treatment.

By plugging the fully sequenced genomes of nearly 10,000 patients with 33 different types of cancer into an algorithm powered by the same sort of artificial intelligence used by Netflix, researchers from London and San Diego found 21 common faults in the chromosomes of tumors, which they called copy number signatures. While cancer is a complex disease, when faults occur in those copy number signatures, the results were similar across the board. If X genetic defect occurs within a tumor, Y result will happen, even across cancer types. For example, tumors whose chromosomes had shattered and reformed had by far the worst disease outcomes.

The eventual hope is that, just as Netflix can predict what you’ll want to watch based on what you’ve already seen, oncologists will be able to predict the course of a cancer, based on the tumor’s early genetic traits, and get ahead of future genetic degradation to prevent the worst outcomes. A sort of “Oh, your tumor has enjoyed The Office. Might we suggest a treatment of 30 Rock” situation. Further research will be required to determine whether or not the cancer algorithm can get us part 2 of “Stranger Things 4” a week early.
 

Pay criminals, cut crime?

What is the best method for punishing those who commit wrongdoing? Fines? Jail time? Actually, no. A recent study says that financial compensation works best.

In other words, pay them for their actions. Really.

wakila/Getty Images

Psychologist Tage S. Rai, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management, found that people who hurt others or commit crimes are actually doing it because they think it’s the right thing to do. The results of this study say play at the angle of their morality. When that’s compromised, the offender is less likely to do it again.

Four different experiments were conducted using an online economics game with nearly 1,500 participants. Dr. Rai found that providing a monetary bonus for inflicting a punishment on a third party within the game cut the participants’ willingness to do it again by 50%.

“People punish others to signal their own goodness and receiving compensation might make it seem as though they’re driven by greed rather than justice,” he said.

The big deterrent, though, was negative judgment from peers. People in the study were even more hesitant to inflict harm and gain a profit if they thought they were going to be judged for it.

So maybe the answer to cutting crime isn’t as simple as slapping on a fine. It’s slapping on shame and paying them for it.
 

A conspiracy of chronobiologic proportions

The Golden State Warriors just won the NBA championship – that much is true – but we’ve got some news that you didn’t get from ESPN. The kind of news that their “partners” from the NBA didn’t want them to report. Unlike most conspiracy theories, however, this one has some science behind it.

PxHere

In this case, science in the form of a study published in Frontiers in Physiology says that jet lag had a greater effect on the Boston Celtics than it did on the Warriors.

“Eastward travel – where the destination time is later than the origin time – requires the athlete to shorten their day (known as a phase advance). During phase advance, athletes often struggle to fall asleep at an earlier bedtime, leading to sleep loss and, consequently, potential impaired physiological performance and motivation the next day,” senior author Elise Facer-Childs, PhD, of Monash University, Melbourne, said in written statement.

Dr. Facer-Childs and associates took a very close look at 10 seasons’ worth of NBA games – 11,481 games, to be exact – and found “that eastward (but not westward) jet lag was associated with impaired performance for home (but not away) teams.” The existence of a pro-Western bias against teams that traveled eastward for their home games was clear:

• The chance of winning for eastern teams was reduced by 6.0%.
• They grabbed 1.3 fewer rebounds per game.
• Their field goal percentage was 1.2% lower.

And here’s the final nail in the conspiracy coffin: The NBA knew about the jet lag effect and changed the schedule of the finals in 2014 in a way that makes it worse. Before that, the higher-seeded team got two home games, then the lower-seeded team had three at home, followed by two more at the home of the higher seed. Now it’s a 2-2-1-1-1 arrangement that leads to more travel and, of course, more jet lag.

The study was published during the championship series, so the investigators suggested that the Celtics “might benefit from chronobiology-informed strategies designed to mitigate eastward jet lag symptomatology.”

So there you have it, sports fans/conspiracy theorists: You can’t chase Steph Curry around the court for 48 minutes without the right chronobiology-informed strategy. Everyone knows that.
 

Being hungry can alter your ‘type’

Fasting and being hungry can be a dangerous mix for becoming “hangry” and irritable, but did you know being hungry can also affect your attraction to other people?

©stevanovicigor/thinkstockphotos.com

Evidence has shown that being hungry can affect important things such as decision-making, memory, cognition, and function. It might affect decision-making in the sense that those six tacos at Taco Bell might win out over grilled chicken breast and veggies at home, but can hunger make you think that the person you just swiped right on isn’t really your type after all?

We’ll leave that up to Valentina Cazzato of Liverpool (England) John Moores University and associates, whose study involved 44 people, of whom 21 were women in their early 20s. The participants were shown computer-generated images of men and women of different sizes. The same background was used for each picture and all the expressions of the models were neutral. Participants were asked to rate each image on how much they liked it. One study was done on participants who had been fasting for 12 hours, and the second was done on those who had just eaten something.

The subjects generally preferred slim models over more rounded ones, but not after fasting. When they were hungry, they found the round human bodies and faces more attractive. So, yes, it’s definitely possible that hunger can alter your attraction to others.

“Future work might seek to elucidate the relationship between physiological states of hunger and shifts in appreciation of the human bodies and whether this relationship might be mediated by individual traits associated with to beholder’s body adiposity,” said researchers.

Chemotherapy, now streaming at just $15.99 a month!

It’s a lazy Sunday and you flip on Netflix, looking for something new to watch. There’s an almost-overwhelming number of shows out there, but right at the top of the recommended list is something that strikes your fancy right away. The algorithm behind the scenes is doing its job well, winnowing the universe of content right down to the few things you’ll find relevant, based on what you’ve watched and liked in the past.

rawpixel

Now, the almighty content algorithm is coming for something a little more useful than binge watching obscure 80s sitcoms: cancer treatment.

By plugging the fully sequenced genomes of nearly 10,000 patients with 33 different types of cancer into an algorithm powered by the same sort of artificial intelligence used by Netflix, researchers from London and San Diego found 21 common faults in the chromosomes of tumors, which they called copy number signatures. While cancer is a complex disease, when faults occur in those copy number signatures, the results were similar across the board. If X genetic defect occurs within a tumor, Y result will happen, even across cancer types. For example, tumors whose chromosomes had shattered and reformed had by far the worst disease outcomes.

The eventual hope is that, just as Netflix can predict what you’ll want to watch based on what you’ve already seen, oncologists will be able to predict the course of a cancer, based on the tumor’s early genetic traits, and get ahead of future genetic degradation to prevent the worst outcomes. A sort of “Oh, your tumor has enjoyed The Office. Might we suggest a treatment of 30 Rock” situation. Further research will be required to determine whether or not the cancer algorithm can get us part 2 of “Stranger Things 4” a week early.
 

Pay criminals, cut crime?

What is the best method for punishing those who commit wrongdoing? Fines? Jail time? Actually, no. A recent study says that financial compensation works best.

In other words, pay them for their actions. Really.

wakila/Getty Images

Psychologist Tage S. Rai, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management, found that people who hurt others or commit crimes are actually doing it because they think it’s the right thing to do. The results of this study say play at the angle of their morality. When that’s compromised, the offender is less likely to do it again.

Four different experiments were conducted using an online economics game with nearly 1,500 participants. Dr. Rai found that providing a monetary bonus for inflicting a punishment on a third party within the game cut the participants’ willingness to do it again by 50%.

“People punish others to signal their own goodness and receiving compensation might make it seem as though they’re driven by greed rather than justice,” he said.

The big deterrent, though, was negative judgment from peers. People in the study were even more hesitant to inflict harm and gain a profit if they thought they were going to be judged for it.

So maybe the answer to cutting crime isn’t as simple as slapping on a fine. It’s slapping on shame and paying them for it.
 

A conspiracy of chronobiologic proportions

The Golden State Warriors just won the NBA championship – that much is true – but we’ve got some news that you didn’t get from ESPN. The kind of news that their “partners” from the NBA didn’t want them to report. Unlike most conspiracy theories, however, this one has some science behind it.

PxHere

In this case, science in the form of a study published in Frontiers in Physiology says that jet lag had a greater effect on the Boston Celtics than it did on the Warriors.

“Eastward travel – where the destination time is later than the origin time – requires the athlete to shorten their day (known as a phase advance). During phase advance, athletes often struggle to fall asleep at an earlier bedtime, leading to sleep loss and, consequently, potential impaired physiological performance and motivation the next day,” senior author Elise Facer-Childs, PhD, of Monash University, Melbourne, said in written statement.

Dr. Facer-Childs and associates took a very close look at 10 seasons’ worth of NBA games – 11,481 games, to be exact – and found “that eastward (but not westward) jet lag was associated with impaired performance for home (but not away) teams.” The existence of a pro-Western bias against teams that traveled eastward for their home games was clear:

• The chance of winning for eastern teams was reduced by 6.0%.
• They grabbed 1.3 fewer rebounds per game.
• Their field goal percentage was 1.2% lower.

And here’s the final nail in the conspiracy coffin: The NBA knew about the jet lag effect and changed the schedule of the finals in 2014 in a way that makes it worse. Before that, the higher-seeded team got two home games, then the lower-seeded team had three at home, followed by two more at the home of the higher seed. Now it’s a 2-2-1-1-1 arrangement that leads to more travel and, of course, more jet lag.

The study was published during the championship series, so the investigators suggested that the Celtics “might benefit from chronobiology-informed strategies designed to mitigate eastward jet lag symptomatology.”

So there you have it, sports fans/conspiracy theorists: You can’t chase Steph Curry around the court for 48 minutes without the right chronobiology-informed strategy. Everyone knows that.
 

Being hungry can alter your ‘type’

Fasting and being hungry can be a dangerous mix for becoming “hangry” and irritable, but did you know being hungry can also affect your attraction to other people?

©stevanovicigor/thinkstockphotos.com

Evidence has shown that being hungry can affect important things such as decision-making, memory, cognition, and function. It might affect decision-making in the sense that those six tacos at Taco Bell might win out over grilled chicken breast and veggies at home, but can hunger make you think that the person you just swiped right on isn’t really your type after all?

We’ll leave that up to Valentina Cazzato of Liverpool (England) John Moores University and associates, whose study involved 44 people, of whom 21 were women in their early 20s. The participants were shown computer-generated images of men and women of different sizes. The same background was used for each picture and all the expressions of the models were neutral. Participants were asked to rate each image on how much they liked it. One study was done on participants who had been fasting for 12 hours, and the second was done on those who had just eaten something.

The subjects generally preferred slim models over more rounded ones, but not after fasting. When they were hungry, they found the round human bodies and faces more attractive. So, yes, it’s definitely possible that hunger can alter your attraction to others.

“Future work might seek to elucidate the relationship between physiological states of hunger and shifts in appreciation of the human bodies and whether this relationship might be mediated by individual traits associated with to beholder’s body adiposity,” said researchers.

Chemotherapy, now streaming at just $15.99 a month!

It’s a lazy Sunday and you flip on Netflix, looking for something new to watch. There’s an almost-overwhelming number of shows out there, but right at the top of the recommended list is something that strikes your fancy right away. The algorithm behind the scenes is doing its job well, winnowing the universe of content right down to the few things you’ll find relevant, based on what you’ve watched and liked in the past.

rawpixel

Now, the almighty content algorithm is coming for something a little more useful than binge watching obscure 80s sitcoms: cancer treatment.

By plugging the fully sequenced genomes of nearly 10,000 patients with 33 different types of cancer into an algorithm powered by the same sort of artificial intelligence used by Netflix, researchers from London and San Diego found 21 common faults in the chromosomes of tumors, which they called copy number signatures. While cancer is a complex disease, when faults occur in those copy number signatures, the results were similar across the board. If X genetic defect occurs within a tumor, Y result will happen, even across cancer types. For example, tumors whose chromosomes had shattered and reformed had by far the worst disease outcomes.

The eventual hope is that, just as Netflix can predict what you’ll want to watch based on what you’ve already seen, oncologists will be able to predict the course of a cancer, based on the tumor’s early genetic traits, and get ahead of future genetic degradation to prevent the worst outcomes. A sort of “Oh, your tumor has enjoyed The Office. Might we suggest a treatment of 30 Rock” situation. Further research will be required to determine whether or not the cancer algorithm can get us part 2 of “Stranger Things 4” a week early.
 

Pay criminals, cut crime?

What is the best method for punishing those who commit wrongdoing? Fines? Jail time? Actually, no. A recent study says that financial compensation works best.

In other words, pay them for their actions. Really.

wakila/Getty Images

Psychologist Tage S. Rai, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego, Rady School of Management, found that people who hurt others or commit crimes are actually doing it because they think it’s the right thing to do. The results of this study say play at the angle of their morality. When that’s compromised, the offender is less likely to do it again.

Four different experiments were conducted using an online economics game with nearly 1,500 participants. Dr. Rai found that providing a monetary bonus for inflicting a punishment on a third party within the game cut the participants’ willingness to do it again by 50%.

“People punish others to signal their own goodness and receiving compensation might make it seem as though they’re driven by greed rather than justice,” he said.

The big deterrent, though, was negative judgment from peers. People in the study were even more hesitant to inflict harm and gain a profit if they thought they were going to be judged for it.

So maybe the answer to cutting crime isn’t as simple as slapping on a fine. It’s slapping on shame and paying them for it.
 

A conspiracy of chronobiologic proportions

The Golden State Warriors just won the NBA championship – that much is true – but we’ve got some news that you didn’t get from ESPN. The kind of news that their “partners” from the NBA didn’t want them to report. Unlike most conspiracy theories, however, this one has some science behind it.

PxHere

In this case, science in the form of a study published in Frontiers in Physiology says that jet lag had a greater effect on the Boston Celtics than it did on the Warriors.

“Eastward travel – where the destination time is later than the origin time – requires the athlete to shorten their day (known as a phase advance). During phase advance, athletes often struggle to fall asleep at an earlier bedtime, leading to sleep loss and, consequently, potential impaired physiological performance and motivation the next day,” senior author Elise Facer-Childs, PhD, of Monash University, Melbourne, said in written statement.

Dr. Facer-Childs and associates took a very close look at 10 seasons’ worth of NBA games – 11,481 games, to be exact – and found “that eastward (but not westward) jet lag was associated with impaired performance for home (but not away) teams.” The existence of a pro-Western bias against teams that traveled eastward for their home games was clear:

• The chance of winning for eastern teams was reduced by 6.0%.
• They grabbed 1.3 fewer rebounds per game.
• Their field goal percentage was 1.2% lower.

And here’s the final nail in the conspiracy coffin: The NBA knew about the jet lag effect and changed the schedule of the finals in 2014 in a way that makes it worse. Before that, the higher-seeded team got two home games, then the lower-seeded team had three at home, followed by two more at the home of the higher seed. Now it’s a 2-2-1-1-1 arrangement that leads to more travel and, of course, more jet lag.

The study was published during the championship series, so the investigators suggested that the Celtics “might benefit from chronobiology-informed strategies designed to mitigate eastward jet lag symptomatology.”

So there you have it, sports fans/conspiracy theorists: You can’t chase Steph Curry around the court for 48 minutes without the right chronobiology-informed strategy. Everyone knows that.
 

Being hungry can alter your ‘type’

Fasting and being hungry can be a dangerous mix for becoming “hangry” and irritable, but did you know being hungry can also affect your attraction to other people?

©stevanovicigor/thinkstockphotos.com

Evidence has shown that being hungry can affect important things such as decision-making, memory, cognition, and function. It might affect decision-making in the sense that those six tacos at Taco Bell might win out over grilled chicken breast and veggies at home, but can hunger make you think that the person you just swiped right on isn’t really your type after all?

We’ll leave that up to Valentina Cazzato of Liverpool (England) John Moores University and associates, whose study involved 44 people, of whom 21 were women in their early 20s. The participants were shown computer-generated images of men and women of different sizes. The same background was used for each picture and all the expressions of the models were neutral. Participants were asked to rate each image on how much they liked it. One study was done on participants who had been fasting for 12 hours, and the second was done on those who had just eaten something.

The subjects generally preferred slim models over more rounded ones, but not after fasting. When they were hungry, they found the round human bodies and faces more attractive. So, yes, it’s definitely possible that hunger can alter your attraction to others.

“Future work might seek to elucidate the relationship between physiological states of hunger and shifts in appreciation of the human bodies and whether this relationship might be mediated by individual traits associated with to beholder’s body adiposity,” said researchers.

Key clinical point: The prevalence of keratosis pilaris (KP) was low in Finnish patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), with no evidence of KP serving as a predictor of AD severity or its early onset.

Major finding: KP was less frequent in patients with AD (28 with vs. 319 without KP), with no association observed between KP and AD severity based on the Eczema Area and Severity Index at the clinical visit (P = .3232; 95% CI 0.276-0.357) or Rajka Langeland severity score (P = .649; 95% CI 0.569-0.654) and early onset of AD (odds ratio 0.616; 95% CI 0.225-1.690).

Study details: Findings are from a cross-sectional, observational study including 502 patients with AD.

Disclosures: This study was funded by University of Helsinki. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Salava A et al. Keratosis pilaris and filaggrin loss-of-function mutations in patients with atopic dermatitis – Results of a Finnish cross-sectional study. J Dermatol. 2022 (May 26). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.16477

Key clinical point: The prevalence of keratosis pilaris (KP) was low in Finnish patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), with no evidence of KP serving as a predictor of AD severity or its early onset.

Major finding: KP was less frequent in patients with AD (28 with vs. 319 without KP), with no association observed between KP and AD severity based on the Eczema Area and Severity Index at the clinical visit (P = .3232; 95% CI 0.276-0.357) or Rajka Langeland severity score (P = .649; 95% CI 0.569-0.654) and early onset of AD (odds ratio 0.616; 95% CI 0.225-1.690).

Study details: Findings are from a cross-sectional, observational study including 502 patients with AD.

Disclosures: This study was funded by University of Helsinki. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Salava A et al. Keratosis pilaris and filaggrin loss-of-function mutations in patients with atopic dermatitis – Results of a Finnish cross-sectional study. J Dermatol. 2022 (May 26). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.16477

Key clinical point: The prevalence of keratosis pilaris (KP) was low in Finnish patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), with no evidence of KP serving as a predictor of AD severity or its early onset.

Major finding: KP was less frequent in patients with AD (28 with vs. 319 without KP), with no association observed between KP and AD severity based on the Eczema Area and Severity Index at the clinical visit (P = .3232; 95% CI 0.276-0.357) or Rajka Langeland severity score (P = .649; 95% CI 0.569-0.654) and early onset of AD (odds ratio 0.616; 95% CI 0.225-1.690).

Study details: Findings are from a cross-sectional, observational study including 502 patients with AD.

Disclosures: This study was funded by University of Helsinki. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Salava A et al. Keratosis pilaris and filaggrin loss-of-function mutations in patients with atopic dermatitis – Results of a Finnish cross-sectional study. J Dermatol. 2022 (May 26). Doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.16477

Key clinical point: A substantial proportion of adults with atopic dermatitis showed contact hypersensitivity to preservatives (PCHS), thus highlighting the need for patch testing in case of worsening skin symptoms because of topical medications or personal care products.

Major finding: The most common preservatives affecting patients with concomitant AD and PCHS were methylisothiazolinone (MI; 83.8%) and 3:1 ratio of methylchloroisothiazolinone/MI (Kathon CG; 36.8%), followed by methyldibromo-glutaronitrile (16.2%), paraben (11.8%), and formaldehyde (7.4%). The majority of patients (79.41%) had one PCHS, whereas 17.65% of patients had two PCHS, with MI and Kathon CG being the most common combination.

Study details: Findings are from a 15-year retrospective study including 723 adults with PCHS and 639 adults with AD, of which 68 patients had concomitant AD and PCHS.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Semmelweis 250+ PhD Excellency Scholarship, Hungary. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Nemeth D et al. Preservative contact hypersensitivity among adult atopic dermatitis patients. Life (Basel). 2022;12(5): 715 (May 11). Doi: 10.3390/life12050715

Key clinical point: A substantial proportion of adults with atopic dermatitis showed contact hypersensitivity to preservatives (PCHS), thus highlighting the need for patch testing in case of worsening skin symptoms because of topical medications or personal care products.

Major finding: The most common preservatives affecting patients with concomitant AD and PCHS were methylisothiazolinone (MI; 83.8%) and 3:1 ratio of methylchloroisothiazolinone/MI (Kathon CG; 36.8%), followed by methyldibromo-glutaronitrile (16.2%), paraben (11.8%), and formaldehyde (7.4%). The majority of patients (79.41%) had one PCHS, whereas 17.65% of patients had two PCHS, with MI and Kathon CG being the most common combination.

Study details: Findings are from a 15-year retrospective study including 723 adults with PCHS and 639 adults with AD, of which 68 patients had concomitant AD and PCHS.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Semmelweis 250+ PhD Excellency Scholarship, Hungary. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Nemeth D et al. Preservative contact hypersensitivity among adult atopic dermatitis patients. Life (Basel). 2022;12(5): 715 (May 11). Doi: 10.3390/life12050715

Key clinical point: A substantial proportion of adults with atopic dermatitis showed contact hypersensitivity to preservatives (PCHS), thus highlighting the need for patch testing in case of worsening skin symptoms because of topical medications or personal care products.

Major finding: The most common preservatives affecting patients with concomitant AD and PCHS were methylisothiazolinone (MI; 83.8%) and 3:1 ratio of methylchloroisothiazolinone/MI (Kathon CG; 36.8%), followed by methyldibromo-glutaronitrile (16.2%), paraben (11.8%), and formaldehyde (7.4%). The majority of patients (79.41%) had one PCHS, whereas 17.65% of patients had two PCHS, with MI and Kathon CG being the most common combination.

Study details: Findings are from a 15-year retrospective study including 723 adults with PCHS and 639 adults with AD, of which 68 patients had concomitant AD and PCHS.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Semmelweis 250+ PhD Excellency Scholarship, Hungary. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Nemeth D et al. Preservative contact hypersensitivity among adult atopic dermatitis patients. Life (Basel). 2022;12(5): 715 (May 11). Doi: 10.3390/life12050715

Key clinical point: In a real-world setting, patients initiating dupilumab reported longstanding moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with frequent type 2 comorbidities and poor quality of life (QoL).

Major finding: Patients reported experiencing AD for a median duration of 17 years, with 93.3% of patients receiving treatments for AD in the previous year, 49.5% receiving systemic medications, and 65.4% reporting a history of ≥1 type 2 inflammatory comorbidities. Overall, 89.2% of patients had a disease severity score of 3/4 (moderate/severe AD) and a mean dermatology life quality index score of 12.7, indicating a severe effect of AD on QoL.

Study details: Findings are from an interim analysis of the ongoing longitudinal, prospective, observational PROSE study including 315 adults with physician-diagnosed AD who initiated dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Seven authors declared being employees and shareholders of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals or Sanofi, and the other authors reported ties with various sources, including Sanofi and Regeneron.

Source: Bagel J et al. Baseline demographics and severity and burden of atopic dermatitis in adult patients initiating dupilumab treatment in a real-world registry (PROSE). Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 20). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00742-w

Key clinical point: In a real-world setting, patients initiating dupilumab reported longstanding moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with frequent type 2 comorbidities and poor quality of life (QoL).

Major finding: Patients reported experiencing AD for a median duration of 17 years, with 93.3% of patients receiving treatments for AD in the previous year, 49.5% receiving systemic medications, and 65.4% reporting a history of ≥1 type 2 inflammatory comorbidities. Overall, 89.2% of patients had a disease severity score of 3/4 (moderate/severe AD) and a mean dermatology life quality index score of 12.7, indicating a severe effect of AD on QoL.

Study details: Findings are from an interim analysis of the ongoing longitudinal, prospective, observational PROSE study including 315 adults with physician-diagnosed AD who initiated dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Seven authors declared being employees and shareholders of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals or Sanofi, and the other authors reported ties with various sources, including Sanofi and Regeneron.

Source: Bagel J et al. Baseline demographics and severity and burden of atopic dermatitis in adult patients initiating dupilumab treatment in a real-world registry (PROSE). Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 20). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00742-w

Key clinical point: In a real-world setting, patients initiating dupilumab reported longstanding moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with frequent type 2 comorbidities and poor quality of life (QoL).

Major finding: Patients reported experiencing AD for a median duration of 17 years, with 93.3% of patients receiving treatments for AD in the previous year, 49.5% receiving systemic medications, and 65.4% reporting a history of ≥1 type 2 inflammatory comorbidities. Overall, 89.2% of patients had a disease severity score of 3/4 (moderate/severe AD) and a mean dermatology life quality index score of 12.7, indicating a severe effect of AD on QoL.

Study details: Findings are from an interim analysis of the ongoing longitudinal, prospective, observational PROSE study including 315 adults with physician-diagnosed AD who initiated dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Seven authors declared being employees and shareholders of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals or Sanofi, and the other authors reported ties with various sources, including Sanofi and Regeneron.

Source: Bagel J et al. Baseline demographics and severity and burden of atopic dermatitis in adult patients initiating dupilumab treatment in a real-world registry (PROSE). Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 20). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00742-w

Key clinical point: Face masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the quality of life by covering facial eczemas and increased the efficacy of dupilumab therapy by minimizing exposure to allergens and air pollution in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Major finding: Although the prevalence of facial eczema was similar before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (P = .7618), patients with AD showed improved Dermatology Life Quality Index scores at baseline (13.14 vs. 23.06; P < .0001) along with a higher reduction in Eczema Area and Severity Index scores after 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment (−21.46 vs. −17.83; P = .0001) in the post- vs. pre-pandemic period.

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective study including 64 adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were assessed for facial involvement at baseline and after 16 weeks of dupilumab therapy in both the pre- and post-pandemic periods.

Disclosures: This study did not receive any funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Vanessa M et al. Facial dermatoses and use of protective mask during Covid-19 pandemic: A clinical and psychological evaluation in patients affected by moderate–severe atopic dermatitis under treatment with dupilumab. Dermatol Ther. 2022; e15573 (May 10). Doi: 10.1111/dth.15573

Key clinical point: Face masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the quality of life by covering facial eczemas and increased the efficacy of dupilumab therapy by minimizing exposure to allergens and air pollution in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Major finding: Although the prevalence of facial eczema was similar before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (P = .7618), patients with AD showed improved Dermatology Life Quality Index scores at baseline (13.14 vs. 23.06; P < .0001) along with a higher reduction in Eczema Area and Severity Index scores after 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment (−21.46 vs. −17.83; P = .0001) in the post- vs. pre-pandemic period.

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective study including 64 adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were assessed for facial involvement at baseline and after 16 weeks of dupilumab therapy in both the pre- and post-pandemic periods.

Disclosures: This study did not receive any funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Vanessa M et al. Facial dermatoses and use of protective mask during Covid-19 pandemic: A clinical and psychological evaluation in patients affected by moderate–severe atopic dermatitis under treatment with dupilumab. Dermatol Ther. 2022; e15573 (May 10). Doi: 10.1111/dth.15573

Key clinical point: Face masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the quality of life by covering facial eczemas and increased the efficacy of dupilumab therapy by minimizing exposure to allergens and air pollution in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Major finding: Although the prevalence of facial eczema was similar before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (P = .7618), patients with AD showed improved Dermatology Life Quality Index scores at baseline (13.14 vs. 23.06; P < .0001) along with a higher reduction in Eczema Area and Severity Index scores after 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment (−21.46 vs. −17.83; P = .0001) in the post- vs. pre-pandemic period.

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective study including 64 adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were assessed for facial involvement at baseline and after 16 weeks of dupilumab therapy in both the pre- and post-pandemic periods.

Disclosures: This study did not receive any funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Vanessa M et al. Facial dermatoses and use of protective mask during Covid-19 pandemic: A clinical and psychological evaluation in patients affected by moderate–severe atopic dermatitis under treatment with dupilumab. Dermatol Ther. 2022; e15573 (May 10). Doi: 10.1111/dth.15573

Key clinical point: Probiotic supplementation reduced the clinical severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and improved the quality of life (QoL) in adults with AD compared with control intervention.

Major finding: Probiotic vs. control intervention significantly reduced the clinical severity of AD in both the short-term (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.63; P = .04) and long-term (SMD 1.57; P < .001) and significantly improved the long-term QoL (SMD 0.74; P < .001), with a mixture of Lactobacillus salivarius and Bifidobacterium being the best supplementation for both short- and long-term outcomes (surface under the cumulative ranking 95.2%).

Study details: Finding are from a meta-analysis of nine studies including 402 adults who received probiotic supplementation (patients with AD; n = 208) or placebo or standard treatment only (control individuals; n = 194).

Disclosures: This study was supported by the Medical and Health Research Project of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Li Y et al. The efficacy of probiotics supplementation for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dermatolog Treat. 2022 (Jun 7). Doi: 10.1080/09546634.2022.2080170

Key clinical point: Probiotic supplementation reduced the clinical severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and improved the quality of life (QoL) in adults with AD compared with control intervention.

Major finding: Probiotic vs. control intervention significantly reduced the clinical severity of AD in both the short-term (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.63; P = .04) and long-term (SMD 1.57; P < .001) and significantly improved the long-term QoL (SMD 0.74; P < .001), with a mixture of Lactobacillus salivarius and Bifidobacterium being the best supplementation for both short- and long-term outcomes (surface under the cumulative ranking 95.2%).

Study details: Finding are from a meta-analysis of nine studies including 402 adults who received probiotic supplementation (patients with AD; n = 208) or placebo or standard treatment only (control individuals; n = 194).

Disclosures: This study was supported by the Medical and Health Research Project of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Li Y et al. The efficacy of probiotics supplementation for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dermatolog Treat. 2022 (Jun 7). Doi: 10.1080/09546634.2022.2080170

Key clinical point: Probiotic supplementation reduced the clinical severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and improved the quality of life (QoL) in adults with AD compared with control intervention.

Major finding: Probiotic vs. control intervention significantly reduced the clinical severity of AD in both the short-term (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.63; P = .04) and long-term (SMD 1.57; P < .001) and significantly improved the long-term QoL (SMD 0.74; P < .001), with a mixture of Lactobacillus salivarius and Bifidobacterium being the best supplementation for both short- and long-term outcomes (surface under the cumulative ranking 95.2%).

Study details: Finding are from a meta-analysis of nine studies including 402 adults who received probiotic supplementation (patients with AD; n = 208) or placebo or standard treatment only (control individuals; n = 194).

Disclosures: This study was supported by the Medical and Health Research Project of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Li Y et al. The efficacy of probiotics supplementation for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dermatolog Treat. 2022 (Jun 7). Doi: 10.1080/09546634.2022.2080170

Key clinical point: Children born to mothers who received probiotics vs. placebo during gestation or 1 year after childbirth showed a lower risk for infantile atopic dermatitis (AD), but a similar risk for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-associated infantile AD or sensitive constitution.

Major finding: Children born to mothers in the probiotics vs. placebo group showed a lower risk for infantile AD (risk ratio [RR] 0.86; 95% CI 0.78-0.95), although the risk for IgE-associated infantile AD (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.79-1.22) or sensitive constitution (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.81-1.08) was similar between both the treatment groups.

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials including 2575 infants born to mothers who received probiotics or placebo during gestation or 1 year after birth.

Disclosures: This study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Pan H, Su J. Association of probiotics with atopic dermatitis among infant: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022;2022:5080190 (May 23). Doi: 10.1155/2022/5080190

Key clinical point: Children born to mothers who received probiotics vs. placebo during gestation or 1 year after childbirth showed a lower risk for infantile atopic dermatitis (AD), but a similar risk for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-associated infantile AD or sensitive constitution.

Major finding: Children born to mothers in the probiotics vs. placebo group showed a lower risk for infantile AD (risk ratio [RR] 0.86; 95% CI 0.78-0.95), although the risk for IgE-associated infantile AD (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.79-1.22) or sensitive constitution (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.81-1.08) was similar between both the treatment groups.

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials including 2575 infants born to mothers who received probiotics or placebo during gestation or 1 year after birth.

Disclosures: This study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Pan H, Su J. Association of probiotics with atopic dermatitis among infant: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022;2022:5080190 (May 23). Doi: 10.1155/2022/5080190

Key clinical point: Children born to mothers who received probiotics vs. placebo during gestation or 1 year after childbirth showed a lower risk for infantile atopic dermatitis (AD), but a similar risk for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-associated infantile AD or sensitive constitution.

Major finding: Children born to mothers in the probiotics vs. placebo group showed a lower risk for infantile AD (risk ratio [RR] 0.86; 95% CI 0.78-0.95), although the risk for IgE-associated infantile AD (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.79-1.22) or sensitive constitution (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.81-1.08) was similar between both the treatment groups.

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials including 2575 infants born to mothers who received probiotics or placebo during gestation or 1 year after birth.

Disclosures: This study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Pan H, Su J. Association of probiotics with atopic dermatitis among infant: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022;2022:5080190 (May 23). Doi: 10.1155/2022/5080190

Key clinical point: Dupilumab led to clinically meaningful improvements in atopic dermatitis (AD) severity, extent, and itch severity in a real-world population of adults with moderate-to-severe AD.

Major finding: At 4 months, the Investigator’s Global Assessment score reduced by ≥1 point in 81.8% of patients and by ≥2 points in 62.8% of patients. Additionally, at 4 months, the mean itch severity score and affected body surface area reduced from 7.0 to 2.8 and from 39.3% to 16.3% (both P < .0001), respectively, with improvements being significant regardless of age, sex, or treatment history (all P < .0001).

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective, observational study based on electronic medical records of adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were evaluated at 4 months after initiating dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Sanofi. Four authors declared being current or former employees and stockholders of Sanofi or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The other authors declared ties with various sources, including Regeneron and Sanofi.

Source: Eichenfield LF et al. Real-world effectiveness of dupilumab in atopic dermatitis patients: Analysis of an electronic medical records dataset. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 11). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00731-z

Key clinical point: Dupilumab led to clinically meaningful improvements in atopic dermatitis (AD) severity, extent, and itch severity in a real-world population of adults with moderate-to-severe AD.

Major finding: At 4 months, the Investigator’s Global Assessment score reduced by ≥1 point in 81.8% of patients and by ≥2 points in 62.8% of patients. Additionally, at 4 months, the mean itch severity score and affected body surface area reduced from 7.0 to 2.8 and from 39.3% to 16.3% (both P < .0001), respectively, with improvements being significant regardless of age, sex, or treatment history (all P < .0001).

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective, observational study based on electronic medical records of adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were evaluated at 4 months after initiating dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Sanofi. Four authors declared being current or former employees and stockholders of Sanofi or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The other authors declared ties with various sources, including Regeneron and Sanofi.

Source: Eichenfield LF et al. Real-world effectiveness of dupilumab in atopic dermatitis patients: Analysis of an electronic medical records dataset. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 11). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00731-z

Key clinical point: Dupilumab led to clinically meaningful improvements in atopic dermatitis (AD) severity, extent, and itch severity in a real-world population of adults with moderate-to-severe AD.

Major finding: At 4 months, the Investigator’s Global Assessment score reduced by ≥1 point in 81.8% of patients and by ≥2 points in 62.8% of patients. Additionally, at 4 months, the mean itch severity score and affected body surface area reduced from 7.0 to 2.8 and from 39.3% to 16.3% (both P < .0001), respectively, with improvements being significant regardless of age, sex, or treatment history (all P < .0001).

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective, observational study based on electronic medical records of adults with moderate-to-severe AD who were evaluated at 4 months after initiating dupilumab.

Disclosures: This study was funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Sanofi. Four authors declared being current or former employees and stockholders of Sanofi or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The other authors declared ties with various sources, including Regeneron and Sanofi.

Source: Eichenfield LF et al. Real-world effectiveness of dupilumab in atopic dermatitis patients: Analysis of an electronic medical records dataset. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 (May 11). Doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00731-z

Key clinical point: Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) experience a fluctuation in depression severity over time, with the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms being the highest in patients with severe AD.

Major finding: Among patients with ≥2 follow-up visits, most (49.46%) experienced a fluctuation in depression severity, whereas 45.65% experienced a persistent severity of depression. High Eczema Area Severity Index (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 7.622; 95% CI 3.881-14.968) and itch (aOR 14.745; 95% CI 4.696-46.297) scores were strongly associated with difficulty in concentrating over time.

Study details: Findings are from a longitudinal, dermatology practice-based study including 695 adults with AD who were evaluated at baseline and at every 6-month follow-up visits.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Dermatology Foundation, and Galderma. R Chavda and S Gabriel declared being employees of Galderma, and JI Silverberg declared serving as a consultant for Galderma.

Source: Chatrath S et al. Longitudinal course and predictors of depressive symptoms in atopic dermatitis.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022 (May 9). Doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.04.061

Key clinical point: Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) experience a fluctuation in depression severity over time, with the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms being the highest in patients with severe AD.

Major finding: Among patients with ≥2 follow-up visits, most (49.46%) experienced a fluctuation in depression severity, whereas 45.65% experienced a persistent severity of depression. High Eczema Area Severity Index (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 7.622; 95% CI 3.881-14.968) and itch (aOR 14.745; 95% CI 4.696-46.297) scores were strongly associated with difficulty in concentrating over time.

Study details: Findings are from a longitudinal, dermatology practice-based study including 695 adults with AD who were evaluated at baseline and at every 6-month follow-up visits.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Dermatology Foundation, and Galderma. R Chavda and S Gabriel declared being employees of Galderma, and JI Silverberg declared serving as a consultant for Galderma.

Source: Chatrath S et al. Longitudinal course and predictors of depressive symptoms in atopic dermatitis.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022 (May 9). Doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.04.061

Key clinical point: Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) experience a fluctuation in depression severity over time, with the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms being the highest in patients with severe AD.

Major finding: Among patients with ≥2 follow-up visits, most (49.46%) experienced a fluctuation in depression severity, whereas 45.65% experienced a persistent severity of depression. High Eczema Area Severity Index (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 7.622; 95% CI 3.881-14.968) and itch (aOR 14.745; 95% CI 4.696-46.297) scores were strongly associated with difficulty in concentrating over time.

Study details: Findings are from a longitudinal, dermatology practice-based study including 695 adults with AD who were evaluated at baseline and at every 6-month follow-up visits.

Disclosures: This study was funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Dermatology Foundation, and Galderma. R Chavda and S Gabriel declared being employees of Galderma, and JI Silverberg declared serving as a consultant for Galderma.

Source: Chatrath S et al. Longitudinal course and predictors of depressive symptoms in atopic dermatitis.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022 (May 9). Doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.04.061