Journal Digest: February 12

Journal of Translational Medicine: Beyond the skin: endocrine, psychological and nutritional aspects in women with hidradenitis suppurativa

A study on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) found that the condition in women is influenced by hormonal fluctuations, particularly during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause, which can lead to exacerbations. It highlighted that HS is not only a dermatologic issue but also has significant endocrine, psychological, and nutritional impacts, especially for women. The review emphasized the need for a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to managing HS in women, considering the limited and off-label treatment options available.¹

Medicine (Baltimore): The impact, prevalence, and association of different forms of hair loss among individuals with anxiety disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis

A study found a significant association between hair loss and anxiety disorders, with anxiety being notably prevalent in patients with alopecia, with an event rate of 0.47. The severity of anxiety was also correlated with hair loss, as demonstrated by varying event rates and a mean HADS-A score of 7.87. Despite these findings, the study noted considerable heterogeneity across the statistical analyses, emphasizing the complex relationship between alopecia and anxiety.²

International Journal of Dermatology: An educational intervention to reduce regulated medical waste: the inpatient medicine and outpatient dermatology settings

A study found that an educational intervention significantly improved health care workers' understanding of regulated medical waste (RMW) management, with inpatient settings showing a 3-fold increase in correct responses regarding waste disposal. The intervention was particularly effective among nursing staff, with a 12.7 times stronger impact compared to physicians. Overall, the intervention enhanced knowledge about RMW's environmental impact, suggesting the importance of targeted educational strategies for improving RMW practices in health care settings.³

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology: Multi-task AI models in dermatology: overcoming critical clinical translation challenges for enhanced skin lesion diagnosis

A study developed an All-In-One Hierarchical-Out of Distribution-Clinical Triage AI model for skin lesion analysis, which provides 3 levels of predictions to improve diagnostic accuracy. The model showed high sensitivity for binary predictions (88.14%), but lower sensitivity for more specific lesion categories (63.90%). By incorporating multiple levels of prediction and out-of-distribution detection, the model reduced false positives by 20-25% and false negatives by 11-13%, while recommending dermoscopy for 44% of images, improving accuracy when additional input was added.⁴

International Journal of Dermatology: Cutaneous side effects of PD-1 inhibitors: a single-center retrospective study

A study found that 29% of melanoma patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors (pembrolizumab or nivolumab) experienced cutaneous adverse events (cAEs), with vitiligo, maculopapular rash, pruritus, xerostomia, and lichenoid dermatitis being the most common. Patients who developed dermatologic toxicities had improved progression-free survival and overall survival, suggesting that these events may have prognostic significance.⁵

References

1. Dattolo A, Torres M, Frias-Toral E, et al. Beyond the skin: endocrine, psychological and nutritional aspects in women with hidradenitis suppurativa. J Transl Med. 2025;23(1):167. Published 2025 Feb 10. doi:10.1186/s12967-025-06175-1
2. Almudimeegh A, Alajlan AH, Alrasheed AI, et al. The impact, prevalence, and association of different forms of hair loss among individuals with anxiety disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025;104(6):e41457. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000041457
3. Silva GS, Gotschall JW, Hu F, et al. An educational intervention to reduce regulated medical waste: the inpatient medicine and outpatient dermatology settings. Int J Dermatol. Published online February 9, 2025. doi:10.1111/ijd.17682
4. Mehta D, Primiero C, Betz-Stablein B, et al. Multi-task AI models in dermatology: overcoming critical clinical translation challenges for enhanced skin lesion diagnosis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Published online February 7, 2025. doi:10.1111/jdv.20551
5. Pozsgai M, Sebastian UF, Oláh P, Németh V, Gyulai R, Lengyel Z. Cutaneous side effects of PD-1 inhibitors: a single-center retrospective study. Int J Dermatol. Published online February 9, 2025. doi:10.1111/ijd.17683

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