BACKGROUND: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a rare and recurrent autoinflammatory disease, imposes a substantial burden on patients and society. Awareness of GPP in China remains limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey, conducted between September 2021 and May 2023 across 14 hospitals in China, included GPP patients of all ages and disease phases. Data collected encompassed demographics, clinical characteristics, economic impact, disease severity, quality of life, and treatment-related complications. Risk factors for GPP recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 127 patients (female/male ratio = 1.35:1), the mean age of disease onset was 25 years (1st quartile [Q1]-3rd quartile [Q3]: 11-44 years); 29.2% had experienced GPP for more than 10 years. Recurrence occurred in 75.6% of patients, and nearly half reported no identifiable triggers. Younger age at disease onset ( P  = 0.021) and transitioning to plaque psoriasis ( P  = 0.022) were associated with higher recurrence rates. The median diagnostic delay was 8 months (Q1-Q3: 2-41 months), and 32.3% of patients reported misdiagnoses. Comorbidities were present in 53.5% of patients, whereas 51.1% experienced systemic complications during treatment. Depression and anxiety affected 84.5% and 95.6% of patients, respectively. During GPP flares, the median Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 19.0 (Q1-Q3: 13.0-23.5). This score showed significant differences between patients with and without systemic symptoms; it demonstrated correlations with both depression and anxiety scores. Treatment costs caused financial hardship in 55.9% of patients, underscoring the burden associated with GPP. CONCLUSIONS The substantial disease and economic burdens among Chinese GPP patients warrant increased attention. Patients with early onset disease and those transitioning to plaque psoriasis require targeted interventions to mitigate the high recurrence risk.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Psoriasis/pathology* ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; Child ; Young Adult ; Quality of Life ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; East Asian People

Objective:To analyze the clinical manifestations, laboratory results and treatment outcomes of juvenile localized scleroderma(JLS).Methods:This was a retrospective case series study.Epidemiological and clinical data of patients with JLS treated in the Department of Dermatology, Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2019 to August 2021 were analyzed.Results:Among the 228 children, there were 95 males and 133 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.0∶1.4.The median age of onset was 67 months(5.6 years), and the time from onset to diagnosis was 1 month to 106 months.Eight patients(3.5%) had suspected predisposing factors before onset, 25 patients(11.0%) had other diseases at the same time, and 3 patients(1.3%) had a family history of autoimmune diseases.The most common clinical type of JLS was circumscribed morphea(101 cases, 44.3%), followed by linear scleroderma(91 cases, 39.9%), generalized morphea(31 cases, 13.6%), mixed scleroderma(23 cases, 10.1%) and pansclerotic morphea(2 cases, 0.9%).Among them, 76 patients(46.3%) were antinuclear antibody(ANA) positive, and 14 patients(15.0%) were extractable nuclear antigen antibody(ENA) positive.Ninety-one of patients with circumscribed morphea were treated with medium and strong corticosteroids, vitamin D3 derivatives or calcineurin inhibitors.Patients of other types received systemic corticosteroid treatment, with an initial dose range of 1-2 mg/kg and a maximum dose of 60 mg/d.Among them, 72 patients were additionally treated with Methotrexate, with an initial dose range of 10-15 mg/m 2, once a week, and 9 patients were additionally treated with biological agents.The follow-up results showed that the skin symptoms of the patients who were followed up in the dermatology outpatient department had improved to a certain extent and could remain inactive. Conclusions:Children with JLS in the dermatology department are mainly preschool- and school-age.Circumscribed morphea is the most common type, mainly treated with glucocorticoids, vitamin D3 derivatives or calcineurin inhibitors.No specific laboratory test index is found.Corticosteroids combined with Methotrexate are recommended for systematic treatment of other types of JLS.

H 1-antihistamines are widely used in the treatment of various allergic diseases, but there are still many challenges in the safe and rational use of H 1-antihistamines in pediatrics, and there is a lack of guidance on the prescription review of H 1-antihistamines for children.In this paper, suggestions are put forward from the indications, dosage, route of administration, pathophysiological characteristics of children with individual difference and drug interactions, so as to provide reference for clinicians and pharmacists.

Rapamycin is a mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) receptor inhibitor. Advances in the understanding of the mTOR signaling pathway and its downstream effects on tumorigenesis and vascular proliferation have broadened the clinical applications of mTOR receptor inhibitors in treating many challenging diseases. Rapamycin is used orally for the treatment of kidney transplantation, lymphatic leiomyomatosis of lung, tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC), and etc. But systemic therapy using the rapamycin has significant side effects. To mitigate the side effects of systemic rapamycin for dermatologic applications, clinicians have used topical therapy. In recent years, research publications on the topical rapamycin in the treatment of a variety of diseases have increased, as on such diseases of facial angiofibroma of tuberous sclerosis complex, lymphatic malformation, Kaposi hemangioendothelioma, tufted angiomas, and etc. Topical rapamycin can be used as an effective long-term therapy while avoiding systemic side effects, providing a new treatment method for dermatologists. This paper discusses the progress in the treatment of topical rapamycin preparations.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in the treatment of 5 children with severe alopecia areata, especially those with complicated nail damage.Methods:A total of 5 children with severe alopecia areata were enrolled and treated with oral JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib or baricitinib). The improvement of hair loss was assessed by using the severity of alopecia tool (SALT) at 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after the start of treatment. For 3 children with complicated nail damage, the improvement of diseased nails and toenails was evaluated by using the modified nail psoriasis severity index after treatment. During the treatment, adverse reactions were monitored.Results:The 5 children with severe alopecia areata were aged 2 - 11 years, with the disease duration ranging from 5 to 120 months, and the treatment with JAK inhibitors lasted 24 - 48 weeks. After 12-week treatment, 2 children achieved a 50% improvement in SALT (SALT50) ; after 24-week treatment, 3 achieved SALT95, and 1 achieved SALT75 and then withdrew baricitinib for personal reasons; after 36-week treatment, 3 achieved SALT99, and then received half-dose treatment; after 48-week treatment, 1, 1, 1 and 1 patient achieved SALT99, SALT83, SALT31, and SALT0, respectively, and 2 of them experienced gradually aggravated hair loss 1 - 2 months after the start of half-dose treatment. Among the 3 children with complicated nail damage, the improvement rates of nail severity index scores were 67.5%, 45.4%, and 25% respectively, and the improvement rates of toenail severity index scores were 42.5%, 71.4%, and 5% respectively after 12-week treatment; after 48-week treatment, the improvement rate of nail severity index scores were 100%, 100%, and 50% respectively, and the improvement rate of toenail severity index scores were 96.2%, 100%, 50% respectively. During the treatment, the uric acid level increased in 2 children, and one of them was accompanied by increased serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 1 suffered from respiratory tract infections twice during the treatment, and was recovered after symptomatic treatment; there were no adverse reactions leading to drug withdrawal.Conclusion:JAK inhibitors can be used as a treatment option for severe alopecia areata in children.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of biologics versus methotrexate in the treatment of severe pediatric plaque psoriasis.Methods:A retrospective matched case-control study was carried out. Twenty children with severe plaque psoriasis from Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2016 to November 2021 were included in this study, and the patients treated with biologics (adalimumab or secukinumab) were matched with those treated with methotrexate at a ratio of 1∶1 according to the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and age. PASI, physician′s global assessment (PGA) , and body surface area (BSA) scores were assessed at weeks 4, 8 and 12 after the start of treatment, and adverse drug reactions were recorded. Statistical analysis was mainly carried out by using Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher′s exact test and generalized estimating equations. Results:At weeks 4 and 8, the proportions of patients achieving PASI75 and PASI90 were significantly higher in the biologics group (PASI75: 7/10, 10/10, PASI90: 5/10, 9/10, respectively) than in the methotrexate group (PASI75: 1/10, 5/10, PASI90: 0, 1/10, respectively; all P < 0.05) , while there was no significant difference between the biologics group and methotrexate group at week 12 (PASI75: 10/10 vs. 8/10, PASI90: 9/10 vs. 4/10, both P > 0.05) . There were no significant differences in the PASI, BSA or PGA scores between the two groups at baseline (all P > 0.05) , while the biologics group showed significantly decreased PASI and BSA scores at weeks 4, 8 and 12, and significantly decreased PGA score at week 8 compared with the methotrexate group (PASI: Z = 2.50, 3.56, 2.63, respectively; BSA: Z = 2.87, 3.57, 2.40, respectively; PGA: Z = 2.81; all P<0.05) . Analysis of changes over time showed that the PASI, PGA and BSA scores in the biologics group significantly decreased at weeks 4, 8 and 12 compared with those at baseline (all P<0.01) ; the PASI and PGA scores significantly decreased at weeks 8 and 12 compared with the corresponding scores at week 4 (all P<0.05) ; however, there were no significant differences in the PASI, PGA or BSA scores between week 12 and 8 (all P>0.05) . In the methotrexate group, the PASI, PGA and BSA scores at weeks 4, 8 and 12 were all significantly lower than the corresponding scores at the previous adjacent time points (all P<0.05) . There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups ( P = 0.650) , and no serious adverse reactions occurred in either group. The main adverse reaction was infection in the biologics group, while infection and elevation of transaminase levels were common in the methotrexate group. Conclusion:Biologics and methotrexate were both effective and safe for the treatment of severe pediatricplaque psoriasis, and biologics facilitated rapider achievement of PASI75 and PASI90 compared with methotrexate.

Objective:To investigate efficacy and safety of topical sirolimus cream in the treatment of superficial vascular malformation in children.Methods:A single-center prospective study was carried out. Children with superficial vascular malformation were enrolled into this study from Vascular Anomalies Clinic, Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2019 to September 2020, and treated with 0.1% sirolimus cream. The efficacy was evaluated according to an international four-level classification system through imaging examination, dermoscopy and subjective evaluation, and adverse reactions during the treatment were monitored. Statistical analysis was carried out by t test, univariate analysis of variance or Fisher′s exact test. Results:A total of 19 children with superficial vascular malformations were enrolled, including 12 males and 7 females, aged 1 - 11.5 years. Fourteen children were diagnosed with vascular and lymphatic malformations, 3 with lymphatic malformations, and 2 with venous malformations. Sixteen children presented with lesions on the lower extremities, 8 were accompanied by pain, 2 presented with ulceration, and 6 had previous treatment history. After 6-month treatment, 3 patients achieved improvement of level Ⅰ, 4 of level Ⅱ, 4 of level Ⅲ, and 8 of level Ⅳ; 16 achieved improvement, and 12 achieved marked improvement. Six patients showed significantly decreased length, thickness and width of lesions after 6 months of treatment (1.83 ± 0.84 cm, 1.00 ± 0.55 cm, 2.25 ± 1.25 cm, respectively) compared with those before treatment (2.40 ± 0.95 cm, 1.35 ± 0.61 cm, 2.50 ± 1.34 cm, t = 5.22, 10.25, 3.73, respectively, all P < 0.05) . Gender, age, medical history and pain sensation did not significantly affect the therapeutic effect (all P > 0.05) , while diagnostic classification of vascular malformations significantly affected the therapeutic effect ( P = 0.008) . Among the 19 children, 2 had mild local burning sensation after the treatment. After 1- and 6-month treatment, the blood concentrations of sirolimus were both below 1.0 ng/ml. Conclusion:Topical sirolimus is effective and safe in the treatment of superficial vascular malformation in children.

Objective:To investigate clinical characteristics of pediatric psoriasis based on the information systems from two children′s hospitals.Methods:Clinical data on outpatients confirmly diagnosed with pediatric psoriasis were collected from information systems of Beijing Children′s Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University and Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019, and a clinical and epidemiological investigation was conducted. Statistical analysis was carried out by using t test and chi-square test. Results:A total of 5 235 children with psoriasis were included, with the ratio of male to female being 1∶1.08. Their age at the clinic visit ( M [ Q1, Q3]) was 8.37 (6.48, 10.50) years, and the school-age children were the most common population; their age at onset was 7.57 (5.37, 9.82) years. Among the 5 235 children with psoriasis, there were 3 195 (60.82%) with psoriasis vulgaris, 281 (5.37%) with pustular psoriasis, 19 (0.36%) with erythrodermic psoriasis, and 1 (0.02%) with psoriatic arthritis. The trunk (87.76%, 1 097/1 250) was most frequently affected, followed by the limbs (87.68%, 1 096/1 250) , the scalp (62.56%, 782/1 250) , and the face and neck (35.76%, 477/1 250) . Among the 5 235 patients, 4 319 (82.50%) received topical treatments, 177 (3.38%) received systemic treatments, and 832 (15.89%) were treated with antibiotics. Among 3 497 children who received initial treatment regimens, the disease could be controlled in 3 423 (97.88%) without change in treatment regimens, while treatment regimens needed to be adjusted in 2.12%. Conclusions:In the two children′s hospitals, most children with psoriasis developed this condition and visited the clinic at school age, and the predominant clinical type was psoriasis vulgaris. Most skin lesions were extensive, and commonly occurred on the trunk and limbs. Scalp involvement was not uncommon. The condition could be controlled by topical treatments in most children with psoriasis, while a few patients needed systemic treatments.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of oral acitretin on the height and bone development of children.Methods:Clinical and imaging data were collected from 106 children receiving oral acitretin for at least 1 month in Department of Dermatology, Beijing Children′s Hospital from March 2007 to January 2021, and retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome measures were height and near-adult height. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to investigate relevant factors for short stature in children, and non-inferiority test was used to analyze the proximity of the actual height to target height of children who had reached near-adult height. The secondary outcome measures were bone age and epiphyseal closure. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze differences in the value of bone age minus chronological age between the baseline and last follow-up, and the premature closure of epiphysis was also evaluated.Results:Among the 106 children, 62 were males and 44 were females; 84 were diagnosed with pustular psoriasis, 10 with psoriasis vulgaris, 11 with pityriasis rubra pilaris, and 1 with lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei. These children received oral acitretin at doses of <1 mg·kg -1·d -1 for 1 - 90 months. Among the 96 children aged under 18 years, 91 (94.8%) were of normal stature, and 5 (5.2%) were short in stature; among the 83 children receiving acitretin monotherapy, 81 (97.6%) were of normal stature, and 2 (2.4%) of short stature. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of short stature caused by acitretin combined with glucocorticoid therapy was 76.57 times higher than that of acitretin monotherapy ( OR = 77.57, 95% CI: 2.20 - 2 738.82, P = 0.017) , while the type of disease, gender, age at onset, age at initial treatment with acitretin, course of treatment, and average daily dose of acitretin did not significantly affect the stature of children ( P = 0.988, 0.214, 0.087, 0.078, 0.066, 0.350, respectively) . At the last follow-up visit, 13 children who had reached near-adult height were of normal stature, and the non-inferiority test showed that their near-adult height was not inferior to the target height (Satterthwaite = 0.23, P = 0.030) . Bone age was evaluated in 45 children at baseline and last follow-up visit, there was no significant difference in the value of bone age minus chronological age between the baseline and last follow-up ( Z = -0.85, P = 0.250) , and no patients experienced premature closure of epiphysis before and after the treatment. Conclusion:This study preliminarily revealed that oral acitretin at doses of <1 mg·kg -1·d -1 for less than 90 months might not significantly affect the height and bone development of children.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The pro-viral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus 1 (PIM1) is a proto-oncogene and belongs to the serine/threonine kinase family, which are involved in cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is a tyrosine kinase that has been implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. Small molecule HCI-48 is a derivative of chalcone, a class of compounds known to possess anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. However, the underlying mechanism of chalcones against colorectal cancer remains unclear. This study reports that HCI-48 mainly targets PIM1 and FGFR1 kinases, thereby eliciting antitumor effects on colorectal cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. HCI-48 inhibited the activity of both PIM1 and FGFR1 kinases in an ATP-dependent manner, as revealed by computational docking models. Cell-based assays showed that HCI-48 inhibited cell proliferation in CRC cells (HCT-15, DLD1, HCT-116 and SW620), and induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase through modulation of cyclin A2. HCI-48 also induced cellular apoptosis, as evidenced by an increase in the expression of apoptosis biomarkers such as cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved caspase 7. Moreover, HCI-48 attenuated the activation of downstream components of the PIM1 and FGFR1 signaling pathways. Using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) murine tumor models, we found that treatment with HCI-48 diminished the PDX tumor growth of implanted CRC tissue expressing high protein levels of PIM1 and FGFR1. This study suggests that the inhibitory effect of HCI-48 on colorectal tumor growth is mainly mediated through the dual-targeting of PIM1 and FGFR1 kinases. This work provides a theoretical basis for the future application of HCI-48 in the treatment of clinical CRC.