A proof of concept case series of botulinum toxin a treatment for ischemic feet due to Raynaud's phenomenon.
Botulinum Toxin A (BTX-A) has shown benefit in treating Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) of the hands, but its use in the feet remains largely unreported. We present a retrospective case series of seven patients undergoing 11 BTX-A treatment sessions for refractory ischemic RP of the feet. Injections (100-…
Pharmacological targeting of the TLR8/AP-1 axis ameliorates scleroderma skin inflammation and fibrosis by suppressing monocyte-mediated endothelial injury.
Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) is implicated in systemic sclerosis (SSc) pathogenesis, but its precise cellular mechanisms remain elusive. This study elucidates TLR8's role in monocyte-endothelial crosstalk and evaluates the therapeutic potential of targeting the TLR8/AP-1 axis in SSc. TLR expression i…
Discoid Lupus Erythematous in Genital Skin: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) represents the most common variant of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, a skin-specific autoimmune disorder within the broader lupus erythematosus spectrum Clinically, DLE is characterized by erythematous, scaly plaques with areas of hyperpigmentation. These le…
Assessing post-cold challenge recovery of thermography as a potential outcome measure in trials of SSc-related Raynaud's phenomenon.
Improved new medications for systemic sclerosis-related Raynaud's phenomenon (SSc-RP) are badly needed and better objective outcomes are required to enable this. Thermography imaging of hand cold-challenge offers potential as an outcome measure. To ensure standardisation between pre- and post-dose c…
Revisiting Raynaud's Phenomenon: Emerging Insights and Evolving Management Strategies.
Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) is a multifactorial vasoconstrictive disease that is associated with recurrent and reversible ischemic crises of the extremities, in most cases, the fingers and toes. Its pathophysiology remains a complex issue involving neurovascular loss of regulation, endothelial dysfunc…
The clinical utility of telangiectasia quantification as markers of vascular disease progression in systemic sclerosis.
Telangiectasia are common in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We explored the relationship between the site and quantity of telangiectasia with disease characteristics in SSc and the agreement between patient and physician-reported quantification of telangiectasia. A retrospective analysis of a large, cros…
Early gastrointestinal manifestations predict disease progression and mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis.
Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are common in systemic sclerosis (SSc), yet the value of early symptoms as predictors of progression remains poorly defined. We aimed to determine whether baseline GI symptoms in early SSc predict progression to significant GI outcomes. We studied 450 participants…