Oral and topical vitamin D treatment strategies in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a prevalent skin disorder affecting approximately 2-3% of the population in the USA. Its complex and varied presentations necessitate a diverse range of available therapeutic options. While topical corticosteroid therapy is conventionally employed as first-line treatment, long-term usage increases the risk of adverse events, prompting the consideration of alternatives including steroid-sparing agents such as vitamin D.

The literacy barrier in clinical trial consents: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Historically, the readability of consent forms in medicine have been above the average reading level of patients. This can create challenges in obtaining truly informed consent, but the implications on clinical trial participant retention are not fully explored. To address this gap, we seek to analyze clinical trial consent forms by determining their readability and relationship with the associated trial's participant dropout rate.

Metformin Use and Risk of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Propensity-Matched Case-Control Study.

Background: There is literature that suggests metformin may play a protective role against the development of non-melanoma skin cancers. Given the significant burden of disease non-melanoma skin cancers represent, the possibility of a widely available and generally well-tolerated medication such as metformin as part of the prevention and treatment ladder warrants further research.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the potential of metformin in reducing the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, specifically squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, using the All of Us research database.

A Geospatial Analysis of the Association between Access to Tanning Bed Facilities and Melanoma in the United States New England Region.

Substantial geographic disparities in melanoma incidence and access to tanning bed facilities exist. In this spatial ecological study, we evaluate the relationship between access to tanning bed facilities and melanoma incidence. New England county-level melanoma incidence rates (2014-2018), tanning bed facilities location, demographic data, socioeconomic data, and geographic data were obtained from the National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profiles, Data Axle, American Community Survey, and United States Geological Survey.

Exploring Skin Pigmentation Adaptation: A Systematic Review on the Vitamin D Adaptation Hypothesis.

Understanding the genetic adaptations that occurred as humans migrated out of Africa to higher latitudes helps explain on a population-wide level how UV radiation (UVR) exposure will have varying consequences and benefits in patients of different skin pigmentations. It has been hypothesized that the need for efficient vitamin D synthesis was the primary driver for the skin-lightening process that evolutionarily occurred as humans migrated to higher latitudes. This review analyzes the level of support for the hypothesis that skin lightening occurred to enable adequate vitamin D synthesis in populations that migrated to areas with less UVR.

Assessing the Feasibility and Effectiveness of Screening for Indoor Tanning in the Primary Care Setting: A Report of Preliminary Findings.

Introduction: Indoor tanning is a major modifiable risk factor in the development of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. Investigation of behavior-altering interventions is an area of active research. As with other preventive measures, screening of high-risk populations can be an important aspect of a multimodality public health intervention.

Artificial Intelligence for Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Over the past decade, several studies have shown that potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in dermatology. However, there has yet to be a systematic review evaluating the usage of AI specifically within the field of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS).

Objective: In this review, we aimed to comprehensively evaluate the current state, efficacy, and future implications of AI when applied to MMS for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC).

Applications and Best Practices for Geospatial Analysis Research in Dermatology.

Dermatologic diseases often exhibit distinct geographic patterns, underscoring the significant role of regional environmental, genetic, and sociocultural factors in driving their prevalence and manifestations. Geographic information and geospatial analysis enable researchers to investigate the spatial distribution of adverse health outcomes and their relationship with socioeconomic and environmental risk factors that are inherently geographic. Health geographers and spatial epidemiologists have developed numerous geospatial analytical tools to collect, process, visualize, and analyze geographic data.

Bridging the literacy gap for surgical consents: an AI-human expert collaborative approach.

Despite the importance of informed consent in healthcare, the readability and specificity of consent forms often impede patients' comprehension. This study investigates the use of GPT-4 to simplify surgical consent forms and introduces an AI-human expert collaborative approach to validate content appropriateness. Consent forms from multiple institutions were assessed for readability and simplified using GPT-4, with pre- and post-simplification readability metrics compared using nonparametric tests.