Papers by Anna Lyakhovitsky
Dermatology
Background: Guttate psoriasis (GP), a distinct variant of psoriasis, is more common in children a... more Background: Guttate psoriasis (GP), a distinct variant of psoriasis, is more common in children and adolescents. The long-term course of these patients has sparsely been examined, with few studies reporting the rates of relapse, persistence, and further development of the psoriasis vulgaris phenotype. Objectives: The objective of this study was to characterize the long-term outcomes of new-onset GP and elucidate the potential factors associated with a persistent disease course. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients diagnosed with new-onset GP between 2009 and 2020 with a follow-up period of at least 1 year, were enrolled. The examinees were evaluated by dermatologists. Detailed data retrieved from the examinees’ medical files included demographics, disease characteristics, treatment, and comorbidities. A structured telephone questionnaire was used to determine the current psoriasis status: type, severity, and extent. At the end of follow-up, patients with a persis...
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Archives of Dermatological Research
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Australasian Journal of Dermatology
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Acta Dermato-Venereologica
Dermal infiltration of eosinophils and eosinophilic spongiosis are prominent features of bullous ... more Dermal infiltration of eosinophils and eosinophilic spongiosis are prominent features of bullous pemphigoid lesions. Although several observations support the pathogenic role of eosinophils in bullous pemphigoid, few studies have examined the impact of skin eosinophil counts on disease severity and treatment response. This retrospective study assessed the association between eosinophil counts in skin biopsy samples of 137 patients with bullous pemphigoid and their demographic characteristics, comorbidities, disease severity, and treatment response. There was no relationship between eosinophil count and age, sex, or disease severity at disease onset. There was a positive relationship between eosinophil counts and neurological comorbidity and a negative relationship between eosinophil counts and treatment response. At all follow-up points patients with no tissue eosinophils had a better response to treatment than patients with any tissue eosinophil count. In conclusion, skin eosinophi...
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Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
BackgroundHair‐ and scalp‐related disorders (HSRDs) encompass a wide range of conditions that aff... more BackgroundHair‐ and scalp‐related disorders (HSRDs) encompass a wide range of conditions that affect people of all ages.ObjectiveTo evaluate the workload and trends in HSRDs at an outpatient dermatological clinic in a tertiary medical centre over a 10‐year period.MethodsMedical records for HSRD visits to the outpatient dermatology clinic at the Sheba Medical Center, an Israeli tertiary care center, were reviewed between 1 January, 2010 and 31 December, 2020.ResultsThere were 10,396 HSRD visits with a new‐to‐follow‐up visit ratio of 1:1.9. The annual number of HSRD visits, as well as their proportion out of all dermatological outpatient visits, have increased from 295 (1.24%) in 2010 to 1726 (9.44%) in 2020. The patients' mean age was 35.3 years (women 39.5 years, men 28.8 years), age range 1–87 years. Over the decade, there was a growing predominance of women with an average female‐to‐male ratio of 2:1. The winter season accounted for 28.7% of annual visits, followed by the autu...
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Atopic eczema is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. It is a common dermatological diso... more Atopic eczema is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. It is a common dermatological disorder that affects 17.8 million individuals in the USA, up to 20% of children and up to 3% of adults. Recent data show that the incidence of the disease is still rising, both in children and adults, especially in low-income countries. Atopic dermatitis in adults consists of childhood-onset (COAD) and adult or late-onset types (LOAD). Prior research has described differences in clinical features, laboratory data, and response to treatment between COAD and LOAD. Most studies have been done on an ambulatory population that mostly contains patients with mild to moderate disease. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The aim of the study was to describe the differences between adults hospitalized with COAD and LOAD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Data were analyzed from a retrospective cohort of 107 adult AD patients who were hospitalized from 2009 to 2017. Analysis ...
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Harefuah, 2016
INTRODUCTION Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ specific autoimmune disease. Similar to other autoi... more INTRODUCTION Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ specific autoimmune disease. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, its pathogenesis is believed to be an interaction of genetic, environmental and immune factors. Studies have shown that autoreactive lymphocytes affect anagen hair follicles leading to subsequent shedding of hairs and alopecia. Clinically, the disease is characterized by sudden nonscarring hair loss that usually involves the scalp, but may also affect the face and other body areas, and indeed the entire body hair. AA may appear for the first time at any age, affecting both children and adults, but it occurs primarily at a young age with a peak incidence in the second and third decade of life. The disease causes pronounced social and psychological impact. The main therapeutic approaches include immunosuppression through anti-inflammatory agents and immunomodulation based on skin sensitization.
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Harefuah, 2020
INTRODUCTION Different drugs can affect the hair. Among the various types of drug-induced hair ch... more INTRODUCTION Different drugs can affect the hair. Among the various types of drug-induced hair changes, hair colour change is a rare phenomenon which is less reported in the literature. Hair colour changes include lightening of the hair, whitening or returning to the original colour and even change to a new colour. In this article we report a patient presenting with hair yellowing due to topical treatment with minoxidil and discuss the phenomenon of drug-induced hair colour changes.
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Dermatology, 2021
Background: Emerging evidence indicates that several hematological markers can be used to evaluat... more Background: Emerging evidence indicates that several hematological markers can be used to evaluate treatment response, prediction, and early relapse detection in different inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-neutrophil ratio, mean platelet volume, and disease activity in patients with pemphigus vulgaris. Methods: Fifty-six patients (20 men, 36 women; mean age 54 ± 14 years) diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into those treated and not treated with rituximab (groups 1 and 2), and into those who did and did not develop relapse (groups 3 and 4). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-neutrophil ratio and mean platelet volume were evaluated at the time of diagnosis, remission, and relapse. The relationship between each marker and disease stage was analyzed using th...
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Acta Dermato Venereologica, 2021
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Mycoses, 2020
SummaryBackgroundCandida onychomycosis mostly involves fingernails. Yet, in contrast to dermatoph... more SummaryBackgroundCandida onychomycosis mostly involves fingernails. Yet, in contrast to dermatophytes, Candida isolation from dystrophic fingernails does not prove casualty, as sample contamination and non‐pathogenic Candida growth occur. Characterising treatment outcome of Candida‐positive dystrophic nails is crucial to avoid unnecessary treatment.ObjectiveTo investigate predicators associated with treatment outcome among Candida‐positive dystrophic fingernails.Patients and methodsA retrospective cohort study was carried out among 108 adults with Candida‐positive dystrophic fingernails not cured with adequate systemic anti‐fungal course. Diagnosis was based on a single mycological culture. Patients with treatment failure (n = 85; 78.7% of the cases) were compared to patients with partial response (mild to almost cure; n = 23; 21.3% of the cases) at 9 to 12 months following treatment initiation.ResultsTreatment failure was significantly associated with primary onycholysis (odds rati...
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JAAD Case Reports, 2020
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Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020
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Dermatology, 2019
Atopic eczema is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. It is a common dermatological diso... more Atopic eczema is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. It is a common dermatological disorder that affects 17.8 million individuals in the USA, up to 20% of children and up to 3% of adults. Recent data show that the incidence of the disease is still rising, both in children and adults, especially in low-income countries. Atopic dermatitis in adults consists of childhood-onset (COAD) and adult or late-onset types (LOAD). Prior research has described differences in clinical features, laboratory data, and response to treatment between COAD and LOAD. Most studies have been done on an ambulatory population that mostly contains patients with mild to moderate disease. Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the differences between adults hospitalized with COAD and LOAD. Methods: Data were analyzed from a retrospective cohort of 107 adult AD patients who were hospitalized from 2009 to 2017. Analysis of data included epidemiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and ...
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Pediatric dermatology, Jan 27, 2015
We evaluated the efficacy of griseofulvin and fluconazole in reducing the potential for person-to... more We evaluated the efficacy of griseofulvin and fluconazole in reducing the potential for person-to-person transmission of tinea capitis (TC) in children. Children with TC with positive fungal cultures were treated with griseofulvin 25 mg/kg/day (group A) or fluconazole 6 mg/kg/day (group B) for at least 21 days and up to 12 weeks until cure was achieved. Clinical and mycologic examinations occurred before treatment and on days 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 of treatment. During each visit, mycologic examination was performed from scalp lesions of children and fingertips of medical staff and parents after a brief touch of the patient's scalp lesions. Ninety patients were enrolled: 48 treated with griseofulvin and 42 with fluconazole. The predominant species were Trichophyton violaceum (n = 44) and Microsporum canis (n = 41), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (n = 3) and Trichophyton rubrum (n = 2). Ten days after treatment more than 75% of patients from both treatment groups were nonc...
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The Journal of family practice, 2012
In onychomycosis, proper specimen collection is essential for an accurate diagnosis and initiatio... more In onychomycosis, proper specimen collection is essential for an accurate diagnosis and initiation of appropriate therapy. Several techniques and locations have been suggested for specimen collection. To investigate the optimal technique of fungal sampling in onychomycosis. We reexamined 106 patients with distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis (DLSO) of the toenails. (The diagnosis had previously been confirmed by a laboratory mycological examination—both potassium hydroxide [KOH] test and fungal culture—of samples obtained by the proximal sampling approach.) We collected fungal specimens from the distal nail bed first, and later from the distal underside of the nail plate. The collected specimens underwent laboratory mycological examination. KOH testing was positive in 84 (79.2%) specimens from the distal nail bed and only in 60 (56.6%) from the distal underside of the nail plate (P=.0007); cultures were positive in 93 (87.7%) and 76 (71.7%) specimens, respectively (P=.0063). C...
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European journal of dermatology : EJD
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, autoimmune blistering disease. Most patients require long t... more Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, autoimmune blistering disease. Most patients require long term therapy with systemic steroids as a first line of treatment. Immunosuppressive agents such as methotrexate (MTX) are administrated as second line therapy. Only a few reports have assessed MTX efficacy, with contradictory results. The aim of this study was to evaluate MTX as an adjuvant therapy in patients with PV. A retrospective study of 30 PV patients treated with MTX as an adjuvant therapy. Disease severity score and prednisone dosage served as assessing measures. All patients were treated with 15 mg MTX per week. Of the 25 patients defined as severe or moderate disease at the beginning of treatment, 21 (84%) improved and downgraded their severity status at 6 months of treatment. In 21 patients (76.6%) we were able to reduce the prednisone dose. There was a significant improvement in the severity score (p=0.00001) and in prednisone dose (p=0.0001). Four patients (13%) suffered fro...
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Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2014
Abstract Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is as a lymphocytic variant of primary cicatricial... more Abstract Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is as a lymphocytic variant of primary cicatricial alopecia. Objective: To evaluate the demographics, clinical findings, natural history, and response to various treatments of LPP. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of all patients with clinical and histopathological diagnoses of LPP. Results: Out of 46 patients, there were 38 (82.6%) women and 8 (17.4%) men. There was no clear association of specific medical background and medications with disease onset. The most frequent complaint was itching scalp. Asymptomatic hair loss was observed in 39.2%. LPP involved the entire scalp in 39.1%, vertex in 28.3%, anterior scalp and vertex in 17.4%, fronto-temporal scalp in 6.5%, and posterior and parietal scalp in 6.5%. The topical treatment that caused the highest rate of symptomatic improvement was intralesional injection of corticosteroids. The treatment that led to the highest rate of remission was hydroxychloroquine combined with topical corticosteroid application. The remission rate was 6.5% after 3 months and 33% after 18 months. Of patients who achieved remission, 50% need continuous treatment to maintain remission. No patient had any visible hair regrowth on any treatment. Conclusion: The range of empiric topical and systemic treatments used gives unsatisfactory results, in LPP patients.
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International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2009
Copper plays a key role in several processes of skin formation and regeneration. Copper has been ... more Copper plays a key role in several processes of skin formation and regeneration. Copper has been shown to be absorbed through intact skin. We hypothesized that sleeping on fabrics containing copper-impregnated fibres would have a positive cosmetic effect on the skin. The aim of this study was to confirm our hypothesis. A 4-week, double blind, parallel, randomized study was carried out in which 57 volunteers aged 40-60 years used either copper oxide containing pillowcases (0.4% weight/weight) or control pillowcases not containing copper. Photographs were taken by a professional photographer of each participant at the beginning of the study and at 2 and 4 weeks after the commencement of the study. Two expert graders (a dermatologist and a cosmetologist) evaluated the pictures for the effect on several cosmetic facial skin characteristics. The copper-containing pillowcases had a positive effect for the following facial characteristics: reduction of wrinkles (P &lt; 0.001) and crow&#39;s feet/fine lines (P &lt; 0.001) and improvement of general appearance (P &lt; 0.001) at both 2 and 4 weeks. The differences were statistically significant (Wilcoxon scores and chi-squared tests). Consistent sleeping for 4 weeks on copper oxide containing pillowcases caused a significant reduction in the appearance of facial wrinkles and crow&#39;s feet/fine lines and significant improvement in the appearance of facial skin. In most trial participants, this effect was already noticeable within 2 weeks of using the copper oxide containing pillowcases.
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International Journal of Dermatology, 2011
Background Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a life‐threatening disease affecting skin and mucous membr... more Background Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a life‐threatening disease affecting skin and mucous membranes. The “epitope spreading” theory posits that uncontrolled PV can gradually worsen because of exposure of cellular antigens to the immune system. To this end, high‐dose systemic corticosteroids have been advocated as first‐line treatment for patients with PV to achieve disease control.Objective To determine whether the initial dose of prednisone stratified by disease severity affects long‐term disease severity.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 58 patients with PV with at least five years of follow‐up from diagnosis. Patients were categorized into three groups according to the initial dose of prednisone treatment. Parameters analyzed included age, gender, disease severity at baseline and follow‐up, hospitalizations, prednisone doses and adjuvant therapy at follow‐up, and remission rate.Results Ten patients received initial low‐dose prednisone or were treated initially w...
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Papers by Anna Lyakhovitsky