Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is considered the gold standard for difficult‐to‐treat malignant skin tumors, whose incidence is on the rise. Currently, there are no agreed upon classifiers to predict complex MMS procedures. Such classifiers could enable better patient scheduling, reduce staff burnout and improve patient education. Our goal was to create an accessible and interpretable classifier(s) that would predict complex MMS procedures. A retrospective study applying machine learning models to a dataset of 8644 MMS procedures to predict complex wound reconstruction and number of MMS procedure stages. Each procedure record contained preoperative data on patient demographics, estimated clinical tumor size prior to surgery (mean diameter), tumor characteristics and tumor location, and postoperative procedure outcomes included the wound reconstruction technique and the number of MMS stages performed in order to achieve tumor‐free margins. For the number of stages complexity classification model, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was 0.79 (good performance), with model accuracy of 77%, sensitivity of 71%, specificity of 77%, positive prediction value (PPV) of 14% and negative prediction value (NPV) of 98%. The results for the wound reconstruction complexity classification model were 0.84 for the AUROC (excellent performance), with model accuracy of 75%, sensitivity of 72%, specificity of 76%, PPV of 39% and NPV of 93%. The ML models we created predict the complexity of the components that comprise the MMS procedure. Using the accessible and interpretable tool we provide online, clinicians can improve the management and well‐being of their patients. Study limitation is that models are based on data generated from a single surgeon.
Clinical misclassification between cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) affects treatment plans and carries risks of potential for recurrence, metastases morbidity and mortality. We report the development of a novel tissue sampling approach with molecular biopsy using electroporation. The methods, coined e-biopsy, enables non-thermal permeabilization of cells in the skin for efficient vacuum-assistant extraction of informative biomolecules for rapid diagnosis. We used e-biopsy for ex vivo proteome extraction from 3 locations per patient in 21 cSCC and 21 BCC pathologically validated human tissue samples. The total 126 extracted proteomes were profiled using LC/MS/MS. The obtained mass spectra presented significantly different proteome profiles for cSCC and BCC with several hundreds of proteins significantly differentially expressed in each tumor in comparison to the other. Notably, 17 proteins were uniquely expressed in BCC and 7 were uniquely expressed in cSCC patients. Statistical analysis of differentially expressed proteins found 31 cellular processes, 23 cellular functions and 10 cellular components significantly different between cSCC and BCC. Machine Learning classification models constructed on the sampled proteomes enabled the separation of cSCC patients from BCC with average cross-validation accuracy of 81%, cSCC prediction positive predictive value (PPV) of 78.7% and sensitivity of 92.3%, which is comparable to initial diagnostics in a clinical setup. Finally, the protein-protein interaction analysis of the 11 most informative proteins, derived from Machine Learning framework, enabled detection of a novel protein-protein interaction network valuable for further understanding of skin tumors. Our results provide evidence that the e-biopsy approach could potentially be used as a tool to support cutaneous tumors classification with rapid molecular profiling.
Study Design: Systematic review of hyaluronic acid (HA)-related complications. Objective: To systematically review all available literature including case reports and case series to identify a pattern for the management of vascular compromise resulting in facial skin ischemia and ocular manifestations following HA injection. Methods: This review was based on a systematic search of 3 electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus for all available literature including case series and case reports from database inception to July 2019. Only a total of 52 case reports/series were eligible for review and included 107 patients. Results: The reviewed literature available was comprised from case reports/series and indicated that management of both impending skin necrosis and visual disturbances is variable with no repetitive pattern of action. Yet, successful management is time dependent as early interventions stopped progression and, in some cases, even reversed adverse effects. Conclusion: Results found no universal protocol for achieving optimal results for adverse effects and as such, we present a step-by-step algorithm for the emergency management of complications following HA injection.
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Early detection may improve patient outcomes. Methods: We searched for circulating miRNAs that would constitute biomarkers in SSc patients with PAH (SSc-PAH). We compared miRNA levels and laboratory parameters while evaluating miRNA levels in white blood cells (WBCs) and myofibroblasts. Results: Our study found: 1) miR-26 and miR-let-7d levels were significantly lower in SSc-PAH (n = 12) versus SSc without PAH (SSc-noPAH) patients (n = 25); 2) a positive correlation between miR-26 and miR-let-7d and complement-C3; 3) GO-annotations of genes that are miR-26/miR-let-7d targets and that are expressed in myofibroblast cells, suggesting that these miRNAs regulate the TGF-β-pathway; 4) reduced levels of both miRNAs accompanied fibroblast differentiation to myofibroblasts, while macitentan (endothelin receptor-antagonist) increased the levels. WBCs of SSc-noPAH and SSc-PAH patients contained equal amounts of miR-26/miR-let-7d. During the study, an echocardiograph that predicted PAH development, showed increased pulmonary artery pressure in three SSc-noPAH patients. At study initiation, those patients and an additional SSc-noPAH patient, who eventually developed PAH, had miR-let-7d/miR-26 levels similar to those of SSc-PAH patients. This implies that reduced miR-let-7d/miR-26 levels might be an early indication of PAH. Conclusions: miR-26 and miR-let-7d may be serological markers for SSc-PAH. The results of our study suggest their involvement in myofibroblast differentiation and complement pathway activation, both of which are active in PAH development.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma, is a rare, systemic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can cause fibrosis of cutaneous tissue and visceral organs. Facial involvement can have a deleterious effect on patients’ function, cosmetic appearance and quality of life. This study describes our experience and results with total facial autologous fat grafting for treating scleroderma. It includes 14 women and 3 men with SSc, at an average age of 51.3 years who underwent 32 autologous fat grafting surgeries between 2017–2022. The surgical technique is further described and demographic and surgical data, including preoperative and postoperative measurements were analyzed. Patients who had multiple surgeries ultimately received grafts with twice the volume of fat than in the first procedure. The oral opening increased an average of 33%. All patients reported improvement in quality of life and were very satisfied with the aesthetic outcomes. The use of autologous fat grafting to treat SSc patients successfully increased oral openings and improved facial manifestations. The procedure is reproducible, safe and leads to improvement in facial manifestations and patients’ quality of life. It can be repeated over time to preserve or enhance the results.
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