In a left-right comparative study, the Philips TL-01 sunlamp, a new UVB fluorescent lamp, was evaluated in 15 patients with symmetrical psoriasis. One half of the body was treated in a cabin containing TL-01 lamps, and the other half in a cabin containing TL-12 lamps. The patients were treated three times/week, and the study was conducted in a randomized, double-blind fashion. The percentage response of psoriatic lesions was determined on the tenth and twentieth exposures. The therapeutic effect of the TL-01 lamps was superior to that of the TL-12 lamps, and treatment was better tolerated, particularly with regard to episodes of burning. This new lamp appears to provide more effective and safer phototherapy for psoriasis.

IntroductionHuman papillomaviruses (HPVs) are responsible for one-third of all cancers caused by infections. Most HPV studies focus on chronic infections and cancers, and we know little about the early stages of the infection. Our main objective is to better understand the course and natural history of cervical HPV infections in healthy, unvaccinated and vaccinated, young women, by characterising the dynamics of various infection-related populations (virus, epithelial cells, vaginal microbiota and immune effectors). Another objective is to analyse HPV diversity within hosts, and in the study population, in relation to co-factors (lifestyle characteristics, vaccination status, vaginal microbiota, human genetics).Methods and analysisThe PAPCLEAR study is a single center longitudinal study following 150 women, aged 18–25 years, for up to 2 years. Visits occur every 2 or 4 months (depending on HPV status) during which several variables are measured, such as behaviours (via questionnaires), vaginal pH, HPV presence and viral load (via qPCR), local concentrations of cytokines (via MesoScale Discovery technology) and immune cells (via flow cytometry). Additional analyses are outsourced, such as titration of circulating anti-HPV antibodies, vaginal microbiota sequencing (16S and ITS1 loci) and human genotyping. To increase the statistical power of the epidemiological arm of the study, an additional 150 women are screened cross-sectionally. Finally, to maximise the resolution of the time series, participants are asked to perform weekly self-samples at home. Statistical analyses will involve classical tools in epidemiology, genomics and virus kinetics, and will be performed or coordinated by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Montpellier.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud Méditerranée I (reference number 2016-A00712-49); by the Comité Consultatif sur le Traitement de l’Information en matière de Recherche dans le domaine de la Santé (reference number 16.504); by the Commission Nationale Informatique et Libertés (reference number MMS/ABD/AR1612278, decision number DR-2016–488) and by the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (reference 20160072000007). Results will be published in preprint servers, peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through conferences.Trial registration numberNCT02946346; Pre-results.

Background: Narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy is increasingly used in mycosis fungoides (MF). Objective: We report on the results obtained in a prospective series of early MF patients receiving this therapeutic regimen. Methods: In total, 22 patients were treated. Therapeutic results were evaluated on clinical, histological and molecular levels. Patients were then submitted to a clinical follow-up. Results: The cumulative number of treatments ranged from 22 to 48 (mean: 29). A complete clinical remission (CCR) was obtained in 18/22 patients, and a partial clinical remission in 4 cases. Complete or partial histological responses were achieved in 9/15 (all in CCR) and 4/15 patients, respectively. The molecular response was evaluated in 12 patients, and a disappearance of the dominant T cell clone in the skin was obtained in only 3 cases. After 4–48 months of follow-up (mean 20.1 months), 7/18 patients in CCR (39%) relapsed. Conclusion: Narrowband UVB phototherapy is a well-tolerated treatment of early-stage MF, and its efficiency is maximal in very early stages (Ia). Even though clinical results seem very similar to PUVA through indirect and tentative comparisons with historical series, relapses tend to occur earlier than with PUVA, especially when an incomplete histological or molecular response was achieved.

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Understanding genital infections by Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) remains a major public health issue, especially in countries where vaccine uptake is low. We investigate HPV prevalence and antibody status in 150 women (ages 18 to 25) in Montpellier, France. At inclusion and one month later, cervical swabs, blood samples and questionnaires (for demographics and behavioural variables) were collected. Oncogenic, non-vaccine genotypes HPV51, HPV66, HPV53, and HPV52 were the most frequently detected viral genotypes overall. Vaccination status, which was well-balanced in the cohort, showed the strongest (protective) eect against HPV infections, with an associated odds ratio for alphapapillomavirus detection of 0.45 (95% condence interval: [0.22;0.58]). We also identied signicant eects of age, number of partners, body mass index, and contraception status on HPV detection and on coinfections. Type-specic IgG serological status was also largely explained by the vaccination status. IgM seropositivity was best explained by HPV detection at inclusion only. Finally, we identify a strong signicant eect of vaccination on genotype prevalence, with a striking under-representation of HPV51 in vaccinated women. Variations in HPV prevalence correlate with key demographic and behavioural variables. The cross-protective eect of the vaccine against HPV51 merits further investigation.