Francesca Wolfe, MPAS, PA-C, is a physician assistant at Pennsylvania Dermatology Group and clinical instructor at Thomas Jefferson University Physician Assistant program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dear Colleagues:
It brings me much joy to say these words—Welcome to the end of 2020! Welcome also to 2020’s final installment of NP+PA Perspectives in Dermatology, a quarterly supplement series to The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (JCAD) designed just for NPs and PAs in dermatology. This year, many of our professional colleagues submitted informative articles to NP+PA Perspectives, promoting not only our collective education but also furthering to highlight the crucial roles PAs and NPs have in the field of dermatology.
In April, we reprinted an important article by Joe Gorelick, MSN, FNP-C, and colleagues, titled “Understanding Treatment Preferences in Patients with Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis in the United States: Results from a Cross-Sectional Patient Survey.” Their research emphasized the need to understand patient goals and preference for treatment. Patients reported that “keeping skin clear 2 to 3 years” and “overall relief of symptoms” were their top two objectives in systemic treatment. Patients also reported that they expected their systemic treatments would have at least 50-percent clearance of psoriasis in two weeks and complete clearance by four weeks.
In June, we published an original case report by Joe Monroe, MPAS, PA, titled “Atypical Linear Configuration of Bedbug Bites in an Eight-year-old Boy: A Case Report and Overview of Cimicosi,” which provided not only a terrifying look into bedbug biology (their weight increases 150–200% post-feeding!) but also noted the difficulty in eliminating these pests, and thus hindering our ability to completely treat our patients.
In the September issue, we published three original submissions, including 1) another case report by Joe Monroe, this one titled “Toxicodendron Contact Dermatitis: A Case Report and Brief Review,” which reviewed the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, and management of the dreaded contact dermatitis caused by poison ivy, as well as provided useful identifying characteristics of the plant; 2) an original study by Carolyn I. Jacob, MD, FAAD, and Brittany Rank, PA-C, titled “Abdominal Remodeling in Postpartum Women by Using a High-intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) Procedure: An Investigational Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Pilot Study,” which investigated whether HIFEM technology can positively affect abdominal appearance in postpartum women; and 3) a case report by Douglas DiRuggiero, DMSc, MHS, PA-C, titled “Successful Management of Psoriasis and Treatment-induced Tinea Incognito: A Case Report,” which described the management of a 64-year-old Hispanic male patient with a 20-year history of severe psoriasis who presented with a worsening of his condition, and topical corticosteroid-induced tinea incognito.
In the current issue, we are pleased to include an original research submission by Salem et al, titled “Serum Zinc and Inflammatory Cytokines in Vitiligo.” In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between serum levels of zinc and serum levels of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 in patients with vitiligo. The authors found that the serum zinc levels showed significant negative correlation with serum IL-6, IL-4. and IL-17 levels (P<0.05) and that here was a significant positive correlation between the serum levels of the three studied interleukins. The authors concluded that zinc supplementation potentially could be a beneficial treatment for vitiligo, but how much zinc should be administered has yet to be elucidated.
Also don’t miss the article contributed by the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA)’s Board of Directors. Here, the authors highlight the benefits of joining a professional medical society.
NP+PA Perspectives in Dermatology provides NPs and PAs with clinically relevant information on diagnosing and treating dermatological conditions. This supplement series also provides NPs and PAs with the opportunity to be published in a peer-reviewed, indexed journal. For 2021, I encourage my NP and PA colleagues to consider submitting their original research articles, informative literature reviews, didactic case reports, and/or unique commentaries/letters to the editor for consideration of publication in NP+PA Perspectives in Dermatology. Please visit https://bwcbuildout.com/jcad/author-guidelines/ to access the author guidelines (see “NP+PA Perspectives in Dermatology” section for information on how to submit a manuscript as a first author.)
I wish you all a splendid holiday season and the best New Year’s!
With regards,
Francesca Wolfe
Francesca Wolfe, MPAS, PA-C