Antibiotic-resistant P. acnes is prevalent in Hong Kong. Dermatologists should be more vigilant in prescribing antibiotics for acne patients.

Conventional acne treatment presents several challenges such as intolerable side effects and antibiotic resistance. Dermocosmetic products may be used to reduce these unwanted effects. Dermocosmetics include skin cleansers, topical sebum-controllers, skin antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory agents, moisturizers, sunscreens, and camouflage products. Appropriate use of these products may help augment the benefit of acne treatment, minimize side effects, and reduce the need for topical antibiotics. In Asia, there is currently limited scientific data on the application and recommendations for dermocosmetic use in acne vulgaris (AV). This article reviews the evidence on dermocosmetics for AV and provides practice recommendations as discussed during the 4th Asia-Pacific Acne Leaders' Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 7 and 8 February 2015. Through a premeeting survey, a series of plenary lectures, a stepwise program of discussion sessions, and Medline article review, the Expert Panel set forth relevant recommendations on the role of dermocosmetics as adjunct for treating AV in Asian patients.

Erythema elevatum diutinum (EED) is a rare chronic form of leukocytoclastic vasculitis with unknown etiology. EED has been described in association with hematological malignancies, infections and a number of rheumatological diseases. We report a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with intermittent attacks of tender nodules and plaques on the shins and ankles for 6 months. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of EED. Treatment with dapsone resulted in complete resolution of the skin lesions. EED is rarely reported in SLE, and its presentation and treatment is reviewed.

Background Interleukin-23 inhibitors are novel treatment options for psoriasis, and their efficacy and safety have been widely demonstrated in phase 3 clinical trials. Nonetheless, their real-world data remain limited, especially in Asia. Objective To evaluate the real-world effectiveness of interleukin-23 inhibitor guselkumab in Chinese patients with psoriasis. Methods In this retrospective single-center study, Chinese patients with psoriasis receiving a standard dose of guselkumab from November 2018 to May 2020 were included in the study cohort. Disease assessment was performed at baseline (Week 0), and at Week 4, 12, and 20 thereafter, using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. Results Data of 68 adult patients with psoriasis were retrieved for analysis. At Week 20, 72.1%/47.1% of the patients achieved PASI 90/100 response respectively, and 76.5% achieved a PASI score <3. Baseline mean PASI score was 17.5, which significantly reduced to 2.0 at Week 20 (P=0.000). No previous use of biologics was a single significant factor associated with achieving PASI 90/100 and PASI score <3 responses at Week 20 (all Ps<0.05), while there were no statistically significant differences between males and females and body weight >75 and ≤75 kg in achieving these responses (all Ps>0.05). Adverse events were experienced by five patients (7.4%), and all were mild in severity. Conclusion In this first real-world study on guselkumab among Chinese patients with psoriasis, this biologics was shown to be safe and effective in reaching an optimal clinical response up to 20 weeks.

Neurosyphilis is a difficult clinical stage of syphilis as there is no ideal method for diagnosis and workup requires lumbar puncture which may sometimes provide ambiguous results especially in HIV co-infected patients. Enzyme immunoassay is a widely used screening test for syphilis in serum, but its test performance was not well studied in cerebrospinal fluid. To examine the diagnostic performance of cerebrospinal fluid-enzyme immunoassay (CSF-EIA) in neurosyphilis, we conducted a prospective study for two years. All consecutive patients admitted for workup of neurosyphilis under the Social Hygiene Service, in Hong Kong, were included. Laboratory tests on CSF included several serological tests, CSF cell count, and protein. Forty-five patients were prospectively recruited, of which 29 people were living with HIV / AIDS. Using diagnostic case definition standard stipulated in the IUSTI 2008 guidelines, 17 patients satisfied the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. The CSF-EIA test provided 100% in both sensitivity and negative predictive value; its specificity was 46.4% (13/28, 95% CI 31.8-61%). Specificity improved to 80.8% (95% CI: 68.4-93.2%) with optical density cut-off value at 1.4 for cases with CSF red cell counts <600/mm(3) This is the first study on use of CSF-EIA in neurosyphilis. CSF-EIA showed high sensitivity and high negative predictive value in the study population and the presence of CSF red cells < 600/mm(3)might not affect its accuracy.