<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<recommendedContent xmlns="http://api.mspoke.com">
    <recommendedItem id="20100101_19_261"
                     title="Scrubbing Away Germs Can Backfire on Backsides (CME/CE)"
                     score="0.002"
                     href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/tb/18121?impressionId=1265746071372"
                     
      Rashes from toilet seats are once again afflicting American children, and the rare condition is often misdiagnosed, which may delay proper treatment.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;That&apos;s the conclusion from a report based of five-cases of toilet-seat contact dermatitis investigated by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and reported in the Jan. 25 issue of &lt;em&gt;Pediatrics&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;While toilet-seat dermatitis is commonly thought to result from allergies to wooden seats, the report concludes that another source is plastic toilet seats cleaned with harsh detergents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;This case series and previous reports have documented that toilet-seat dermatitis is much more common than previously recognized in the U.S. and around the world,&quot; Bernard A. Cohen, MD, and colleagues wrote.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Furthermore, the incidence of this condition is rising in North America because of a resurgent popularity of exotic-wood toilet seats and frequent use of detergents that contain highly irritant/sensitizing compounds such as quaternary ammonium compounds, phenol, formaldehyde, etc. in public restrooms.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Of the cases analyzed by the authors, two occurred in the U.S. and the other three occurred in India.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Both U.S. cases were girls, a 6-year-old who had a rash for over two years before it was correctly diagnosed and a 10-year-old whose rash lasted for a year. In both cases, the rashes seemed to worsen during the school year when the girls were using school restrooms. The younger girl&apos;s dermatitis twice became infected with methicillin-resistant &lt;em&gt;Staphylococcus aureus &lt;/em&gt;and required treatment with antibiotics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After doctors determined the rashes were the result of contact with toilet seats and instructed the girls to use toilet-seat covers and apply moisturizers and topical steroids to the affected areas, the eruptions cleared up within a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The cases in India included a 14-month old boy and two girls, 12 and 10.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The boy and the 12-year-old girl were both initially misdiagnosed with ringworm and unsuccessfully treated with clotrimazole cream. The other girl was unsuccessfully treated with ayurvedic and homeopathic topical medications before doctors diagnosed toilet-seat dermatitis. Two of the children were instructed to use soaps that only exacerbated the problem.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In all three cases, the rashes cleared up with some combination of topical steroids, using toilet-seat covers, replacing the household toilet seat, and limiting time on the toilet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The authors distinguished between two types of toilet-seat dermatitis: allergic contact dermatitis, the better described form of the condition, in which a patient develops allergy to wooden toilet seats, and irritant contact dermatitis, in which the rashes result from contact with harsh detergents used on plastic toilet seats.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They noted that detergents used in public restrooms and in hospitals are potentially more irritating to the skin than those used at home and that alkaline detergents are more likely to cause skin irritation than acidic detergents, because they perturb the body&apos;s natural acidic environment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Toilet-seat dermatitis was first identified as an external skin rash in 1927. Exposure to wooden toilet seats and associated varnish, lacquers, and paints led to sensitization and development of an allergic contact dermatitis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The condition nearly disappeared in the U.S. in 1980s and 1990s, after public facilities and homeowners in the U.S. changed from wooden to plastic toilet seats and sanitary seat covers became readily available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;However, in recent years the number of cases has grown as a result of homeowners installing toilet seats made of exotic woods and the increased use of harsh toilet seat detergents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Most reports have focused on adults with rashes, but little previous attention has focused on the condition in children. &quot;In this case series we describe toilet-seat contact dermatitis in children and underscore a typical history and physical findings that we hope will aid clinicians in recognizing this disease,&quot; the authors wrote.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;It is important to underscore that regular use of toilet-seat covers is the key to success in treatment,&quot; the authors wrote. &quot;Such seat covers can be purchased at any major retailer such as Walmart or online.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As an alternative, newspaper cutouts could be used to provide barrier protection. Although it is possible to develop an allergy to toilet-seat covers, none have been reported thus far in the literature.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;float:left;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-color:#8dabbc;font-family:arial;font-size:12px;background-color:#DBE9F2;padding:5px;&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;The authors reported no sources of funding or financial conflicts of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;clear:both;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
    </recommendedItem>
    <recommendedItem id="20090101_19_450"
                     title="SDEF: Draft Guideline to Ease Methotrexate Liver Biopsy Recommendation"
                     score="-0.005"
                     href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SDEF/tb/12846?impressionId=1265746071372"
                     
      WAILEA, Hawaii, Feb. 12 -- The American Academy of Dermatology is poised to loosen the decade-old guideline recommendation aimed at reducing liver damage from giving methotrexate for psoriasis.
              &lt;br&gt; 
              &lt;br&gt;John Y.M. Koo, M.D., vice chairman of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco, said that he and other members of the AAD guidelines committee have &quot;hashed out in a manuscript form&quot; an update that recommends periodic liver biopsies when patients reach a threshold of 3.5 g of methotrexate.
              &lt;br&gt; 
              &lt;br&gt;That recommendation, Dr. Koo said during a presentation at the Skin Disease Education Foundation (SDEF) Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, would cover only patients &quot;who have no risk factors whatever -- no fatty liver disease, no obesity, no diabetes.&quot;
              &lt;br&gt; 
              &lt;br&gt;Patients with such risk factors are not recommended for methotrexate therapy. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Koo said the guideline must be approved by the AAD, but he said he expected that approval within the next few months. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The current guidelines recommend periodic liver biopsies and cites a cumulative dose threshold of 1.5 g.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;But in recent years several clinicians have questioned that threshold. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Craig L. Leonardi, M.D., a dermatologist at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, said there was much controversy surrounding not only liver biopsies, but also the interpretation of the biopsy findings. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;He said he was &quot;trying to relax and wait until 3 g or 3.5 g before I&apos;m bothering my patients about liver biopsies.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi said the issue was complicated by a subset of patients &quot;who are very tolerant of the drug.&quot; 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;To illustrate, he described a patient who was referred to him who had a history of 25 mg of methotrexate a week for 20 years. He said the patient had been poorly managed with liver function tests only every other year and the patient also &quot;drank a couple of fingers of Scotch every night.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi said when did a liver biopsy, the pathologist called to point out that the patient history must be incorrect because the liver was fine. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Koo said he, too, had patients who appeared to be methotrexate tolerant, but he also had other patients who were in fulminant methotrexate-induced liver failure at relatively low doses. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;M. Shane Chapman, M.D., of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., agreed that a guideline change was in order, but he said that if physicians believe that a patient may be harmed by methotrexate they should &quot;get the patient off the drug.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Henry H. Roenigk, Jr., M.D., professor emeritus at Northwestern, and chair of the SDEF psoriasis session, said methotrexate was the &quot;historic gold standard for psoriasis because it is so effective, with a 60% to 80% clear rate.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;And, in the era of biologics that are noted for both their efficacy and price, &quot;methotrexate is cheap, and that&apos;s a key factor.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Roenigk noted, too, that rhematologists regularly use methotrexate &quot;with no biopsies.&quot; 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#8dabbc; font-family:arial; font-size:12px; background-color:#DBE9F2; padding:5px 5px 5px 5px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt; Dr. Roenigk said he was on the speakers&apos; bureaus for Amgen, Genentech, and Abbott.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi disclosed potential conflicts of interest with Abbott, Abgenix, Allergan, Amgen/Immunex, Biogen-IDEC, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Connetics, Corixa, Celgene, Centocor, Fujisawa, Genentech, Isis, and Medimmune.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Chapman disclosed potential conflicts of interest with Genentech, Centocor, and Abbott.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Koo disclosed potential conflicts of interest with Abbot, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Centacor, Connetics, Eisai, Fujisawa, Galderma, Genentech, Novartis, Serono, Teikoku, Valeant, and Warner-Chilcott.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
    </recommendedItem>
    <recommendedItem id="20090101_19_456"
                     title="SDEF: Variety Key to Strategy for In-Office Infliximab for Psoriasis"
                     score="-0.005"
                     href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SDEF/tb/12874?impressionId=1265746071372"
                     
      WAILEA, Hawaii, Feb.12 -- Long-term remission of even severe psoriasis is possible by modifying both the dose and frequency of infliximab (Remicade) following induction doses, a researcher said here.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;In a series of 79 patients, 75% achieved PASI (psoriasis area and severity index) scores of 90% or better by varying dose and intervals following induction, according to results reported by Craig L. Leonardi, M.D., of Saint Louis University.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Patients were treated in an office setting from January 2005 through July 2007.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Among the patients, 68% received 5 mg/kg and 29% were dosed at 7.5 mg/kg; 71 of the patients were treated at intervals of six to eight weeks, including 22 patients who were infused at seven-week intervals.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi, who presented the findings at the Skin Disease Education Foundation (SDEF) Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, called his treatment paradigm &quot;a rational strategy&quot; for in-office infliximab infusions.  
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;He said the key to response was a strategy that reduced the likelihood that patients would form antibodies to the drug during therapy. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&quot;Antibodies to infliximab are associated with both infusion reactions and loss of efficacy,&quot; Dr. Leonardi said. He said antibody formation was less likely when at least minimal infliximab levels are maintained. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The recommended dosing regimen for infliximab is 5 mg/kg infusions at week 0, two, and six, with infusions very eight weeks thereafter. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi changed that schedule to week 0, two, and six, with a follow-up infusion six weeks later. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;After those four infusions, he stratified patients by response: those with moderate to severe psoriasis had infusions every five weeks, those with mild psoriasis were maintained on an every-six-weeks schedule, and patients who achieved physicians global assessment (PGA) clear status had the infusion interval increased to every seven weeks. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Doses were also adjusted with patients receiving doses as low as 2.5 mg/kg and as high as 12.5 mg/kg. A second immunosuppressant (methotrexate or azathioprine [Imuran]) was added to infliximab for nine patients to further reduce the risk of antibody formation.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Infusion reactions are a common side-effect of infliximab, but Dr. Leonardi said he was able to achieve a small reduction in reactions with a premedication strategy -- acetaminophen 1,000 mg and diphenhydramine 50 mg or acetaminophen 1,000 mg and loratadine 20 mg. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi also said that slowing or suspending the infusion could reduce mild to moderate reactions. The infusion can then be resumed at a lower rate and antihistamines, acetaminophen, or corticosteroids can be given along with the infusion.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Of the 1,301 infusions given during the study period, 68 were administered before initiation of the premedication strategy. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Before beginning the premedication regimen, the infusion reaction rate was 2.94% versus 2.43% following initiation of premedication. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Only two patients had serious infusion reactions -- widespread uticaria in both cases. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The overall adverse event rate was also low, but did include two MIs, one exacerbation of polyneuropathy, and one ovarian carcinoma. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&quot;But there were zero cases of tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, opportunistic infections, demylination, or lymphoma,&quot; said Dr. Leonardi. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The downside of an in-office infliximab infusion strategy is time and practice cost, he said. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The total time per patient is three hours, which includes two-hour infusion time and a minimum of 30-minutes post-infusion observation.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Time is also required to obtain IV access and to reconstitute the drug. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi cautioned that his presentation had several limitations -- the data were observational, all from a single center, and the fact that the regimen &quot;evolved&quot; over time.  
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Also, he said, a number of external factors, including insurance, influenced patient selection.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;That said, he concluded that in-office infliximab treatment can offer &quot;unsurpassed efficacy to patients, even difficult to treat patients. Hands down, this is the best we have.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;For those considering offering in-office infliximab, Dr. Leonardi had one additional caution -- be sure to evaluate each patient before infusion.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Patients, he said, will frequently forget to mention a cold or other minor ailment. Any illness is a contraindication for infusion, &quot;so you need to look the patient in the face and make the clinical judgment that the patient is otherwise healthy.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#8dabbc; font-family:arial; font-size:12px; background-color:#DBE9F2; padding:5px 5px 5px 5px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt; Dr. Leonardi disclosed potential conflicts of interest with Abbott, Abgenix, Allergan, Amgen/Immunex, Biogen-IDEC, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Connetics, Corixa, Celgene, Centocor, Fujisawa, Genentech, Isis, and Medimmune.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
    </recommendedItem>
    <recommendedItem id="20090101_19_468"
                     title="SDEF: Newly Approved Vitamin D Ointment Appears Effective for Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis"
                     score="-0.005"
                     href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SDEF/tb/12887?impressionId=1265746071372"
                     
      WAILEA, Hawaii, Feb. 13 -- Three new topical treatments for psoriasis are now or soon will be available.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;But only one of the three newcomers -- calcitriol (Vectical) is likely to gain widespread use, according to John Y.M. Koo, M.D., vice chairman of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Koo reviewed three new topical psoriasis treatments -- calcitriol, Taclonex Scalp, and Hydrogel Patch -- during a psoriasis session at the Skin Disease Education Foundation (SDEF) Hawaii Dermatology Seminar. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Calcitriol is a vitamin D ointment that was approved by the FDA earlier this month and is expected to be available in pharmacies by early spring, Dr. Koo said.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Taclonex Scalp (calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064%), which was approved by the FDA in March 2008 for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis vulgaris of the scalp, appears to be effective and could be used in combination with other topical or systemic therapies, he said.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Hydrogel Patch, an occlusion product, was also effective in clinical trials, but its use is limited by the FDA&apos;s decision &quot;to put a one-year expiration date on the product,&quot; Dr. Koo said.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Hydrogel Patch is made in Japan and &quot;by the time it arrives in the U.S. by ship, there is little time left before it expires. This product will only gain widespread use if the FDA grants it a two-year expiration date.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;So, of the three new topical therapies, Dr. Koo said that calcitriol, in his opinion, was the one with the greatest potential for clinical utility.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;In phase II trials of patients with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis treated twice daily for eight weeks, calcitriol was superior to vehicle with &quot;significant improvement at two weeks,&quot; he said.  Moreover, the benefit was sustained for eight weeks.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;He said adverse events were minimal and generally mild, and calcitriol ointment &quot;did not show a clinical effect on calcium homeostasis.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;In an open-label, 52-week study of 324 patients, the incidence of hypercalcemia was 3.1%, and did not differ regardless of body surface area affected, he said. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;After 52 weeks of twice daily treatment, &quot;64% of patients were marked &apos;improved&apos; compared with baseline,&quot; Dr. Koo said.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Clinically, Dr. Koo suggested that calcitriol will &quot;fit well in the sequential therapy of psoriasis -- in the quick fix or clearing phase it can be used with clobetasol, then used as monotherapy weekdays and in combination with clobetasol on weekends during the &apos;transitional phase&apos; of treatment, and finally as monotherapy during the maintenance phase.&quot;
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#8dabbc; font-family:arial; font-size:12px; background-color:#DBE9F2; padding:5px 5px 5px 5px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Dr. Koo disclosed potential conflicts of interest for Abbot. Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Centacor, Connetics, Eisai, Fujisawa, Galderma, Genentech, Novartis, Serono, Teikoku, Valeant, and Warner-Chilcott.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
           
    </recommendedItem>
    <recommendedItem id="20090101_19_492"
                     title="SDEF: Investigational Biologics Highly Effective Against Plaque Psoriasis"
                     score="-0.005"
                     href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SDEF/tb/12915?impressionId=1265746071372"
                     
      WAILEA, Hawaii, Feb 16 -- Ustekinumab (Stelara), an investigational fully humanized monoclonal antibody that has been on hold awaiting FDA action for more than a year, is one of two investigational agents that may prove superior to available psoriasis treatments.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;That was the conclusion of Craig L. Leonardi, M.D., a dermatologist at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, who reviewed findings from clinical trials of ustekinumab and ABT-874 at the Skin Disease Education Foundation Hawaii Dermatology Seminar.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The key to the potential superiority of both agents is that they target two interleukin molecules -- IL-12 and IL-23 -- a pair of critical cytokines in the promotion of psoriasis.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi said phase III clinical trials of ustekinumab demonstrated efficacy at both 45 mg and 90 mg doses, which were administered at weeks 0, four and 12 as needed. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;The drug, which is given by subcutaneous injection and was submitted to FDA for approval in December 2007, has also demonstrated superiority for treatment in a head-to-head trial with etanercept (Enbrel), an inhibitor of tumor necrosis-alpha, reported last fall at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology meeting. (See: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.medpagetoday.com/Dermatology/Psoriasis/10964&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;EADV: Ustekinumab Outdoes Etanercept for Psoriasis&lt;/a&gt;)
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Ustekinumab has also demonstrated efficacy for treatment of psoriatic arthritis. (See: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/12884&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;Psoriatic Arthritis Improves with Investigational Biologic&lt;/a&gt;) 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;A major advantage of the drug, Dr. Leonardi said, is the fact that it works quickly and requires minimal injections. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;In the comparison with etanercept, the average number of ustekinumab injections was two, compared with an average of 23.1 for etanercept. 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Yet, at 12 weeks, 68% of patients treated with 45 mg of ustekinumab and 74% of those who received 90 mg of ustekinumab were cleared of at least 75% of psoriasis lesions (PASI 75) compared with only 57% of etanercept patients who achieved PASI 75 (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt;=0.012 for 45 mg and P &lt;0.001 for 90 mg versus etanercept).
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi said that ABT-874, which is still conducting phase 3 trials, also works very fast. &quot;With just a single 200 mg dose, 63% of patients achieved PASI 75 at 12 weeks, and 93% of patients achieved PASI 75 with a 100 mg dose every other week for 12 weeks,&quot; he said.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;If both investigational agents are approved by the FDA -- a prospect that Dr. Leonardi said appeared likely, but far from certain -- ustekinumab would join adalimumab (Humira) 40 mg every other week, and infliximab 5 mg every eight weeks as the most effective biologics for psoriasis.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Those would be followed by a group of &quot;moderate performers&quot; that Dr. Leonardi said included etanercept and efalizumab (Raptiva), followed by alefacept (Amevive). 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; hspace=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#8dabbc; font-family:arial; font-size:12px; background-color:#DBE9F2; padding:5px 5px 5px 5px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt; Ustekinumab trials were funded by Centocor Inc., and trials of ABT-874 were funded by Abbott Laboratories.
              &lt;p&gt; 
              &lt;p&gt;Dr. Leonardi disclosed potential conflicts of interest with Abbott, Abgenix, Allergan, Amgen/Immunex, Biogen-IDEC, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Connetics, Corixa, Celgene, Centocor, Fujisawa, Genentech, Isis, and Medimmune.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
    </recommendedItem>
</recommendedContent>