Sara Choi

All Publications

• Phase 2 Trial of a Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonist for the Treatment of Chronic Itch in Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Chiou, A. S., Choi, S., Barriga, M., Dutt-Singkh, Y., Solis, D. C., Nazaroff, J., Bailey-Healy, I., Li, S., Shu, K., Joing, M., Kwon, P., Tang, J. Y. 2019

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Chronic pruritus causes major morbidity in epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The substance P-neurokinin 1 receptor (SP-NK1) pathway is a promising target for treating EB-related pruritus.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral NK1 receptor antagonist serlopitant in treating moderate-severe pruritus in EB.METHODS: 14 patients were randomized to serlopitant or placebo for 8 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout and optional open-label extension. The primary endpoint was change in itch as measured by a numeric rating scale (NRS). Secondary endpoints were change in: (1) itch during dressing changes and (2) wound size.RESULTS: We observed greater itch reduction with serlopitant, equivalent to a 0.64-point comparative reduction on the 11-point NRS by week 8, though this failed to meet statistical significance (p=0.11). More serlopitant patients achieved ≥3-point reduction compared to placebo (43% vs. 14%, p=0.35). In post hoc analysis excluding one subject with a concurrent seborrheic dermatitis flare, serlopitant achieved significantly greater median itch reduction from baseline by week 4 (-2 points vs. 0, p=0.01). We observed no statistically significant differences in secondary endpoints. Serlopitant was well-tolerated.LIMITATIONS: Small sample size due to disease rarity CONCLUSION: The potential itch reduction with serlopitant observed in this trial will be pursued by a larger powered trial (NCT03836001).

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.09.014

  View details for PubMedID 31541747

• Dupilumab Treatment of Nummular Dermatitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Choi, S., Zhu, G. A., Lewis, M. A., Honari, G., Chiou, A. S., Ko, J., Chen, J. K. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.12.054

  View details for PubMedID 31923445

• Patient Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: A Global Cross-sectional Survey. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Eng, V. A., Solis, D. C., Gorell, E. S., Choi, S., Nazaroff, J., Li, S., de Souza, M. P., Murrell, D. F., Marinkovich, M. P., Tang, J. Y. 2020

  Abstract

  A spectrum of skin disease severity exists in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB).To characterize the patient reported outcomes and quality of life (QOL) in RDEB patients.A cross-sectional study of RDEB patients surveyed through the global EBCare Registry. Patient reported outcomes included skin disease severity, wound characteristics, pain, itch, extra-cutaneous symptoms, and medications. QOL was measured using the validated Quality of Life in Epidermolysis Bullosa (QOLEB) instrument.85 RDEB patients reported on 1,226 wounds (937 recurrent wounds and 289 chronic open wounds). Overall skin disease severity was self-reported as mild (26%, 22/83), moderate (48%, 40/83), or severe (25%, 21/83). Worsening skin disease severity was significantly associated with larger wounds, increased opiate use, anemia, gastrostomy tube use, infections, osteoporosis, and squamous cell carcinoma. Larger wound size was associated with worse quality of life scores.All data were self-reported from an online EB patient registry.This study shows a significant correlation between larger wound size with worsening skin disease severity and quality of life in RDEB participants. Worsening skin disease severity significantly correlated with key clinical manifestations. These results demonstrate that RDEB patients are able to self-report their skin disease severity and wounds.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.03.028

  View details for PubMedID 32199895

• Assessing the Accuracy of a 3-Dimensional Surface Imaging System in Breast Volume Estimation. Annals of plastic surgery Kwong, J. W., Tijerina, J. D., Choi, S., Luan, A., Feng, C. L., Nguyen, D. H., Lee, G. K., Nazerali, R. S. 2020

  Abstract

  Preoperative prediction of breast volume can guide patient expectations and aid surgical planning in breast reconstruction. Here, we evaluate the accuracy of a portable surface imager (Crisalix S.A., Lausanne, Switzerland) in predicting breast volume compared with anthropomorphic estimates and intraoperative specimen weights.Twenty-five patients (41 breasts) undergoing mastectomy were scanned preoperatively with the Crisalix surface imager, and 1 of 3 attending plastic surgeons provided an anthropomorphic volume estimate. Intraoperative mastectomy weights were used as the gold standard. Volume conversions were performed assuming a density of 0.958 g/cm.The Pearson correlation coefficient between imager estimates and intraoperative volumes was 0.812. The corresponding value for anthropomorphic estimates and intraoperative volumes was 0.848. The mean difference between imager and intraoperative volumes was -233.5 cm, whereas the mean difference between anthropomorphic estimates and intraoperative volumes was -102.7 cm. Stratifying by breast volume, both surface imager and anthropomorphic estimates closely matched intraoperative volumes for breast volumes 600 cm and less, but the 2 techniques tended to underestimate true volumes for breasts larger than 600 cm. Stratification by plastic surgeon providing the estimate and breast surgeon performing the mastectomy did not eliminate this underestimation at larger breast volumes.For breast volumes 600 cm and less, the accuracy of the Crisalix surface imager closely matches anthropomorphic estimates given by experienced plastic surgeons and true volumes as measured from intraoperative specimen weights. Surface imaging may potentially be useful as an adjunct in surgical planning and guiding patient expectations for patients with smaller breast sizes.

  View details for DOI 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002244

  View details for PubMedID 32032116

• Incidence and Risk of Severe Ileus After Orthopedic Surgery: A Case-Control Study HSS Journal Mandl, L. A., Sasaki, M., Yang, J., Choi, S., Cummings, K., Goodman, S. M. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11420-019-09712-z

• Cardiotoxicity associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in cutaneous oncology. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Tabata, M. M., Choi, S., Hirotsu, K., Kwong, B., Soleymani, T. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.08.033

  View details for PubMedID 31437546

• Dietary carotenoids and bacterial infection in wild and domestic convict cichlids (Amatitlania spp.) ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES Brown, A. C., Cahn, M. D., Choi, S., Clotfelter, E. D. 2016; 99 (4): 439–49

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10641-016-0485-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000374670500010