Does dermatoscopy facilitate the detection and diagnosis of vascular skin lesions? A case–control study

Background During dermatoscope-guided surgical procedures, we noticed that vasculature was easily identified. This study investigated the use of dermatoscopy in detecting and diagnosing vascular skin lesions. Methods We retrieved records of patients with vascular skin lesions who underwent dermatoscopy over a 3 month period, in two outpatient clinics affiliated with a university teaching hospital. Our controls were similar patients where dermatoscopy was not performed. Results Our new findings are: 1, clinical and dermatoscopic examinations diagnosed significantly more patients with vascular skin lesions than clinical examinations alone (risk ratio: 1.36; 95% confidence interval: 1.10–1.67); 2, the detection rate increase was significant for cherry angiomas (p < 0.001), telangiectasias (p < 0.01) and spider angiomas (p < 0.01); 3, qualitatively, dermatoscopy revealed characteristic configurations, hues and colour saturations of the vascular skin lesions; and 4, the first reported dermatoscopic images of focal essential telangiectasia and petechial angioma. Conclusion In our setting, clinical and dermatoscopic examinations significantly facilitated detecting and diagnosing vascular skin lesions, compared to clinical examination alone

Facing the threat of influenza pandemic - roles of and implications to general practitioners

The 2009 pandemic of H1N1 influenza, compounded with seasonal influenza, posed a global challenge. Despite the announcement of post-pandemic period on 10 August 2010 by theWHO, H1N1 (2009) virus would continue to circulate as a seasonal virus for some years and national health authorities should remain vigilant due to unpredictable behaviour of the virus. Majority of the world population is living in countries with inadequate resources to purchase vaccines and stockpile antiviral drugs. Basic hygienic measures such as wearing face masks and the hygienic practice of hand washing could reduce the spread of the respiratory viruses. However, the imminent issue is translating these measures into day-to-day practice. The experience from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong has shown that general practitioners (GPs) were willing to discharge their duties despite risks of getting infected themselves. SARS event has highlighted the inadequate interface between primary and secondary care and valuable health care resources were thus inappropriately matched to community needs

Sexually transmitted infections: ten common myths

BACKGROUND The management of sexually transmitted infections serves as a good example of how medical practitioners should offer continuous and 'whole person' care to patients and their contacts. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses 10 myths commonly held by patients with sexually transmitted infections consulting their general practitioners. DISCUSSION: We stress the importance of risk assessment, patient education, pre- and post-test counselling, assessment of associated diseases, contact tracing, and modification of health related behaviour in managing patients with sexually transmitted infections.link_to_OA_fulltex

Prescribing and dispensing by private medical practitioners in Hong Kong - a double-edged sword.

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The association of early infections and atopic dermatitis. A retrospective case-control study in Chinese children in primary care in Hong Kong

The increasing prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in developed countries has been postulated to be related to better hygiene leading to lack of exposure of infants to infections. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of early infections with AD in Chinese children in Hong Kong. Our setting were two primary care surgeries run by a family physician with training and qualifications in pediatrics and in dermatology. Most children were under our continuous care since early infancy. We searched our database and retrieved 132 medical records of infants and children (below eight) with AD fulfilling the United Kingdom Working Party diagnostic criteria of AD seen by us in 12 months. Children with a label of AD but not fulfilling the diagnostic criteria were excluded. Children who were not continuously cared by us since they were born were also excluded. For each child with AD, we retrieved the medical record of the next age-and-sex pair-matched child who did not have skin problems as controls. The number of children with infection before the age of six months, the number of infections, the number of hospitalizations, and the number of children having prescribed antibiotics before six months were insignificantly different in the study and control subjects. We conclude that there is no significant association between early infections and the risk of AD for Chinese children in Hong Kong.link_to_subscribed_fulltex