116 research outputs found
Ultraviolet-Induced Fluorescence Dermoscopy Reveals Fluorescent Clues in Pitted Keratolysis
Ultraviolet-Induced Fluorescence Dermatoscopy Reveals Fluorescent Clues in Pitted Keratolysi
Laser in surgical scar clearance: An update review.
AbstractScar formation is a consequence of wound healing that developed from damaged tissue either from physical injury or surgical incision. A hypertrophic scar develops due to an abnormal healing response to trauma. It might lead to serious functional and cosmetic disability. There are numerous methods mentioned in the literature to treat such scars but to date, no single method has been known to cure them. In this review, we focused on differences between various types of nonsurgical management of hypertrophic scar focusing on the indication, mechanism of action, and efficacy of the pulsed dye laser (PDL), fractional carbon dioxide laser (fCO2), Er‐YAG laser, and intense pulse light (IPL). The literature research included peer‐reviewed articles (clinical trials or scientific reviews) which were identified by searching electronic databases like PubMed till January 2021 and reference lists of respective articles. Only articles published in the English language were included
Psychological Impact of Melanoma, How to Detect, Support and Help
Incidence of melanoma is increasing every year. A few years ago, we could not speak about long term survivors with melanoma. Chemotherapy did not give a good effect in the past. Metastasis occurred very rapidly, and the progression of melanoma was very fast. But now, with new forms of therapy, especially immunotherapy and target therapy, for the first time, we have long-time survivors. For the prognosis of melanoma, the most important is the stage in which melanoma is detected. For all dermatologists, it is very important to be aware of the psychological impact of melanoma on patients. Dermatologists should recognise psychological disorders. Several different scales can be used for the detection of depression and anxiety – some of them are completed by researchers, some of them are completed by patients, and also, we have combined scales. The need for adequate social and family support as well as psychological help to achieve better coping with illness is necessary. Learning techniques to overcome fear and stress would help in better functioning of all affected, regardless of the stage of the disease. The most severe cases of anxiety and depression, in addition to psychotherapeutic interventions, should also be considered medication therapy
Melanoma and Mastocytosis
There are numerous cases reports and studies confirming the enhanced incidence of melanoma among patients with mastocytosis, especially with systemic mastocytosis. These two diseases are arising from two different types of cells; melanoma arises from neural crest cells and mastocytosis from hematopoietic stem cells. But there are a lot of similarities between the two diseases. The most important and significant is the dependence of the growth factor receptor câ€KIT and câ€KIT ligand (stem cell factor) for their growth and development. Also, expression of the STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and transcription factors MITF (microphthalmiaâ€associated transcription factor) make the connection between melanoma and mastocytosis
Gut Microbiota and the Alteration of Immune Balance in Skin Diseases: From Nutraceuticals to Fecal Transplantation
T
The P.N.E.I. (Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology) approach is represented by the interdisciplinary concept of bidirectional cross-talk between the psycho-neuro-endocrine and immune systems, which can influence the immune response. The well-known Gut-Brain Axis and the Gut-Skin Axis can be merged in a bigger network- the Gut-Brain-Skin Axis, with complex regulation by cytokines, neuro-peptides, neuro-hormones and another messenger (signalling) molecules and maybe the most important modulator of the Gut-Brain-Skin Axis/ the gut microbiota. The role of gut bacterial homeostasis is very important, and the homeostatic imbalance of the immune response may be a relevant etiologic/pathophysiologic factor for extra-intestinal and intestinal inflammatory, allergic and autoimmune diseases. The Low Dose Cytokines Medicine (LDM) is an innovative therapeutic approach. It is based on the most advanced knowledge in molecular biology and low dose pharmacology with the primary outcome. The SKA (Sequential Kinetic Activation) technology, codified and standardised by GUNA S.p.a. -Italy- makes the low doses of signalling molecules able to be active even below the minimum dose classically considered as effective and the significative efficacy of orally administered low-dose signalling molecules is the most representative aspect of LDM. The Physiologic Nutraceuticals and the Low Dose Medicine are two of the most promising approaches for the treatment of skin diseases based on the rebalance of the immune response and the recovery of gut dysbiosis.
 
Evaluation of the glycemic effect of methotrexate in psoriatic arthritis patients with metabolic syndrome: A pilot study
Methotrexate (MTX) is a systemic immunosuppressant drug used for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Previous studies demonstrated a potential association between psoriasis and diabetes mellitus, obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, eventuating into metabolic syndrome. This study aimed at exploring the glycemic effects of MTX in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients. In this prospective cross-sectional study, 27 patients with PsA were evaluated. The status of PsA and presence of accompanying metabolic syndrome was determined by standard criteria and indices. Blood indicators including HbA1c, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein were examined before and 12 weeks after MTX therapy. There were no significant changes between HbA1c levels before and after MTX therapy in both genders (men: P=0.131, women: P=0.803). In addition, HbA1c levels in PsA patients with metabolic syndrome were not different before and after treatment (P=0.250). Finally, HbA1c levels did not change in PsA patients without metabolic syndrome before and after therapy (P=0.506). MTX in PsA patients does not appear to have hyperglycaemic effects in the short-term and can be safely used in patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes
Global burden of peripheral artery disease and its risk factors, 1990–2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
peripheral artery disease were modelled using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 database. Prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality estimates of peripheral artery disease were extracted from GBD 2019. Total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rate of peripheral artery disease attributed to modifiable risk factors were also assessed.
Findings
In 2019, the number of people aged 40 years and older with peripheral artery disease was 113 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 99·2–128·4), with a global prevalence of 1·52% (95% UI 1·33–1·72), of which 42·6% was in countries with low to middle Socio-demographic Index (SDI). The global prevalence of peripheral artery disease was higher in older people, (14·91% [12·41–17·87] in those aged 80–84 years), and was generally higher in females than in males. Globally, the total number of DALYs attributable to modifiable risk factors in 2019 accounted for 69·4% (64·2–74·3) of total peripheral artery disease DALYs. The prevalence of peripheral artery disease was highest in countries with high SDI and lowest in countries with low SDI, whereas DALY and mortality rates showed U-shaped curves, with the highest burden in the high and low SDI quintiles.
Interpretation
The total number of people with peripheral artery disease has increased globally from 1990 to 2019. Despite the lower prevalence of peripheral artery disease in males and low-income countries, these groups showed similar DALY rates to females and higher-income countries, highlighting disproportionate burden in these groups. Modifiable risk factors were responsible for around 70% of the global peripheral artery disease burden. Public measures could mitigate the burden of peripheral artery disease by modifying risk factors
Recommended from our members
Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- …