The Prevalence and Pattern of Superficial Fungal Infections among School Children in Ile-Ife, South-Western Nigeria

Fungal infections of the skin and nails are common global problems with attendant morbidity among affected individuals. Children are mostly affected due to predisposing factors such as overcrowding and low socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the clinical patterns of superficial fungal infections among primary school children in Ile-Ife. A multistage sampling was conducted to select eight hundred pupils from ten primary schools in Ile-Ife. Data on epidemiological characteristics and clinical history was collected using a semistructured questionnaire and skin scrapings were done. The prevalence of superficial fungal infections among the 800 respondents was 35.0%. Male pupils constituted 51.0% of respondents while the females were 49.0%. The mean age for all the respondents was 9.42 ± 2.00. Tinea capitis was the commonest infection with a prevalence of 26.9% and tinea unguium, tinea corporis, and tinea faciei had a prevalence of 0.8%, 0.6%, and 0.5%, respectively. Tinea manuum had the least prevalence of 0.1%. Pityriasis versicolor had a prevalence of 4.4%. Microsporum audouinii was the leading organism isolated. The study shows that the prevalence of superficial fungal infection (SFI) among primary school children in Ile-Ife is high with tinea capitis as the commonest SFI

Atopic Dermatitis in Adults: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Pathogenesis, Clinical Features, and Management

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an itchy chronic relapsing inflammatory skin condition mostly affecting children than adults. Eczematous conditions are common worldwide with increase in the prevalence in both developed and developing countries. AD in adults is of two types – the first type starts as AD in childhood and gradually progresses to adulthood (Persistent AD) and the second type results from AD developing in adulthood (Adult-onset AD). The article reviews and discusses this condition in adults considering the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnostic criteria, and management of this condition

Mucocutaneous Manifestations of HIV and the Correlation with WHO Clinical Staging in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Skin diseases are indicators of HIV/AIDS which correlates with WHO clinical stages. In resource limited environment where CD4 count is not readily available, they can be used in assessing HIV patients. The study aims to determine the mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV positive patients and their correlation with WHO clinical stages. A prospective cross-sectional study of mucocutaneous conditions was done among 215 newly diagnosed HIV patients from June 2008 to May 2012 at adult ART clinic, Wesley Guild Hospital Unit, OAU Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ilesha, Osun State, Nigeria. There were 156 dermatoses with oral/oesophageal/vaginal candidiasis (41.1%), PPE (24.4%), dermatophytic infections (8.9%), and herpes zoster (3.8%) as the most common dermatoses. The proportions of dermatoses were 4.5%, 21.8%, 53.2%, and 20.5% in stages 1–4, respectively. A significant relationship (using Pearson’s Chi square with P value <0.05) was obtained between dermatoses and WHO clinical stages. Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation between the number of dermatoses and the WHO clinical stages. Dermatoses can therefore serve as diagnostic and prognostic markers in resource limited settings to initiate HAART in clinical stages 3 and 4

Psychodermatological Disorders in Patients With Primary Psychiatric Conditions: Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundPsychodermatological disorders (PDs) and their associations with mental health problems are one of the most frequent research themes in dermatology outpatient settings. Surprisingly, very few studies have been conducted to evaluate PDs among patients with primary psychiatric conditions. As such, the relationship between preexisting psychiatric conditions and comorbid PDs is underrepresented in the literature. ObjectiveThis study examined the prevalence and distribution of PDs among adults with primary psychiatric conditions and determined their association with underlying psychiatric diagnoses. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis at a tertiary health care facility in southwestern Nigeria. Comorbid PDs were identified and classified using preexisting classification systems. A bivariate analysis was conducted to determine the association between PDs and underlying psychiatric conditions. The level of statistical significance was set at P<.05. ResultsThe study included 107 patients with mental health disorders, of whom 64 (59.8%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 40.73 (SD 13.08) years. A total of 75 (75/107, 70%) patients had at least one comorbid PD. The prevalence of PDs was highest in patients with affective disorders (15/20, 75%) and least in those with schizophrenia (45/66, 68%). PDs associated with delusions or hallucinations and somatoform symptoms were 9 and 13 times more frequent in patients with anxiety disorders compared to those with other psychiatric conditions (P=.01; odds ratio [OR] 9.88, 95% CI 1.67-58.34 and P=.003; OR 13.13, 95% CI 2.34-73.65), respectively. In contrast, patients with schizophrenia were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with dermatoses resulting from delusions or hallucinations (P=.002; OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.00-0.75). A weak but significant negative association was also found between psychophysiological PDs and anxiety disorders (ϕ=–0.236; P=.02). ConclusionsThis study provides important insights into the overwhelming burden of psychodermatological conditions in patients with mental health disorders and specific associations with underlying psychiatric diagnosis

Dermatologist-like explainable AI enhances trust and confidence in diagnosing melanoma

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been shown to help dermatologists diagnose melanoma more accurately, however they lack transparency, hindering user acceptance. Explainable AI (XAI) methods can help to increase transparency, yet often lack precise, domain-specific explanations. Moreover, the impact of XAI methods on dermatologists’ decisions has not yet been evaluated. Building upon previous research, we introduce an XAI system that provides precise and domain-specific explanations alongside its differential diagnoses of melanomas and nevi. Through a three-phase study, we assess its impact on dermatologists’ diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic confidence, and trust in the XAI-support. Our results show strong alignment between XAI and dermatologist explanations. We also show that dermatologists’ confidence in their diagnoses, and their trust in the support system significantly increase with XAI compared to conventional AI. This study highlights dermatologists’ willingness to adopt such XAI systems, promoting future use in the clinic