Alopecia in children - correction and prophylactic

Introduction: At present time there is no standard treatment of children’s alopecia and the outcomes are at times disappointing. The existing methods are not always effective. Purpose: to improve the efficiency of alopecia areata treatment caused by dysmicroelementosis in children and juveniles a new method of treatment has been elaborated and approached to prophylaxis. Objectives: The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the elaborated method of alopecia areata correction due to dysmicroelementosis in children and juveniles and to determine the main approaches to dysmicroelementosis prophylaxis with clinical manifestations of alopecia. Materials and methods: The method is applied as follows: after the patient’s assessment by a dermatologist and exclusion of alopecia areata of mycotic etiology, the levels of Pb, Cu and Zn excretion with urine are determined. In the presence of alopecia sites in children which had developed no earlier than 2 months previously and in the increase of urine lead excretion within the limits from 0.1mg/l to 0.2mg/l, and the increase of copper and zinc urine excretion, the patient is administered a certain complex consisting of the following preparations: Kyolic, Spirulina platensis, Sophora japonica The whole complex should be taken with meals for a period of 2 months. 32 children and juveniles aged from 4 to 17 years residing in Belarus and Russia, and having the clinical manifestations of alopecia areata. Control groop - 18 children with alopecia areata, tretment with «Medetopect». Statistical method: «Statistica 6.1». Results: Complete hair growth regeneration in foci of alopecia was noted in 29 patients from fest groop, the overall positive detoxification of the organism was marked as well, microelements urine composition before and after the treatment providing the evidence of this. The program of primary prophylaxis of the alopecia areata of increased chemical hypersensitivity should be started with the educational work among various groups of population about possible ways of heavy metal salts penetration into the human organism. Secondary prophylaxis necessitates elaborating regimens of prophylactic supervision of children with the syndrome of increased chemical hypersensitivity. Integrated rehabilitation is only possible in coordinated activities of professionals in the field medicine and education

Medical and hygienic issues of sports attire for young people

Introduction: One of the risk factors for heath impairment of youths can be incompliance of requirements to choosing, storing, and treatment of sports attire together with the disturbance of personal body hygiene after sports activities. Purpose: To study medical and hygienic issues associated with youths awareness of hygienic requirements to the treatment of sports attire and footwear in sports activities. Materials and methods: Subject of research - college students of the regional centre in Belarus. 340 individuals aged between 15 and 18 were assessed. The methods of research were: questionnaire and statistical method «Statistics 6.1». Results: 88% of the interviewed persons responded that they chose their sports attire according to the design of clothes and their size without considering specific purpose of clothing. Following physical exercise 72% of the respondents do not change their sports shoes and internal footwear (socks). 31% of students do not have the habit of changing underwear after physical exercise. The answers to the questions “Do you wash your sports clothes after physical exercise?” and “Do you air and wash your sports footwear after physical exercise?” were definitely negative in 72% of the respondents and “don’t know” - in 12% of the interviewed. Moreover, 86% of students responded that they put their sports attire into the polyethylene bags and keep it until the next sports class. 84% of the respondents reported increased sweating and 27% - of skin acne on the back and upper limbs. Body pruritus was marked by 56% of students, pruritus in the foot area - by 46%. Direct association was revealed in subjects, who did not change their footwear after physical exercise and did not air their footwear, with the concerns in the foot area. The questions about the hygienic procedures were answered only by one seventh of the respondents. While going to the physical training class only 31% of the interviewed take with them the items of personal hygiene (soap, towel, tissues). Statistically important differences between sexes were not marked during the questionnaire analysis on all items. Conclusion: In sports activities college students irrespective of their gender show low level of awareness of sports attire hygiene and personal hygiene rules following physical training classes. Incompliance of the sports attire and footwear treatment rules were marked among the college students. Risk group for the development of skin and fungal foot pathology comprises young people who study in colleges of the regional center due to their incompliance of hygienic requirements to sports attire and footwear care

Is blood pressure reduction a valid surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention? an analysis incorporating a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, a by-trial weighted errors-in-variables regression, the surrogate threshold effect (STE) and the biomarker-surrogacy (BioSurrogate) evaluation schema (BSES)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood pressure is considered to be a leading example of a valid surrogate endpoint. The aims of this study were to (i) formally evaluate systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction as a surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention and (ii) determine what blood pressure reduction would predict a stroke benefit.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We identified randomised trials of at least six months duration comparing any pharmacologic anti-hypertensive treatment to placebo or no treatment, and reporting baseline blood pressure, on-trial blood pressure, and fatal and non-fatal stroke. Trials with fewer than five strokes in at least one arm were excluded. Errors-in-variables weighted least squares regression modelled the reduction in stroke as a function of systolic blood pressure reduction and diastolic blood pressure reduction respectively. The lower 95% prediction band was used to determine the minimum systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure difference, the surrogate threshold effect (STE), below which there would be no predicted stroke benefit. The STE was used to generate the surrogate threshold effect proportion (STEP), a surrogacy metric, which with the R-squared trial-level association was used to evaluate blood pressure as a surrogate endpoint for stroke using the Biomarker-Surrogacy Evaluation Schema (BSES3).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 18 qualifying trials representing all pharmacologic drug classes of antihypertensives, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, the surrogate threshold effect for a stroke benefit was 7.1 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 2.4 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. The trial-level association was 0.41 and 0.64 and the STEP was 66% and 78% for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. The STE and STEP were more robust to measurement error in the independent variable than R-squared trial-level associations. Using the BSES3, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, systolic blood pressure was a B + grade and diastolic blood pressure was an A grade surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention. In comparison, using the same stroke data sets, no STEs could be estimated for cardiovascular (CV) mortality or all-cause mortality reduction, although the STE for CV mortality approached 25 mmHg for systolic blood pressure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this report we provide the first surrogate threshold effect (STE) values for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We suggest the STEs have face and content validity, evidenced by the inclusivity of trial populations, subject populations and pharmacologic intervention populations in their calculation. We propose that the STE and STEP metrics offer another method of evaluating the evidence supporting surrogate endpoints. We demonstrate how surrogacy evaluations are strengthened if formally evaluated within specific-context evaluation frameworks using the Biomarker- Surrogate Evaluation Schema (BSES3), and we discuss the implications of our evaluation of blood pressure on other biomarkers and patient-reported instruments in relation to surrogacy metrics and trial design.</p

Perfecting prevention of occupational pathologies in medical sonographers

Introduction: Ultrasound has a negative effect on the health of medical staff exposed to it in their work. This effect is manifested primarily by symptoms of vegetative polyneuropathy of the upper extremities, which lead to sensory, vascular and trophic changes. The objectives: of this paper is to determine the prevalent complaints of worsened health in medical sonographers and to develop new, more advanced methods of prevention. The subjects of the study are sonographers working at medical facilities of the Grodno district of Belarus. Materials and Methods: We used surveys to collect data describing the health of medical sonographers and the measures they take to prevent the harmful effects of ultrasund on thier bodies. We developed and assessed the efficacy of our method by then used already for one year to prevent polyneuropathy of the upper extremities. The method makes use of a spraying brush mounted on a cold and hot water faucet. The collected data were treated with statistics software package. Statistics 6.1. Results: Medical sonographers with ten or more years of work experience in the field had complaints mostly of pathalogical changes in the hands: excessive sweating, intermittent pain, cold sensation in the hands, as well as irritability, emotional liability, unsteady blood pressure, head aches and lumber pain. The study revealed inconsistent use of workwear: only 18% of the respondents reported use of protective gloves all the times, while 21% of the respondents use them occasionally and the rest only when their work is checked by superiors. Only 58% of the respondents regularly take planned breaks, while 24% take them sometimes. Only 28% of the respondents do a regular massage of their hands, while 18% do this occasionally and 54% do not do this at all. 14% of sonographers with five or more years of work experience resorted to rehab exercises only after having felt lumber and thoracic back pain symptoms. Only 21% of the respondents take their meals at regular times. Hydro massage therapy of hands and forearms helped decrease the complaints of pain in the forearm and shoulder region, decreased sweating and cold sensation in 75% of sonographers with 10 or more years of experience and in 92% with experience between 5 and 10 years. Conclusions: An efficient method to prevent polyneuropathy of the upper extremities in medical sonographers is warm water hydro massage therapy of the hands and forearms for 2 minutes every hour of work. A special spray brush mounted on the water faucet can be used for such therapy

Сидеропенічний синдром у студентської молоді

Латентный дефицит железа всегда предшествует железодефицитной анемии. Целью исследования было изучить частоту встречаемости клинических признаков латентного дефицита железа у молодежи. Обследовано 280 человек возрасте от 17 до 21 года. Использован анкетный метод с серией вопросов для выявления признаков сидеропенического и анемического синдромов, а также вопросов для выявления причин дефицита железа. Статистическая обработка проведена с использованием прикладной программы Microsoft office Excel 2013. Среди клинических признаков сидеропенического синдрома у студенческой молодежи отмечено преобладание извращения вкуса (16,79%) и обоняния (33,21%), мышечная слабость, боль в икроножных мышцах (29,64%), изменение со стороны ногтей и волос (46,79%), причем преобладание комплекса данных симптомов было отмечено у лиц женского пола. У 33,75% обследованных встречалась полименорея, причем их них 37,2% составили лица с сидеропеническим синдромом. У лиц, с количеством жалоб со стороны желудочно-кишечного тракта (две и более), наблюдается резкое увеличение частоты проявления сидеропенического синдрома (на 26,8%) по сравнению с респондентами, у которых жалобы отсутствуют.Латентний дефіцит заліза завжди передує залізодефіцитної анемії. Метою дослідження було вивчити частоту зустрічаємості клінічних ознак латентного дефіциту заліза у молоді. Обстежено 280 осіб віком від 17 до 21 року. Використаний анкетний метод з серією питань для виявлення ознак сидеропенічного і анемічного синдромів, а також питань для виявлення причин дефіциту заліза. Статистична обробка проведена з використанням прикладної програми Microsoft Office Excel 2013. Серед клінічних ознак сидеропенічного синдрому у студентської молоді спостерігалося переважання збочення смаку (16,79%) та нюху (33,21%), м’язова слабкість, біль у литкових м’язах (29, 64%), зміна з боку нігтів і волосся (46,79%), причому комплекс даних симптомів було відмічено переважно в осіб жіночої статі. У 33,75% обстежених зустрічалася поліменорея, причому з них 37,2% склали особи з сидеропенічним синдромом. У осіб з кількістю скарг з боку шлунково-кишкового тракту (дві і більше) спостерігається різке збільшення частоти проявів сидеропенічного синдрому (на 26,8%) у порівнянні з респондентами, у яких скарги відсутні.The latent iron deficit is always preceded to iron-deficient anaemia. A research aim was to study occurrence rate of clinical signs of latent iron deficit in adolescents. 280 individuals aged from 17 to 21 were involved into study. A questionnaire method with a series of questions was used to identify signs of sideropenic and anaemic syndromes, as well as questions to identify the causes of iron deficiency. Statistical processing was carried out by applying the Microsoft office Excel 2013. Among the clinical signs of syderopenic syndrome in the students we observed the predominance of olfactory perversion (33,21%), muscular weakness, pain gastrocnemius muscles (29,64%), taste perversion (16,79%), changes in the state of hair and nails (46,79%). This was mainly typical for female individuals. 33,75% of women had polymenorea, and 37,2% out of the were diagnosed to have a syderopenic syndrome. The individuals complaining on gastrointestinal problems (two or more) demonstrated a sharp increase in the frequency syderopenic syndrome occurance (by 26,8%) as compared to the respondents without the complaint