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Comparative study between topical methotrexate 1% gel and minoxidil 5% gel in the treatment of localized alopecia areata

Dermatol Ther. 2022 Jul 7:e15696. doi: 10.1111/dth.15696. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that results in non-scarring hair loss. Topical minoxidil 5% gel and methotrexate 1% gel are important modalities used in the treatment of many dermatological diseases. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of methotrexate 1% gel versus topical minoxidil 5% gel in the treatment of localised AA both clinically and dermoscopically. Fifty patients were randomly divided into two groups of 25 each; the first was treated with topical minoxidil 5% gel, and the second was with methotrexate 1% gel. Dermoscopic and photographic pictures were used to follow up at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 weeks. By comparing the two therapies, we noticed that minoxidil has a statistically significant higher frequency of broken hair and black dots after 6 weeks than methotrexate. After 12 weeks, dermoscopy revealed that the minoxidil group had a lower frequency of vellus hair than the methotrexate group. Clinically after 6 weeks, minoxidil showed significantly more excellent improvement than methotrexate (16% versus 0%), and after 12 weeks, minoxidil and methotrexate showed excellent improvement (52% and 36%), respectively. There was no significant difference in side effects (erythema and itching) between the methotrexate and minoxidil groups. Both topical methotrexate 1% gel and topical minoxidil 5% gel had high efficacy in treating localised alopecia areata, with no significant differences between them as evaluated by clinical and dermoscopic examination. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35796224 | DOI:10.1111/dth.15696

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Procedural Unit Nurses’ Perception of Confidence in Performing Critical Care Skills During COVID-19 Crisis

J Nurses Prof Dev. 2022 Jul 6. doi: 10.1097/NND.0000000000000922. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Nursing professional development practitioners at an academic medical center conducted a quality improvement project to address the educational needs of procedural unit nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Procedural nurses completed a 1-day critical care nursing skills education and pre- and postsurveys. Survey results indicated an improved nurses’ skills confidence in caring for COVID-19 patients, which was statistically significant, t(34.9) = 4.8, p < .001.

PMID:35796217 | DOI:10.1097/NND.0000000000000922

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Biomarker-driven prognostic models in chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the EMPEROR-Preserved trial

Eur J Heart Fail. 2022 Jul 7. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.2607. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Biomarker-driven prognostic models incorporating NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT in HFpEF are lacking.

AIMS: To generate a biomarker-driven prognostic tool for patients with chronic HFpEF enrolled in EMPEROR-Preserved.

METHODS: Multivariable Cox regression models were created for (i) the primary composite outcome of HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death (ii) all-cause death (iii) cardiovascular death and (iv) HF hospitalization. PARAGON-HF was used as a validation cohort.

RESULTS: NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT were the dominant predictors of the primary outcome, and in addition, a shorter time since last hospitalization, NYHA class III or IV, history of COPD, insulin-treated diabetes, low hemoglobin, and a longer time since HF diagnosis were key predictors (8 variables, all P<0.001). The consequent primary outcome risk score discriminated well (c-statistic=0.75) with patients in the top 10th of risk having an event rate >22x higher than those in the bottom 10th . A model for HF hospitalization alone had even better discrimination (c=0.79). Empagliflozin reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in patients across all risk levels. NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT were also the dominant predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality followed by history of COPD, low albumin, older age, LVEF ≥50%, NYHA class III or IV and insulin-treated diabetes (8 variables, all P<0.001). The mortality risk model had similar discrimination for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (c-statistic=0.72 for both). External validation provided c-statistics of 0.71, 0.71, 0.72, and 0.72 for the primary outcome, HF hospitalization alone, all-cause death, and cardiovascular death, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The combination of NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT along with a few readily available clinical variables provides effective risk discrimination both for morbidity and mortality in patients with HFpEF. A predictive toolkit facilitates the ready implementation of these risk models in routine clinical practice.

PMID:35796209 | DOI:10.1002/ejhf.2607

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Memory retrieval brain-behavior disconnection in mild traumatic brain injury: A magnetoencephalography and diffusion tensor imaging study

Hum Brain Mapp. 2022 Jul 7. doi: 10.1002/hbm.26003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Mild traumatic brain (mTBI) injury is often associated with long-term cognitive and behavioral complications, including an increased risk of memory impairment. Current research challenges include a lack of cross-modal convergence regarding the underlying neural-behavioral mechanisms of mTBI, which hinders therapeutics and outcome management for this frequently under-treated and vulnerable population. We used multi-modality imaging methods including magnetoencephalography (MEG) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate brain-behavior impairment in mTBI related to working memory. A total of 41 participants were recruited, including 23 patients with a first-time mTBI imaged within 3 months of injury (all male, age = 29.9, SD = 6.9), and 18 control participants (all male, age = 27.3, SD = 5.3). Whole-brain statistics revealed spatially concomitant functional-structural disruptions in brain-behavior interactions in working memory in the mTBI group compared with the control group. These disruptions are located in the hippocampal-prefrontal region and, additionally, in the amygdala (measured by MEG neural activation and DTI measures of fractional anisotropy in relation to working memory performance; p < .05, two-way ANCOVA, nonparametric permutations, corrected). Impaired brain-behavior connections found in the hippocampal-prefrontal and amygdala circuits indicate brain dysregulation of memory, which may leave mTBI patients vulnerable to increased environmental demands exerting memory resources, leading to related cognitive and emotional psychopathologies. The findings yield clinical implications and highlight a need for early rehabilitation after mTBI, including attention- and sensory-based behavioral exercises.

PMID:35796166 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.26003

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Genome wide association study of dermatophytosis in the UK Biobank cohort

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Jul 7. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18413. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Analyses of the hereditary propensity to dermatophytosis have revealed several proven genetic relationships. They include CARD9 deficiency, HLA-DR4 and HLA-DR8 type, and genes encoding interleukin-22, defensin 2 and 4, and genetic defects in dectin-1, which increased the prevalence of dermatophytosis in families and were involved in the inheritance of susceptibility in their members.

METHODS: To further investigate the genetic basis of dermatophytosis, we performed a genome wide association study (GWAS) of the UK Biobank cohort. To identify cases of dermatophytosis, we used ICD10 code B35, which covers Tinea barbae, Tinea capitis, Tinea unguium, Tinea manuum, Tinea pedis, Tinea corporis, Tinea imbricata, Tinea cruris, other dermatophytoses, and dermatophytosis, unspecified. Data processing was performed on Minerva, a Linux mainframe with Centos 7.6, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. We used PLINK, a whole-genome association analysis toolset, to analyze the UKB chromosome files and the UK Biobank Data Parser (ukbb parser), a python-based package that allows easy interfacing with the large UK Biobank dataset. We used LocusZoom for the Manhattan and q-q plots. Other statistical analyses were done with R and SPSS 25.

RESULTS: Genome wide association study (GWAS) and meta-analysis association statistics highlighted one susceptibility locus, Tubulointerstitial Nephritis Antigen (TINAG), with genome wide significance for dermatophytosis. The top SNP was rs16885197, a missense variant within TINAG, position chr6:54308557, alleles A>G, minor allele frequency (MAF) 0.014. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that the minor G allele increased odds ratio of dermatophytosis by 7.8. Carrying two G alleles raised dermatophytosis odds ratio by a factor of 14.

CONCLUSION: More research into genetic and other predisposing factors for dermatophytosis is critical because of the implications for prophylaxis and therapy. It might be possible to prevent infection and recurrence by identifying people who are vulnerable to chronic dermatophytosis. Identifying high-risk families would enable their members to be educated about the dangers of fungal diseases. New therapeutic techniques to target altered hormonal and immune response pathways might be created. TINAG is a prospective target that should be investigated, based on the findings of this article.

PMID:35796184 | DOI:10.1111/jdv.18413

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Serum autoantibody reactivity in bullous pemphigoid is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders and the use of antidiabetics and antipsychotics: a large prospective cohort study

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Jul 7. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18414. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP), the by far most frequent autoimmune blistering skin disease (AIBD), is immunopathologically characterized by autoantibodies against the two hemidesmosomal proteins BP180 (collagen type XVII) and BP230 (BPAG1 or dystonin). Several comorbidities and potentially disease-inducing medication have been described in BP, yet, a systematic analysis of these clinically relevant findings and autoantibody reactivities has not been performed.

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations of autoantibody reactivities with comorbidities and concomitant medication.

METHODS: In this prospective multicenter study, 499 patients diagnosed with BP in sixteen European referral centers were included. The relation between anti-BP180 NC16A and anti-BP230 IgG ELISA values at the time of diagnosis as well as comorbidities and concomitant medication collected by a standardized form were analyzed.

RESULTS: An association between higher serum anti-BP180 reactivity and neuropsychiatric but not atopic and metabolic disorders was observed as well as with the use of insulin or antipsychotics but not with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors, inhibitors of platelet aggregation and L-thyroxine. The use of DPP4 inhibitors was associated with less anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 reactivity compared to BP patients without these drugs. This finding was even more pronounced when compared with diabetic BP patients without DPP4 inhibitors. Associations between anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 reactivities were also found in patients using insulin and antipsychotics, respectively, compared with patients without this medication, but not for the use of inhibitors of platelet aggregation, and L-thyroxine.

CONCLUSION: Taken together, these data imply a relation between autoantibody reactivities at the time of diagnosis and both neuropsychiatric comorbidities as well as distinct concomitant medication suggesting a link between the pathological immune mechanisms and clinical conditions that precede the clinically overt AIBD.

PMID:35796163 | DOI:10.1111/jdv.18414

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Assessment of Resilience Training for Hospital Employees in the Era of COVID-19

JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jul 1;5(7):e2220677. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.20677.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Health care workers face serious mental health challenges as a result of ongoing work stress. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that stress, resulting in high rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout. To date, few evidence-based programs targeting mental health outcomes in health care workers have been described.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a skills-based coaching program designed to reduce stress and build resilience.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A pilot cohort study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2021 using preprogram and postprogram assessments and a mixed-methods analysis. Duration of follow-up was 7 weeks. The coaching program was delivered via video conferencing. Participants were health care workers and staff from a large urban health system.

INTERVENTION: The Promoting Resilience in Stress Management (PRISM) program, a manualized, skills-based coaching program originally developed for adolescents and young adults with serious/chronic illness, was adapted to support health care workers and staff (“PRISM at Work”). It included 6 weekly 1-hour group sessions.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Feasibility was defined a priori as 70% completion rates. Acceptability was defined quantitatively (satisfaction scores) and qualitatively (open-ended questions regarding experience with program). Preliminary outcomes were assessed with preprogram and post program assessments of self-reported resilience, stress, anxiety, and burnout using validated instruments. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic variables and feasibility and acceptability. Linear mixed effects regression models examined preliminary outcomes, controlling for relevant covariates.

RESULTS: A total of 153 participants (median [SD] age, 40.6 [10.1] years; 142 [92%] were female; 128 [84%] identified as having White race; 81 [53%] were in patient-facing roles) enrolled. Of the 132 health care workers who provided follow-up surveys, 120 (91%) had completed the program, and 116 (88%) reported being satisfied. Answers to open-ended questions suggested that participants wanted more PRISM either with longer or additional sessions. Participant-reported resilience (β = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.00-2.48), stress (β = -2.40; 95% CI, -3.28 to -1.51), anxiety (β = -2.04; 95% CI, -2.74 to -1.34), and burnout-exhaustion (β = -0.37; 95% CI, -0.56 to -0.18) improved after the program.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this study suggest that PRISM at Work may have utility for health care workers and staff in that the program was found to be feasible, acceptable, and associated with improved outcomes.

PMID:35796151 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.20677

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Application of indocyanine green iris angiography in the evaluation of anterior segment blood supply in different strabismus patients

Zhonghua Yan Ke Za Zhi. 2022 Jul 11;58(7):535-541. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20220104-00002.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the perfusion features of the anterior segment in patients with different types of strabismus. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Sixteen strabismus patients (16 eyes) who received the examination of iris indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) in Tianjin Eye Hospital from November 2016 to December 2021 were enrolled and divided into two groups according to whether they had a history of extraocular muscle injury/rectus muscle surgery. All patients underwent routine ophthalmic examinations. Angiographic images were obtained by the anterior segment camera, and indicators such as arm to iris circulation time, whole iris filling time, regression onset time, and complete regression time were recorded. The independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare iris perfusion aspects of the two groups, and the Pearson/Spearman correlation tests was used to analyze the correlation of arm to iris circulation time and whole iris filling time with age and course of strabismus. Results: Among the 16 patients, there were 10 males and 6 females. The mean age was (49.2±13.2) years, and the course of strabismus ranged from 2 to 31 months. There were 7 patients in the group of without extraocualr muscle injury and 9 patients in the extraocular muscle injury/surgery group. There was no significant difference in age and course of strabismus between the two groups (both P>0.05). The arm to iris circulation time [M (Q1, Q3)] of the group without extraocular muscle injury and the group with extraocular muscle injury/surgery were 18 (18, 21) and 22 (20, 24) s, respectively. The average whole iris filling time was (13.86±1.95) and (12.22±3.60) s, respectively. There was no statistical significance between the two groups (both P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that arm to iris circulation time was not correlated with age and course of strabismus (r=-0.033, -0.079; both P>0.05). And the whole iris filling time was not correlated with age and course of disease (r=0.057, -0.119; both P>0.05). The matrix scatter plots showed that in the group of extraocular muscle injury/surgery, there were three patients who were older than the average (49.2 years) and above the median of arm to iris circulation time (20 s) (two cases with the vertical muscle involved), meanwhile, there were three patients (all with the vertical muscle involved) whose course of strabismus was longer than 6 months and above the median of arm to iris circulation time, which were more than those in the group of without extraocular muscle injury (1 case, respectively). Conclusions: ICGA in patients with strabismus show that a history of injury to the extraocular muscle or surgical treatment beyond 2 months had no effect on iris perfusion. Age and course have no correlation with iris reperfusion. The vertical muscle involvement has more effects on the blood supply to the anterior segment.

PMID:35796127 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20220104-00002

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Comparative study of decentration, tilt and visual quality after implantation of aspherical intraocular lenses

Zhonghua Yan Ke Za Zhi. 2022 Jul 11;58(7):521-528. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20211103-00518.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the difference of decentration and tilt among 4 kinds of aspherical intraocular lenses (IOLs), and to analyze their objective visual quality. Methods: Prospective non-randomized controlled clinical trial. Age-related cataract patients who planned to undergo phacoemulsification and IOL implantation in the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from April to June in 2020 were divided into ZCB00 group, SN60WF group, A1-UV group, and AO group according to IOL types. Thirty right eyes and thirty left eyes were selected in each group. Before operation and at 1 day, 1 week and 1 month postoperatively, decentration and tilt values were measured by a new swept-source anterior-segment optical coherence tomography device (CASIA2), and wavefront aberrations, objective scatter index (OSI), modulation transfer function cut off frequency (MTF cut off) and Strehl ratio (SR) were also examined. Values of decentration, tilt and visual quality compared among 4 groups were took from the right eye. One-way analysis of variance was used for inter-group comparison, and repeated measurement one-way analysis of variance was used for intra-group comparison. Data between right eyes and left eyes from all the individuals were compared by independent sample t-test. Results: A total of 181 patients (240 eyes) were enrolled, and 169 patients (224 eyes) completed the follow-up (114 right eyes and 110 left eyes). There were 77 males and 92 females, with an age of (69±9) years. There was no significant difference in gender, age, axial length, decentration and tilt of crystalline lens and IOL power among 4 groups (all P>0.05). At 1 day, 1 week and 1 month postoperatively, there was significant difference in decentration value among 4 groups (F=7.11, 6.12, 4.66; all P<0.05). For further pairwise comparison, the decentration value of SN60WF group was higher than that of the other 3 groups at 1 day and 1 week postoperatively, and the decentration value of SN60WF group was (0.259±0.101) mm at 1 month postoperatively, which was higher than that of ZCB00 group (0.177±0.099) mm and AO group (0.163±0.122) mm, and the differences were statistically significant (using SNK-q test, both P<0.05). The IOL tilt value in the ZCB00 group, SN60WF group, A1-UV group, and AO group at 1 month postoperatively were (4.806±1.129)°, (5.080±1.309)°, (4.586±1.338)°, (5.112±1.406)°, respectively. No significant difference in tilt value among 4 groups was found at any time after surgery (all P>0.05). In each group, there was no significant difference in decentration and tilt value at different postoperative time points (all P>0.05). At 1 month postoperatively, there was no significant difference in decentration and tilt at horizontal and vertical directions respectively among 4 groups (all P>0.05), and in each group, there was no significant difference in decentration and tilt value between right eyes and left eyes (all P>0.05), and IOLs tended to tilt towards the inferonasal or inferotemporal direction in both eyes. With 4-mm and 6-mm pupil diameter, there was significant difference in internal (F=131.32, 85.17) and ocular (F=46.64, 47.55) spherical aberration among 4 groups (all P<0.01). For further pairwise comparison, the spherical aberration of AO group was higher than that of the other 3 groups, and the difference was statistically significant (using SNK-q test, all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in OSI, MTF cut off and SR among 4 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The four types of IOLs show decentration and tilt in varying degrees after implantation in the capsular bag, but this difference do not lead to clinical significance. Human eyes have tolerance to mild decentration and tilt of aspheric IOLs, showing good visual quality.

PMID:35796125 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20211103-00518

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Comparison of tolerance to decentration and tilt in the early postoperative period between the continuous range and bifocal intraocular lens implantation in myopic eyes

Zhonghua Yan Ke Za Zhi. 2022 Jul 11;58(7):513-520. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20220403-00154.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare decentration and tilt tolerances between continuous range intraocular lens (IOL) and bifocal IOL in myopia during the early stages post intraocular implantation. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using follow-up data of 145 patients (145 eyes) who underwent phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation in the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University from January 2018 to December 2020. According to whether the axial length was less than 24.5 mm, patients were divided into non-myopic and myopic groups. According to IOL type, patients were divided into extend depth of focus (EDOF) ZXR00 IOL group (myopic 38 eyes, non-myopic 41 eyes) and bifocal ZMB00 IOL group (myopic 23 eyes, non-myopic 43 eyes). The distance and near visual acuity (log of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity), IOL tilt and decentration, intraocular high-order aberration (HOA), coma, trefoil, spherical aberrations, modulation transfer function (MTF), as well as VF-14 index and the incidence of dysphotopsia were compared between the 2 groups at 3 months after surgery. Statistics were performed using Student’s t-test, χ2 test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: In either the myopic or non-myopic group, no significant differences were found in age, gender, eye laterality, axial length and IOL degree between eyes with the two different types of IOLs (all P>0.05). At 3 months after surgery, there was no significant difference in uncorrected and best-corrected distance visual acuity between the ZXR00 IOL group and the ZXR00 IOL group, while uncorrected near visual acuity was better in the ZMB00 IOL group than the ZXR00 IOL group (t=10.41, P<0.01). The total postoperative IOL decentration in the ZXR00 IOL group and ZMB00 IOL group in myopic eyes were (0.32±0.17) and (0.38±0.16) mm, respectively, which were greater than those in non-myopic eyes [(0.22±0.12), (0.28±0.12) mm; t=3.16, 2.57; both P<0.05]. However, there were no significant differences in IOL tilt between myopic and non-myopic eyes in the 2 groups (both P>0.05). There were no significant differences in postoperative IOL tilt and decentration between the 2 groups regardless of myopia or non-myopia (all P>0.05). In myopic eyes, HOA, coma aberration and spherical aberration in the ZXR00 IOL group were significantly lower than those in the ZMB00 IOL group, while the total ocular MTF (38.15±10.12) was significantly higher than that in the ZMB00 IOL group (30.46±10.53) (all P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed a positive correlation between postoperative HOA and both IOL tilt and decentration in the ZMB00 IOL group (r=0.627, 0.726; β=0.446, 0.587; all P<0.01). However, no such relationship was found in the ZXR00 IOL group (all P>0.05). In myopic eyes, when the IOL tilt aberration and decentration were greater than the median, the HOAs in the ZXR00 IOL group [(0.33±0.14), (0.27±0.11) μm] were lower than those in the ZMB00 IOL group [(0.88±0.56), (0.96±0.45) μm], while the total ocular MTF (42.87±10.97, 40.22±9.30) were higher than those in the ZMB00 IOL group (25.02±8.99, 29.87±10.19) (all P<0.05). In myopic eyes, the proportion of patients with visual interference symptoms in the ZXR00 IOL group [42.11% (16/38)] was significantly lower than that in the ZMB00 IOL group [78.26%(18/23), χ²=7.59, P<0.05]. Conclusion: During the early stages after IOL implantation in myopic eyes, EDOF IOL is more tolerant to decentration and tilt than bifocal IOL.

PMID:35796124 | DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112142-20220403-00154