Assessment of quality of life among children with atopic dermatitis

Patients with skin diseases experience a wide range of symptoms, which affect their lives, ranging from trivial problems to major handicaps. Sometimes, these symptoms are caused by objective changes that impair daily life directly and measurably, while at other times the impairment is subtle and occurs mainly on psychological level. The aim of this work is to study the impact of atopic dermatitis on the quality of life [QOL] among affected children. The aim of this work is to study the impact of atopic dermatitis [AD] on the quality of life [QOL] among affected children. One hundred child aged 7-13 years were the cases of the study. They were selected from the patients attending the dermatology outpatient clinic at El-Hussin University Hospital. Also, one hundred child were selected as a control with age and sex matching. Quality of life was assessed for patients and controls through a specific questionnaire. The QOL was good among 24% of cases in comparison to 88% of controls. It was observed that 91.3% with severe AD had poor QOL, while, 37.5% with mild severity had good QOL with statistical significance difference. The QOL of patients with atopic dermatitis is clearly impaired with comparison to control group. QOL showed strong negative effect with increase the severity of the disease

Characterization of polypeptides of vernix caseosa [VC] and Its role on the neonate skin surfsce as an innate antimicrobial barrier

Vernix caseosa [VC] is a greasy substance, that gradually covers the fetal skin during the last trimester of pregnancy. The vernix had been shown to have antimicrobial properties. Given the strategic position of vernix [a relatively unstudied material] on the fetal skin surface, this study aimed to investigate whether natural antimicrobial peptides/proteins contribute to surface protection of newborns at birth, hence the significant basis for leaving vernix in place at birth was provided. This study characterized peptides and proteins in vernix with emphasis on antimicrobial activity. Concentrated peptide/protein extracts were obtained from samples of vernix from full-term healthy newborn infants and screened for antimicrobial activity using inhibition zone assays. Proteins/peptides fraction in all vernix extracts exhibited a clear and strong antibacterial activity [inhibition of growth on nutrient agar] against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, in addition to antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Alpha- defensins [HNP1-3], LL-37 and lysozyme were characterized among the active components. In addition, psoriasin and ubiquitin were identified in fractions derived from vernix, that exhibited antibacterial activity