ABSTRACT
The prescription of antibiotics empirically without confirmation of an infective etiology is on the rise. Administration of appropriate antibiotics can be guided by real-time fluorescence imaging using a point-of-care device. These composite images show the presence, type and the burden of infection. The time saved by this method over microbiological testing, especially in resource-poor settings, can lead to a paradigm shift in treatment by facilitating prompt and adequate antimicrobial therapy, surgical debridement as well as follow-up. Thumbnail sketches of a series of four cases highlighting different scenarios in which a fluorescent imaging device utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning was found useful is presented in this report.
ABSTRACT
Background: Acne vulgaris is known to impair many aspects of quality of life. However, the correlation of this impairment with clinical severity remains equivocal despite various school, community and hospital-based studies. Aim: A hospital-based study was undertaken to measure the impairment of quality of life of patients of acne vulgaris and correlate it with the severity of lesions. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study in a cohort of 100 patients of acne vulgaris attending the outpatient department of our referral hospital. A physician measured the severity of lesions using the global acne grading system, and patients assessed quality of life by completing a questionnaire (Cardiff acne disability index). A correlation of these two was done; some additional correlations were brought out through demographic data collected from the patients. Results: There was no correlation between the severity of acne vulgaris and an impaired quality of life. Patients who consumed alcohol and/or smoked cigarettes were found to have an impaired quality of life. While the severity of acne progressively lessened in older patients, the impact on quality of life increased. Limitations: The sample size was small and there was a lack of guaranteed reliability on the self-reported quality of life. Conclusion: The severity of acne vulgaris does not correlate with impairment in quality of life.