ABSTRACT
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex, chronic skin disorder with a broad spectrum of clinical aspects, characterized by abnormal skin barrier function. This has a significant impact on patients' quality of life (QoL), which represents a crucial parameter for their wellbeing. This study assessed the QoL of patients with AD by following parameters such as itching, disturbance of sleep, disturbance of play activity, and community activities. The study included 64 patients clinically diagnosed with AD, aged 0 to 16 years. QoL of patients with AD was measured by evaluating the QoL indices for infants and young children (IDQoL-Infants' Dermatitis Quality of Life Index) and the QoL for children over 4 years (CDQoL-Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index). The severity of the disease was also monitored by evaluating the SCORAD index. The major symptom for atopic dermatitis, pruritus, was found most frequently in our study and influenced patients' QoL. The study showed that the above questionnaires are efficient tools for correlating AD severity with QoL even in younger patients and could be included in current guidelines. This is the first study that analyzed the QoL of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis in Romania and can constitute the basis for elaborating a more comprehensive disease management guidelines.
ABSTRACT
Psoriasis is a chronic, immune mediated, inflammatory condition, which primarily affects the patient's skin. It is known to associate a variable array of comorbidities such as cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric ones, with an important impact on the patients' quality of life. The purpose of this study is to provide a first image of the prevalence, comorbidities, as well as the social impact of psoriasis in Romania. We devised a questionnaire, and with the aid of general practitioners throughout the country, delivered it to patients seeking medical care in their office. The questionnaire assessed demographic criteria as well as patient-related issues. It was completed in the presence of the general practitioner, and clear written instructions for completion were included. After statistical analysis, the resulting data formed the basis of this study. The reported prevalence of psoriasis in Romania is 5.18%. Almost half of the subjects who completed the questionnaire stated they knew somebody affected by the disease, yet almost a third believed it is a contagious condition. Cardiovascular and psychiatric comorbidities, as well as negative impact on social interactions were reported by the subjects in the study. These findings indicate the clear need for better quality of life for patients in a social context and increased awareness of the disease. All these could, in turn, help decrease the rate of psoriasis complications in Romania.
ABSTRACT
Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic dermatological conditions, with a strong impact on patients' quality of life. Currently, psoriasis benefits from conventional therapy with a high rate of adverse effects and an increase in non-compliance and self-medication of patients. As such, there is a need to pinpoint low-adverse effects and accessible remedies for this condition. Our single-blind, placebo-controlled study assessed the effect of sea buckthorn extract on psoriasis lesions in previously untreated patients. Our results showed an improvement in Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores and in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores when compared to the baseline values, as well as at the 4- and 8-week time marks for the lesions treated with sea buckthorn extract. By contrast, the measurements for the placebo treated lesions showed no alteration at the 4-week mark, and significant worsening at the end of the trial. These findings provide a solid, optimistic base for the in-depth research of sea buckthorn as an adjuvant or a component in psoriasis care protocols.
ABSTRACT
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, highly pruritic skin disorder, with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, characterized by abnormal skin barrier function. High-frequency ultrasonography (HF-USG) is an instrument with potential use in a variety of skin conditions. Previous studies on HF-USG in AD reported that apparently non-lesional skin also presents barrier defects. We aimed to assess lesional and non-lesional skin of AD patients with the use of HF-USG, focusing on skin barrier function and inflammation. We included a group of AD patients and a control group. On both we performed analysis with the use of HF-USG. The thickness of the subepidermal low-echogenic band (SLEB) and the skin echogenity were recorded for active lesions, as well as non-lesional skin in all subjects included. For AD patients the clinical severity was measured using SCORing Atopic Dermatitis and correlated with Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The mean thickness of the hypoechoic band was wider in the lesional skin of AD. In the non-lesional skin of AD patients SLEB was identified to appear, but it was thinner. The skin echogenity of the control group was higher than that of AD patients. Our results indicate that skin ultrasonography is able to assess specific modifications of the AD skin. A hypoechoic band in the non-lesional skin of some AD patients may indicate subclinical eczematous lesions.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The process of scarring is a common denominator of interest for the medical field. From general medicine to dentistry, pathological scar tissue represents a challenge in providing optimal care to a patient. The present study aims to investigate whether a systemically reduced antioxidant potential, revealed by null isoforms of glutathione S transferase, affects the process of scarring in a group of female patients. METHODS: The study is based on a group of 54 patients with physiological scars after a 6-month observation period, as well as 18 patients with hypertrophic or atrophic scars. Peripheral venous blood was collected, from which DNA was extracted using a commercial kit. Genotyping followed a Multiplex PCR protocol for GSTT1/GSTM1. RESULTS: In a dominant model, the combination of wild type (heterozygous or homozygous) GSTT1 and GSTM1 was negatively associated with pathological scarring, with the wild type (heterozygous or homozygous) GSTM1 genotype being potentially responsible for this effect. Other factors affecting pathological scarring were investigated: family history, phototype, as well as scores on the POSAS and SCAR scales. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of GSTT1 and GSTM1 alleles brings forward an increased antioxidant capacity, serving as a protective factor for patients during scar formation.
ABSTRACT
Cerebral hemispherectomy is a neurosurgical procedure that involves surgically removing one hemisphere of the brain, used as a therapeutic option in severe cases of intractable epilepsy. Several animal models have contributed to our understanding of the underlying neuromechanisms. The review was based on a PubMed search using the terms "hemispherectomy" and "mouse" or "rat" or "rodent", with no limitation of year of study or language. We identified a series of elements that were collected and analyzed that add up to our contemporary knowledge of this procedure. Our search returned 29 articles out of which only 15 are relevant to our purposes. Most of the current literature is concerned with the different molecular and electrophysiological issues of neuroplasticity, exhibiting the neurochemical background on which brain plasticity is founded. Experimental neurosurgery is quintessential in understanding the process in which various pathologies respond to in vivo animal models and recreating conditions otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain in humans. The aim of our study was to evaluate the current literature on the modern comprehension that animal models offer for histopathological, neurochemical and microsurgical research. In addition, the review is focused on the neuroplastic/compensatory mechanisms developed after hemispherectomy. Further research is of vital importance in exploring neurotherapeutical aspects of neuroplasticity in central nervous system (CNS) diseases.
