Association between the severity of hard-to-treat psoriasis and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome: A hospital-based cross-sectional study in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Psoriatic lesions on the scalp, face, intertriginous, genitals, palms/soles, and nails are often delay diagnosed, hard-to-treat, and cause disability. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the most frequent and significant comorbidities in psoriasis. Many studies have discovered a link between psoriasis and MetS, but none have specifically assessed the hard-to-treat psoriasis in Indonesian population. This is a multicenter study involving four dermatology referral hospitals to investigate the association between psoriasis severity that has hard-to-treat lesions with the prevalence of MetS in Jakarta, Indonesia. Data was collected from April to October 2022. The severity of 84 hard-to-treat psoriasis patients was measured by Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores. The participants divided into PASI score >10 (severe) and ≤ 10 (mild-moderate) groups. MetS was identified based on the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. MetS was found in 64.3% of patients. Patients with a PASI score>10 had a significantly higher risk of metabolic syndrome compared to those with a score ≤ 10 (78.6% vs 50%, OR 3.667; 95% CI 1.413-9.514; p = 0.006). The prevalence of hypertension (p = 0.028), low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p = 0.01), mean fasting blood sugar (p = 0.018), and triglyceride levels (p = 0.044) between the two groups differed significantly. This study found most frequent components of MetS were abdominal obesity, decreased levels of HDL cholesterol, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia respectively. Individuals with severe hard-to-treat psoriasis had a 3.67 times more likely to have MetS rather than the mild-moderate group.

Effect of altitude zone exposure on visuospatial function in military aircrew member.

Introduction: visuospatial is a type of high-level visual perception necessary for identification, information integration, analysing of visual and spatial forms, details, structures and spatial relation. These functions are required in order to successfully complete aviation-related tasks, such as analysing movement, distance perception, and spatial navigation. The aim of this study is to examine whether hypobaric hypoxia can significantly influence changes in visuospatial function, thus increasing the risk of accident or serious incident during flight operation. Methods: this study is a quasi-experiment of pre-post study including before and after hypobaric hypoxia simulated through an altitude chamber. In this study, 42 military aircrews were exposed to different altitude zones at ground level, 10,000 ft (ft) and 25,000 ft respectively, for five minutes. At each altitude zone, the participants were instructed to complete a clock drawing test as a measurement for visuospatial function. The results were analysed using the McNemar non-parametric test. Results: among the 42 subjects, six show impaired visuospatial function at 10,000 ft and 26 participants show it at 25,000 ft. There were significant increased on the proportion of impaired visuospatial function between the ground level to 10,000 ft (p=0.031), 10,000 to 25,000 ft (p=0.0001) and ground level to 25,000 ft (p=0.0001). Conclusion: hypobaric hypoxia may have a significant influence on visuospatial function, starting from as early as 10,000 ft to 25,000 ft. This decrease of visuospatial function could affect human cognitive performance when flying and increase the risk of aviation accidents.

Mobile Phone-Based Intervention in Hypertension Management.

Hypertension is known as the major risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Antihypertensive agents are directed to prevent many of the harmful effects of elevated blood pressure, yet medication nonadherence hinders the effectiveness of these therapies. Nowadays the use of mobile phone has vastly spread among communities. The rapid adoption of smartphone technology creates a promising and interesting platform to overcome medication nonadherence. This review aimed to critically appraise whether mobile phone-based interventions are effective in increasing adherence in hypertensive patients. Literature searching was done in 3 databases: PubMed, Cochrane, and ProQuest. Findings were narrowed down using selection criteria. Relevant studies were to be critically appraised based on the guideline from Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Oxford University. We found that the reduction of blood pressure in participants who were given reminder through mobile phones was greater in comparison to control: systolic (94.4% vs 41.2%, p 0.003), diastolic (94.4% vs 76.5%, p0.04). Patients who were nonadherent at baseline benefit more from mobile phone-based intervention in comparison to adherent patients at baseline: RR 2.3 (95% CI: 1.4-4.4, p<0.001) vs RR 1.3 (95% CI: 1.0-1.6, p<0.05). In conclusion, mobile phone-based interventions were effective in increasing medication adherence in hypertensive patients. Clinical practice guidelines should consider this nonpharmacological method for a better blood pressure regulation.