RESUMO
Introduction Lack of awareness and negative attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are key barriers to minimizing the transmission of HIV. Therefore, the present survey-based study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS and attitudes toward PLWHA. Methods In the present study, we collected data from 612 Kyrgyz national participants using a self-administered questionnaire. Results Among the participants, 59% (361) were females, and 41% (251) were males. The mean age of the participants was 26.23 (SD = 7.7) years. All participants were aware of HIV/AIDS, and 59.1% (362) agreed to have sufficient information about HIV/AIDS. Overall, the participants displayed a high level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission, and 89.2% (546) of them were aware of sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS. Among the participants, 54% (330) believed that using condoms during sexual intercourse could prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Concerning social attitudes, 17% (104) of the participants agreed that HIV-infected individuals should be isolated from society. Moreover, 39% (238) of them disagreed to work with PLWHA. The results of the study suggest that female participants were more aware of the modes of HIV/AIDS transmission than males. However, misconceptions regarding transmission routes were present in both genders. Conclusion The present study revealed that study participants had correct knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission modes such as unsafe blood transfusion and injectable drug abuse. However, knowledge about unsafe tattooing and mother-to-baby mode of HIV/AIDS transmission was observed to be lower. Female participants were found to be more aware of HIV/AIDS transmission. There is a need to address the knowledge and awareness gap in the general population of Kyrgyzstan, especially among the male population.
RESUMO
Psoriasis is an inflammatory, immune-mediated, persistent, and multifactorial skin disease. Chronic plaque psoriasis is the most common clinical form of psoriasis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines play a primary role in the pathogenicity of this disease. Psoriasis is mainly diagnosed using clinical and dermoscopic examination of the cutaneous lesions, and skin biopsy is used in atypical cases. Psoriasis has no definitive cure. However, several topical agents are effective in managing mild and chronic cases. Combination therapy with these topical agents is more effective than with a single agent. We report a case of chronic plaque psoriasis in a 33-year-old man presenting with an itchy circumscribed, erythematous, scaly plaque, and a single cutaneous lesion covering >50% of both forearms and a few lesions on the back. The right forearm was treated with calcipotriol alone, whereas the left forearm was treated with a tacrolimus and halobetasol combination with emollients to be applied twice a day on both arms. We observed treatment responses for seven days with 24-hour intervals after each application. Combination therapy yielded a better response. In conclusion, topical treatment with a combination of halobetasol and tacrolimus is more effective compared to that with a single agent while being cost-effective and causing minimal adverse effects.
