Assessing skin disease and associated health-related quality of life in a rural Lao community.

BACKGROUND: Skin diseases are common and often have an impact on an individual's health-related quality of life. In rural communities where access to healthcare may be limited and individuals rely on farming for food and income, the impact of skin diseases may be greater. The objectives for this study were to perform an assessment of skin disease prevalence in a rural village in Laos and assess the associated impact of any skin disease found using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). METHODS: A rural village was purposively selected and 340 participants examined by dermatologists over a four day period. Brief questionnaires were performed, followed by full body skin examinations and DLQI questionnaires completed were relevant. The data were analysed using chi square and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-one participants were found to have a skin disease (53%). The six most common skin diseases were: eczema (22%), dermatophyte infections (19%), acne (10%), scabies infestation (9%), melasma (8%) and pityriasis versicolor (4%). Just over half of those with skin disease (51%) completed the DLQI, with scores ranging from 0 to 24. Those with skin problems on examination were significantly more likely to be farmers, have had a previous skin problem, be older or live in a smaller family. Conclusions This study represents the first formal documentation of skin disease prevalence in Laos and establishes the high rate of skin disease in the rural community and the associated impact these diseases have on health-related quality of life.

Can a simple outpatient-based treatment be used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis in young children? A Critically Appraised Topic.

A 5-year-old boy from rural Afghanistan presented with a 1-year history of a skin lesion on his left knee, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction to be cutaneous leishmaniasis (Leishmania tropica). Conventional treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis involves intravenous or intralesional pentavalent antimonials. The aim of this Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) is therefore to determine what alternative effective but less painful treatments (such as oral or topical therapies) can be used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis in children. Embase and PubMed were searched for 'cutaneous leishmania*' AND 'treatment' AND 'children' in August 2014. All abstracts from April 2008 to August 2014 were reviewed. This search period was chosen to follow on from the Cochrane reviews on Old World and American leishmaniasis. Five randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria and have been included in this CAT. The study design and reporting quality in most of the trials included in both Cochrane reviews was found to be poor, and neither Cochrane review investigated the effect of patient age on response to treatment. This CAT identified two nonpainful treatments, topical paromomycin and oral miltefosine, whose effective use in children is supported in the literature. However, both of these treatments are currently unlicensed in the U.K. Our patient was successfully treated with miltefosine 20 mg twice daily for 4 weeks, leading to good resolution of the leishmaniasis plaque but with residual scarring.

Are accelerometers a useful tool for measuring disease activity in children with eczema? Validity, responsiveness to change, and acceptability of use in a clinical trial setting.

BACKGROUND: Actigraphy, which uses accelerometers to record movement, has been proposed as an objective method of itch assessment in eczema. Previous studies have found strong correlations with actigraphy and video surveillance, disease severity and biological markers in patients with eczema. OBJECTIVES: To assess the validity of accelerometer data, its responsiveness to change and the practicality and acceptability of accelerometers when used as an outcome measure in a clinical trial. METHODS: This study used data collected from 336 participants of the Softened Water Eczema Trial (SWET). Accelerometer data were compared with three standardized scales: Six Area, Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis (SASSAD) severity score, Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) and Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI). Spearman's rank testing was used for correlations. RESULTS: Only 70% of trial participants had complete data, compared with 96% for the primary outcome (eczema severity - SASSAD). The convergent validity of accelerometer data with other measures of eczema severity was poor: correlation with SASSAD 0·15 (P = 0·02) and POEM 0·10 (P = 0·13). Assessing for divergent validity against quality of life measures, the correlation with the DFI was low (r = 0·29, P < 0·0001). Comparing the change scores from baseline to week 12 for SASSAD, POEM and DFI with the change in accelerometer scores we found low, negative correlations (r = -0·02, P = 0·77; r = -0·12, P = 0·06; and r = -0·01, P = 0·87, respectively). In general, the units were well tolerated but suggestions were made that could improve their usability in children. CONCLUSIONS: Actigraphy did not correlate well with disease severity or quality of life when used as an objective outcome measure in a multicentre clinical trial, and was not responsive to change over time. Further work is needed to establish why this might be, and to establish improved methods of distinguishing between eczema-related and eczema-nonrelated movements.

Transcranial direct current stimulation's effect on novice versus experienced learning.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation applied via a weak electrical current passed between electrodes on the scalp. In recent studies, TDCS has been shown to improve learning when applied to the prefrontal cortex (e.g., Kincses et al. in Neuropsychologia 42:113-117, 2003; Clark et al. Neuroimage in 2010). The present study examined the effects of TDCS delivered at the beginning of training (novice) or after an hour of training (experienced) on participants' ability to detect cues indicative of covert threats. Participants completed two 1-h training sessions. During the first 30 min of each training session, either 0.1 mA or 2.0 mA of anodal TDCS was delivered to the participant. The anode was positioned near F8, and the cathode was placed on the upper left arm. Testing trials immediately followed training. Accuracy in classification of images containing and not-containing threat stimuli during the testing sessions indicated: (1) that mastery of threat detection significantly increased with training, (2) that anodal TDCS at 2 mA significantly enhanced learning, and (3) TDCS was significantly more effective in enhancing test performance when applied in novice learners than in experienced learners. The enhanced performance following training with TDCS persisted into the second session when TDCS was delivered early in training.

Primary cutaneous marginal zone B cell lymphoma in monozygotic twins.

The authors present the first reported case of primary cutaneous marginal zone B cell lymphoma (PCMZL) in monozygotic twins. The occurrence of PCMZL in monozygotic twins is likely to be due to a combination of shared genetic and environmental factors. A different treatment modality was used to treat each patient but both achieved a complete clinical response.

5-HT3 antagonist ondansetron--an effective outpatient antiemetic in cancer treatment.

Thirty children aged 2-16 years with malignant tumours who were receiving chemotherapy were treated with the 5-HT3 antagonist ondansetron. Each received a single intravenous dose (5 mg/m2) followed by oral doses (2-4 mg depending on surface area) every eight hours for five days. Chemotherapy regimens comprised: carboplatin alone, carboplatin plus etoposide, cisplatin plus etoposide; adriamycin (doxorubicin) plus cyclophosphamide, or ifosfamide. Twelve patients received ondansetron with their first course of chemotherapy and the other patients were poor responders to previous antiemetic treatment. Efficacy was assessed by a questionnaire documenting the incidence of vomiting and severity of nausea. In a 24 hour period after starting chemotherapy a complete or major response (less than two vomiting episodes) was achieved in 87% of children. Although ondansetron was effective for early antiemesis after cisplatin or ifosfamide, delayed vomiting, retching, or nausea reduced responses to 50% and 20%, respectively. We conclude that in children ondansetron is an effective, well tolerated, oral antiemetic enabling simple administration in the outpatient setting. In the present schedule it was of limited efficacy against cisplatin or ifosfamide induced emesis.

Ondansetron--a new safe and effective antiemetic in patients receiving high-dose melphalan.

A total of 33 patients with myeloma receiving treatment with high-dose melphalan (140-200 mg/m2 i.v.) were given the 5HT3 antagonist Ondansetron (Glaxo) as an antiemetic. In 42% of patients, emetic episodes were either abolished (15%) or reduced to two or less (27%). Efficacy was not related to scheduling (two regimens) or total dose. No sedative or other significant side effects were seen. Ondansetron is a highly effective non-sedative antiemetic that justifies further assessment in combination with other antiemetics in patients receiving cytotoxic drugs associated with the production of severe nausea and vomiting.