Association of Allergic Symptoms in the First 2 Years of Life With Sleep Outcomes Among Chinese Toddlers

Background: Previous studies have linked allergic symptoms to sleep in children, but the associations might be different when considering different types of allergic symptoms or sleep outcomes. Moreover, the combined effects of multiple allergic symptoms remain unclear in early life. This study aimed to investigate the associations between multiple allergic symptoms and sleep outcomes in early life.Methods: We included 673 toddlers aged 2 years from a birth cohort in Guangzhou, China. We identified allergic symptoms (skin, eyes and nose, gastrointestinal tract, mouth and lips, and wheeze) within 2 years via standard questionnaires. Sleep outcomes including sleep duration and quality over the past month were assessed based on the Chinese version of the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Associations between allergic symptoms and sleep outcomes were examined using multivariable linear regression and logistic regression.Results: Compared to children without allergic symptoms, children with allergic nasal and ocular symptoms had higher odds of frequent nighttime awakenings (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.93) and irregular sleep (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.00); children with allergic gastrointestinal symptoms slept 0.28 h less during nighttime (95% CI: −0.48, −0.07) and 0.25 h less per day (95% CI: −0.43, −0.08), and had 59% higher odds of irregular sleep (95% CI: 1.24, 2.04). We also found significant association of multiple allergic symptoms with shortened nighttime sleep duration and increased irregular sleep. Whereas, allergic skin, mouth and lips, and wheeze symptoms were not significantly associated with sleep outcomes.Conclusion: Allergic symptoms within 2 years of age were adversely associated with sleep outcomes, which highlight the importance of early screening of allergic symptoms in toddlers in order to improve their sleep outcomes.

Efficacy of Phototherapy With 308-nm Excimer Light for Skin Microbiome Dysbiosis and Skin Barrier Dysfunction in Canine Atopic Dermatitis

The management of canine atopic dermatitis, an allergic skin disorder, is challenging. To investigate the effect of phototherapy using a 308-nm excimer light as a topical treatment for canine atopic dermatitis, 10 dogs with canine atopic dermatitis and 10 with non-allergic skin were enrolled in this study. Phototherapy was applied every 7 days for a total of 2 months. The skin microbiome, skin barrier function, and clinical outcomes were evaluated after phototherapy. Phototherapy significantly changed the composition of the skin microbiome of dogs with atopic dermatitis and significantly increased the relative abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria. It significantly alleviated the clinical signs of canine atopic dermatitis without serious adverse effects. Transepidermal water loss, as a measure of skin barrier function, significantly decreased after phototherapy. In addition, phototherapy increased microbial diversity and decreased the relative abundance of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius associated with the severity of canine atopic dermatitis. These results suggest that the excimer light therapy is a suitable and safe therapeutic option for canine atopic dermatitis, which is also a spontaneous animal model of atopic dermatitis.

Peculiarities of Adverse Events Manifested by Injury of Skin and Skin Derivatives and Associated with Beta-blockers Use

More than 50 years after Propranolol was introduced to the pharmaceutical market as a drug that can lower the heart rate, beta-blockers (BAB) are still widely used in the pharmacotherapy of cardiovascular diseases. However, the use of BAB has a number of limitations, first of all, due to adverse drug events (AE) that develop during their use. The purpose of our review was to study the features of the BAB AE manifested by injuries of the skin and its appendages. The clinical manifestations of them are the development or exacerbation of psoriasis, lichen planus, contact dermatitis, acrocyanosis, Raynaud's disease, alopecia, hyperhidrosis, vitiligo, anaphylaxis, and allergic skin reactions. True medicinal psoriasis occurs in patients taking BAB with no family or previous history and most often mimics erythrodermic psoriasis and palmar-plantar pustular psoriasis. Systemic use of BAB can also be accompanied by exacerbation of vitiligo. In patients with segmental vitiligo, the results of Doppler flowmetry and iontophoresis showed increased blood flow in vitiligo foci compared with normal skin. The development of anaphylactic reactions against the background of BAB therapy may be due to the modulation of adenylate cyclase, which can affect the release of anaphylactogenic mediators, as well as a decrease in the severity of cardiovascular compensatory changes. The peculiarities of the development of such reactions may be the resistance of patients to traditional treatment, which is due to the development of paradoxical reflex vagotonic effects when using adrenaline. Some of the mentioned AE may pose a potential threat to the life and health of the patient and therefore require additional discussion.

Dermatological conditions in older adults: clinical overview

The skin is one of the most important parts of the human body. It protects the underlying tissue from injury and is a valuable part of the homeostatic processes. Older people have more frail and aged skin, which must be treated correctly to avoid skin breaks, especially where there are any dermatological conditions present. Not only this, but where there is a wound, the dressing must be chosen and applied carefully, to treat the condition but also to avoid damage when it comes to removing the dressing, due to the risk of the skin tearing, which can be a common problem in older adults. Further, the thinner, drier skin of older people has moisture and barrier changes that lead to a higher susceptibility to eczema. This article provides an overview of the aetiological, diagnostic and treatment aspects of geriatric dermatology, with a focus on the common allergic skin conditions (dermatitis) seen in older adults.

The investigation of allergic skin diseases susceptibility

Background: Studies from around the world show that the prevalence and incidence of sensitization to allergens are higher in urban settings. Skin Prick Test (SPT) is being used more frequently now to investigate specific allergen sensitivity along with serum IgE level. Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of sub-clinical allergy susceptibility and to see association with gender, season, age, urticaria, eczema, dermatitis and total serum IgE. Method and methodology: Eight hundred and ninety-two patients referred by dermatologist to rule out allergic sensitizations underwent SPT within one year. We calculated susceptible group and evaluated its ability to predict diseases like urticaria, eczema and non-specific dermatitis in general population. Result: The antigens that had the highest prevalence throughout the year were Mould II (32.38%) and Dermatophagoides farina (33.78%). The susceptibility to allergen was affected by season and age, however was not affected by gender. The predictability was highly statistically significant for Urticaria, Eczema and Non-specific Dermatitis. Conclusion: We conclude that the allergen susceptibility is high and is significantly correlated to the prevalence of allergic disorders in the sample population of a modern city like Shanghai. The susceptibility to allergen is affected by season and age. Keywords: skin prick test; total serum IgE; sub-clinical allergy susceptibility.

Effects of Feeding a Hypoallergenic Diet with a Nutraceutical on Fecal Dysbiosis Index and Clinical Manifestations of Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Background: an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota can cause health problems in the gastrointestinal tract and in other organs. Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD) is a genetically predisposed, inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with multifactorial etiology and multimodal treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a nutraceutical product on Dysbiotic Index (DI) and the skin lesions of atopic dogs. Methods: a nutraceutical product was administered to 32 dogs with CAD. The product was associated with a standardized hypoallergenic diet for 60 days; the dietary regimen continued for 120 days, while ongoing therapies remained unchanged. Values of Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), Canine Atopic Dermatitis Lesional Index (CADLI) and DI were evaluated on day 0, 60, 120. Results: all the 32 dogs showed a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) to V60 of VAS and CADLI, which persisted and increased to V120 when diet alone was continued. The decrease in the DI value was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: the intake of nutraceutical associated with diet resulted in a decrease in the index of intestinal dysbiosis, with an improvement in the subjective severity of cutaneous lesions.

Psychosexual Problem in Remitted Psychiatric Patients

Background: Many patients and health literature, in general, allege that psychotropic agents cause sexual side effects. Objective: We intended to investigate this issue in a Nepalese clinical setting by estimating the prevalence of psychosexual problems among remitted psychiatric outpatients (on psychotropic medication) and by comparing it with that of a nonpsychiatric patient group (on nonpsychotropic medication). Methodology: In this hospital-based cross-sectional comparison study with purposive sampling, we collected the responses to a self-response questionnaire called “Arizona Sexual Experience Scale” from a total of 400 subjects: 100 male and 100 female consecutive consenting remitted psychiatric and dermatological outpatients, each with sex and marital status matching. We recorded pertinent information in the proforma and screened psychosexual problems with the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale after informed written consent. The problems in psychiatric and dermatological groups were compared. Results: We have more subjects of reproductive ages in both the psychiatric and dermatological groups. Depression, anxiety, and bipolar affective disorder were the most common diagnoses in the psychiatric patients, whereas eczema, fungal, immunologic, and allergic skin lesions/diseases were common in the dermatological patients. Both groups had comparable sexual dysfunction rates, both by overall and the criteria of ≥3 items with scores ≥4, whereas dermatological patients had more problems with criteria of ≥1 item with a score ≥5. Conclusions: Psychosexual dysfunction was more or less similar in frequency among both the psychiatric patients on psychotropic medication and dermatological patients on topical agents.