Clinical and dermoscopic patterns of childhood alopecia areata in a tertiary care centre in North India

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> To describe the clinico epidemiologic profile and dermoscopic findings in children with alopecia areata (AA) and correlate the dermoscopic findings with stage and severity.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The present study was performed over a period of six months, from July 2020 to December 2020 in a tertiary care hospital where 50 clinically diagnosed children ≤15 years with AA were enrolled. A thorough clinical examination followed by dermoscopy was performed. The results were tabulated and then analyzed statistically.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of presentation was 9.74 years. The most common site involved was scalp and the most common dermoscopic findings were yellow dots (25/50, 50%), short vellus hair (22/50, 44%), black dots (21/50, 42%), exclamation mark hair (15/50, 30%) and broken hair (11/50, 22%).</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> No significant associations was found between dermoscopic findings and severity or stage of childhood alopecia areata. There was a significant correlation of alopecia areata severity with nail findings in children with alopecia areata.</p>

EPIDEMIOLOGIC PROFILE OF THE INITIAL COVID 19 PATIENTS AT A DESIGNATED COVID HOSPITAL IN SOUTH TAMIL NADU

BACKGROUND:COVID-19, caused by SARS CoV-2 has caused a worldwide pandemic since its origins in December 2019. The spectrum of the disease ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe respiratory illness causing mortality in severe cases. Person to person spread through respiratory droplets appears to be the most common route of spread. AIM & OBJECTIVE:This study aims to assess the demographic prole of COVID-19 patients. In addition, measures of transmission probability are determined using travel history and contact tracing. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was done at a Government medical college in South Tamil Nadu over four months among patients who were RT-PCR positive for SARS CoV-2. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Aquestionnaire from NCDC for COVID-19 patients was used for collecting demographic and clinical details. Travel history and contact tracing were obtained using telephonic interviews and in person interviews. STATISTICALANALYSIS USED: Data was entered using MS-Excel and analysed using R studio version 3.6.3. RESULTS: Majority of the patients belonged to 20 to 49 years of age. Around 14.6% were symptomatic with fever and sore throat being predominant. Diabetes and hypertension were the most associated comorbidities. A positive contact history was present among 46.58% of the cases. The secondary attack rate was 25.03% and R0 was 2.76 CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a positive contact history and the preponderance of asymptomatic cases seem to contribute to the spread of the disease and impede control efforts. Hence, a multi-pronged approach including community participation, active surveillance systems and legal measures would be of great impact in slowing disease spread.

INTOXICAÇÃO POR MEDICAMENTOS EM TRÊS MICRORREGIÕES DO INTERIOR DE SÃO PAULO: PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO

A intoxicação por medicamentos é o tipo de intoxicação exógena de maior incidência no Brasil. Este estudo tem como objetivo descrever e analisar o perfil epidemiológico das vítimas de intoxicação por medicamentos das microrregiões de Santa Fé do Sul, Jales e Fernandópolis no período de 2015 a 2019. É um estudo retrospectivo, descritivo e exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa. Os dados secundários foram fornecidos pelo Grupo de Vigilância Epidemiológica XXX. Durante o período, foram registrados 1855 casos, com uma média de 371 casos ao ano. O ano com maior ocorrência foi 2019, com 451 casos registrados. Houve uma maior incidência no sexo feminino (76,3%). Em relação à raça, destacou-se a branca (78%). A faixa etária com maior ocorrência foi de 20 a 29 anos, nos primeiros anos, porém, em 2019, houve um aumento de casos na faixa de 10 a 19 anos. Conclui-se que houve um aumento de 17,7% dos casos em 2019, com prevalência entre mulheres e adolescentes. Há necessidade de incentivo da notificação e prevenção dessas intoxicações, visto que sugerem que a maior causa sejam as tentativas de suicídio, sendo este um problema de saúde pública. MEDICATION POISONING IN THREE MICRO-REGIONS OF SÃO PAULO COUNTRYSIDE: EPIDEMIOLOGIC PROFILE ABSTRACT Medication poisoning is the kind of exogenous poisoning with the highest incidence in Brazil. This paper aims at describing, and analyzing the epidemiologic profile of medication poisoning victims in the micro-regions of Santa Fé do Sul, Jales, and Fernandópolis in the period from 2015 to 2019. It is a retrospective, descriptive and exploratory study, quantitative approach. Secondary data was provided by Grupo de Vigilância Epidemiológica XXX. During that period 1855 cases were reported with an average of 371 cases per year. The year with the highest occurrence was 2019 when 451 cases were reported. The highest incidence was in females (76,3%). Regarding race, the Caucasian race stood out (78%). The age group with the highest incidence was the 20-29 years old, in the early years, although, in 2019, there was an increase of cases in the 10-19 age group. We conclude that there was an increase of 17,7% in cases in 2019, with the prevalence of women and teenagers. It is necessary to encourage the notification and prevention of poisoning, since they suggest that the main cause of them were due to suicide attempts, which makes it a public health problem. Descriptors: Emergency; Nursing and emergency. Poisoning. Epidemiology. Surveillance.

COVID-19, Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika Diseases: An Analytical Platform Based on MALDI-TOF MS, IR Spectroscopy and RT-qPCR for Accurate Diagnosis and Accelerate Epidemics Control

COVID-19 and arboviruses (ARBOD) epidemics co-occurrence is a great concern. In tropical and subtropical regions, ARBOD diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika are frequent. In both COVID-19 and ARBOD cases, an accurate diagnosis of infected patients is crucial to promote adequate treatment and isolation measures in COVID-19 cases. Overlap of clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters between COVID-19 and ARBOD present themselves as an extra challenge during diagnosis. COVID-19 diagnosis is mainly performed by quantitative reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), while ARBOD diagnosis is performed by serology, detection of antigen or antibody, and molecular diagnosis. In this review, the epidemiologic profile of arboviruses and SARS-CoV-2 is analyzed, and potential risks of symptom overlap is addressed. The implementation of an analytical platform based on infrared (IR) spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and RT-qPCR is discussed as an efficient strategy for a fast, robust, reliable, and cost-effective diagnosis system even during the co-occurrence of virus outbreaks. The spectral data of IR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS obtained from COVID-19 infected and recovered patients can be used to build up an integrated spectral database. This approach can enable us to determine quickly the groups that have been exposed and have recovered from COVID-19 or ARBOD, avoiding misdiagnoses.

Establishing an Epidemiologic Profile of Hepatitis C Virus Infection at the Los Angeles County Jail

Objective The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States. Although 2% to 3% of the global population is estimated to be infected with HCV, an estimated 18% of the US prison population may be infected. The objective of this study was to establish an epidemiologic profile of HCV infection in the largest urban jail system in the United States. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 20 years of data on demographic characteristics, risk factors, and HCV positivity among 80 681 individuals incarcerated at the Los Angeles County Jail who were tested for HCV infection from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2019. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of HCV positivity. Results Of the 80 681 individuals tested, 27 881 (34.6%) had positive test results for HCV infection. In the multivariate analysis, HCV positivity was most strongly associated with injection drug use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 34.9; 95% CI, 24.6-49.5) and being born during 1946-1955 (aOR = 13.0; 95% CI, 11.9-14.2). Men were more likely than women to have HCV infection (aOR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.5), and Hispanic (aOR = 4.2; 95% CI, 3.9-4.4) and non-Hispanic White (aOR = 3.8; 95% CI, 3.5-4.0) individuals were more likely than non-Hispanic African American individuals to have HCV infection. Noninjection drug use, homelessness, and mental health issues were also significantly associated with HCV positivity. Conclusion Even in the absence of resources for universal screening for HCV infection, the creation of a risk profile and its implementation into a screening program may be a beneficial first step toward improving HCV surveillance and establishing an accurate estimate of HCV infection in the incarcerated population.