A necessity that arises during natural disasters: lice treatment without water

Current treatment agents for pediculosis capitis are used during bathing and require rinsing after application. After the recent earthquake disaster in Turkey, there has been a need for a treatment that does not require rinsing in areas where there is no or limited access to water. In this context, we designed a study to find a treatment that does not require rinsing. We aimed to investigate the in vitro lethal effect of ivermectin solution on the parasite and to compare this effect with immersion oil and pure water.

Quality of life and satisfaction with life in patients with skin diseases

Individuals with skin disease may experience negative symptoms such as itching and pain, social stigma, and isolation. This cross-sectional study included 378 patients with skin diseases. The Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) score was found to be higher in individuals with skin disease. A high score indicates an impaired quality of life. Married people than single people, those who are 31 years old and older than those who are 30 years old and younger have higher DLQI scores. And also those who work than those who are unemployed, those who have diseases than those who do not have any other diseases, and those who smoke than those who are non-smokers have higher DLQI scores. In order to increase the quality of life of individuals with skin diseases, it is necessary to detect risky situations as well as symptom control and add psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions to the treatment plan.

Using ultraviolet dermoscopy in diagnosing scabies

The latest generation ultraviolet (UV) dermatoscopes, which emit UV light at a wavelength of 365 nm and enlarge lesions, are practical devices that can facilitate the diagnosis and follow-up of some dermatological diseases with fluorescence that can be observed in skin lesions. In 305 patients, 468 tunnels were evaluated: first in polarized mode and later in UV mode. The recorded samples were compared one-to-one by the same dermatologist. Due to the study's design, images were examined in three stages: tunnel borders, tunnel content and mite appearance. In UV mode, the entire body of mites gives a bright reflex along with an oval-shaped diagnostic clue well beyond the delta sign. The borders of the tunnel reflect brightly in UV mode, with borders that are more sharply visible than in polarized mode. Although the tunnel content cannot be clearly distinguished in polarized mode, especially in people with hyperkeratotic palms, or 'working hands' (e.g. farmers, mechanics and construction workers), with the bright reflex, the tunnel borders in UV mode give a bright reflection and provide a clear view of tunnels. Tunnel content gives a bright reflection in UV mode. Our results show that UV dermatoscopes provide more effective and clearer images than polarized dermatoscopes in the diagnosis of scabies.

Can we increase the success of scabies treatment? The effect of removing tunnels from patients in the success of scabies treatment

BACKGROUND

Recently, there has been an increase in scabies infestations. Moreover, the number of patients who do not benefit from conventional treatment regimens is increasing rapidly worldwide. This situation leads clinicians to seek new treatments.

AIM

To evaluate the contribution of mechanical parasite removal to treatment success when applied prior to topical permethrin 5% treatment. The mechanical removal process was applied once during diagnosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two groups of 30 people each were included in the study. Permethrin treatment was given directly to the first group without any procedure. In the second group, the maximum number of tunnels that could be detected were removed from patients. After this procedure, the group received permethrin treatment. All patients were called for control after 10 days, and treatment response rates were evaluated.

RESULTS

Sixteen (53.3%) patients who received permethrin treatment directly without any procedure responded to the treatment. In the remaining 14 (46.6%) patients, tunnels and Sarcoptes mites were still present. In the second group, which underwent tunnel removal, complete recovery was observed in 26 (86.6%) patients. The patients who did not benefit from the treatment in the study group had relatively less tunnel removal from their bodies.

CONCLUSION

Removing the tunnel from the patient before the treatment increases the success of the treatment. Considering that there are 8-10 parasites on average in scabies patients, it has been determined that the tunnel removal method is not difficult and contributes to therapeutic success. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Is there a really resistance to scabies treatment with permethrin? In vitro killing activity of permethrin on Sarcoptes scabiei from patients with resistant scabies

Recently, there have been increased scabies infestations but many patients do not respond to treatment. Clinicians are hesitant to use permethrin despite the fact that treatment failure may be due to noncompliance with the treatment rather than permethrin resistance. We aimed to investigate the permethrin resistance of mites collected from patients who have endured scabies for at least 3 months despite permethrin treatment. Parasites in patients who had scabies for at least 3 months despite permethrin treatment were collected. Only parasites that were not damaged during sampling, not fragmented and had full motion were included. Parasites were divided into four groups, each with 15 parasites. Immersion oil was dripped on the control group and 5%, 7%, and 10% permethrin was added to the study groups. The responses of the parasites to the applied agents were examined using a digital microscope. All solutions, except the control group, killed the scabies mite. The mean survival time (ST) in the 5%, 7%, and 10% permethrin groups was 360 ± 33.2, 340 ± 31.4, and 320 ± 30.2 min, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean ST in the permethrin groups. The mean ST in the control group was 46 ± 1.5 h. The mean ST difference between the control and permethrin-treated groups was significant (p = 0.03). There was no resistance to permethrin, which should maintain its place as first line treatment of scabies. Treatment noncompliance, rather than permethrin resistance, seems to be the underlying factor in the chronicity of scabies.

Cryosurgery to remove perichondrium for the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model: a simplified method

INTRODUCTION

The rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model is a preferred animal model of excessive scarring for investigating the scarring process and novel treatment modalities. In this model, surgical removal of perichondrium can be challenging, and it is often insufficient or damages the underlying cartilage. It is hypothesized that cryosurgery would offer a more efficient alternative to conventional surgery. The objective of this study was to compare structural changes in scar tissues in two groups of the hypertrophic scar model: cryosurgery compared to standard conventional surgery.

METHODS

We introduced a novel technique to remove perichondrium using cryosurgery. Hypertrophic scars obtained with conventional surgery and cryosurgery were studied in a left-right comparison method. Comparative parameters included the histological structure of the scars and structural changes in the cartilage just beneath the scarring.

RESULTS

Cryosurgery produced similar scars in comparison to conventional surgery. Although statistically not significant (p = 0.16), the histological findings of cartilage damage were lower in the cryosurgery group (six out of 21) compared to the established model (10 out of 20).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that cryotherapy can be used for removal of perichondrium.

Narrow band ultraviolet-B versus Goeckerman therapy for psoriasis with and without acitretin: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Narrow band ultraviolet-B (NB-UVB) is now one of the most widely used modalities in the treatment of psoriasis. However, despite its high efficacy, conventional Goeckerman treatment has fallen out of favor in recent years and some institutions are now using NBUVB with coal tar as their regimen.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of NB-UVB, Goeckerman therapy and the effect of addition of retinoid to the treatment regimen in the treatment of psoriasis,.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 65 patients who underwent 81 courses of treatment in our department was undertaken. The efficacy of NB-UVB and Goeckerman therapy individually, and in combination with acitretin was assessed. Data were analysed to evaluate the contribution of acitretin to these modalities.

RESULTS

PASI-75 responses in the NB-UVB, retinoid+NB-UVB (re-NB), Goeckerman and retinoid+Goeckerman (re-Goeckerman) groups were achieved for 12 of 31 patients (39%), 13 of 21 patients (62%), 15 of 17 patients (88%) and 10 of 12 patients, respectively. The addition of acitretin to both modalities reduced both the number of sessions and the cumulative ultraviolet-B dose delivered.

LIMITATIONS

This is a retrospective study, the patients were not randomized and the number of patients in the treatment groups were dissimilar.

CONCLUSION

Goeckerman therapy is more effective than NB-UVB phototherapy. Although the addition of acitretin to both NB-UVB and Goeckerman therapy did not contribute to treatment outcomes in terms of PASI-75 responses, it enabled a reduction in UV exposures and enhanced efficacy.