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Background: In many fields of medicine, guidelines recommend reduced cancer screening in patients of advanced age and limited life expectancy (LLE). In dermatology, there are currently no guidelines for adjusted evaluation and management practices of keratinocyte cancer (KC) in patients with LLE. Little is known regarding evaluation and management patterns and frequency of biopsies in these patients. Objective: We sought to determine if dermatology providers biopsy LLE patients with similar frequency to their age-matched peers and quantify frequency of associated complications. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of evaluations for skin cancer quantified by skin biopsy frequency for skin cancer at the North Texas Veteran Affairs Health System dermatology clinic for 3062 patients between 2005-2009, including a 5-year follow-up period. Life expectancy was quantified by the validated Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) with a Deyo adaptation. Results: There was no significant difference in biopsy frequency of KC in LLE vs non-LLE patients in most age-controlled groups, with increased biopsy frequency in LLE patients in the 65-74 age category (p=0.02). There was also an increased risk of complications from biopsy in the 75-84 (many comorbidities subgroup: RR=3.27, p=0.002; some comorbidities subgroup: RR=2.26, p=0.048) and 65-74 (many comorbidities subgroup: RR=1.52, p=0.004) age group when compared to age matched healthy controls. Conclusion: Biopsy frequency is similar or increased in patients with LLE compared with age-matched controls, with increased frequency of complications. Further studies are needed to understand the underlying factors driving these practice patterns.

Demographic and clinical findings of patients with mucocutaneous morphea have not been well characterized, to our knowledge.To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of morphea patients with mucocutaneous lesions who were enrolled in the Morphea in Adults and Children cohort.Cross-sectional study of 735 patients in the Morphea in Adults and Children cohort from 2007 to 2018.A total of 4.6% of linear morphea patients had oral involvement versus 2.4% among the entire cohort, whereas 10.3% of generalized morphea patients had genital involvement versus 3.7% among the entire cohort. Patients with genital lesions were older at disease onset than those with oral morphea (57 versus 11.5 years; P .001) and had more frequent extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (59.2% versus 5.6%; P = .004).Selection bias and limited number of affected subjects.Oral morphea lesions predominate in younger patients with facial linear morphea, whereas genital lesions predominate in postmenopausal women with overlying extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus.

Introduction: Quality control describes steps taken by blood and component bank to ensure that tests are performed correctly. Primary goal of quality control is transfusion of safe quality of blood. It is to ensure availability of efficient supply of blood and blood components. Internal quality control is the backbone of quality assurance program. Aims and Objectives: To analyze the internal quality control of blood components in modern blood banking as an indicator of our blood bank performance. Materials and Methods: An observational cross sectional study conducted at the Blood and Component Bank, JN Medical College and Hospital from 2018 to 2020. Each blood component was arbitrarily chosen during the study on monthly basis. Selection criteria was 1.0% of total collection or minimum 4 bags per month. Packed red cells were evaluated for hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC count; platelet concentrates for pH, yield and culture; fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate were evaluated for unit volume, factor VIII and fibrinogen concentration. Results: The mean HCT of packed red cells was 65.75+7.42%, volume was 238+26.25ml, Hb was 20.5+0.15g/dL and RBC count of 5.89x1012+0.30x1012. The mean platelet yield was 5.7x1010, pH was ?6.8+0.175 and volume was 82.5+13.75ml; cultures were negative and swirling was present in all the platelet units tested. Mean factor VIII and fibrinogen levels were found to be 95.25 +7.37and 307.5+41.37gm/l for FFP respectively. Mean volume, PT and APTT were 215+32.5ml, 14.15+0.325 sec and 29.50+1.5 sec respectively. Conclusions: The quality control of blood components ensures the timely availability of a blood component of high quality with maximum efficacy and minimal risk to potential recipients. Keywords: Internal Quality Control, Modern Blood Banking, Health Care, .Components

Objectives: Our study aimed to examine a subset of electively reduced twins and compare their outcomes with those of expectantly managed twins, along with a cohort of singleton pregnancies. The secondary aim was to ascertain the procedure-related miscarriage risks. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed at Apollo Centre for Fetal Medicine, New Delhi, comparing pregnancy outcomes in dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies which were reduced to singletons (group 1) with that of women with dichorionic twins managed expectantly (group 0) and women with a singleton pregnancy (group 2). Comparison of continuous and categorical variables was conducted using standard statistical tests. Results: We analysed 35 twins which were reduced to singletons, 421 expectantly managed dichorionic twins and 1915 women with a singleton pregnancy. In the reduction group, the rate of procedure related pregnancy lossp = 1.000). The median gestational age at delivery was significantly higher in reduced twins compared to expectantly managed twin pregnancies (38.0 vs. 35.4 weeks respectively, p < 0.001) with a higher mean birth weight at delivery, both of which were comparable to that among the singleton pregnancies (38.3 weeks). The rates of preterm birth Conclusions: The obstetric and perinatal outcomes after reduction of a dichorionic twin are better than an expectantly managed twin without an associated increase in pregnancy loss rates. Fetal reduction of dichorionic twin to a singleton appears to be a safe procedure in expert hands.

Despite a recent endorsement from official and professional bodies unequivocally recommending COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people remains high. The accumulated evidence demonstrates that pregnant people are a special risk group for COVID-19, with an increased risk of intensive care unit admission, extracorporeal membranous oxygenation requirement, preterm birth, and perinatal death. These risks are further increased with some variants of concern, and vaccination of pregnant people reduces the COVID-19-related increase in maternal or fetal morbidity. Data from more than 180,000 vaccinated persons show that immunization against COVID-19 with an mRNA vaccine is safe for pregnant people. Many observational studies comparing perinatal outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant people have had reassuring findings and did not demonstrate harmful effects on pregnancy or the newborn. Immunization with mRNA vaccines does not increase the risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birthweight, maternal or neonatal intensive care unit admission, fetal death, fetal abnormality, or pulmonary embolism. Moreover, observational data corroborate the findings of randomized trials that mRNA vaccination is highly effective at preventing severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant people, emphasizing that the potential maternal and fetal benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risks of vaccination. Ensuring pregnant people have unrestricted access to COVID-19 vaccination should be a priority in every country worldwide.

The clinical features and patient impact of morphea, an inflammatory disorder of the skin and soft tissue, remain poorly characterized. While numerous clinical classification schemes are in use, there is little work systematically examining latent clinical and quality of life features within these clinical subtypes. In an effort to address this gap, prior work from our group revealed that the Padua Criteria performed best in grouping patients into consistent subtypes, however we did not perform in depth analysis of subsets that may exist within these subtypes.

Background: concerns have been raised regarding a potential surge of COVID-19 in pregnancy, secondary to the rising numbers of COVID-19 in the community, easing of societal restrictions, and vaccine hesitancy. Although COVID-19 vaccination is now offered to all pregnant women in the United Kingdom; limited data exist on its uptake and safety. Objective: this study aimed to investigate the uptake and safety of COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women. Study design: this was a cohort study of pregnant women who gave birth at St George's University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom, between March 1, 2020, and July 4, 2021. The primary outcome was uptake of COVID-19 vaccination and its determinants. The secondary outcomes were perinatal safety outcomes. Data were collected on COVID-19 vaccination uptake, vaccination type, gestational age at vaccination, and maternal characteristics, including age, parity, ethnicity, index of multiple deprivation score, and comorbidities. Further data were collected on perinatal outcomes, including stillbirth (fetal death at ?24 weeks’ gestation), preterm birth, fetal and congenital abnormalities, and intrapartum complications. Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of women who received the vaccine were compared with that of a matched cohort of women with balanced propensity scores. Effect magnitudes of vaccination on perinatal outcomes were reported as mean differences or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Factors associated with antenatal vaccination were assessed with logistic regression analysis. Results: Data were available for 1328 pregnant women of whom 140 received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before giving birth and 1188 women who did not; 85.7% of those vaccinated received their vaccine in the third trimester of pregnancy and 14.3% in the second trimester of pregnancy. Of those vaccinated, 127 (90.7%) received a messenger RNA vaccine and 13 (9.3%) a viral vector vaccine. There was evidence of reduced vaccine uptake in younger women (P=.001), women with high levels of deprivation (ie, fifth quintile of the index of multiple deprivation; P=.008), and women of Afro-Caribbean or Asian ethnicity compared with women of White ethnicity (P[removed].05 for all): stillbirth (0.0% vs 0.2%), fetal abnormalities (2.2% vs 2.5%), postpartum hemorrhage (9.8% vs 9.0%), cesarean delivery (30.8% vs 34.1%), small for gestational age (12.0% vs 12.8%), maternal high-dependency unit or intensive care admission (6.0% vs 4.0%), or neonatal intensive care unit admission (5.3% vs 5.0%). Intrapartum pyrexia (3.7% vs 1.0%; P=.046) was significantly increased but the borderline statistical significance was lost after excluding women with antenatal COVID-19 infection (P=.079). Mixed-effects Cox regression showed that vaccination was not significantly associated with birth at, NA

BackgroundCutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune photosensitive skin condition. The impact of income on quality of life has been incompletely characterized in CLE.ObjectivesWe aimed to assess how annual income affects quality of life among CLE patients.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study of 238 patients with CLE, relationships between predictor variables including annual income and each SKINDEX-29 + 3 subdomain were identified using univariate and multivariable analyses. In addition, answers to individual SKINDEX-29 + 3 questions were compared across income groups. Clinical factors in patients making less than ResultsPatients making ConclusionsLower income is related to poorer quality of life in patients with CLE. Specifically, patients experience limitations regarding social isolation and self-consciousness.

While many clinical findings of morphea have been described by our group and others, mucocutaneous findings, including genital or oral lesions, have not been well characterized. To date, we don’t know the frequency, demographic and clinical features associated with mucocutaneus lesions. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients enrolled in the Morphea in Adults and Children Registry from 2007 to 2018. Of the 737 patients analyzed, 48% (n=353) had linear morphea, 31% (n=232) had generalized morphea, 12% (n=87) had plaque morphea and 6% (n=45) had mixed. Oral lesions were present in 23 patients (3%), out of which 20 (87%) had linear morphea, nine had En Coup de Sabre (39%) and 12 had Parry Romberg syndrome (PRS) (52%). Genital lesions were present in 28 patients, the majority of which (24/28, 86%) had generalized morphea. Patients with oral involvement had a younger age of onset when compared to patients with genital involvement (12 and 58 years old, respectively; P

Recent studies demonstrated cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE)’s profound impact on quality of life (QoL), but few have examined the association between income and QoL in CLE patients. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of 238 patients with CLE from outpatient dermatology clinics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health and Hospital System, a safety-net hospital in Dallas, TX, from November 2008 to December 2018. First, we investigated differences in overall QoL, as measured by the four SKINDEX 29+3 subdomain scores (emotions, function, symptoms and lupus-specific), amongst CLE patients of different income groups ($50,000/year). Next, we identified which aspects of QoL, as specified by individual SKINDEX 29+3 questions, were most frequently impaired in CLE patients of various incomes. Chi-squared tests were used to assess how responses to each question varied across income groups. Of the 238 patients, the majority of patients earned between $10,000–$50,000/year (n=88) or $50,000/year, those with

Importance Numerous classification systems for morphea subtypes exist, but none have been systematically evaluated for their ability to categorize patients with morphea into demographically and clinically coherent groups. Although some subtypes, such as linear morphea, are present across all the classification schemes, others list unique subtypes. This creates confusion among investigators and practitioners and impairs accurate categorization of patients for study and clinical evaluation. Objective To evaluate how frequently the commonly used morphea classification systems categorize patients with morphea into clinically relevant subtypes using cross-sectional analysis of 2 large patient cohorts. Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional study comprised 944 adults and children from 2 prospective cohorts-the Morphea in Adults and Children at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, Texas), which enrolled participants from July 20, 2007, to September 21, 2018, and the National Registry for Childhood-Onset Scleroderma at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), which enrolled participants from October 23, 2002, to November 13, 2018. Main outcomes and measures Patient demographic characteristics, morphea subtype, quality-of-life measures, disease activity, and damage as measured by Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment Tool scores during initial visits. Results A total of 944 participants (444 patients with adult-onset morphea and 500 patients with pediatric-onset morphea; 741 female participants [78%]; median age at onset, 16 years [interquartile range, 8-44 years]) were included in this study. Most participants were White (723 [77%]) and had the linear (474 [50%]) or generalized subtype of morphea (244 [26%]). With the use of the previously published Padua criteria, most patients were classified to have linear morphea (474 [50%]), followed by generalized morphea (244 [26%]), plaque morphea (141 [15%]), mixed morphea (38 [4%]), and pansclerotic morphea (3 [0.3%]). Overall, the Padua criteria successfully classified 900 patients (95%) in comparison with the Peterson criteria (533 [56%]) and the European Dermatology Forum classification (487 [52%]). Conclusions and relevance In this cross-sectional study of morphea subtype classification systems, the Padua criteria performed best in classifying patients into subgroups with cohesive demographic and clinical features, supporting its widespread use. However, they have ambiguities that might lead to misclassification, particularly in terms of generalized and pansclerotic morphea and descriptors such as morphea profunda. Consensus-based approaches are needed to address these ambiguities and develop a unified classification scheme.

INTRODUCTION: Primary care providers have greater access to patients despite often lacking the appropriate training or time to implement effective skin cancer screenings in their busy practices.(1) Through collaborative efforts with Oregon’s War on Melanoma public health campaign and other primary care trainings, we created “Melanoma Toolkit for Early Detection” (MTED): a training curriculum and resource repository for primary care providers. METHODS AND RESULTS: MTED consisted of three self-paced modules. Each participant completed a pre- and post-test consisting of demographic, confidence, and image identification questions. A subsequent optional 6-month follow-up image identification test was also provided. Of the 96 participants, 40 completed all the modules, the pre, and post-test. On average, scores increased by 6.0 (95% CI: 3.5 to 8.6) percentage points (P

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of mortality and morbidity owing to COVID-19. Many studies have reported on the association of COVID-19 with pregnancy-specific adverse outcomes, but prediction models utilizing large cohorts of pregnant women are still lacking for estimating the risk of maternal morbidity and other adverse events.The main aim of this study was to develop a prediction model to quantify the risk of progression to critical COVID-19 and intensive care unit admission in pregnant women with symptomatic infection.This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study including 8 hospitals from 4 countries (the United Kingdom, Austria, Greece, and Turkey). The data extraction was from February 2020 until May 2021. Included were consecutive pregnant and early postpartum women (within 10 days of birth); reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcome was progression to critical illness requiring intensive care. The secondary outcomes included maternal death, preeclampsia, and stillbirth. The association between the primary outcome and 12 candidate predictors having a known association with severe COVID-19 in pregnancy was analyzed with log-binomial mixed-effects regression and reported as adjusted risk ratios. All the potential predictors were evaluated in 1 model and only the baseline factors in another. The predictive accuracy was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves.Of the 793 pregnant women who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were symptomatic, 44 (5.5%) were admitted to intensive care, of whom 10 died (1.3%). The 'mini-COvid Maternal Intensive Therapy' model included the following demographic and clinical variables available at disease onset: maternal age (adjusted risk ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.95; P=.015); body mass index (adjusted risk ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.66; P=.010); and diagnosis in the third trimester of pregnancy (adjusted risk ratio, 3.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.78-8.46; P=.001). The optimism-adjusted area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.73. The 'full-COvid Maternal Intensive Therapy' model included body mass index (adjusted risk ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.95; P=.015), lower respiratory symptoms (adjusted risk ratio, 5.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.81-21.4; P=.007), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (adjusted risk ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-1.89; P.001); and serum C-reactive protein (adjusted risk ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.44; P.001), with an optimism-adjusted area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85. Neither model showed signs of a poor fit. Categorization as high-risk by either model was associated with a shorter diagnosis to intensive care unit admission interval (log-rank test P.001, both), higher maternal death (5.2% vs 0.2%; P.001), and preeclampsia (5.7% vs 1.0%; P.001). A spreadsheet calculator is available for risk estimation.At presentation with symptomatic COVID-19, pregnant and recently postpartum women can be stratified into high- and low-risk for progression to critical disease, even where resources are limited. This can support the nature and place of care. These models also highlight the independent risk for severe disease associated with obesity and should further emphasize that even in the absence of other comorbidities, vaccination is particularly important for these women. Finally, the model also provides useful information for policy makers when prioritizing national vaccination programs to quickly protect those at the highest risk of critical and fatal COVID-19.

Evaluate the impact of third trimester ultrasound in identifying ,small for gestational age (SGA) growth restricted (FGR) and appropriately grown fetuses (AGA).Analyse their outcomes ,ascertain the main causes of perinatal death and lastly compare ultrasound intervention to standard antenatal care . Design Prospective observational study Setting Secondary care, government hospital Population Antenatal women Methods Based on estimated fetal weight by scan , patients were categorized into FGR 3 and 10 centile. Perinatal outcomes and deaths were analysed by category. Health Ministry data was extracted for standard care outcomes and compared to study group. Main Outcomes Perinatal deaths and causes,composite neonatal morbidity ,severe adverse outcomes Results Number of births in study and standard care was 1817 and 15,427 respectively. Detection rate by ultrasound for FGR/SGA fetuses was 28.5%.This contained 44.8% (13/29) of all perinatal deaths. Neonatal deaths, composite neonatal morbidity, serious adverse perinatal outcomes were significantly more in FGR compared to AGA. Standard care group had twice as many stillbirths RR 2.32(1.3-4.1)and early neonatal deaths (RR2.5 (1.18-5.34) . Majority of perinatal deaths (17/29; 58.6%) in study group were the direct result of failure to recognize antepartum/ intrapartum risk factors, leading to delayed delivery. In addition (3/12 ; 25%), women reported late after decreased fetal movements and ( 3/12 25%)were post dated. Ill-equipped nursery contributed to neonatal mortality in (10/17 ; 58.8%) cases. Conclusion Perinatal outcomes will not improve by ultrasound identification of small fetuses unless concomitantly, obstetric protocols and patient awareness programmes are not improved.

Importance First-line systemic therapy for morphea includes methotrexate with or without systemic corticosteroids. When this regimen is ineffective, not tolerated, or contraindicated, a trial of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or mycophenolic acid (MPA)—referred to herein asmycophenolate—is recommended; however, evidence to support this recommendation remains weak. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of mycophenolate for the treatment of morphea. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2018, among 77 patients with morphea from 8 institutions who were treated with mycophenolate. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was morphea disease activity, severity, and response at 0, 3 to 6, and 9 to 12 months of mycophenolate treatment. A secondary outcome was whether mycophenolate was a well-tolerated treatment of morphea. Results There were 61 female patients (79%) and 16 male patients (21%) in the study, with a median age at disease onset of 36 years (interquartile range, 16-53 years) and median diagnostic delay of 8 months (interquartile range, 4-14 months). Generalized morphea (37 [48%]), pansclerotic morphea (12 [16%]), and linear morphea of the trunk and/or extremities (9 [12%]) were the most common subtypes of morphea identified. Forty-one patients (53%) had an associated functional impairment, and 49 patients (64%) had severe disease. Twelve patients received initial treatment with mycophenolate as monotherapy or combination therapy and 65 patients received mycophenolate after prior treatment was ineffective (50 of 65 [77%]) or poorly tolerated (21 of 65 [32%]). Treatments prior to mycophenolate included methotrexate (48 of 65 [74%]), systemic corticosteroids (42 of 65 [65%]), hydroxychloroquine (20 of 65 [31%]), and/or phototherapy (14 of 65 [22%]). After 3 to 6 months of mycophenolate treatment, 66 of 73 patients had stable (n = 22) or improved (n = 44) disease. After 9 to 12 months of treatment, 47 of 54 patients had stable (n = 14) or improved (n = 33) disease. Twenty-seven patients (35%) achieved disease remission at completion of the study. Treatments received in conjunction with mycophenolate were frequent. Mycophenolate was well tolerated. Gastrointestinal adverse effects were the most common (24 [31%]); cytopenia (3 [4%]) and infection (2 [3%]) occurred less frequently. Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that mycophenolate is a well-tolerated and beneficial treatment of recalcitrant, severe morphea.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the first-trimester crown-rump length (CRL) and nuchal translucency (NT) discordance in monochorionic diamniotic twins (MCDA) for the prediction of complications—twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) or intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). METHODS: Intertwin discordance in the CRL and NT was calculated as a percentage of the larger CRL and NT, respectively. The performance of inter twin discordance (CRL ≥ 10% and NT≥ 20%) for predicting complications was analysed using standard statistical screening test methods. RESULTS: Fifty-eight MCDA twin pregnancies were studied. Out of them, 19 (32%) pregnancies resulted in one of the complications studied (4 TTTS, 10 sFGR, 5 IUFD). CRL and NT discordance showed an increased probability of developing complications positive likelihood ratio (LR+) {95% confidence interval}: 2.05 {0.46–9.23} and 1.88 {1.03–3.45}, respectively. NT discordance showed a sensitivity of 57%. CONCLUSIONS: Although discordant first-trimester CRL and NT in monochorionic twins are poor screening tools for early prediction, if positive, they increase the risk of developing complications.

There is a long history of utilization of phototherapy for treatment of skin conditions. Because of its longer wavelength, UVA1 phototherapy is able to penetrate into the dermis and subcutis. This depth of penetration, combined with its unique immunomodulating properties, makes UVA1 an effective treatment modality for many immune-mediated skin diseases. In some cases, it performs better than other types of phototherapy.

Factor analysis is a dimension reducing test that seeks to describe variability seen amongst observed, correlated variables through a set of latent, or unobserved, variables called factors. This analysis can be applied to skin diseases like cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) to objectively determine clinical factors that tend to co-exist and thus define disease subtypes. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 268 patients enrolled in the University of Texas Southwestern Cutaneous Lupus Registry between November 2008 and July 2018. Clinical variables include individual American College of Rheumatology lupus diagnostic criteria, Physician’s Global Assessment and Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) scores, autoantibodies, and demographics. The factor analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results showed that approximately 42% of the variance was explained in the first six factors (F1 through F6). F1 delineated patients with high CLASI activity scores and involvement in the neck, chest, arms and back, which likely describe those with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. F2 described patients with high CLASI damage scores on the scalp, ears and face, which are indicative of those with discoid lupus erythematosus. F3 described patients with skin damage in the trunk and legs, while F4 characterized skin damage predominately on hands and feet. F5 delineated patients with clinical characteristics of SLE. The factor analysis helps characterize where lesions of CLE tend to occur together and confirm clinical subtypes. Further analyses will be done to identify new unrecognized clinical patterns in CLE to better inform providers.

Background Although the inclusion of arts in medical school curricula has garnered attention, little is known about the effect of arts-based interventions on the behaviors, attitudes, and technical skills of students. The Art of Observation is an optional elective at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in collaboration with educators from the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). We utilized a qualitative approach to describe in-depth how engaging with art influences the development of medical students’ observation skills and empathy. Methods We analyzed evaluations from 65 medical students who completed the course between 2015 and 2017. Evaluations contained open-ended questions that asked students to reflect upon their experiences and describe their perceptions, thoughts, and feelings after guided museum visits. We used grounded theory to generate a thematic codebook, then employed axial coding to discover thematic relationships. Results We report three main findings and several subthemes: (1) Enhanced observation skills: by engaging with art and completing relevant activities, students developed the ability to synthesize a compelling narrative in addition to learning technical skills; (2) Improved physician socialization: students reported enhanced self-awareness, increased tolerance of ambiguity, and development of a humanistic view of medicine, key components of physician socialization; and (3) Reduction in burnout symptoms: students reported an enhanced sense of well-being after each session, which mitigates the process of burnout. Conclusions Fine arts can be used to teach technical skills, stimulate personal reflection, and prevent burnout. A meaningful engagement with the arts can play an important role in developing physicians who are observant, empathetic, and more well-rounded. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1671-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prospective, longitudinal studies examining the features of linear morphea are limited.To utilize the Morphea in Adults and Children cohort to determine clinical characteristics, impact on life quality, and disease course of linear morphea in a prospective, longitudinal manner.Characteristics of linear morphea versus other subtypes were compared in a cross-sectional manner. Next, linear morphea participants were examined in depth over a 3-year period.Linear morphea was the most common morphea subtype (50.1%, 291/581) in the cohort. Deep involvement was more common in linear (64.3%, 187/291) than other morphea subtypes. Linear morphea participants with deep involvement were more likely to have a limitation in range of motion (28.6%, 55/192) than those without (11.1%, 11/99, P .001). Adult-onset disease occurred in 32.6% (95/291) of those with linear morphea. Frequency of deep involvement was similar between pediatric (66.8%, 131/196) and adult-onset linear morphea (58.9%, 56/95, P = .19). Quality of life and disease activity scores improved over time, while damage stabilized with treatment.Results of the study are associative, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is a tertiary referral center.A substantial number of linear morphea patients have adult-onset disease. In all age groups, linear morphea with deep involvement was associated with functional limitations.

An electric wheelchair is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manually. Persons with mobility impairments often traditionally use these. Quadriplegics are one of the many physically disabled people that require such electric wheelchairs. They have paralysis of all four limbs and the torso that may be caused due to spinal cord injuries, strokes or cerebral palsy. They have no control over their hand movements and cannot grasp things or perform motions that might allow them independence over their movements. They only have control over their head motions. For this reason, a head-motion controlled wheelchair would provide them with the flexibility of navigation. The tilting movements of the head in the four directions-forward, backward, right or left-would cause the wheelchair to move in the signalled directions. This paper represents a novel approach to developing a head-motion controlled wheelchair and aims to replicate the electric wheelchair on a small-scale basis and show its working and advantages over other electric wheelchairs available in the market.

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R YAccording to the 2008 revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid malignancies, philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) include clonal, hematologic disorders such as polycythemia vera, primary myelofibrosis, and essential thrombocythemia. Recent years have witnessed major advances in the understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of these rare subgroups of chronic, myeloproliferative disorders. Identification of somatic mutations in genes associated with pathogenesis and evolution of these myeloproliferative conditions (Janus Kinase 2; myeloproliferative leukemia virus gene; calreticulin) led to substantial changes in the international guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Ph-negative MPN during the last few years. The MPN-Working Group (MPN-WG), a panel of hematologists with expertise in MPN diagnosis and treatment from various parts of India, examined applicability of this latest clinical and scientific evidence in the context of hematology practice in India. This manuscript summarizes the consensus recommendations formulated by the MPN-WG that can be followed as a guideline for management of patients with Ph-negative MPN in the context of clinical practice in India.