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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020. The Indonesian Ministry of Health has recommended many prevention strategies including the use of hand sanitizers (HSs) and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), especially for healthcare workers. Previous research reported that the increase in the use of HS and PPE is directly proportional to the increase in the incidence of occupational skin diseases. Aims: To find out the prevalence of work-related contact dermatitis patients related to the use of PPE in healthcare workers at Prof. DR. Chairuddin Panusunan Lubis Universitas Sumatera Utara and H. Adam Malik Hospital, Medan, with a history of atopy dermatitis. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study including 104 healthcare workers. The results of the study were analysed using prevalence and frequency data distribution. Results: In this study, we found that the majority of occupational skin diseases in healthcare workers are female (n = 64; 62.5%), and the most common age group was 31-33 years old (44.2%). The incidence of contact dermatitis due to the use of PPE in healthcare workers at Prof. DR. Chairuddin Panusunan Lubis Universitas Sumatera Utara and H. Adam Malik Hospital, Medan, was found only in 15 subjects (14.4%), and only 5 (33.3%) of them had a history of suffering from atopy dermatitis. Conclusion: There is high prevalence of contact dermatitis due to PPE at Prof. DR. Chairuddin Panusunan Lubis Universitas Sumatera Utara and H. Adam Malik Hospital, Medan; in 104 research subjects, only 15 people (14.4%) suffered from work-related contact dermatitis with a history of atopy in 5 people (33.3%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays noninvasive techniques are performed to evaluate the biophysical properties of skin in vivo. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the biophysical and ultrasonographic properties of skin in chronic contact or atopic dermatitis to provide better insight into pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment response. Materials and Methods: The stratum corneum hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), pH, erythema, melanin, sebum, friction, temperature, elasticity parameters (R0, R2, and R5), the thickness and echo-density of epidermis, dermis, and subepidermal low-echogenic band (SLEB) were measured on lesional, perilesional, and symmetrical skin of 22 chronic dermatitis patients. The average of perilesional and symmetrical skin values (control) was compared with lesional values. Results: Stratum corneum hydration (P<0.001), friction (P=0.02), sebum (P=0.01), and R0 (P<0.001) were significantly lower in lesion, TEWL (P=0.03), pH (P=0.001), erythema (P=0.004), and temperature (P=0.04) were significantly higher in lesion. The thickness of epidermis (P=0.002), dermis (P=0.034), and SLEB (P<0.001) were significantly higher in lesion; and the echo-density of dermis (P<0.001) and SLEB (P<0.001) was significantly lower in lesion. Conclusion: Chronic contact and atopic dermatitis are characterized by certain changes in biophysical and biomechanical properties of the skin. The evaluation of these parameters might be useful in the early diagnosis and assessment of treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytokines are produced transiently by cutaneous cells in response to immune stimuli. They are non-immunoglobulin proteins and glycoproteins. Cytokines, which are signaling molecules, act by sending downstream signals to various cells through a number of signal transduction pathways and by binding to cytokine receptors on the surface of cells. Cytokines regulate immunity and inflammation and thus play an important role in the pathogenesis of various cutaneous disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]