Search

Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a form of pustular psoriasis that is distinguished by recurring or persistent outbreaks of non‐acral primary sterile pustules. These eruptions can occur with or without systemic inflammation. Various factors, such as medications, stress and viral infection, have been identified as potential triggers for GPP flares. While several cases have detailed GPP‐like eruptions in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection, few have explored the interplay between infection and biologic use in the development of GPP. In this case, we detail the history and management of a 45‐year‐old male patient with a prior history of spondyloarthropathy managed on a tumour necrosis factor‐α inhibitor and recent COVID‐19 infection presenting with a new, spreading pustular rash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in Experimental Dermatology, explores the prevalence of anemia as a comorbidity in patients with pyoderma gangrenosum (PG), a rare inflammatory skin disease. The study analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, which includes information on hospitalizations in the United States. The researchers found that patients with PG and anemia had longer hospital stays and higher costs of inpatient care compared to those without anemia. However, these differences were not significant after controlling for demographic factors and other comorbidities. The study suggests that further research is needed to understand the relationship between anemia and PG. [Extracted from the article]

Background: In Somaliland, an estimated one person in every two households suffers from psychiatric disorders. Despite this, access to mental health care is limited because of shortages in facilities, human resources, funding and stigma. Aim: To present the proportion of psychiatric disorders encountered in outpatient psychiatry clinics. Setting: The University if Hargeisa (UoH), Hargesisa, Somaliland. Methods: De-identified data on patients accessing psychiatric care from doctor trainees in the dual psychiatry–neurology residency program at UoH from January 2019 to June 2020 were included in the analysis. The Institutional Review Board from UoH approved data collection and analysis. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were summarised overall and by sex and age. Results: A total of 752 patients were included in the analysis. Most were male (54.7%), with an average age of 34.9 years. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were schizophrenia (28.0%), major depressive disorder (MDD) (14.3%) and bipolar disorder type 1 (BD1) (10.5%). When stratified by sex, patients with schizophrenia and BD1 were more likely to be male (73.5% and 53.3%, respectively), and those with MDD were more likely to be female (58.8%). Trauma- and stressor-related disorders accounted for 0.4% of cases, while 0.8% of patients presented with substance use disorders (alcohol and khat), which is an underestimate of the widespread use in Somaliland. Conclusion: Additional research using structured clinical interviews is needed to determine the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and promote policies aiming to decrease neuropsychiatric mortality and morbidity. Contribution: This work presents the first data collection related to neuropsychiatric disorders in Somaliland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nodal-related protein (ndr2) is amember of the transforming growth factor type β superfamily of factors and is required for ventral midline patterning of the embryonic central nervous system in zebrafish. In humans, mutations in the gene encoding nodal cause holoprosencephaly and heterotaxy. Mutations in the ndr2 gene in the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) lead to similar phenotypes, including loss of the medial floor plate, severe deficits in ventral forebrain development and cyclopia. Alleles of the ndr2 gene have been useful in studying patterning of ventral structures of the central nervous system. Fifteen different ndr2 alleles have been reported in zebrafish, of which eight were generated using chemical mutagenesis, four were radiation-induced and the remaining alleles were obtained via random insertion, gene targeting (TALEN) or unknown methods. Therefore, most mutation sites were random and could not be predicted a priori. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 system from Streptococcus pyogenes, we targeted distinct regions in all three exons of zebrafish ndr2 and observed cyclopia in the injected (G 0 ) embryos.We show that the use of sgRNA-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes can cause penetrant cyclopic phenotypes in injected (G 0 ) embryos. Targeted polymerase chain reaction amplicon analysis using Sanger sequencing showed that most of the alleles had small indels resulting in frameshifts. The sequence information correlates with the loss of ndr2 activity. In this study, we validate multiple CRISPR targets using an in vitro nuclease assay and in vivo analysis using embryos. We describe one specific mutant allele resulting in the loss of conserved terminal cysteine-coding sequences. This study is another demonstration of the utility of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in generating domain-specific mutations and provides further insights into the structure-function of the ndr2 gene.