Revised estimates of leprosy disability weights for assessing the global burden of disease: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a chronic bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which may lead to physical disability, stigma, and discrimination. The chronicity of the disease and disabilities are the prime contributors to the disease burden of leprosy. The current figures of the disease burden in the 2017 global burden of disease study, however, are considered to be under-estimated. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the literature and perform individual patient data meta-analysis to estimate new disability weights for leprosy, using Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) data. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The search strategy included all major databases with no restriction on language, setting, study design, or year of publication. Studies on human populations that have been affected by leprosy and recorded the HRQOL with the Short form tool, were included. A consortium was formed with authors who could share the anonymous individual-level data of their study. Mean disability weight estimates, sorted by the grade of leprosy disability as defined by WHO, were estimated for individual participant data and pooled using multivariate random-effects meta-analysis. Eight out of 14 studies from the review were included in the meta-analysis due to the availability of individual-level data (667 individuals). The overall estimated disability weight for grade 2 disability was 0.26 (95%CI: 0.18-0.34). For grade 1 disability the estimated weight was 0.19 (95%CI: 0.13-0.26) and for grade 0 disability it was 0.13 (95%CI: 0.06-0.19). The revised disability weight for grade 2 leprosy disability is four times higher than the published GBD 2017 weights for leprosy and the grade 1 disability weight is nearly twenty times higher. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The global burden of leprosy is grossly underestimated. Revision of the current disability weights and inclusion of disability caused in individuals with grade 0 leprosy disability will contribute towards a more precise estimation of the global burden of leprosy.

Long-term Results of the PRESERFLO MicroShunt in Patients With Primary Open-angle Glaucoma From a Single-center Nonrandomized Study.

PRECIS: The MicroShunt was implanted in 23 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in a feasibility study. Reductions in intraocular pressure (IOP) and medications were sustained for up to 5 years with no long-term sight-threatening adverse events (AEs). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of the PRESERFLO MicroShunt (8.5 mm long, 70 µm lumen surgical device, formerly known as the InnFocus MicroShunt) in POAG. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a feasibility study (NCT00772330), patients with POAG inadequately controlled on maximum tolerated therapy with IOP ≥18 to ≤40 mm Hg underwent MicroShunt implantation with adjunctive mitomycin C (0.4 mg/mL), alone or in combination with cataract surgery. Years 1 to 3 findings have previously been reported. Endpoints of this extension study included IOP reduction and success at years 4 and 5 (primary), incidence of AEs, medication use, and reoperations. RESULTS: Mean IOP was reduced from 23.8±5.3 mm Hg at baseline to 12.8±5.6 mm Hg (year 4; n=21) and 12.4±6.5 mm Hg (year 5; n=21). Overall success (with/without medication use) was 87.0% (year 4) and 82.6% (year 5). The mean number of medications reduced from 2.4±1.0 at baseline to 0.8±1.3 (year 5). Common (≥5% of patients) AEs included corneal edema (n=4), transient hypotony (n=4), bleb-related complications (n=3), and device touching the iris (n=3). There were 4 reports of serious AEs and 2 reoperations. CONCLUSIONS: In this extension study, sustained reductions in mean IOP and medications were observed up to 5 years post-MicroShunt implantation. There were no reports of long-term sight-threatening AEs and a low rate of postoperative interventions.

Comparison of quality of life evaluated by SF-36 and DLQI in multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy patients from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Dermatological diseases have a negative impact on quality of life (QoL), affecting mental and physical health. Leprosy patients usually present with a worse QoL compared with those affected by other conditions. Reactions, neural damage, and pain are some of the consequences that contribute to the lower QoL. However, due to the wide spectrum of the disease, symptoms vary according to leprosy's subtype. This study aimed to compare the QoL between paucibacillary and multibacillary leprosy patients. Individuals were also compared considering the presence of reactions and a correlation between questionnaires was performed. METHODS: A total of 104 patients with leprosy aged 18 years old and over were selected. QoL was assessed by the Brazilian-Portuguese validated versions of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and the Dermatology Life Quality Life Index (DLQI). RESULTS: Multibacillary patients showed a more impaired physical function, worse bodily pain, lower score of SF-36, and higher interference of skin on the performance of daily activities when compared to the paucibacillary group. Individuals without reactions presented lower bodily pain and less effect of the skin on clothing choices compared to those with reactions. The SF-36 domains exhibited weak correlations with most DLQI questions, and the linear regression model showed that 32% of changes in QoL were related to the skin aspect. CONCLUSIONS: Multibacillary leprosy patients have a worse QoL when compared to paucibacillary patients. Reactions played a small role in the QoL of our cohort of patients.

The relationship between sleep apnea, metabolic dysfunction and inflammation: The gender influence.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although inflammatory markers may mediate this association, it is unknown the influence of gender in this mechanism. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the interaction effects between OSA and gender on metabolic and inflammatory profile in a population sample. This study is part of EPISONO cohort, in which 1042 participants underwent polysomnography, answered questionnaires, and had their blood collected for analysis of fasting glucose, total cholesterol and fractions, leptin, ghrelin, liver transaminases, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and C-reactive protein. The results showed that men with OSA had higher leptin levels, shorter sleep latency and lower N3 sleep stage compared to men control (CTRL). They also presented higher apnea index and number of central apneas compared to both CTRL men and OSA women. In women, OSA was related to longer REM sleep latency, higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) during REM sleep and increased TNF-α levels compared to CTRL women. A multivariate model showed that male gender, ghrelin and total cholesterol were negatively associated with TNF-α, while IL-6, triglycerides and hypopnea index were positively associated (R2=0.21). Additionally, gender (men), body mass index, ghrelin, apnea index and smoking were positive predictors of leptin levels (R2=0.55). Of note, postmenopause was associated with changes observed in both TNF-α and AHI during REM sleep in women with OSA. Taken together, our study suggests that OSA consequences may differ between genders and this could indicate a need for different OSA management in women according to their reproductive life's stage.

Revisão sistemática sobre a epidemiologia das doenças cardiovasculares e respiratórias e suas associações com a poluição do ar em Vitória/ES / Epidemiology of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and its associations with air pollution in Vitória, Brazil: a systematic review

Introdução: A poluição do ar é um importante fator ambiental relacionado a doenças crônicas não transmissíveis, como doenças cardiovasculares e respiratórias. Essa relação torna-se importante em cidades com alta atividade industrial, como Vitória/ES. Esta pesquisa utilizou três revisões sistemáticas (RSs) distintas para avaliar a epidemiologia das doenças cardiovasculares (RS1), a epidemiologia das doenças respiratórias (RS2) e a associação entre poluição do ar e doenças cardiorrespiratórias (RS3) na cidade de Vitória. Métodos: A busca bibliográfica considerou três bases de dados (PubMed, Scopus e LILACS). Foi estabelecida uma quantidade mínima de três estudos para a condução de metanálises. A heterogeneidade de cada análise foi calculada pelo índice I2. Resultados: A busca bibliográfica resultou em 1.205 registros, dos quais 27 foram incluídos ­ 17 na RS1, cinco na RS2 e cinco na RS3. Apenas dois desfechos puderam ser avaliados por meio de metanálises: prevalência de hipertensão e prevalência de asma em crianças. Estima-se uma prevalência de 34% (IC95%: 24-45) de hipertensão e de 12% (IC95%: 1-32) de asma em crianças. Os poluentes mais avaliados foram MP10 e SO2, para os quais não se pôde realizar metanálises. Todas as análises apresentaram baixo número de registros incluídos e alta heterogeneidade. Conclusão: Há poucos dados disponíveis sobre a associação de doenças cardiorrespiratórias e poluição ambiental em Vitória. A heterogeneidade, a diversidade de desfechos e a baixa quantidade de estudos impediram a condução de análises mais profundas e limitaram o poder de síntese e conclusão dessas revisões, impossibilitando uma avaliação adequada dos objetivos propostos. São necessários mais estudos epidemiológicos com amostras de grande porte e representativas para que se tenha resultados conclusivos sobre a relação entre poluição ambiental e doenças cardiorrespiratórias em Vitória (AU)

Introduction: Air pollution is an important environmental factor related to chronic non-transmittable diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. This relationship is especially relevant in cities with high industrial activity, such as Vitória, Brazil. This research used three systematic reviews (SRs) to evaluate the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases (SR1), the epidemiology of respiratory diseases (RS2), and the association between air pollution and cardiorespiratory diseases (RS3) in Vitória, Brazil. Methods: A bibliographic search was conducted in three independent databases (PubMed, Scopus and LILACS). A minimum amount of three studies was established to perform meta-analyses. Heterogeneity was calculated using the I2 index. Results: The bibliographic search retrieved 1205 references, of which 27 were included ­ 17 in SR1, five in SR2, and five in SR3. Only two outcomes could be evaluated through meta-analysis: prevalence of hypertension and prevalence of asthma in children. The most frequently evaluated pollutants were PM10 and SO2. The estimated prevalence of hypertension was 34% (CI95%: 24-45) and of asthma in children was 12% (CI95%: 1-32). All analyses had a limited number of included references and showed high heterogeneity. Conclusions: There are limited data available regarding the association of cardiorespiratory diseases and air pollution in Vitória, Brazil. The heterogeneity, the diversity of outcomes, and the limited number of studies hampered the performance of a more detailed analysis and limited the conclusions of these reviews, preventing a proper appraisal of the proposed aims. Further epidemiological studies with bigger and more representative sample sizes are needed to generate conclusive data about the relationship between air pollution and cardiorespiratory diseases in Vitória, Brazil (AU)

A randomized comparative trial of a combined oral contraceptive and azelaic acid to assess their effect on sleep quality in adult female acne patients.

Several studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of adult female acne. This subtype of acne presents particular characteristics, and can be triggered by several factors such as smoking, stress, the use of oily cosmetics and even by poor sleep. Sleep quality is related to well-being and the maintenance of body homeostasis. In addition, several skin diseases present a bidirectional relationship with sleep, demonstrating an important connection between skin and the central nervous system. With this in mind, we aimed to compare the effect of two types of treatment for adult female acne (azelaic acid or a combined oral contraceptive) on sleep quality and on concentrations of stress hormones. Also, we proposed to assess the correlation of sleep and hormonal parameters with acne severity. In order to do this, 32 women underwent a clinical evaluation, completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and had their blood collected for hormone assays. These procedures were performed at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. At baseline there were no differences between the groups in terms of body mass index, age, acne severity and hormone concentrations. Results showed that both treatments demonstrated effectiveness but that women treated with azelaic acid presented a better sleep quality after the treatment compared to baseline and to the group treated with the combined oral contraceptive. The combined oral contraceptive group presented an increase in cortisol and a decrease in free testosterone concentration in relation to baseline. These data suggest that both azelaic acid and combined oral contraceptive are effective in the treatment of adult female acne but, azelaic acid seems to be a more suitable option for those women who may benefit from a better subjective sleep quality.

The bidirectional interactions between psoriasis and obstructive sleep apnea.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder which can impair general routine activities and has been closely related to poor quality of life. Pruritus and scratching are frequently observed, occurring mainly during sleep and precipitating nighttime arousals. Indeed, sleep quality has been shown to be negatively affected in psoriatic patients, in a close relationship with stress exposure and immune response. Although psoriasis is known to impair sleep, leading to insomnia, its association with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is controversial. Similarly, OSA is considered a multifactorial inflammatory disease, characterized by intermittent hypoxia, sleep fragmentation and autonomic dysfunction, with important outcomes on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. Importantly, immunological activities and pro-inflammatory cytokines play a prominent role in both OSA and psoriasis. Currently it is not clear whether OSA is a risk factor for psoriasis development or if psoriasis is a possible predictor of OSA. Thus, our main purpose is to provide an overview of this intriguing relationship and show the current link between psoriasis and OSA in a bidirectional relationship.

Sleep, Hansen's disease and the immune system--a not so harmonic triad.

Hansen's disease is one of the oldest skin diseases in the world characterized by a spectrum of clinical manifestations that are associated with stigmatization and poor quality of life. It is also considered a model disease for investigating the human immune system because of its association with immune reactions, which are thought to be a reflection of the host's immunological response, promoting intense cellular activity or humoral secretion. This relationship between the cellular and microbial components of skin and their regulation by local immune responses may be modulated by a currently neglected behavior: sleep. Recent studies have demonstrated that sleep deprivation may aggravate the progression of chronic dermatological diseases, which in turn can lead to a non-restorative sleep pattern. Indeed, sleep is essential for immune and skin integrity. Thus, we propose here a hypothesis linking Hansen's disease, sleep and immunity in a bidirectional relationship. Hansen's disease patients may demonstrate a worse sleep quality than the general population through the modulation of immunological environment; and sleep restriction, a hallmark of modern society, being a possible predictor of the disease progression.