Systemic Therapy for Atopic Dermatitis in Older Adults and Adults With Comorbidities: A Scoping Review and International Eczema Council Survey.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials of systemic therapies for atopic dermatitis (AD) often exclude patients based on age and comorbidities. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a scoping review of observational studies and survey of International Eczema Council (IEC) members on the treatment of AD in patients with liver disease, renal disease, viral hepatitis, HIV, or history of malignancy. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase via Ovid, and Web of Science from inception to September 14, 2020. We mapped the available evidence on the use of cyclosporine, methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate, systemic corticosteroids, and dupilumab for AD in older adults (≥65 years) and adults with the previously mentioned comorbidities. We surveyed IEC members on their preferred systemic medications for each patient population. RESULTS: We identified 25 studies on the use of systemic medications in special populations of adults with AD. Although IEC members preferred dupilumab as the first-line systemic agent across all special populations, many could not identify viable third-line systemic therapy options for some populations. CONCLUSIONS: Data on systemic therapy for AD for older adults and adults with comorbidities are limited. Although IEC members' access to systemic therapies differs geographically, expert opinion suggests that dupilumab is preferred for those patients.

Lymphedema in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: a systematic review of published literature.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a debilitating complication of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) that can be therapeutically challenging. Systematic evaluation of the clinical presentation and management of this condition has yet to be performed. METHODS: OVID MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched along with a review of the references of searched articles for all English reports discussing lymphedema secondary to HS. RESULTS: Two case series and 15 case reports met inclusion criteria, representing 27 patients. On average, these patients had a history of HS for 18 years (range 4-30 years). Lymphedema was found in the following areas in order of frequency: scrotum (16 patients, 59%), penis (12 patients, 44%), labia majora (4 patients, 15%), perineum (3 patients, 11%), groin (3 patients, 11%), buttocks (2 patients, 7%), and abdomen (1 patient, 4%). In six patients (22%), lymphedema occurred in two or more of the aforementioned locations. Lymphedema most commonly presented not only as swelling with induration but also as verrucous papules or nodules. The majority of cases (14 patients, 52%) were treated with radical surgical excision combined with medical therapy and obtained favorable outcomes. Surgical defect was most frequently covered with split thickness skin grafts 7 patients, 54%) followed by skin flaps (3 patients, 11%) and healing by secondary intention (3 patients, 11%). CONCLUSIONS: Lymphedema appears to be a relatively rare complication of chronic HS that most commonly affects the anogenital region. Based on the evidence available, dermatologists should pursue a collaborative approach with surgery in the management of this condition at early stages.

Changes in the Practice Patterns and Demographics of Ontario Dermatologists.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the practice patterns and demographics of Canadian dermatologists remain largely unknown and would be helpful in assessing the future practice of dermatology across Canada. OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in the population of Ontario dermatologists over time and the factors that influence their practice patterns, caseload, and the procedures they perform. METHODS: A retrospective population-based analysis was performed using comprehensive administrative data on Ontario Health Insurance Plan insured dermatology visits and procedures from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2015. RESULTS: The number of dermatologists practicing in Ontario per 100 000 people increased from 1.52 (2009) to 1.62 (2014). During this period, the proportion of female dermatologists increased from 40% to 47%, and the proportion of male dermatologists decreased from 60% to 53%. The mean number of patient visits per dermatologist decreased from 6323 (2009) to 5877 (2014). Females saw a decrease from 4818 to 4181 visits, and males remained constant at 7274 to 7265 visits. Middle career dermatologists had more patient visits compared to those in their early or late career. A rural practice was associated with more patient visits compared to an urban one. The proportion of dermatologists providing nonemergency in-hospital patient services declined. The number of biopsies and malignant excisions performed increased. CONCLUSIONS: The number of dermatologists at the population level increased and the number of patient visits per dermatologist decreased. Career stage, physician sex, and practice location all affect the practice of dermatology. Future studies to assess underlying factors for these observations would be of value.

Treatment for Livedoid Vasculopathy: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Livedoid vasculopathy is a painful, ulcerative condition of the lower extremities for which no established treatment exists. Current treatment paradigms rely on low levels of evidence, primarily case reports and case series. Objective: To systematically review the treatment for livedoid vasculopathy and synthesize the available clinical data. Evidence Review: A systematic review of the literature using Ovid MEDLINE (covering the period January 1, 1946, through June 9, 2017) and Ovid EMBASE (covering January 1, 1947, through June 9, 2017) databases was performed with a broad and inclusive search strategy along with a subsequent search of the references of retrieved articles. All case series reports published in the English language and in a peer-reviewed journal discussing the treatment for livedoid vasculopathy diagnosis were included. Findings: A total of 29 case series reports published in the English language and in a peer-reviewed journal discussed the treatment for livedoid vasculopathy. These reports represented a total of 339 patients, of whom 230 (68%) were female and 69 (20%) were male; sex was not stated for 40 patients. Treatment with anticoagulants, antiplatelets, anabolic steroids, thrombolytics, hyperbaric oxygen, intravenous immunoglobulins, vitamin supplementation, UV light, and a combination of 1 or more of these among other therapies had a favorable outcome. Anticoagulants were the most commonly used monotherapy, achieving a favorable response in 62 of 63 patients (98%). Anabolic steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, and antiplatelets were the second, third, and fourth most commonly used treatments, respectively. All of these therapies were associated with good clinical outcomes. Adverse events were observed in 44 patients (13%). Conclusions and Relevance: A variety of treatments with varying degrees of success have been used to treat livedoid vasculopathy. Randomized clinical trials should be performed in the future to better establish these treatments in clinical practice.

Single-unit analysis of the human posterior hypothalamus and red nucleus during deep brain stimulation for aggressivity.

OBJECTIVE Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the posterior hypothalamus (PH) has been reported to be effective for aggressive behavior in a number of isolated cases. Few of these case studies have analyzed single-unit recordings in the human PH and none have quantitatively analyzed single units in the red nucleus (RN). The authors report on the properties of ongoing neuronal discharges in bilateral trajectories targeting the PH and the effectiveness of DBS of the PH as a treatment for aggressive behavior. METHODS DBS electrodes were surgically implanted in the PH of 1 awake patient with Sotos syndrome and 3 other anesthetized patients with treatment-resistant aggressivity. Intraoperative extracellular recordings were obtained from the ventral thalamus, PH, and RN and analyzed offline to discriminate single units and measure firing rates and firing patterns. Target location was based on the stereotactic coordinates used by Sano et al. in their 1970 study and the location of the dorsal border of the RN. RESULTS A total of 138 units were analyzed from the 4 patients. Most of the PH units had a slow, irregular discharge (mean [± SD] 4.5 ± 2.7 Hz, n = 68) but some units also had a higher discharge rate (16.7 ± 4.7 Hz, n = 15). Two populations of neurons were observed in the ventral thalamic region as well, one with a high firing rate (mean 16.5 ± 6.5 Hz, n = 5) and one with a low firing rate (mean 4.6 ± 2.8 Hz, n = 6). RN units had a regular firing rate with a mean of 20.4 ± 9.9 Hz and displayed periods of oscillatory activity in the beta range. PH units displayed a prolonged period of inhibition following microstimulation compared with RN units that were not inhibited. Patients under anesthesia showed a trend for lower firing rates in the PH but not in the RN. All 4 patients displayed a reduction in their aggressive behavior after surgery. CONCLUSIONS During PH DBS, microelectrode recordings can provide an additional mechanism to help identify the PH target and surrounding structures to be avoided such as the RN. PH units can be distinguished from ventral thalamic units based on their response to focal microstimulation. The RN has a characteristic higher firing rate and a pattern of beta oscillations in the spike trains. The effect of the anesthetic administered should be considered when using microelectrode recordings. The results of this study, along with previous reports, suggest that PH DBS may be an effective treatment for aggression.

Visor use among National Hockey League players and its relationship to on-ice performance.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of half and three-quarter visors among National Hockey League (NHL) players and investigate the relationship between skill level and on-ice statistics such as points, penalty minutes and ice time and visor use. DESIGN: All players who played at least one game during the 2014-2015 NHL season were included in the study. Visor usage including three-quarter visor use was determined using official in-game images and video. Player information and statistics were obtained from a statistical hockey database. A multiple logistic regression model was used to study how the different player statistics influenced the probability of a player wearing a visor. RESULTS: Visor use was 87.1% among all NHL players (N=881) and 81.7% among all non-rookie players (N=612). Players who wore a visor were on average younger, played more games during the season, had more points, goals, assists and received more playing time. Players who did not wear a visor had 3 times more penalty minutes for every 100 min played. Only 11 (1.2%) players wore a three-quarter visor and these players were much older and contributed more to their team's offence when compared with the players who wore a one-half visor. CONCLUSIONS: Visor usage in the NHL continues to increase independent of new legislation making it mandatory for rookie players to wear a visor. Based on the results and the logistic regression model built in the study, those players who have the highest risk for not wearing a visor can be identified to help establish targeted interventions.

A review of specialties performing temporal artery biopsies in Ontario: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Temporal artery biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis, but the numbers and types of surgical specialists performing temporal artery biopsies are unknown. The goal of this study was to determine which surgical specialists performed temporal artery biopsies and how geographic location influenced this trend over a period of 10 years. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all physicians practising in Ontario from 2002 to 2013. Using comprehensive physician services data from the IntelliHEALTH Medical Services database, physicians performing temporal artery biopsies were identified by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan billing code submitted for remuneration. Physicians were categorized by specialty and geographic Local Health Integration Unit. RESULTS: A total of 9958 patients underwent a temporal artery biopsy during the study period: the biopsies were performed by 11 different subspecialties. The number of patients undergoing a temporal artery biopsy declined over the 10-year study period. Most procedures were performed by general surgeons (38.1%), followed by ophthalmologists (31.0%) and plastic surgeons (23.6%). Ophthalmologists performed more temporal artery biopsies per person compared with general surgeons, but significantly more general surgeons performed at least 1 biopsy. There was significant variation based on geographic location: plastic surgeons performed the most biopsies in regions with a population of more than 1 million people, and general surgeons performed most of the biopsies in rural areas. INTERPRETATION: Geographic location heavily influenced which specialty was most likely to perform temporal artery biopsies. General surgery, ophthalmology and plastic surgery emerged as leaders in this area, and their residency programs should include formal training in this procedure in their curricula.

Factors influencing visor use among players in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Eye, orbital, and facial injuries are significant risks to National Hockey League (NHL) players, and can be mitigated by the use of a partial visor - currently optional for all non-rookie players. The goal of the current study was to determine the overall use of visors among non-rookie NHL players in the 2013-2014 season and assess factors influencing their uptake. This was an observational, cross-sectional study using active NHL rosters and demographic information obtained from the official NHL website. Visor use was determined based on in-game video or images at two different time points in the 2013-2014 season. The use of visors during the 2013-2014 season was 75.2% among non-rookie players. When rookies were included, the overall use of visors was 77.8%. Compared to Canadian-born players, European players were significantly more likely to choose to wear a visor (odds ratio [OR] 3.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.96-6.17). Players in the younger age-groups, particularly those younger than 24 years (OR 5.67, 95% CI 2.52-5.76) and those between 24 and 28 years (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.23-3.87), were more likely to wear a visor compared to older players. Overall, visor use continues to grow in the NHL independently of new legislation, and is more likely in younger players and those of European origin.

Twitter as a tool for ophthalmologists.

Twitter is a social media web site created in 2006 that allows users to post Tweets, which are text-based messages containing up to 140 characters. It has grown exponentially in popularity; now more than 340 million Tweets are sent daily, and there are more than 140 million users. Twitter has become an important tool in medicine in a variety of contexts, allowing medical journals to engage their audiences, conference attendees to interact with one another in real time, and physicians to have the opportunity to interact with politicians, organizations, and the media in a manner that can be freely observed. There are also tremendous research opportunities since Twitter contains a database of public opinion that can be mined by keywords and hashtags. This article serves as an introduction to Twitter and surveys the peer-reviewed literature concerning its various uses and original studies. Opportunities for use in ophthalmology are outlined, and a recommended list of ophthalmology feeds on Twitter is presented. Overall, Twitter is an underutilized resource in ophthalmology and has the potential to enhance professional collegiality, advocacy, and scientific research.