Microbial and heavy metal contamination in herbal medicine: a prospective study in the central region of Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Herbal medicine is a medical system based on the utilization of plants or plant extracts for therapy. The continual increase in global consumption and the trade of herbal medicine has raised safety concerns in many regions. These concerns are mainly linked to microbial contamination, which could spread infections with multi-resistant bacteria in the community, and heavy metal contamination that may lead to cancers or internal organs' toxicity. METHODS: This study was performed using an experimental design. A total of 47 samples, herbal medicine products sold in local stores in Qassim region, were used in the experiments. They were tested for bacterial contamination, alongside 32 samples for heavy metal analysis. Bacterial contamination was determined by the streak plate method and further processed to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns using MicroScan WalkAway96 pulse; heavy metals were determined using a spectrometer instrument. RESULTS: A total of 58 microorganisms were isolated. All samples were found to be contaminated with at least one organism except three samples. The majority of the isolated bacterial species were gram negative bacteria, such as Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and E. coli., which could be of fecal origin and may lead to pneumonia, skin, or internal infections. Furthermore, most of the gram-positive bacteria were found to be multi-drug resistant. Moreover, for heavy metals, all samples had levels exceeding the regulatory limits. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the presence of bacteria and heavy metals in samples of herbal medicines. Using these contaminated products may spread resistant infections, metal toxicities, or even cancers in the community.

Management of ingrowing nail.

For decades, there has been debate about the cause of ingrown nail: is the nail plate or the periungual tissue at fault? There is no consensus and management relies on case-by-case analysis followed by tailored treatment. Conservative treatment should be attempted in children when the cause is transient (e.g., poor clipping) or the patient refuses surgery. Surgical treatments rely on two main approaches: either narrowing the nail plate, or debulking the soft tissue. It is up to the surgeon to select the most appropriate approach in each case. All procedures discussed in this chapter have high cure rates as long as they are properly performed. As with all surgical procedures, they are operator-dependent. Chemical cautery is the easiest and most versatile technique that may help in almost all instances for lateral ingrowth. For distal ingrowth and very hypertrophic and exuberant lateral folds, debulking with primary or secondary healing is most effective.

Skin problems among the wheelchair users: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Skin is the largest and the outermost body organ. It is directly affected by the external environment. The biomechanical differences in wheelchair users compared to healthy people make them prone to different risk factors of skin problems. Nevertheless, these patients are under-represented in the dermatologic literature. Objective: The primary objective was to determine the frequency of different skin problems among wheelchair users. The secondary objective is to determine the different precautions they are taking to prevent these problems. Methods: The prospective study followed a cross-sectional design, conducted during the period of the coronavirus disease 2019 curfew between May and June 2020. The survey's link was distributed among adult wheelchair users in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was administered using google forms. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22. Results: The results show that the vast majority of wheelchair users (85%) experienced skin problems. Pressure ulcer (PU) is the most frequently reported skin condition (54%), followed by traumatic wounds, fungal infections, and hand skin dryness and thickening. The commonest preventive measure was using cushions to avoid PUs. Conclusion: Most of wheelchair users reported having a history of skin complaints, of which PU was the most common followed by traumatic wounds and fungal infections. Thus, spreading awareness of the risk factors and preventive methods would help them avoid its development and prevent its negative impact on quality of life. Assessing the different kinds of wheelchairs and cushions to avoid PUs would be an interesting area for future studies.

Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Autologous Fat Transfer With Nanofat in the Treatment of Infraorbital Dark Circles: A Single-Blinded Randomized Comparative Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Treating infraorbital dark circles is one of the commonest aesthetic demands worldwide. Autologous fat transfer is commonly used to treat dark circles by filling the grooves, without effect on skin quality. Platelet-rich plasma has been reported to improve skin quality. Autologous fat can be emulsified and filtered to produce nanofat, which is then injected superficially in the dark circles to improve skin quality and discoloration. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma versus combined fat transfer and nanofat in treating infraorbital dark circles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 patients with infraorbital dark circles of combined etiological factors were randomized into 2 equal groups: Group A treated with platelet-rich plasma and Group B treated with autologous fat transfer with emulsified fat injection. RESULTS: Excellent and moderate responses were observed in 3 (20%) and 2 (13%) patients in group A versus 7 (46.7%) and 4 (27%) in group B, respectively. Nonresponders were 8 (53.3%) in group A and only 1 patient (6.7%) in group B. The difference was statistically significant regarding improvement ( p = .048) and patient satisfaction ( p = .032). CONCLUSION: Autologous fat transfer with nanofat is significantly superior to platelet-rich plasma in improvement and satisfaction.

Laser treatment of epidermal nevi: A multicenter retrospective study with long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Patients with epidermal nevi strongly demand cosmetic improvement. Laser treatment appears appealing and is frequently used in clinical practice. Nevertheless, large series with long-term follow-up are missing, preventing definitive conclusions about its real benefit. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of lasers for epidermal nevi. METHODS: Bicentric, retrospective, cohort study, including all patients treated with a laser for an epidermal nevus with more than a 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Seventy patients were treated for different types of epidermal nevi, mostly with ablative lasers: 23 verrucous epidermal nevi, 16 nevi sebaceous, 26 Becker nevi, 2 inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevi, 1 smooth-muscle hamartoma, 1 rounded and velvety epidermal nevus, and 1 nevus lipomatosus superficialis. The follow-up period was a median of 37 months (range, 12-127 months). Better results, fewer recurrences, and higher patient satisfaction were noted in treatments for verrucous epidermal nevi than for nevi sebaceous. Q-switched lasers failed to show any degree of improvement in almost all patients with Becker nevus. LIMITATIONS: The retrospective nature of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Ablative lasers can treat verrucous epidermal nevi with good long-term esthetic results but have limited long-term efficacy for nevus sebaceous. Q-switched lasers failed to improve Becker nevi.