How Do Urban Environments Affect Young People's Mental Health? A Novel Conceptual Framework to Bridge Public Health, Planning, and Neurourbanism.

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods for mental and social development. Currently, mental illness among young people is a global epidemic, and rates of disorders such as depression and anxiety are rising. Urban living, compared with rural living, is linked with a higher risk of serious mental illness, which is important because the world is urbanizing faster than ever before. Urban environments and their landscapes, designs, and features influence mental health and well-being. However, no conceptual frameworks to date have detailed the effect of urban environments on young people's mental health, and few studies have considered the growing role of digital and social media in this relationship, leading to calls for the development of holistic approaches to describe this relationship. This article synthesizes existing knowledge on urban places (both built and natural environments) and mental health in the public health and urban planning literature and examines the emerging field of neurourbanism (a multidisciplinary study of the effect of urban environments on mental health and brain activity) to enhance current practice and research. We developed 2 novel conceptual frameworks (1 research-oriented, 1 practice-oriented), adapted from Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model, that focus on the relationship between urban environments and young people's mental health. We added a digital and social media contextual level to the socioecological model, and we applied a multilayer concept to highlight potential cross-field interactions and collaborations. The proposed frameworks can help to guide future practice and research in this area.

Ambulatory urodynamic monitoring assessment of dorsal genital nerve stimulation for suppression of involuntary detrusor contractions following spinal cord injury: a pilot study.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective interventional pilot study using within-individual comparisons. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of dorsal genital nerve stimulation (DGNS) on urine-storage parameters in participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) and neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) during natural bladder filling. SETTING: The London Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, UK. METHODS: Ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM) was carried out with and without DGNS, before and after a week of using DGNS at home. DGNS was applied on-demand by four participants with bladder sensation, and both continuously and intermittently by one participant with absent sensation. A Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used to test paired results of changes within an AUM session. RESULTS: Urodynamic outcomes were improved using DGNS. Bladder capacity was increased from 244 ± 59 to 346 ± 61 ml (p = 0.0078), a mean change of 46 ± 25%. Maximum detrusor pressure was decreased from 58 ± 18 to 47 ± 18 cmH2O (p = 0.0156), a change of 17 ± 13%, and average peak detrusor pressure was decreased from 56 ± 16 to 31 ± 128 cmH2O (p = 0.0156), a mean reduction of 50 ± 19%. There was an increase in the number of detrusor contractions from the first involuntary detrusor contraction to a strong desire, urgency or incontinence, from 1.5 ± 1.4 to 4.3 ± 1.7, and an increase in time of 23 ± 22 min. There were no changes in baseline outcomes following home use of DGNS. CONCLUSIONS: DGNS may be applied on-demand, intermittently or continuously, to increase bladder capacity, decrease storage pressures and provide extra time. Improvements were made in addition to existing antimuscarinic medication regimes.

Safety and Efficacy of a Non-Invasive 1060 nm Diode Laser for Fat Reduction of the Abdomen.

BACKGROUND: Changes in temperature are known to produce apoptosis in adipocytes. This study examines the use of a non-invasive treatment that applies 1060 nm laser energy transcutaneously to hyperthermically induce disruption of fat cells in the abdomen. METHODS: Thirty-five subjects received application of 1060 nm laser on the abdomen for fat reduction. Ultrasound images and high-resolution two-dimensional photography were recorded at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post treatment. Subjects maintained a stable diet and exercise routine throughout the course of the study. Weight was recorded at baseline and each follow-up visit. Three board certified dermatologists were trained as blinded evaluators and tasked with identifying before and after photographs from randomized, paired baseline, and 12-week photographs. Ultrasound images were used to measure the fat thickness change from baseline at 6 and 12 weeks. Level of patient satisfaction was graded at 12 weeks using a 6 point Likert scale. REULTS: 23% of subjects were Fitzpatrick IV-VI. Blinded evaluators correctly identified the post-treatment photograph 95% of the time (88%, 97%, and 100%). Mean reduction in fat layer thickness from baseline was statistically significant (P less than 0.001) at both 6 weeks (1.5 +/-1.23 mm) and 12 weeks (2.65 +/-1.41 mm). Mean weight change was +0.1 lb. Side effects were mild to moderate including edema, tenderness, and induration mostly resolving within 1-3 weeks post treatment. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: 1060 nm based laser treatment can consistently reduce the fat contour in the abdomen with an excellent safety profile in all skin types. The study met all three of its prospectively defined endpoints of success.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(1):106-112.

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Thermotherapy in dermatologic infections.

The use of local induced hyperthermia or thermotherapy for dermatologic infections has not been fully explored in the more recent medical literature. Herein, we discuss the rationale behind the use of thermotherapy and review reported clinical experience with its use in the management of cutaneous infections.

A paradigm for facial skin rejuvenation.

There is a significant desire by patients to reverse the signs of aging caused by photodamage. Numerous procedures for facial skin rejuvenation have been developed in an attempt to minimize the erythema, dyspigmentation, and rhytides associated with photoaging. The initial procedures developed for facial rejuvenation involve skin resurfacing via complete ablation of layers of skin. Of these procedures, ablative laser resurfacing is the most precise technique and is considered the gold standard for facial skin rejuvenation. Although ablative procedures are quite efficacious, they carry significant patient downtime and risks of adverse effects such as scarring and dyspigmentation. Concerns regarding patient morbidity have led to the development of nonablative procedures that target dermal collagen without damaging the epidermis. Of these technologies, intense pulsed light is the most commonly used because it effectively targets both the erythema and dyspigmentation seen in photoaging. Nonablative techniques minimize side effects and patient downtime; however, they do not match the results seen in fully ablative procedures. Fractional laser technologies-first nonablative and more recently ablative-represent the most recent attempt to match the results seen in fully ablative procedures with less patient downtime. Their results are promising but require further study.