Nocturnal heat exposure and stroke risk.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In recent decades, nighttime temperatures have increased faster than daytime temperatures. The increasing prevalence of nocturnal heat exposure may pose a significant risk to cardiovascular health. This study investigated the association between nighttime heat exposure and stroke risk in the region of Augsburg, Germany, and examined its temporal variations over 15 years. METHODS: Hourly meteorological parameters, including mean temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure, were acquired from a local meteorological station. A data set was obtained consisting of 11 037 clinical stroke cases diagnosed during warmer months (May to October) between the years 2006 and 2020. The average age of cases was 71.3 years. Among these cases, 642 were identified as haemorrhagic strokes, 7430 were classified as ischaemic strokes, and 2947 were transient ischaemic attacks. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to estimate the stroke risk associated with extreme nighttime heat, as measured by the hot night excess (HNE) index after controlling for the potential confounding effects of daily maximum temperature and other climatic variables. Subgroup analyses by age group, sex, stroke subtype, and stroke severity were performed to identify variations in susceptibility to nighttime heat. RESULTS: Results suggested a significant increase in stroke risk on days with extreme nighttime heat (97.5% percentile of HNE) (odds ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.15) during the full study period. When comparing the results for 2013-20 with the results for 2006-12, there was a significant increase (P < .05) in HNE-related risk for all strokes and specifically for ischaemic strokes during the more recent period. Furthermore, older individuals, females, and patients with mild stroke symptoms exhibited a significantly increased vulnerability to nighttime heat. CONCLUSIONS: This study found nocturnal heat exposure to be related to elevated stroke risk after controlling for maximum daytime temperature, with increasing susceptibility between 2006 and 2020. These results underscore the importance of considering nocturnal heat as a critical trigger of stroke events in a warming climate.

Atopic dermatitis: Correlation of distinct risk factors with age of onset in adulthood compared to childhood.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) has long been regarded as a primarily pediatric disease. However, there is growing evidence for a high rate of adult-onset AD. We aimed to characterize factors associated with adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD and controls. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data of the CK-CARE-ProRaD cohorts Bonn, Augsburg, Davos, Zürich of 736 adult patients stratified by age of AD onset (childhood-onset <18 years: 76.4% (subsets: 0 to 2; ≥2 to 6; ≥7 to 11; ≥12 to 18); adult-onset ≥18 years: 23.6% (subsets: ≥18 to 40; ≥41 to 60; ≥61) and 167 controls (91 atopic, 76 non-atopic)). RESULTS: We identified active smoking to be associated with adult-onset AD versus controls (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 5.54 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.06-29.01] vs. controlsnon-atopic , aOR = 4.03 [1.20-13.45] vs. controlsatopic ). Conjunctivitis showed a negative association versus controlsatopic (aOR = 0.36 [0.14-0.91]). Food allergy (aOR = 2.93 [1.44-5.96]), maternal food allergy (aOR = 9.43 [1.10-80.95]), palmar hyperlinearity (aOR = 2.11 [1.05-4.25]), and academic background (aOR = 2.14 [1.00-4.54]) increased the odds of childhood-onset AD versus controlsatopic . Shared AD-associated factors were maternal AD (4-34x), increased IgE (2-20x), atopic stigmata (2-3x) with varying effect sizes depending on AD onset and control group. Patients with adult-compared to childhood-onset had doubled odds of allergic rhinitis (aOR = 2.15 [1.12-4.13]), but reduced odds to feature multiple (3-4) atopic comorbidities (aOR = 0.34 [0.14-0.84]). Adult-onset AD, particularly onset ≥61 years, grouped mainly in clusters with low contributions of personal and familial atopy and high frequencies of physical inactivity, childhood-onset AD, particularly infant-onset, mainly in "high-atopic"-clusters. CONCLUSIONS: The identified associated factors suggest partly varying endo- and exogeneous mechanisms underlying adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD. Our findings might contribute to better assessment of the individual risk to develop AD throughout life and encourage prevention by non-smoking and physical activity as modifiable lifestyle factors.

Factors associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers in aerosol-generating disciplines.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to exposure to potentially infectious material, especially during aerosol-generating procedures (AGP). We aimed to investigate risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs in medical disciplines with AGP. METHODS: A nationwide questionnaire-based study in private practices and hospital settings was conducted between 12/16/2020 and 01/24/2021. Data on SARS-CoV-2 infections among HCWs and potential risk factors of infection were investigated. RESULTS: 2070 healthcare facilities with 25113 employees were included in the study. The overall infection rate among HCWs was 4.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that regions with higher incidence rates had a significantly increased risk of infection. Furthermore, hospital setting and HCWs in gastrointestinal endoscopy (GIE) had more than double the risk of infection (OR 2.63; 95% CI 2.50-2.82, p<0.01 and OR 2.35; 95% CI 2.25-2.50, p<0.01). For medical facilities who treated confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases, there was a tendency towards higher risk of infection (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.11-1.63, p=0.068). CONCLUSION: Both factors within and outside medical facilities appear to be associated with an increased risk of infection among HCWs. Therefore, GIE and healthcare delivery setting were related to increased infection rates. Regions with higher SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates were also significantly associated with increased risk of infection.

Skin pH-dependent Staphylococcus aureus abundance as predictor for increasing atopic dermatitis severity.

BACKGROUND: Atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis, AD) is characterized by disrupted skin barrier associated with elevated skin pH and skin microbiome dysbiosis, due to high Staphylococcus aureus loads, especially during flares. Since S aureus shows optimal growth at neutral pH, we investigated the longitudinal interplay between these factors and AD severity in a pilot study. METHOD: Emollient (with either basic pH 8.5 or pH 5.5) was applied double-blinded twice daily to 6 AD patients and 6 healthy (HE) controls for 8 weeks. Weekly, skin swabs for microbiome analysis (deep sequencing) were taken, AD severity was assessed, and skin physiology (pH, hydration, transepidermal water loss) was measured. RESULTS: Physiological, microbiome, and clinical results were not robustly related to the pH of applied emollient. In contrast to longitudinally stable microbiome in HE, S aureus frequency significantly increased in AD over 8 weeks. High S aureus abundance was associated with skin pH 5.7-6.2. High baseline S aureus frequency predicted both increase in S aureus and in AD severity (EASI and local SCORAD) after 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: Skin pH is tightly regulated by intrinsic factors and limits the abundance of S aureus. High baseline S aureus abundance in turn predicts an increase in AD severity over the study period. This underlines the importance and potential of sustained intervention regarding the skin pH and urges for larger studies linking skin pH and skin S aureus abundance to understand driving factors of disease progression.

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) - a guide for dermatologists on how to manage affected individuals.

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a condition characterized by a subjectively perceived increase in sensitivity to environmental chemicals. Individuals affected report a wide variety of nonspecific complaints, and frequently attribute cutaneous and mucosal symptoms to chemical exposures. Dermatologists should therefore be familiar with this condition. MCS is a diagnosis of exclusion. Other causes for the patients' symptoms should be ruled out by routine laboratory tests, allergy tests and, if indicated, monitoring for toxic (environmental) substances. The primary job of dermatologists is to rule out skin diseases or hypersensitivities as possible causes of the complaints. Interdisciplinary patient management is essential, especially in severe cases in which those affected have problems coping with everyday life. Relevant specialties in this context include environmental medicine, psychosomatic medicine as well as occupational and social medicine. Cutaneous symptoms are usually addressed with symptomatic treatment using basic skin care products. There are currently no evidence-based treatment recommendations for MCS. It is crucial that MCS patients be protected from unnecessary treatments and thus from mental, social and financial strain. In addition to medical skills, managing MCS patients requires communicative and psychosocial competence in particular. Physicians involved in the treatment will benefit from training in psychotherapy. Irrespective of the mechanisms that lead to MCS, diagnosis and treatment of this condition require an actively supportive attitude towards these patients, a good doctor-patient relationship and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Different Psychosocial Factors Are Associated with Seasonal and Perennial Allergies in Adults: Cross-Sectional Results of the KORA FF4 Study.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial factors are supposed to play a central role in the development of allergic diseases. Associations with seasonal and perennial forms of allergies have not been investigated, yet. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the associations of psychosocial factors (social status, depression, generalized anxiety, psychosocial stress, Type-D personality) with seasonal, perennial, and other forms of allergies in adults. METHOD: The analysis of self-reported data of the KORA FF4 study was performed with SAS 9.4. The sample consisted of 1,782 study participants in the study region of Augsburg (39-88 years, 61 years, 51.1% female). Descriptive bivariate statistics and multinomial logistic regression models were performed. Age, sex, family predisposition, and smoking status were considered possible confounders. Moreover, several sensitivity analyses were carried out to check whether missing values distorted the results. RESULTS: A positive association between generalized anxiety and seasonal allergies was found in the multivariate model. Depression was positively, and anxiety negatively, associated with perennial allergies. No association between the analyzed psychosocial factors and other forms of allergies could be found. CONCLUSION: The results support the relevance of psychosocial factors in association with allergies. Looking at the psychosocial factors, a separate consideration of seasonal and perennial allergies seems reasonable. Further longitudinal studies should investigate the direction of the associations, the underlying mechanisms, and other psychosocial factors, such as coping mechanisms, in confirmed allergies.

New Insights into Weather and Stroke: Influences of Specific Air Masses and Temperature Changes on Stroke Incidence.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Meteorological factors seem to influence stroke incidence, however, the complex association between weather and stroke remains unclear. Possible explanations from the literature do not categorize into subdivisions of ischemic strokes, only have small patient numbers, or refer to a selection of isolated weather elements without investigating weather changes and more. METHOD: In this exploratory trial, almost 18,000 stroke cases from a single stroke center in Southern Germany were analyzed from 2006 to 2015 and classified into the main subgroups of strokes and subdivisions of ischemic stroke etiologies applying the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification. For each stroke event, the air mass classification was determined from a subset of 7 air mass categories. Relative excess morbidities were derived for the 7 different air mass categories, taking into account the day of the event and up to 2 and 5 days preceding the stroke event. RESULTS: Statistically significant findings (α ≤0.1) reveal that dry tropical air masses were associated with a lower/higher risk for hemorrhagic (HEM)/macroangiopathic strokes (MAS), respectively. Dry polar air masses were associated with a higher risk for intracerebral bleedings and lower risk for ischemic stroke subtypes. Moist air masses were associated with a reduced incidence of MAS. A strong temperature increase 5 days prior to the event was associated with a lower risk of HEM strokes. Temperature increases were associated with lower risks for MAS and cardio-embolic strokes. Significant temperature decreases were associated with a higher risk of MAS. CONCLUSIONS: Temperature effects were dependent on both air masses and temperature changes within 5 days prior to the event and were associated with statistically relevant changes in stroke incidence. Decisive factors such as etiology, age, sex, and risk factors were also taken into account.

Validation of the custo screen pediatric blood pressure monitor according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010.

The purpose of the study was to validate the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) device custo screen pediatric in children aged 3 to 12 years according to the International Protocol of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH-IP revision 2010). Thirty-three children were included and systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements were performed according to the ESH-IP. The protocol was modified for children considering data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KIGGS). The custo screen pediatric met all the requirements of the ESH-IP. The mean difference between the test device and the reference was -1.4 ± 3.0 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and -0.7 ± 3.2 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure (DBP). For SBP and DBP, all 99 measurements were within the absolute difference of 10 mmHg between the test device and the reference. As to part 2 of the protocol, for DBP in all subjects, two out of three measurements were within 5 mmHg between the device and the standard, whereas for SBP in 32 of 33 subjects, two out of three measurements were within this range. CONCLUSION: The custo screen pediatric met all criteria of the ESH-IP review 2010, modified for children from 3 to about 12 years, and can be recommended for ABPM in children. What is Known: • Validation of blood pressure measuring devices is essential to provide patients with an accurate blood pressure measuring device. • The majority of devices has not been validated in children. What is New: • Prior to the present validation, study protocol adjustments of ESH-IP review 2010 for children were defined according to German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents 2013 (KIGGS). • The custo screen pediatric test device met all criteria of ESH-IP revision 2010, modified for children, and can be recommended for ABPM in children aged 3 to about 12 years.

Association of Skin Microbiome Dynamics With Radiodermatitis in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Importance: The interindividual differences in severity of acute radiation dermatitis are not well understood. To date, the pathomechanism and interplay of microbiome and radiodermatitis before and during treatment remain largely unknown. Objective: To assess the association of skin microbiome baseline composition and dynamics with severity of radiodermatitis in patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: A longitudinal prospective pilot observational study was conducted between January 2017 and January 2019. Sequencing results were received in March 2021, and the data were analyzed from August 2021 to March 2023. This study was performed at an urban academic university cancer center. A total of 21 female patients with breast cancer after surgery were consecutively approached, of which 1 patient withdrew consent before the study started. Exposure: Adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer for 7 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was the association of baseline skin microbiome composition and its dynamics with the severity of radiodermatitis. A total of 360 skin microbiome samples from patients were analyzed, taken before, during, and after radiotherapy, from both the treated and contralateral healthy sides. The skin microbiome samples were analyzed using 16S (V1-V3) amplicon sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction bacterial enumeration. Results: Twenty female patients with breast cancer after surgery who underwent radiotherapy enrolled in the study had a median (range) age of 61 (37-81) years. The median (range) body mass index of the patients was 24.2 (17.6-38.4). The 16S sequencing revealed that low (<5%) relative abundance of commensal skin bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Cutibacterium acnes) at baseline composition was associated with the development of severe radiodermatitis with an accuracy of 100% (sensitivity and specificity of 100%, P < .001). Furthermore, in patients with severe radiodermatitis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction bacterial enumeration revealed a general non-species-specific overgrowth of skin bacterial load before the onset of severe symptoms. Subsequently, the abundance of commensal bacteria increased in severe radiodermatitis, coinciding with a decline in total bacterial load. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this observational study indicated a potential mechanism associated with the skin microbiome for the pathogenesis of severe radiodermatitis, which may be a useful biomarker for personalized prevention of radiodermatitis in patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Machine Learning-Based Deep Phenotyping of Atopic Dermatitis: Severity-Associated Factors in Adolescent and Adult Patients.

IMPORTANCE: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease and is driven by a complex pathophysiology underlying highly heterogeneous phenotypes. Current advances in precision medicine emphasize the need for stratification. OBJECTIVE: To perform deep phenotyping and identification of severity-associated factors in adolescent and adult patients with AD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional data from the baseline visit of a prospective longitudinal study investigating the phenotype among inpatients and outpatients with AD from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy of the University Hospital Bonn enrolled between November 2016 and February 2020. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Patients were stratified by severity groups using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). The associations of 130 factors with AD severity were analyzed applying a machine learning-gradient boosting approach with cross-validation-based tuning as well as multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 367 patients (157 male [42.8%]; mean [SD] age, 39 [17] years; 94% adults) were analyzed. Among the participants, 177 (48.2%) had mild disease (EASI ≤7), 120 (32.7%) had moderate disease (EASI >7 and ≤ 21), and 70 (19.1%) had severe disease (EASI >21). Atopic stigmata (cheilitis: odds ratio [OR], 8.10; 95% CI, 3.35-10.59; white dermographism: OR, 4.42; 95% CI, 1.68-11.64; Hertoghe sign: OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.27-5.93; nipple eczema: OR, 4.97; 95% CI, 1.56-15.78) was associated with increased probability of severe AD, while female sex was associated with reduced probability (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.13-0.66). The probability of severe AD was associated with total serum immunoglobulin E levels greater than 1708 IU/mL and eosinophil values greater than 6.8%. Patients aged 12 to 21 years or older than 52 years had an elevated probability of severe AD; patients aged 22 to 51 years had an elevated probability of mild AD. Age at AD onset older than 12 years was associated with increased probability of severe AD up to a peak at 30 years; age at onset older than 33 years was associated with moderate to severe AD; and childhood onset was associated with mild AD (peak, 7 years). Lifestyle factors associated with severe AD were physical activity less than once per week and (former) smoking. Alopecia areata was associated with moderate (OR, 5.23; 95% CI, 1.53-17.88) and severe (OR, 4.67; 95% CI, 1.01-21.56) AD. Predictive performance of machine learning-gradient boosting vs multinomial logistic regression differed only slightly (mean multiclass area under the curve value: 0.71 [95% CI, 0.69-0.72] vs 0.68 [0.66-0.70], respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The associations found in this cross-sectional study among patients with AD might contribute to a deeper disease understanding, closer monitoring of predisposed patients, and personalized prevention and therapy.

Human exposure to airborne pollen and relationships with symptoms and immune responses: Indoors versus outdoors, circadian patterns and meteorological effects in alpine and urban environments.

Pollen exposure is a major cause of respiratory allergies worldwide. However, it is unclear how everyday exposure is related to symptoms and how allergic patients may be affected spatially and temporally. Hence, we investigated the relationship of pollen, symptoms and immune responses under a controlled regime of 'high-low-moderate' pollen exposure in urban versus alpine environment. The research was conducted in 2016 in two locations in Germany: urban Augsburg (494 m) and Schneefernerhaus (UFS) on Zugspitze mountain (2656 m). Monitoring of airborne pollen took place using Hirst-type volumetric traps. On UFS, both indoor and outdoor samples were taken. Grass pollen allergic human volunteers were monitored daily during the peak of the grass pollen season, in Augsburg, on UFS, then again in Augsburg. Nasal biosamples were obtained throughout the study to investigate immune responses. All symptoms decreased significantly during the stay on UFS and remained low even after the return to Augsburg. The same was observed for nasal total IgE and IgM levels and for nasal type 2 cytokines and chemokines. Augsburg showed higher pollen concentrations than those on UFS. At all sites, pollen were present throughout each day, but were more abundant in Augsburg during morning. On UFS, outdoor pollen levels were up to 6-fold higher than those indoors. Nasal, ocular and pulmonary symptoms correlated with current and previous days' pollen concentrations and relative humidity. Stays in low-exposure environments during the peak pollen season can be an efficient means of reducing allergic symptoms and immune responses. However, in alpine environments, even occasional pollen exposure during short intervals may still trigger symptoms because of the additional environmental stress posed onto allergics. This highlights the need for the consideration of additional environmental factors, apart from symptom diaries and immune responses, so as to efficiently predict high-risk allergy periods.

Transtemporal Investigation of Brain Parenchyma Elasticity Using 2-D Shear Wave Elastography: Definition of Age-Matched Normal Values.

The goal of our research was to assess the possibility of reliable investigation of brain tissue stiffness using ultrasonographic brain parenchyma elastography with an intact temporal bone. We enrolled 108 patients after exclusion of intracranial pathology or healthy volunteers. All patients were subdivided by age into groups: 20-40, 40-60 and >60 y. For statistical analysis, the χ2 test and t-test were used. The mean values, regardless of age and other parameters, were 3.34 kPa (SD = 0.59) on the left side and 3.33 kPa (SD = 0.58) on the right side. We found no correlation between the values, body mass index (r = 0.07, p = 0.48) and sex (t = -0.11, p = 0.91), but we observed a highly significant correlation between the values and age (r = 0.43, p <0.0001). We found ultrasonographic brain parenchyma elastography to be a valid, reproducible and investigator-independent method that reliably determines brain parenchyma stiffness. Normal values should serve as a reference for studies on various intracranial lesions.

Validation of the Microlife BP A3 PC upper arm blood pressure monitor in patients with diabetes mellitus according to the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2: 2013 protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to validate the blood pressure (BP) measurement device, Microlife BP A3 PC, in patients with diabetes mellitus, according to the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2013 protocol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 85 individuals aged 56-88 years, with predefined criteria for diabetes mellitus, BP measurements on the upper arm were performed alternately using the Microlife BP A3 PC and a standard mercury reference sphygmomanometer. A total of 333 comparisons were included for analysis. RESULTS: The mean difference between the Microlife BP A3 PC and the reference was -1.5±6.3 mmHg for systolic BP (SBP) and -1.3±5.2 mmHg for diastolic BP (DBP) according to criterion 1 of the protocol. For SBP, a total of 209 of the 333 measurements were within the range of 5 mmHg (62.8%), whereas the corresponding numbers for DBP were 232 of 333 (69.7%). For criterion 2, the intraindividual differences for the test device and the reference were -1.50±4.73 mmHg for SBP and -1.30±4.55 mmHg for DBP, thus being within the defined ranges provided by the protocol. CONCLUSION: The Microlife BP A3 PC fulfilled the requirements of criteria 1 and 2 of the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2013 protocol and can also be recommended for BP measurement in diabetic patients.

Transorbital Sonography for Early Prognostication of Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy After Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early prognostication of the outcome in resuscitated post cardiac arrest (CA) patients remains challenging especially if treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Brain edema caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can indirectly be estimated by transorbital sonography (TOS) taking in account the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). The prognostic value of this easy, safe, and reproducible technique was investigated in this study. METHODS: A total of 49 patients, initially unconscious (Glasgow Coma Scale ≤6) after successful resuscitation, were enrolled into this prospective observational study. Sonographic ONSD measurements were performed twice on day of admission (day 0) and once on days 1 and 2 after CA. Beyond ONSD, established prognostic parameters like neuron specific enolase and gray-white matter ratios were assessed. Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) score served as outcome parameter. RESULTS: A total of 15 (31.3%) patients had a good outcome (CPC-score 1-2), 8 patients (14.6%) had severe disability (CPC-score 3-4), and 26 (54.2%) had a fatal outcome (CPC-score 5). Already in the first measurement on day 0, nonsurvivors showed significantly higher ONSD values (P < .001). For predicting mortality, a threshold of 5.75 mm was calculated with a specificity of 100%. ONSD did not differ significantly depending on hypothermia (P = .7009). CONCLUSION: Early and reliable prognostication of outcomes in patients with HIE can be simplified by ONSD values gathered with the use of TOS. Main advantages compared to other established markers are prognostication within the first 24 hours and independence from therapy with hypothermia. A higher level of accuracy can be reached by combining computed tomography (gray-to-white matter ratio values) and ONSD values.