UK esthetics associations: A robust safety net or credibility accessories?

BACKGROUND: Currently, safe practice in the UK esthetics industry is largely reliant on self-regulatory bodies. If these bodies do not maintain high standards of safety guidelines and properly accredit practitioners, patient safety may be at risk. To our knowledge, no studies have addressed cosmetic self-regulatory bodies and their websites on Google, the most commonly used information source. This study aimed to map self-regulatory bodies on Google and evaluate their roles in the current UK esthetics industry. METHOD: We conducted a systematic search of Google Search results using eight search terms. The first 100 search results were screened against our eligibility criteria. We searched each website of a self-regulatory body for their requirements to join registers, membership fees, and features listed on the UK government's criteria for an effective self-regulatory body. RESULTS: We identified 22 self-regulating bodies for the UK esthetics industry. Only 15% of registers required an in-person assessment of cosmetic skills to qualify for membership. Of the self-regulatory bodies, 65% did not set clear standards and guidelines for practice. No qualifications were required by 14% of surgical and 31% of non-surgical bodies. The mean membership fee was £331. CONCLUSION: This study uncovered important information about the self-regulation of the esthetics industry in the UK. A significant majority of self-regulatory bodies did not meet best practices, potentially putting patients at risk. We recommend further studies screening a higher number of pages in a Google Search to scope all other existing self-regulatory bodies, due to the creation of Google "filter bubbles."

Nasal disease and quality of life in athletes.

OBJECTIVES: Nasal disease imposes a significant disease burden upon the individual in the general population, but is relatively under studied in athletes. This study sought to define the frequency of nasal symptoms in the active population, and to quantify the impact of these symptoms on quality of life and on the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections. RESULTS: A total of 296 participants completed the study (246 athletes and 50 sedentary controls). Nasal symptoms were significantly more frequent in the active group than in the sedentary controls (70 per cent vs 52 per cent). Upper respiratory tract infections were significantly more common in athletes with regular nasal symptoms than in athletes without nasal symptoms. Quality-of-life scores, as measured by the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, were significantly worse in athletes with regular nasal symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that regular exercise is associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of troubling nasal symptoms, and nasal symptoms in athletes are associated with increased susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. Quality of life was negatively affected, confirming the importance of nasal health to athlete welfare.

Rhinitis in Elite and Non-Elite Field Hockey Players.

Rhinitis has been demonstrated to impose a significant disease burden upon the general population. We sought to determine the prevalence of rhinitis in athletes; to investigate its relationship with co-existing allergic symptoms; and to quantify the impact of rhinitis on quality of life in the athlete.3 subgroups were studied: elite field hockey players (FHP); non-elite FHP; and a sedentary control group.Participants were asked to complete a rhinitis self-report questionnaire; the "Allergic Questionnaire for Athletes" (AQUA), and quality of life Sinonasal Outcome Test - 22 (SNOT-22).142 participants completed the study (52 elite FHP; 40 non-elite FHP; 50 controls). There was a significantly higher prevalence of rhinitis in the elite and non-elite FHP groups than the sedentary control group (52% and 43% vs. 22%, p<0.05). Mean AQUA score was significantly higher in athletes with rhinitis. Quality of life scores were significantly worse in athletes with rhinitis than those without rhinitis (p<0.05).This study suggests regular exercise is associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of rhinitis. Elite FHP were most likely to report rhinitis, but the least likely to be using regular treatment. Quality of life was negatively affected, confirming the importance of nasal health to athlete welfare.

Nasal function and dysfunction in exercise.

BACKGROUND: There have been recent advances in our appreciation of the functional complementarity of the upper and lower airways. The unified airway begins at the nose: rather than acting merely as a conduit for air to the lungs, the nose and nasal cavity perform an important role in filtering, humidification and immune surveillance. METHODS: The physiological and pathological responses of the nasal cavity to exercise and regular training are examined in this narrative review, with specific reference to the relation of nasal health to quality of life, lower airway health and upper respiratory tract infections. Relevant literature is examined and placed in clinical context. RESULTS: There is considerable published evidence to support nasal dysfunction associated with exercise, and a link to lower airway dysfunction. Evidence also supports the role of upper and lower airway dysfunction in the development of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. CONCLUSION: Nasal dysfunction in exercise may be a source of considerable morbidity to the regular exerciser, and further research into exercise-induced rhinitis is recommended.

Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (previously familial rectal pain syndrome).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical phenotype of paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (previously called familial rectal pain syndrome), an autosomal dominant condition recently shown to be a sodium channelopathy involving SCN9A. METHODS: An international consortium of clinicians, scientists, and affected families was formed. Clinical details of all accessible families worldwide were collected, including age at onset, features of attacks, problems between attacks, investigational results, treatments tried, and evolution over time. A validated pain questionnaire was completed by 14 affected individuals. RESULTS: Seventy-seven individuals from 15 families were identified. The onset of the disorder is in the neonatal period or infancy and persists throughout life. Autonomic manifestations predominate initially, with skin flushing in all and harlequin color change and tonic attacks in most. Dramatic syncopes with bradycardia and sometimes asystole are common. Later, the disorder is characterized by attacks of excruciating deep burning pain often in the rectal, ocular, or jaw areas, but also diffuse. Attacks are triggered by factors such as defecation, cold wind, eating, and emotion. Carbamazepine is effective in almost all who try it, but the response is often incomplete. CONCLUSIONS: Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder is a highly distinctive sodium channelopathy with incompletely carbamazepine-sensitive bouts of pain and sympathetic nervous system dysfunction. It is most likely to be misdiagnosed as epilepsy and, particularly in infancy, as hyperekplexia and reflex anoxic seizures.

Stereoscopic depth cues can segment motion information.

Can the motion system selectively process elements at a particular depth? We attempted to answer this question using global coherence tasks in which signal and noise elements could be given different disparities. In experiment 1 we found that, if all the signal elements had a disparity different from that of the noise elements, performance was far better than when they had the same disparity (at least for stereo-normal observers). In a second experiment we found that adding additional noise elements to the motion task had no effect if they had a different disparity (however, they had a marked effect for stereo-blind observers). We conclude that stereo disparity can be used as a segmentation cue by the motion system.

Evaluation of joint medical and nursing notes with preprinted prompts.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the views of doctors and nurses about two recent innovations in the structure of case notes: the use of preprinted prompts and the use of joint medical and nursing notes. DESIGN: Questionnaire survey of all doctors and nurses working on the children's wards. SETTING: Children's wards in a district general hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Whether or not respondents wanted to return to traditional notes; positive and negative aspects of the two innovations. RESULTS: There was an 81% response rate. 45 of 48 respondents (94%) did not want to return to traditional notes. Positive features of joint notes that were identified included: promotes team work (21/48 respondents), improves access to information (14/48), and reduces duplication (14/48). Negative features included uncertainty about identity of writer (8/48) and incompletely filled in sheets (7/48). Positive features of preprinted prompts included: less information omitted (29/48), easier to read and find information (28/48), and quicker to write (21/48). Negative features included: not enough space (19/48) and clerking too mechanical (16/48). CONCLUSION: Advantages of both innovations outweighed their disadvantages to the extent that only three out of 48 respondents wanted to return to writing traditional notes.

Single base deletion in exon 7 of the glycosylasparaginase gene causes a mild form of aspartylglycosaminuria in a patient of Mauritian origin.

Aspartylglycosaminuria (AGU) is a lysosomal storage disorder of glycoprotein degradation caused by deficiency of glycosylasparaginase (GA). A deletion mutation was found in a mildly affected AGU patient whose parents are first-cousins of Mauritian origin. One bp deletion at position 787 or 788 (delta T788) in exon 7 of the GA gene resulted in a frameshift and produced an immediate stop codon. The resulting truncated polypeptide was defective in its post-translational proteolytic processing and remained as a single chain (36 kDa) with no GA activity.

The natural history of human dermatosparaxis (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIIC).

Dermatosparaxis (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIIC) has only recently been identified in human subjects. Although well documented in animals, to date only three human cases have been recorded, all aged 2 years or under. We document a 15-year-old girl with this newly recognized condition to emphasize the remarkable similarity of physical signs in all four cases. The striking skin fragility which attends the phenotype is highly distinctive, so that the diagnosis may be suspected on clinical grounds. The confirmatory diagnostic procedures are discussed.

Major component in male sex pheromone of cereal pestEurygaster integriceps puton (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) identified as a homosesquiterpenoid.

A homosesquiterpenoid, (4Z,4'E)-4-(1',5'-dimethyl-4'-heptenylidene)-1-methylcyclohexene, has been identified as a major component of the scent emitted by calling males ofEurygaster integriceps. Minor components of the scent included vanillin. TheE. integriceps male homosesquiterpenoid is an addition to the list of sesquiterpenoids identified as components of male attractant sex pheromones in pentatomoid Heteroptera.

Calibration of the NPL secondary standard radionuclide calibrator for 192Ir brachytherapy sources.

Safe and effective treatment with brachytherapy sources requires an accurate knowledge of the local tissue absorbed dose rate derived from the source reference air kerma rate. It is desirable that these air kerma rate measurements be traceable to national standards. The NPL has embarked on a programme that will enable the user to assay brachytherapy sources in a convenient manner prior to treatment. Calibration figures have been derived for the NPL secondary standard radionuclide calibrator for 192Ir brachytherapy sources manufactured by Amersham International plc. The calibration figures enable the user to accurately estimate the reference air kerma rate and activity of such sources by measuring the ionization chamber response. Calibration figures for other brachytherapy sources are also being derived.

Environmentally-based maternal effects: a hidden force in insect population dynamics?

The nutritional environment of the parental generation of the polyphagous gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, can significantly influence the growth and reproductive potential of the next generation through environmentally-based maternal effects. In the first experiment, members of the parental generation were reared on red oak trees (Quercus rubra L.) with known defoliation and phenolic levels. Diet in the offspring generation was homogeneous (synthetic diet). With genetic effects accounted for 1) offspring attained greater pupal weights when their mothers fed on trees with higher leaf damage levels, 2) daughters had a shorter prefeeding stage, a trait associated with dispersal tendency, when their mothers experienced higher condensed tannin levels, and 3) sons had lower pupal weights when their mothers experienced greater condensed tannin levels. In the second experiment, members of the parental generation were reared on either red or black oak (Q. velutina) trees. Offspring of each mother were divided among four diets: red oak, chestnut oak (Q. prinus L.), a standard synthetic diet, and a low-protein synthetic diet. The parental host species accounted for 24% of the variation in daughters' development time; offspring diet accounted for 52%. When mothers were reared on black oak rather than red oak, their offspring developed significantly faster when the F1 diet was chestnut oak. Environmentally-based maternal effects can significantly influence the expression of offspring dispersal potential, growth rate, and offspring fecundity. These traits contribute to natality and survival in natural populations and, hence, to population growth potential. Theoretical models of insect population dynamics demonstrate that the presence of a time delay in a density dependent response can induce destabilization. Maternal effects act on a time delay and may participate in the destabilization characteristic of outbreak species.