Lasers in the management of alopecia: a review of established therapies and advances in treatment.

Alopecia, also known as hair loss, is a highly prevalent condition affecting millions of men and women in the United States and worldwide, making it one of the most common complaints by patients presenting to a dermatologist. The symptomology on the presentation of alopecia can be highly variable, ranging from diffuse thinning of hair, discrete and localized patches completely absent of hair, or noticing significant shedding when brushing and showering. Although alopecia does not have a direct negative health impact on patients, it is nonetheless a debilitating disease as it can profoundly impact an individual's self-image and psychosocial well-being. There are multiple treatment options available to patients with alopecia, and they are typically tailored to the patient's needs and preferences. The most common of these is the Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for alopecia, minoxidil, and finasteride. However, both of these are known to be partially efficacious for all patients, so clinicians often use different modalities in conjunction with them, in particular laser-based therapies. This review article will provide a comprehensive assessment of lasers and other light therapies that may be used to manage the two most common types of alopecia: androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata.

Review of the current antibiotic guidelines used in dermatologic surgery.

Antibiotics have been used as a prophylaxis for dermatologic procedures. We will review the various procedures that specific antibiotics with dosages are used for, depending on the procedure, diagnosis, and circumstance of the patient. We will examine the current and updated guidelines used in dermatologic surgery and the overlapping guidelines across other fields. Physicians must consider the side effects of antibiotics and the resistance that may occur as a result before using the class or level of prophylaxis. Initial evaluation for alcohol, chlorhexidine, or iodine should be measured as well. Updated guidelines aim to address the contraindications of antibiotics, yet further research is needed to avoid antibiotic resistance and to explore alternative methods of antibiotic application, such as intranasal and intravenous.

Visitor arrivals forecasts amid COVID-19: A perspective from the Africa team.

COVID-19 disrupted international tourism worldwide, subsequently presenting forecasters with a challenging conundrum. In this competition, we predict international arrivals for 20 destinations in two phases: (i) Ex post forecasts pre-COVID; (ii) Ex ante forecasts during and after the pandemic up to end 2021. Our results show that univariate combined with cross-sectional hierarchical forecasting techniques (THieF-ETS) outperform multivariate models pre-COVID. Scenarios were developed based on judgemental adjustment of the THieF-ETS baseline forecasts. Analysts provided a regional view on the most likely path to normal, based on country-specific regulations, macroeconomic conditions, seasonal factors and vaccine development. Results show an average recovery of 58% compared to 2019 tourist arrivals in the 20 destinations under the medium scenario; severe, it is 34% and mild, 80%.

Disparities in the Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: A Narrative Review of Current Literature.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is a disorder of abnormal thickening of the myocardium that affects 0.2% of the population. HOCM is a frequently implicated cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes. In this manner, this condition has the capacity for tremendous emotional, social, financial, and medical burdens for families and communities across the country. Multiple factors including genetics and hormonal elements are believed to play a role in the development of this cardiomyopathy. HOCM is an autosomal dominant trait with variable expressivity. It is associated with several genetic changes in the myosin heavy chain genes. Current treatment includes optimization of cardiac risk factors and medical management with beta-adrenergic blockade with definitive treatment of surgical intervention to reduce cardiac workload. The demographic most likely to be diagnosed with HOCM based upon clinical registry data is Caucasian boys and men. However, a growing body of data supports increased prevalence in African American populations and percentages equal to, if not higher than, Caucasian males in Hispanic populations. Similarly, males of African American ethnicity that participate in basketball are the most likely demographic to be affected by HOCM based on the data available from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Further, though rates of diagnosis may be up to 1.5 times higher in males than in females, an increasing number of studies demonstrate an increased prevalence of HOCM in females, often presenting with worse symptoms and an increased incidence of disease progression. Similarly, data suggest that age of diagnosis is associated with various prognostic factors including annual mortality. In addition, consideration of the social determinants of health undoubtedly impacts the rate of diagnosis, access to care, and HOCM-related complications in underserved populations. Effective screening including auscultation and electrocardiography (EKG) with confirmatory echocardiography in these communities supports equitable surveillance and management of HOCM.