The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in an international shortage of personal protective equipment including N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), resulting in many institutions using ultraviolet ...germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technology for N95 FFR decontamination. To ensure proper decontamination, it is crucial to determine the dose received by various parts of the FFR in this process. Recently, our group customized a UVGI unit for N95 decontamination. With experimental and theoretical approach, this manuscript discusses the minimum dose received by various parts of the N95 respirator after one complete decontamination cycle with this UVGI unit. The results demonstrate that all parts of the N95 FFR received at least 1 J cm−2 after one complete decontamination cycle with this unit. As there are a variety of UVGI devices and different types of FFRs, this study provides a model by which UVC dose received by different areas of the FFRs can be accurately assessed to ensure proper decontamination for the safety of healthcare providers.
The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in an international shortage of personal protective equipment including N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), resulting in many institutions using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technology for N95 FFR decontamination. To ensure proper decontamination, it is crucial to determine the dose received by various parts of the FFR in this process (recommended dose 1 J cm−2). As there are a variety of UVGI devices and different types of FFRs, this study provides a model by which UVC dose received by different areas of the FFRs can be accurately assessed to ensure proper decontamination for the safety of healthcare providers.
Background
Although recent hidradenitis suppurativa studies have shown that early‐onset disease is associated with a positive family history and more widespread disease, research in pediatric ...hidradenitis suppurativa is limited.
Methods
Thirty‐three children diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa during an 18‐month period were included in this institutional review board–approved, retrospective chart review. Information on demographic characteristic, family history, and timing of onset (prepubescent vs postpubescent) was extracted. The Fisher exact test, Cochran‐Armitage exact trend test, and chi‐square test were used to examine the association between prepubescent or postpubescent onset of hidradenitis suppurativa and sex, disease severity, and family history.
Results
A significantly higher percentage of patients with postpubescent onset were female (85.7%) than male (14.3%), whereas those with prepubescent onset were more likely to be male (58.3%) than female (41.7%; P = .02). Associations between disease onset and positive family history of hidradenitis suppurativa (P = .47) or higher Hurley stage of disease (P = .15) were not statistically significant.
Conclusion
Boys are more likely to have prepubescent onset of hidradenitis suppurativa and girls to have postpubescent onset. This shift in sex distribution is unexplained, but we hypothesize that, whereas the role of ovarian hormones in the pathogenesis of HS may underlie much of adult‐onset disease, it is less important in prepubescent disease.
With the COVID‐19 pandemic depleting personal protective equipment worldwide, various methods including ultraviolet C (UVC) germicidal irradiation (UVGI) have been implemented to decontaminate N95 ...filtering facepiece respirators. These devices pose a risk for UVC exposure to the operator with reported adverse effects generally limited to the eyes and skin. Our hospitals are currently using UVC devices for N95 decontamination with a few reported cases of face and neck erythema from exposure. Because sunscreens are designed and tested for UVA and UVB protection only, their effects on blocking UVC are largely unknown. Therefore, our objective was to determine if various sunscreens, UV goggles, and surgical mask face shields minimize UVC exposure from UVGI devices. Our study clearly demonstrated that healthcare workers responsible for the disinfection of PPE using UVGI devices should always at least utilize clear face shields or UV goggles and sunscreen to protect against side effects of UVC exposure.
Background
A paucity of knowledge exists regarding the use of ertapenem in hidradenitis suppurativa. Our retrospective chart review and telephone interview aims to investigate the utility of ...intravenous ertapenem in severe, refractory hidradenitis suppurativa.
Methods
This retrospective chart review and telephone interview included patients with severe, refractory hidradenitis suppurativa treated with intravenous ertapenem between March 2013 and December 2016. Data were obtained from medical charts. During the telephone interview, patients were asked questions relating to satisfaction, quality of life changes, and disease state changes with ertapenem therapy.
Results
A total of 36 patients including 22 females and 14 males with Hurley stage II or III hidradenitis suppurativa were included. Thirty‐five patients (97.2%), demonstrated improvements in hidradenitis suppurativa with ertapenem treatment. In total, 28 patients participated in our telephone interview. Twenty patients (71.4%) were very satisfied (n = 12) or satisfied (n = 8). Quality of life improved in 85.7% of patients (n = 24).
Conclusion
Following ertapenem therapy, patients reported improvements in quality of life. This treatment appears promising as an adjunct to biologics or as a bridge to surgery in the treatment of severe, refractory hidradenitis suppurativa.
Exclusion criteria can limit the generalizability and translation of research findings into clinical practice. The objective of this study is to characterize the trends of exclusion criteria and ...explore the impact of exclusion criteria on participant diversity, length of enrollment, and the number of enrolled participants. A detailed search was performed using PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov. Nineteen published randomized controlled trials were included, where 2,664 patients were screened, and 2,234 patients (mean age: 37.6 years, 56.6% female) were enrolled from 25 countries. On average, there were 10.1 (standard deviation: 6.14, range: 3−25) exclusion criteria per randomized controlled trial. There was a weak to moderate positive correlation between the number of exclusion criteria and the proportion of enrolled participants (R = 0.49, P value = 0.040). However, no association was seen between the number of exclusion criteria, number of enrolled Black participants (R = 0.86, p value = 0.08), and enrollment length (R = 0.083, P value = 0.74). In addition, there was no discernable trend in the number of exclusion criteria over time (R = −0.18, P value = 0.48). Although the number of exclusion criteria appeared to impact the number of enrolled participants, the lack of skin of color representation in hidradenitis suppurativa randomized controlled trials does not appear to be influenced by the number of exclusion criteria.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a devastating disease involving abscesses, sinus tracts, and inflammation classically affecting the axilla, groin, and/or anogenital region. Although the disease ...pathogenesis is not fully understood, recent advances suggest that HS pathology runs much deeper than the cutaneous manifestations. It is now believed that HS is a systemic inflammatory disease that gives rise to the characteristic cutaneous manifestations. This disease is problematic for both patients and physicians to manage because of a variety of diagnostic and management difficulties. This article seeks to provide updates on the current understanding of HS to increase awareness and improve management.
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