Support for the hypothesis that electro-stimulation is responsible for Lipoatrophia semicircularis

Pressure and Skin: A Review of Disease Entities Driven or Influenced by Mechanical Pressure

Skin perceives and reacts to external mechanical forces to create resistance against the external environment. Excessive or inappropriate stimuli of pressure may lead to cellular alterations of the skin and the development of both benign and malignant skin disorders. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to delve into the pressure-induced and aggravated skin disorders and their underlying pressure-related mechanisms. Dysregulated mechanical responses of the skin give rise to local inflammation, ischemia, necrosis, proliferation, hyperkeratosis, impaired regeneration, atrophy, or other injurious reactions, resulting in various disease entities. The use of personal devices, activities, occupations, weight bearing, and even unintentional object contact and postures are potential scenarios that account for the development of pressure-related skin disorders. The spectrum of these skin disorders may involve the epidermis (keratinocytes and melanocytes), hair follicles, eccrine glands, nail apparatuses, dermis (fibroblasts, mast cells, and vasculature), subcutis, and fascia. Clarifying the clinical context of each patient and recognizing how pressure at the cellular and tissue levels leads to skin lesions can enhance our comprehension of pressure-related skin disorders to attain better management.

Semicircular Lipoatrophy: A Case Series With Follow-up of 76 Patients in Madrid and a Proposed Classification

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The clinical presentations of semicircular lipoatrophy (SL) vary, and diagnostic criteria are unclear. Several etiopathogenic factors, including occupational environmental ones, have been suggested. We aimed to describe a cluster of cases of suspected SL that started to appear in May 2008 among employees of the city council of Madrid, Spain. We report the actions taken by the council's occupational health service and propose clinical categories with prognostic implications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Observational study of retrospectively identified patients that includes prospectively collected case data. Cases between 2008 and 2021 were identified for review by the city council's service for dermatology and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Information on measures taken by the occupational health service and clinical data were analyzed for descriptive statistics and detection of clinical patterns to aid classification.

RESULTS

We studied the cases of 75 women and 1 man, most of whom attended follow-up visits for a median of 37 months. Local symptoms were observed in just 14.5% of patients. The cases were classified into 4 groups: typical SL, unilateral SL, band-like lipoatrophy in the lower limbs, and nonspecific SL. Clinical outcomes were more often favorable in the first 2 groups, in which 76% of patients achieved total or partial improvement of lesions (vs. 25.8% in the last 2 groups). SL was negatively associated with the presence of hypertrophic subcutaneous adipose tissue (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Typical SL, which can often be unilateral, generally has a satisfactory outcome. The clinical characteristics of this form distinguish it from other types of lipoatrophy. Measures taken by the occupational health service contributed to favorable outcomes. In this series, SL was not associated with marked subcutaneous adipose tissue hypertrophy in the thighs. Our proposed categories may help distinguish between cases of SL with a favorable prognosis and other SL types in which skin surface depressions form and are often persistent.

Walker occupancy has an impact on changing airborne bacterial communities in an underground pedestrian space, as small-dust particles increased with raising both temperature and humidity

Although human occupancy is a source of airborne bacteria, the role of walkers on bacterial communities in built environments is poorly understood. Therefore, we visualized the impact of walker occupancy combined with other factors (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, dust particles) on airborne bacterial features in the Sapporo underground pedestrian space in Sapporo, Japan. Air samples (n = 18; 4,800L/each sample) were collected at 8:00 h to 20:00 h on 3 days (regular sampling) and at early morning / late night (5:50 h to 7:50 h / 22:15 h to 24:45 h) on a day (baseline sampling), and the number of CFUs (colony forming units) OTUs (operational taxonomic units) and other factors were determined. The results revealed that temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure changed with weather. The number of walkers increased greatly in the morning and evening on each regular sampling day, although total walker numbers did not differ significantly among regular sampling days. A slight increase in small dust particles (0.3–0.5μm) was observed on the days with higher temperature regardless of regular or baseline sampling. At the period on regular sampling, CFU levels varied irregularly among days, and the OTUs of 22-phylum types were observed, with the majority being from Firmicutes or Proteobacteria (γ-), including Staphylococcus sp. derived from human individuals. The data obtained from regular samplings reveled that although no direct interaction of walker occupancy and airborne CFU and OTU features was observed upon Pearson's correlation analysis, cluster analysis indicated an obvious lineage consisting of walker occupancy, CFU numbers, OTU types, small dust particles, and seasonal factors (including temperature and humidity). Meanwhile, at the period on baseline sampling both walker and CFU numbers were similarly minimal. Taken together, the results revealed a positive correlation of walker occupancy with airborne bacteria that increased with increases in temperature and humidity in the presence of airborne small particles. Moreover, the results indicated that small dust particles at high temperature and humidity may be a crucial factor responsible for stabilizing the bacteria released from walkers in built environments. The findings presented herein advance our knowledge and understanding of the relationship between humans and bacterial communities in built environments, and will help improve public health in urban communities.

Semicircular lipoatrophy: an electrostatic hypothesis

BACKGROUND

Semicircular lipoatrophy (SL) is a benign pathology characterized by subcutaneous adipose tissue atrophy.

OBJECTIVE

To determine causes of SL.

METHODS

We performed research on 42 cases of SL who had developed symptoms of lipoatrophy with a technical study of the building and clinical study of the affected patients.

RESULTS

Electromagnetic field and electrostatic charge measurements were performed. No signals different from typical radio, TV and other wireless communication devices were recorded. Electrostatic charges were recorded in floors, environments and on different furniture; they were positive, and all charges disappeared on contact with the worker's skin. Data about the workplace were collected, and clinical examinations were performed, including blood and biochemistry tests and 18 ultrasound skin tests.

CONCLUSIONS

As no abnormal electromagnetic measurements were found and electrostatic changes and occupational behaviors showed some relevant data and as after changes in order to control the electrostatic environment all of them improved, we can conclude that electrostatic charges but not electromagnetic ones are the main cause of SL.

Case-control study of semicircular lipoatrophy, a new occupational disease in office workers

OBJECTIVES

Semicircular lipoatrophy (SL) is an emerging occupational pathology. Its etiology is poorly understood. We intend to establish the probable risk factors and estimate the relative risk.

METHODS

A case-control study was performed. Our company had 55 diagnosed cases. As controls, we used the 3 closest healthy coworkers to each case. We calculated the chi square, odds ratio and logistic regression for different exposures, during the 3 years from September 2007 to August 2010.

RESULTS

There was 100% participation for the cases and 70.9% for the controls (ratio 1 : 2.1 case-control). The only risk variables found were female gender (p<0.02) and exposure to leaning on the edge of a table (p<0.01). In addition, a breakdown by sex objectifies a much stronger association with leaning on the edge of a table in women (p<0.01) than men (p 0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

Female gender and leaning on the edge of a table (repeated microtrauma), especially in women, are risk factors for development of SL. Other variables seem to be confounding factors associated with female gender. There were no SL cases showing statistically significant relations with history of cancer or autoimmune diseases. There was also no significance with regard to wearing jeans. There is therefore a new risk for office staff in addition to the more traditional disorders (musculoskeletal, ocular, and psychosocial). Further studies are necessary to evaluate what we consider an underdiagnosed condition, since there is a large percentage of people that are potentially exposed and we found very little information in the literature on the matter.