'We Were an Afterthought': Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities in New South Wales, Australia

This paper investigates the impact on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia of government and community responses to the coronavirus pandemic of 2019 in the domains of education, employment, housing, social connectedness, and public health communication. Most of the examples are drawn from the state of New South Wales. In Australia, CALD refers to people from countries not classified as main English speaking. Most CALD communities reported in this article are from refugee backgrounds, are recently arrived migrants or do not use English in most of their communication. Inadequate, and in some instances, inappropriate or absent support, adversely impacts CALD communities. We used a multidisciplinary bricolage approach that draws on media, government, and community support publications and concluded that CALD communities experienced heightened pressures due to lower resource availability and poor communication. This led to disruption of support services, exposing gaps and vulnerability. The results reported here challenge Australian government, schools, community agencies, researchers to include proactively CALD community perspectives when planning and responding to such crises in future. Improving communication, pandemic response planning, addressing needs and ensuring participation are key considerations.

A study of the safety and efficacy of calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate scalp formulation in the long-term management of scalp psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Effective and safe products are needed for long-term management of scalp psoriasis. This study investigated the long-term safety and efficacy of a two-compound formulation (calcipotriol 50 microg/g plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.5 mg/g) for scalp psoriasis.

METHODS

In this 52-week, international, double-blind study, 869 patients with moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis were randomized to either a two-compound scalp formulation (n = 429) or calcipotriol (n = 440).

RESULTS

Adverse drug reactions were less frequent in the two-compound group compared with the calcipotriol group (17.2 vs. 29.5%; p < 0.001). Incidences of adverse events possibly associated with long-term corticosteroid use were low in both the two-compound (2.6%) and the calcipotriol (3.0%) groups. Disease was satisfactorily controlled in 92.3% of visits in the two-compound group versus 80.0% in the calcipotriol group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The two-compound scalp formulation demonstrated a high level of safety and efficacy in long-term management of scalp psoriasis.

Safety and efficacy of combined high-dose treatment with calcipotriol ointment and solution in patients with psoriasis

BACKGROUND

In the vast majority of psoriatic patients, psoriatic lesions are localised on the body as well as on the scalp. Therefore, safety data on the combined use of calcipotriol in lotion and calcipotriol in ointment are needed.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the effect of high-dose treatment with a combination of calcipotriol ointment and scalp solution on calcium metabolism, indices of bone turnover and PASI in patients with extensive psoriasis.

METHODS

Following a 2-week wash-out period, 88 patients were randomised to 4 weeks of treatment with either calcipotriol ointment/scalp solution (80-100 g/week and 30-50 ml/week, respectively; n = 41) or with a dithranol/tar regimen (n = 47). Patients were seen at weeks 1, 2 and 4 during treatment and 1 week following cessation of treatment.

RESULTS

No significant differences at the end of treatment were found between the 2 groups with respect to 24-hour urinary excretion of calcium (expressed as calcium/creatinine ratio), phosphate or pyridinoline, serum concentrations of calcium (albumin corrected), creatinine, phosphate, parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase (total and bone-specific iso-enzymes) or 1-collagen telopeptide. At the end of treatment, the psoriasis area and severity index had decreased by 57.4% in the calcipotriol group and by 36.1% in the dithranol/tar group (p = 0.004). Investigators' and patients' assessments of overall efficacy also favoured treatment with calcipotriol (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The combined use of calcipotriol ointment/scalp solution did not affect the indices of calcium metabolism or bone turnover and was significantly more effective than dithranol/tar in reducing disease severity and extent in patients with extensive psoriasis.