The microbiome of tunnels in hidradenitis suppurativa patients

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease defined by recurrent nodules, tunnels and scarring involving the intertriginous regions. Recent next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies suggest genera such as Prevotella spp., Peptoniphilus spp. and Porphyromonas spp. are associated with chronic and early HS lesions. However, a systematic investigation of the bacterial microbiome in HS tunnels remains unexplored using NGS.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the bacterial composition of the luminal white gelatinous material found in HS tunnels using NGS.

METHODS

An exploratory study of patients with diagnosis of HS (n = 32) with tunnels. The tunnels were present either in the groin (n = 17) or in the axilla (n = 15). During deroofing of the tunnels, a sterile E-swab was taken of the luminal gelatinous material. The samples were investigated using NGS targeting 16S ribosomal RNA.

RESULTS

The skin microbiome was characterized in 32 HS patients. Overall, five microbiome types were identified: Porphyromonas spp. (type I), Corynebacterium spp., (type II), Staphylococcus spp. (type III), Prevotella spp. (type IV) and Acinetobacter spp (type V). Porphyromonas spp. (type I) and Prevotella spp. (IV) were the most frequent genera found the tunnels.

CONCLUSION

This study points to a potential association between the presence of certain anaerobic bacteria (Porphyromonas spp., Prevotella spp.) and HS tunnels. It may be speculated that these two genera are associated with the pathogenesis in HS either as drivers or as biomarkers.

Weather conditions and daylight-mediated photodynamic therapy: protoporphyrin IX-weighted daylight doses measured in six geographical locations

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an attractive therapy for nonmelanoma skin cancers and actinic keratoses (AKs). Daylight-mediated methyl aminolaevulinate PDT (daylight-PDT) is a simple and painless treatment procedure for PDT. All daylight-PDT studies have been performed in the Nordic countries. To be able to apply these results in other parts of the world we have to compare the daily protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) light dose in other countries with the PpIX light doses found in Nordic countries.

OBJECTIVES

  To calculate where and when daylight-PDT of AKs was possible in six different geographical locations using ground stations measuring PpIX-weighted daylight doses.

METHODS

  PpIX-weighted daylight doses were measured using a dosimeter with a customer-specific photodiode with a detector sensitivity that mimics the PpIX absorption spectrum and measures in 'PpIX doses'. The dosimeters were built into ground stations that were placed in six geographical locations measuring from July to December 2008. Temperature data for each location were obtained from the internet. The maximal ultraviolet (UV) index for Copenhagen was obtained for the measuring period of the dosimeters.

RESULTS

  If the PpIX light dose should be above 8Jcm(-2) and the maximum temperature of the day at least 10°C, it was possible to treat patients on nearly all days until the middle of September in Reykjavik and Oslo, until the last week of October in Copenhagen and Regensburg, until the middle of November in Turin and all year in Israel.

CONCLUSIONS

  Where and when to perform daylight-PDT depends on the PpIX light dose and outdoor temperature. The PpIX light dose was influenced by the geographical location (latitude), weather condition and time of year. The UV index was not more suitable than temperature and weather to predict if the intensity of daylight would be sufficient for daylight-PDT.

Diagnostic performance of Baveno IV criteria in cirrhotic patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: analysis of the F7 liver-1288 study population

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The definition of failure to control bleeding agreed upon at the Baveno IV consensus meeting, included the Adjusted Blood Requirement Index [ABRI: number of blood units/(final-initial hematocrit+0.01)]. ABRI ≥0.75 denotes failure. However, timing for hematocrit measurements was not defined. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the Baveno IV criteria performance to classify treatment success or failure to control bleeding at 5 days, (2) to determine the appropriate timing for hematocrit.

METHODS

Two hundred and forty-two cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleeding were independently classified by three clinical experts according to the Baveno IV criteria, by analysis of the database of a randomized trial. ABRI was calculated by using the closest hematocrit to the 5 day time point from the first trial product administration (ABRI-1) or after the latest transfusion within the 5-day period (ABRI-2). The gold standard for success/failure for 5-day control of bleeding was the clinical judgment of the three independent observers based on all the clinical and follow-up data.

RESULTS

Inter-observer agreement for the final outcome assessment was 0.82 and a final consensus was obtained in 236/242 patients. Inter-observer agreement on patient classification with Baveno IV criteria was 0.70 with ABRI-1 and 0.84 with ABRI-2. c-statistics for correct patients classification were 0.86 for ABRI-1, 0.84 for ABRI-2, and 0.88 for Baveno IV criteria without ABRI. ABRI-1 caused misclassification of 27 patients and ABRI-2 of 39.

CONCLUSIONS

Baveno IV criteria are accurate to assess outcome of patients with variceal bleeding. There is a substantial observer variability linked to timing of hematocrits for ABRI calculation. With the current definition ABRI does not add to the performance of the other criteria.

[Domestic violence]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the development in the incidence of violence against women committed by husband/spouse and violence against children committed by parents. This study is based on a prospective registration during a one year period (1993-94) of women and children who attended the casualty wards and/or the Department of Forensic Medicine because of exposure to violence. The results were compared with similar studies from 1981-82 and 1987-88. The incidence of domestic violence within the age group of 25-34 years (the major group) was in 1993-94 1.9 per 1000 per year, in 1981-82 1.7 and in 1987-88 2.9. Twelve percent of the women had been exposed to violence characterized as severe. Twenty (6.6%) women were registered more than once. Thirty-eight percent of Danish women and 25.8% of foreign women reported the incident to the police. The incidence of violence against children remained unchanged at 0.3 per 1000 per year during the three registration periods.