Articles: disease.
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Chronic spontaneous urticaria affects approximately 1% of the general population worldwide, including approximately 3 million people in the US, impairs patients' quality of life, and is associated with multiple comorbidities. ⋯ Chronic spontaneous urticaria is an inflammatory skin disease associated with medical and psychiatric comorbidities and impaired quality of life. Second-generation H1 antihistamines are first-line treatment, omalizumab is second-line treatment, and cyclosporine is third-line treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria.
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Osteoarthritis (OA), including that of the knee joint, represents a significant proportion of musculoskeletal injuries in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) due to the frequent, high-stress physical activity for which member participation is necessary. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a conservative, autologous treatment that has the potential to relieve symptoms and improve functionality of military members to decrease the impact of the disease and ultimately strengthen the CAF. ⋯ The results of this review support the efficacy of PRP for relieving symptoms of pain and improving function, stiffness, and quality of life for patients experiencing knee OA within 12 months. As a result, leukocyte-poor-PRP could be considered for members of the CAF with mild to moderate knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grades 1-3) to slow the progression of OA and extend the military careers of CAF members. There continues to be a need for future studies to investigate the longer-term effects of PRP to verify sustained benefits at follow-up points greater than 12 months, including findings of improvement in a delayed fashion at the 3- and 6-month timeframe compared to hyaluronic acid treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of Hydrocolloid Dressing and Moisturizing Cream as Facial Skin Protectants Among Health Care Workers.
During the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, health care workers experienced facial problems from prolonged use of N95 masks, including skin irritation, pigmentation changes, and contact dermatitis. We assessed the use of hydrocolloid dressing versus dimethicone cream to prevent skin breakdown among military health care workers while wearing an N95. ⋯ Using a skin protectant with an N95 may prevent adverse skin reactions while preserving health care workers' ability to safely and competently care for patients in routine and pandemic conditions.