Infectious Skin Diseases Research Articles

Massively Parallel Sequencingof the Filaggrin Gene Reveals an Association Between FLG Loss-of-function Mutations and Leprosy.

Filaggrin, encoded by the FLG gene, plays a crucial role in the barrier function of epidermis, but the association between FLG loss-of-function mutations and infectious skin diseases has not been systematically studied. FLG coding sequences from 945 patients with leprosy and 916 healthy controls were captured and enriched using an array-based high-throughput system, and subjected to next-generation sequencing. The loss-of-function mutations found were further validated by Sanger sequencing. A total of 21 loss-of-function mutations were found in 945 patients with leprosy, with a carrier rate of 17.53%, while the prevalence of these mutations in 916 healthy controls was 14.77%, which was significantly lower than in patients. Two individual FLG loss-of-function mutations (K4022X and Q1790X) were found to be significantly associated with leprosy. These results suggest a possible role for filaggrin in defending against leprosy pathogens.

Pattern of pathological cutaneous lesions of neonates in neonatal care unit of a peripheral tertiary institution in West Bengal

Background: A variety of cutaneous disorders have been found in neonatal period. These disorders may be physiological or pathological, temporary or permanent, congenital or acquired. Most of the skin lesions are benign, transient and physiological. Aims and Objectives: To study the incidence of pathological cutaneous disorders of neonates in the neonatal care unit and compare these with other studies in India and also the world. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital based observational, descriptive study. Study duration was one year. Study population was the all admitted neonates in neonatal care unit in peripheral tertiary institution. The study sample size was 108 neonates. We used Chi-square test to evaluate the P value. P value of less than 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: We found 47 neonates (43.52%) as infective skin disorders, 21 cases (19.44%) as naevi and other developmental disorders, 10 cases each (9.26%) as keratinization disorder and eczematous conditions. 19 neonates (17.59%) were put into miscellaneous group. Among the infective disorders, we found 21 cases of bacterial infections, 18 cases of fungal infections, 6 cases of viral infections. Other important findings were of six aplasia cutis congenita cases, five cases of collodion babies, one harlequin baby, two cases of unilateral digital gangrene of upper limb etc. None of the neonatal dermatosis had shown significance (P > 0.05). Inadequate sample size was the possible cause for these results. Conclusion: The pattern of pathological dermatoses was evaluated. An effective knowledge about these dermatoses will be helpful to the Dermatologists and also Pediatricians for proper treatment and to assure the worried parents.

Reflectance confocal microscopy for the diagnosis of skin infections and infestations

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive real-time imaging technique that has been widely used for the diagnosis of skin cancer. More recently, it has been reported as a useful tool for the diagnosis and management of several inflammatory and infectious skin disorders. This article provides an overview of the current available applications of RCM use in cutaneous infections and infestations. PubMed was used to search the following terms in various combinations: reflectance confocal microscopy, skin, hair, nail, infection, parasitosis, mycosis, virus, bacteria. All papers were accordingly reviewed. In most cutaneous infections or infestations, the main alterations are found in the epidermis and upper dermis, where the accuracy of confocal microscopy is nearly similar to that of histopathology. The high resolution of this technique allows the visualization of most skin parasites, fungi, and a few bacteria. Although viruses cannot be identified because of their small size, viral cytopathic effects can be observed on keratinocytes. In addition, RCM can be used to monitor the response to treatment, thereby reducing unnecessary treatments.

Melatonin: clinical prospects in immunology

Introduction. For a long time, HIV has been associated with a number of inflammatory, infectious and neoplastic skin diseases. In the era of anti-retroviral therapy researchers have found even more about the relationship between skin disease and chronic immunosuppression. In particular, clinicians continue to face the trend of difficult-to-control viral infections, chronic skin inflammation and itching in people living with HIV. Objectives. This article summarizes the latest updates in immunology, dermatology and HIV, revealing potential of the prospective substance melatonin and its efficacy in treating herpesvirus skin diseases as an alternative immunomodulator. Materials and methods. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in July 2020 using electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, U.S. National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials, ResearchGate, and Cocharane Library. Results. This review includes 24 articles, that demonstrated the modulating properties of melatonin and have established its effectiveness in the treatment of diseases associated with immunodeficiency conditions. Melatonin has been shown to have a regulatory effect on the immune system and directly enhance the immune response by improving the proliferation and maturation of natural killers, T and B lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes, and activates complement receptors. Conclusions. Currently, the course of dermatological manifestations associated with herpes viruses, unfortunately, remains unfavorable and persists with high mortality coefficients, so the development of new approaches to the provision of medical care to HIV-infected patients is still relevant. Recent scientific studies indicate the high effectiveness of melatonin in the treatment of diseases accompanied by immunodeficiency. Researching of its effects in the dermatological manifestations of herpesvirus infections on the background of HIV is prospective and necessary for expand drug provision, treating comorbid conditions and improving the quality of life of each patient.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of an Online Artificial Intelligence Application for Skin Disease Diagnosis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for automated classification of skin diseases are available to the consumer market. Studies of their diagnostic accuracy are rare. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of an open-access AI application (Skin Image Search™) for recognition of skin diseases. Clinical images including tumours, infective and inflammatory skin diseases were collected at the Department of Dermatology at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital and uploaded for classification by the online application. The AI algorithm classified the images giving 5 differential diagnoses, which were then compared to the diagnoses made clinically by the dermatologists and/or histologically. We included 521 images portraying 26 diagnoses. The diagnostic accuracy was 56.4% for the top 5 suggested diagnoses and 22.8% when only considering the most probable diagnosis. The level of diagnostic accuracy varied considerably for diagnostic groups. The online application demonstrated low diagnostic accuracy compared to a dermatologist evaluation and needs further development.

Epidemiological survey of ringworm outbreak in cat shelter

Dermatophytosis (ringworm) is the most important infectious and contagious skin disease of cats in shelters. Wherein, the diagnosis, identification and treatment of dermatophytosis is not always effective. Here we report an epidemiological study of the outbreak of feline dermatophytosis in animal shelter in Moscow region. At least 11% of cats kept in the shelter were affected. Seventeen cats suspected dermatophytosis were isolated for mycological examination and treatment, 82% of them were culture-positive. These cats received a course of oral terbinafine, with no topical treatment. Of the dermatophyte-positive cats, 36% demonstrated skin lesions, while 64% were asymptomatic. No mycological control of recovery was carried out after treatment. It was found that 44% of clinically recovered cats turned to be asymptomatic carriers. When examining environmental objects (bedding, cat houses, floors, etc.), dermatophytes were isolated from 80% of the samples. The only causative agent of dermatophytosis was Microsporum canis. The MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) of terbinafine for clinical strains of M. canis was determined to be 0.001-0.002 μg/ml. The study confirms the need for large-scale mycological screening of cats in shelters using DTM-type diagnostic media. Oral therapy alone is not sufficient for effective treatment; it should include the whole-body antifungal treatment. Mycological control of cure is also mandatory.

Діагностика дерматофітозів домашніх тварин у м. Запоріжжя

Dermatophytosis is extremely contagious skin pathologies. Almost 85% of all infectious skin diseases and up to 50% of all infectious diseases of cats and dogs are dermatophytosis. Animals with dermatophytosis are dangerous in epidemiology, they are also a threat to the biosafety of the environment. The system of antiepizootic measures that now exists is not able to eradicate trichophytosis and microsporia of domestic animals for many years. Traditional methods for the diagnosis of dermatophytosis also have many significant drawbacks. The studies were conducted in 2019 in the conditions of private veterinary clinics in Zaporizhzhia. Materials for the study were dogs and cats with signs of dermal pathologies, as well as biomaterials from them (scrapings from the skin, impression smears and stained smears on polymer sheets). They were studied in our own laboratories of clinics. More than 160 cats and dogs were examined for dermatophytosis and 59 animals had positive results. We used the culture isolation method for growing pathogens on selective DSM Dermakit medium and advanced direct microscopy method. Based on the studies it was found that, in general, trichophytosis of animals in Zaporizhzhia prevailed in distribution over microsporia (71.2% and 28.8%, respectively). By growing pathogens on DSM selective medium and using trichograms, it was found that dogs were mainly infected with T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum (80.4%), and M. canis was isolated in 19.6% of cases. For cats in the city the prevailing mycosis was microsporia (M. canis and M. gypseum - 61.5%). In 28.6% of cases the samples were polluted with contaminant saprophytes. The cultural diagnostic method with the growth of pathogens on a selective DSM medium was fast enough, informative and convenient for the use in urban veterinary medicine clinics. It is especially effective for patients with an itch of unknown origin or other dermatological problems in order to exclude dermatomycoses. But the most significant for the diagnosis of Dermatophytosis is direct microscopy examining both scrapings from the affected skin directly and the material after growing the colonies on DSM media.

Can Users Search Trends Predict People Scares or Disease Breakout? An Examination of Infectious Skin Diseases in the United States.

Background:In health and medicine, people heavily use the Internet to search for information about symptoms, diseases, and treatments. As such, the Internet information can simulate expert medical doctors, pharmacists, and other health care providers.Aim:This article aims to evaluate a dataset of search terms to determine whether search queries and terms can be used to reliably predict skin disease breakouts. Furthermore, the authors propose and evaluate a model to decide when to declare a particular month as Epidemic at the US national level.Methods:A Model was designed to distinguish a breakout in skin diseases based on the number of monthly discovered cases. To apply this model, the authors correlated Google Trends of popular search terms with monthly reported Rubella and Measles cases from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Regressions and decision trees were used to determine the impact of different terms to trigger the occurrence of epidemic classes.Results:Results showed that the volume of search keywords for Rubella and Measles rises when the volume of those reported diseases rises. Results also implied that the overall process was successful and should be repeated with other diseases. Such process can trigger different actions or activities to be taken when a certain month is declared as “Epidemic.” Furthermore, this research has shown great interest for vaccination against Measles and Rubella.Conclusions:The findings suggest that the search queries and keyword trends can be truly reliable to be used for the prediction of disease outbreaks and some other related knowledge extraction applications. Also search-term surveillance can provide an additional tool for infectious disease surveillance. Future research needs to re-apply the model used in this article, and researchers need to question whether characterizing the epidemiology of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic waves in United States can be done through search queries and keyword trends.

Update on Dermoscopy and Infectious Skin Diseases.

Nowadays, dermoscopy is a global worldwide diffuse diagnostic tool supporting clinicians in their daily hard task of correct orientation among dermatological diseases. Born to be an instrument for early diagnosis of skin cancer, the dermatoscope is now considered the dermatologist's stethoscope, as it can be routinely used to support diagnosis in general dermatology, so spreading its utility in cutaneous inflammatory and infectious diseases, as adjuvant and not substitute to histology and potassium hydroxide examination. As concerns the latter, plenty of papers have been published since the first description of dermoscopic findings of scabies. The aim of this review is to give the clinician a practical approach to dermoscopic parameters of cutaneous infectious diseases with a focus on the latest updates in this topic.

To the 150 anniversary of the Military medical academy department of dermatology and venerology

Abstact. Described the stages of the formation of one of the first in Russia departments of skin and venereal diseases of the Military medical academy. S.M. Kirov. The contribution of eminent dermatovenerologists of the department leaders is noted: A.G. Polotebnova, V.M. Tarnovsky, T.P. Pavlova, P.A. Velikanova, M.G. Mgebrova, S.T. Pavlova, О.K. Shaposhnikova, A.N. Rodionov. So, A.G. Polotebnov is considered to be the founder of Russian dermatology and venereology. V.M. Tarnovsky was the initiator of the creation of the first in Europe Russian Syphilidological and Dermatological Society. T.P. Pavlov is known for his works on the histopathology of dermatoses, and also raised a large school of dermatology. S.T. Pavlov described for the first time in the world acantholytic cells in pemphigus, and Academician OK Shaposhnikov was the country’s leading specialist in immunology and histopathology of skin vasculitis. Currently, the department’s priorities are: the study of the molecular genetic basis of psoriasis, lymphoproliferative, bullous skin diseases, the study of foci of chronic infections in various dermatoses, the creation of teledermatology and teledermatohistopathology systems in medical institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, pathohistology, trichology, psychodermatology, development of new external agents for the prevention and treatment of infectious skin diseases using liposomal yy technologies. It is shown that as a result of the work done, the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases of the Military medical academy. S.M. Kirov reliably secured the status of Russia’s leading scientific and methodological center for the study and treatment of skin diseases.

Abstract A007: A Rag2/Il2rg double-knockout rat supports engraftment of human immune system for immunotherapy-based cancer efficacy studies

Abstract Immune humanized mice have been valuable in the development of novel cancer immunotherapies and have demonstrated stronger efficacy when combined with standard of care chemotherapy. An immune humanized rat could provide several advantages over the currently available humanized mouse models, including supporting the growth of larger tumors for serial fine needle biopsies to assess immune infiltration and serial blood draws for assessing human immune development and tumor biomarkers in real-time throughout an efficacy study. We developed a novel autologous human skin and immune cells-humanized rat model by co-engrafting full-thickness human-fetal skin and autologous fetal lymphoid organoids under the kidney capsule along with intravenous injection of autologous fetal-liver derived hematopoietic stem cells, thus termed, human skin-immune system humanized rat model (hSIS-humanized rat). hSIS-humanized rat support development of adult-like, full-thickness human skin and human lymphoid organoids along with human immune cells. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus inoculation in the human skin results in infection and skin pathology, thus recapitulating clinical outcomes. This model will enable in vivo mechanistic studies for development and evaluation of novel therapeutics for skin infectious disease and may also provide a model for establishing skin grafts of patient-derived melanoma tumors to investigate melanoma metastasis and response to therapies. In addition, engrafting the rat with human lymphoid organs and human immune cells may provide a similar platform to the BLT mouse for immunotherapy studies. Finally, we have demonstrated humanization of the rat immune system using human PBMCs. Human CD45+, CD3+, and CD20+ cells can be found in the peripheral blood, spleen, and bone marrow of engrafted rats. These immune humanized rat models may be beneficial for evaluating immunotherapies in human cancer models, including assessment of immune cell infiltration through fine needle biopsies. Citation Format: Fallon K Noto, Bisoye Towobola Adedeji, Yash Agarwal, Cole Beatty, Sara Ho, Antu Das, Rajeev Salunke, Moses Bility, Tseten Yeshi Jamling. A Rag2/Il2rg double-knockout rat supports engraftment of human immune system for immunotherapy-based cancer efficacy studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A007. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-A007

Dermatoscopy in diagnosis of infectious and parasitic skin diseases

Entodermoscopy is one of the trends in dermatoscopic diagnosis of skin diseases, which describes specific signs of infectious and parasitic dermatoses. Current article presents a description and illustrations of the most common forms of fungal infection, including tinea capitis, herpes zoster, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and tungiasis. Dermatoscopic examination is proposed to be used as an additional tool for evaluating the effectiveness of the therapy, allowing to control the restoration of the skin structure and its appendages in the treatment process more precisely.

Implementation of surveillance systems to determine the burden of communicable diseases in a facility in Qatar.

Hospital-based surveillance has proved useful in determining the incidence of infectious diseases. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of reported cases and specific performance indicators of the surveillance system. A descriptive study of reported communicable diseases was carried out in The Cuban Hospital (Qatar) during January 2012 to December 2013. A multidimensional communicable diseases surveillance approach was used. Information of epidemiological variables, laboratory confirmation and notification date were collected. We calculated the proportion of cases with laboratory confirmation and time between the report by the physician and notification to the Supreme Council of Health. A total of 1065 patients were reported; 802 (75.3%) male with a mean age of 33.2 (standard deviation 15.4) years. There was a predominance of cases from Southeast Asia (41.5%) and Eastern Mediterranean Region (16.7%). There were 539 cases of influenza-like illness, 186 of skin infectious diseases, 66 of scabies, 48 with multidrug-resistant organisms, and 39 cases of diarrhoea of presumed infectious etiology. A steady increase in laboratory confirmation was observed (mean 59.3%). Timing for notification to the Supreme Council of Health was 1.88 (2.9) days. The implemented hospital-based surveillance system was feasible and delivered important insights into the epidemiological characteristic of communicable diseases in a western community in Qatar.

Perspective in Topical Infective and Non-infective Skin Diseases Therapy with Emergence of Nanomedicine.

Perspective in Topical Infective and Non-infective Skin Diseases Therapy with Emergence of Nanomedicine.

Antibacterial Activity of Cassia angustifolia Against Selected Pathogens

Cassia angustifolia is a medicinal plant under the family Caesalpinaceae. It is called Indian senna. In traditional medicine, it is used as one of the ingredient of Siddha Ayurvedic drugs to treat skin diseases. Leaves are ground as paste, and applied to various skin diseases. It has laxative properties. Antimicrobial activity of n-butanol, methanol and water extracts of leaves of this plant has been evaluated previously against Staphylococcus and Salmonella, klebsiella pneumonia and fungal species namely Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of decoction and methanolic extractact of C. angustifolia against Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 6571, Escherichia coli-NCTC -10418, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC -10662 and five wild strains of Methicillin resistant S aureus (MRSA). Leaves of the plant were used to prepare decoction based on the rules of preparation method of the decoction. Methanolic extract was prepared using soxlet extractor. Antibacterial activity of these extracts were carried using cut well method,. MIC was determined using agar dilution method. Each experiment was carried out in three times. Decoction and methanolic extract of C.angustifolia showed activity against S. aureus and all tested five MRSA in cut well method as well as agar dilution method. Mean and SD of the diameter of inhibition zone of decoction of C.angustifolia against these organisms ( range from 18.5 ± 0.3 mm27±0 mm ) was greater than the diameter of the inhibition zone of methanolic extract of this plant (range from 16 ±0mm18± 0mm). In agar dilution method decoction showed activity against S aureus NCTC 6571 and five strains MRSA in 1/80 dilutions. The decoction of this plant did not show activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the cut well method and agar dilution method. Although methanolic extract demonstrated activity against E coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Agar dilution method .The MIC for S. aureus NCTC 6571 and five strains MRSA was 0.75 mg/ml. The MIC for E. coli and P. aeruginosa was 1.5 mg/ml. The demonstration of antibacterial activity by C.angustifolia may help to discover new antibiotic substances that could serve as agents for skin infectious disease. Further exploration of activity of the plant against a wider range of skin pathogens and toxicological investigations and further purification would be helpful.

Development and Validation of a Manual of Skin Care for Persons Deprived of Liberty in the São Paulo State Prison System: A Descriptive Study

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a manual of skin care for use by prisoners in the São Paulo State Prison System. To develop the manual, a Google search to ensure originality of the concept was conducted, followed by an integrative literature search of the MEDLINE and the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature, and the medical records of the prison system were reviewed for content. The Delphi technique was used to validate content; the content validity index (CVI) was determined based on the ratings of an expert panel of 10 prison employees who were health professionals and have experience providing care to prisoners. Twenty (20) target-users (prisoners) also evaluated the manual. The experts responded to questionnaires (sent by email) containing 19 items related to the manual's objective, structure and presentation, and relevance. Items were rated on a Likert-type scale where 1 = inadequate, 2 = partially inadequate, 3 = adequate, 4 = very adequate, and NA = not applicable, and participants also could provide suggestions and comments on the manual. The prisoners used a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to assess the manual that included 14 items with 3-choice answers (agree, undecided, disagree) on the utility and ability to understand the manual topics and space to write concerns and suggestions regarding the utility of the content; they also could offer their thoughts and opinions about the manual. The proportion of agreement among responses was calculated. The overall CVI of the first round of evaluations was 1.0. Suggested changes were to include guidelines on the proper use of medications and modify some wording. The overall CVI of the next round was 1.0 (100% agreement). The evaluation by target users showed an agreement of 98.6%. The final version of the manual has 8 topics, 12 subtopics, and 29 illustrations; topics include skin, hair, and nail care and skin diseases. A printed version is available in the prison library and an electronic copy was sent to all prisons in the State of São Paulo to be printed as needed. A manual providing guidelines on skin care for prison populations was developed and validated with the intent to improve prisoner quality of life and care. Research to examine overall manual usage and the effect of the information and guidance on healthy behaviors, prevention, and management of skin diseases is warranted.

Prevalence of Skin Disease in Urban Haiti: A Cross-Sectional Study

The prevalence of skin disease varies with geographic location and may be affected by cultural factors. In Haiti, the combination of poor health care access, infrastructure lack, and natural disasters may affect the prevalence of skin conditions. Unfortunately, little epidemiological information has been obtained on the prevalence of skin diseases in Haiti. The objective of this study is to describe data on the prevalence of dermatological conditions in urban areas of Haiti. Univariate, bivariate, and χ² analyses were used to evaluate associations. During February 2016, we documented 137 patients. The mean age was 27.7 years; most of the subjects were women (61.3%) in a cohort mostly adult (67.1%). The infectious and inflammatory dermatoses were the most prevalent (74.2%). Infectious skin diseases were more prevalent in men and in adults in general (p < 0.01). Inflammatory conditions were also more common in adults (p < 0.05). Additionally, alopecia and dyschromia were limited to women (p < 0.01). Infectious skin diseases, in particular fungal infections, were amongst the most common diagnoses in the urban area of Haiti. Therefore, improved access to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications would likely benefit Haitian patients with dermatological conditions. These findings may help local public health officials and future dermatological expeditions better serve this population.

Potential of Curcumin in Skin Disorders.

Curcumin is a compound isolated from turmeric, a plant known for its medicinal use. Recently, there is a growing interest in the medical community in identifying novel, low-cost, safe molecules that may be used in the treatment of inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that curcumin may represent an effective agent in the treatment of several skin conditions. We examined the most relevant in vitro and in vivo studies published to date regarding the use of curcumin in inflammatory, neoplastic, and infectious skin diseases, providing information on its bioavailability and safety profile. Moreover, we performed a computational analysis about curcumin’s interaction towards the major enzymatic targets identified in the literature. Our results suggest that curcumin may represent a low-cost, well-tolerated, effective agent in the treatment of skin diseases. However, bypass of limitations of its in vivo use (low oral bioavailability, metabolism) is essential in order to conduct larger clinical trials that could confirm these observations. The possible use of curcumin in combination with traditional drugs and the formulations of novel delivery systems represent a very promising field for future applicative research.

Skin diseases in rural Nyala, Sudan (in a rural hospital, in 12 orphanages, and in two refugee camps).

Skin diseases are considered to be common in Nyala, Sudan. This study was carried out to verify the prevalence of skin diseases in Nyala. This prospective observational study included skin examination of a total of 1802 people: 620 patients who were evaluated in the outpatient clinics (OC) and 1182 people from orphanages and refugee camps (ORC) in Nyala, Sudan. χ2 test was used. The total prevalence of skin disorders in the sample was 92.6% (1670/1802). One thousand and fifty of 1182 (88.8%) people from ORC had a skin disorder. The most common skin diseases in this community were: fungal infections (32.6%), dermatitis/eczema (10.5%), bacterial skin infections (10.3%), disorders of skin appendages (8.7%), parasitic infestations (7.7%), atrophic skin disorders (7.4%), disorders of pigmentation (7.4%), hypertrophic skin disorders (6.4%), viral infections (5.8), benign neoplasm (1.9%), dermatoses due to animal injury (0.4%), bullous dermatoses (0.1%), and malignant neoplasm (0.1%). Hypertrophic and atrophic disorders of the skin were mainly lesions of scarification (mostly atrophic) (5.7%) and keloids (5.6%). Fungal infection, bacterial infection, and parasitic infestation were more common in the ORC group, while dermatitis and eczema, disorders of skin appendages, hypertrophic and atrophic disorders of the skin, disorders of pigmentation, and benign neoplasm were more common in the OC group. The prevalence of skin diseases in the rural Nyala was more than our expectation and was dominated by infectious skin diseases. In addition, infectious skin diseases were more common in ORC rather than OC.

Smartphone aided real-time blood vein detection system

This paper aims to develop a real-time integrated system for the detection of the blood vein utilizing an Android Mobile App. The system is intended to be a low cost solution for medical teams at clinics, emergency rooms and hosptials. The system reduces the enjuries incurred due to inaccuracies during the process of frequent needle injection when blood vein is not visible during patient’s skin inspection. Illuminated infrared light in the blood cells of the vein is absorbed due to the manifestation of the Haemoglobin in blood and the IR non-blocking camera can capture the vein patterns in the IR light spectrum. Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) algorithm was used to enhance the pattern of the vein in the Android application developed using OpenCV3. Developed system can detect the veins up to 7mm underneath of human skin in real time with a frame rate of 25fps. This is a far better improvement than commercial systems that can detect veins only below 10mm underneath the skin. Moreover, this system not only focused on needle infusion but also it can be used to indicate the place of bleeding for the clots from the human body strokes, etc. in the upper layer of skin. It can also be used to detect measure liquids in encapsulated in confined dark bottles, for example, liquid chemical pouring into the bottles in the chemical companies, liquid medicine pouring to bottles, etc. The system can be further developed to detect skin infection and other dermatological diseases underneath the skin.