Original Article Research Articles

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The cover image is based on the Original Article Involvement of DKK1 secreted from adipose‐derived stem cells in alopecia areata by Nahyun Choi et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.13562. image

Tourism destination development: the tourism area life cycle model

The tourist area life cycle has been in existence for over four decades since its publication in The Canadian Geographer and was described as ‘one of the most cited and contentious areas of tourism knowledge….(and) has gone on to become one of the best known theories of destination growth and change within the field of tourism studies’ It was noted as one ‘Of the most influential conceptual models for explaining tourist, development’. The model was developed primarily from the Product Life Cycle model used in business and management studies and modified to explain the process of development and change that took place in tourist destinations throughout the world. The model has received considerable attention over its life span, but has often been cited from second hand sources or misquoted on many occasions. Its appearance in a non-tourist journal has resulted in it often not appearing in various early literature surveys based on tourism-focused sources and for its first decade access to the original article was limited and difficult, as demonstrated by many requests to the author for copies of the article. Electronic access to journals and libraries have resolved this problem, but its considerable visibility (in excess of 56,000 reads on Research Gate) and use (close to 5000 citations) means that it has possibly entered the realm of tourism myths and become part of accepted dogma in the field of tourism development. This could present problems to those challenging the original concept and introducing alternative or contradictory ideas and propositions, and it is perhaps, appropriate to briefly review the history of the concept.

Biography of Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Scoping Review

Background: Muscle Tension Dysphonia is a relatively new clinical entity that, despite being one of the most frequent causes of functional dysphonia, is little-known by many otorhinolaryngologists. Objective: The objective of the current work is to describe the evolution of Muscle Tension Dysphonia—the concepts and the ways it has been diagnosed and treated—from its first descriptions to our current knowledge. Design: A scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. A search of three bibliographic databases was performed to identify original articles on Muscle Tension Dysphonia. Study selection and characterization was conducted by three independent reviewers and was further reviewed by a fourth individual. In case of relocating any of the studies, it was performed by agreement of two reviewers. We excluded articles not written in English or Spanish, letters to the editor, review articles, studies of the pediatric population, articles related to dysphagia, and other publications that were not relevant. Results: The search identified 1144 articles published from 1983 to December 2022. A total of 581 studies were repeated and another 462 were excluded because they were not written in English or Spanish, were not original articles, or were not relevant to the objective of the study. Finally, 101 articles were included in the review. The articles included in the review were divided into three groups considering the objective and conclusions of each study: 21 articles were classified as “Etiology and Physiopathology”, 29 articles as “Diagnosis”, and 51 articles were included in the “Treatment” group. Conclusions: The concept of Muscle Tension Dysphonia has been developed during the last forty years. For its diagnosis, endoscopic visualization of the larynx is crucial, but must be combined with the patient’s clinical history and other methods can also be useful. This entity should be addressed in a multidisciplinary approach, with the active participation of speech therapists. Most therapeutic options include voice education, vocal hygiene, and rehabilitation of the voice.

UNIVERSALITY, INTEGRALITY AND EQUITY IN CARE FOR THE DEAF PATIENTS PAIN PRIMARY CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

This article aims to systematically identify scientific production regarding basic health care for deaf people. Through a systematic literature review, the search for published works using the SCIELO BR, BVS and PUBMED platforms as a database was carried out by two researchers, directing the selection and exclusion process, respectively, of data for analysis. In this sense, from a scope of careful and objective choices, original articles were sought, published in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and which addressed the perspective of care for deaf people in primary care. Dissertations, book chapters, case studies and editorials were excluded. From this, 508 articles were found, 396 were excluded by the filters applied, 03 were repeated, 75 were excluded by the title and 89 by reading the abstract. 04 were read in full and evaluated. Therefore, 04 articles were chosen for this review. The reality is that the care and experience experienced by deaf people in primary care require reformulations that occur quickly and effectively, both in communication, accessibility, care and research, and in the applicability of the right to health guaranteed by law.

Radiomics Studies on Ischemic Stroke and Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease: A Reporting Quality Assessment.

Objective: To assess the reporting quality of radiomics studies on ischemic stroke, intracranial and carotid atherosclerotic disease using the Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative (IBSI) reporting guidelines with the aim of finding avenues of improvement for future publications. Method: PubMed database was searched to identify relevant radiomics studies. Of 560 articles, 41 original research articles were included in this analysis. Based on IBSI radiomics reporting guidelines, checklists for CT-based and MRI-based studies were created to allow a structured and comprehensive evaluation of each study's adherence to these guidelines. Results: The main topics covered by the included radiomics studies were ischemic stroke, intracranial artery disease, and carotid atherosclerotic disease. The reporting checklist median score was 17/40 for the 20 CT-based radiomics studies and 22.5/50 for the 20 MRI-based studies. Basic items like imaging modality, region of interest, and image biomarker set utilized were included in all studies. However, details regarding image acquisition and reconstruction, post-acquisition image processing, and image biomarkers computation were inconsistently detailed across studies. Conclusion: The overall reporting quality of the included radiomics studies was suboptimal. These findings underscore a pressing need for improved reporting practices in radiomics research, to ensure validation and reproducibility of results. Our study provides insights into current reporting standards and highlights specific areas where adherence to IBSI guidelines could be significantly improved.

Contribuciones del acompañamiento pedagógico para avanzar hacia la calidad de las prácticas docentes en contextos rurales

Introduction. This original article presents findings from an investigation focusing on accompaniment to schools in rural contexts. Objective. This study aims to analyze the contributions of the pedagogical companion to the teaching practices of educators in rural schools in the Bío Bío region. Methodology. The study employs a qualitative approach and a collective case study design. Semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis were conducted with 19 General Basic Education teachers, aged between 22 and 65 years. Results. The main results reveal that the pedagogical companion plays a guiding role in collaboratively designing lesson plans. In addition, systematic and timely feedback, both oral and written, strengthens the higher-order thinking skills of the teachers being accompanied. Furthermore, pedagogical accompaniment fosters the innovation of teaching practices through peer collaboration, based on dialogue and reflection. Indeed, reflective practice is of vital importance in the training of teachers with critical thinking skills, thus benefiting professional development, which is reflected in the reformulation of teaching practice, oriented towards situated teaching and learning. The systematic pedagogical accompaniment develops the capacity for pedagogical leadership in the accompanied teachers. Conclusions. Pedagogical accompaniment is a key process in improving teaching practices and strengthening the professional performance of the teachers being tutored. This has a significant impact on student training and the generation of social transformations in rural education and in other educational contexts. In this sense, continuous self-improvement is recommended for teachers to meet the demands of contemporary society.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Neuropathic Pain: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system and is one of the most incapacitating pain types, representing a significant non-met medical need. Due to the increase in research in the field and since innovative therapeutic strategies are required, namely in intractable neuropathic pain, neurostimulation has been used. Within this approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that uses a transient magnetic field to produce electrical currents over the cortex emerges as a popular method in the literature. Since this is an area in expansion and due to the putative role of TMS, we performed a bibliometric analysis in Scopus with the primary objective of identifying the scientific production related to the use of TMS to manage neuropathic pain. The research had no restrictions, and the analysis focused on the characteristics of the literature retrieved, scientific collaboration and main research topics from inception to 6 July 2023. A total of 474 articles were collected. A biggest co-occurrence between the terms "neuropathic pain" and "transcranial magnetic stimulation" was obtained. The journal "Clinical Neurophysiology" leads the Top 5 most productive sources. The United States is the most productive country, with 50% of US documents being "review articles", followed by France, with 56% of French documents being "original articles". Lefaucheur, JP and Saitoh, Y are the two most influential authors. The most frequent type of document was "original article". Most of the studies (34%) that identified the neuropathic pain type focused on traumatic neuropathic pain, although a large proportion (38%) did not report the neuropathic pain type. This study allows us to provide a general overview of the field of TMS application for neuropathic pain and is useful for establishing future directions of research in this field.

An update on dietary therapies in paediatric Crohn's disease.

This article provides a literature update on original articles published in the past 18 months (May 2022-November 2023) in the dietary management of paediatric Crohn's disease. There is more data to support the use of exclusive enteral nutrition in the management of active Crohn's disease in children. Several food-based dietary therapies have been proposed for the management of Crohn's disease. There is an interest in precision nutritional therapy in Crohn's disease, but current data are scarce. Exclusive enteral nutrition is an effective treatment for paediatric Crohn's disease. Predictors of response to exclusive enteral nutrition include mild disease phenotype and ileal disease involvement, although data remain inconclusive. Adherence to exclusive enteral nutrition is cornerstone to its efficacy. Treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition modifies the gut microbiome, modulates bile acid metabolism and has significant effects on host immune responses. More studies are expected in which drugs need to be combined with dietary therapies and microbial therapeutics. The efficacy of Crohn's disease exclusion diet coupled with partial enteral nutrition is supported by independent studies, but tolerance remains an issue, particularly for long-term disease management. More research is anticipated in precision nutritional therapy in paediatric Crohn's disease, but currently no recommendations can be made.

ANALYSIS OF THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE ON ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS IN SCOPUS DATABASE

The purpose of this article is to examine the current state of scientific production, collaboration, and the effects of research publications on artistic gymnastics, as well as the most active researchers pursuing this area of study. Documents acquired from the Scopus database served as the basis for our investigation. MS Excel as well as VOS viewer were used to carry out the bibliometric analysis and network design. As a result, 430 original articles and scientific reviews in 22 Scopus subject areas were found in 167 journals. Most articles were published in Science of Gymnastics Journal (76). These articles are also most cited (294). There are 28 authors with five to fifteen articles whose citation form most of the citation network. Most of the artistic gymnastics research is published in journals that cover subjects such as medicine, health professions, and social science, with the first receiving the most citations.

Transcriptomic meta-analysis to identify potential antifungal targets in Candida albicans

BackgroundCandida albicans is a fungal pathogen causing human infections. Here we investigated differential gene expression patterns and functional enrichment in C. albicans strains grown under different conditions.MethodsA systematic GEO database search identified 239 “Candida albicans” datasets, of which 14 were selected after rigorous criteria application. Retrieval of raw sequencing data from the ENA database was accompanied by essential metadata extraction from dataset descriptions and original articles. Pre-processing via the tailored nf-core pipeline for C. albicans involved alignment, gene/transcript quantification, and diverse quality control measures. Quality assessment via PCA and DESeq2 identified significant genes (FDR < = 0.05, log2-fold change > = 1 or <= -1), while topGO conducted GO term enrichment analysis. Exclusions were made based on data quality and strain relevance, resulting in the selection of seven datasets from the SC5314 strain background for in-depth investigation.ResultsThe meta-analysis of seven selected studies unveiled a substantial number of genes exhibiting significant up-regulation (24,689) and down-regulation (18,074). These differentially expressed genes were further categorized into 2,497 significantly up-regulated and 2,573 significantly down-regulated Gene Ontology (GO) IDs. GO term enrichment analysis clustered these terms into distinct groups, providing insights into the functional implications. Three target gene lists were compiled based on previous studies, focusing on central metabolism, ion homeostasis, and pathogenicity. Frequency analysis revealed genes with higher occurrence within the identified GO clusters, suggesting their potential as antifungal targets. Notably, the genes TPS2, TPS1, RIM21, PRA1, SAP4, and SAP6 exhibited higher frequencies within the clusters. Through frequency analysis within the GO clusters, several key genes emerged as potential targets for antifungal therapies. These include RSP5, GLC7, SOD2, SOD5, SOD1, SOD6, SOD4, SOD3, and RIM101 which exhibited higher occurrence within the identified clusters.ConclusionThis comprehensive study significantly advances our understanding of the dynamic nature of gene expression in C. albicans. The identification of genes with enhanced potential as antifungal drug targets underpins their value for future interventions. The highlighted genes, including TPS2, TPS1, RIM21, PRA1, SAP4, SAP6, RSP5, GLC7, SOD2, SOD5, SOD1, SOD6, SOD4, SOD3, and RIM101, hold promise for the development of targeted antifungal therapies.

Dual CTLA-4 and PD-1 checkpoint blockade using CS1002 and CS1003 (nofazinlimab) in patients with advanced solid tumors: A first-in-human, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion study.

This study investigated the safety and efficacy of an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody (CS1002) as monotherapy and in combination with an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (CS1003) in patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors. The phase 1 study involved phase 1a monotherapy dose-escalation (part 1) and phase 1b combination therapy dose escalation (part 2) and expansion (part 3). Various dosing schedules of CS1002 (0.3, 1, or 3mg/kg every 3 weeks, or 3mg/kg every 9 weeks) were evaluated with 200mg CS1003 every 3 weeks in part 3. Parts 1, 2, and 3 included a total of 13, 18, and 61 patients, respectively. No dose-limiting toxicities or maximum tolerated doses were observed. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were reported in 30.8%, 83.3%, and 75.0% of patients in parts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Grade ≥3 TRAEs were experienced by 15.4%, 50.0%, and 18.3% of patients in each part. Of 61 patients evaluable for efficacy, 23 (37.7%) achieved objective responses in multiple tumor types. Higher objective response rates were observed with conventional and high-dose CS1002 regimens (1mg/kg every 3 weeks or 3mg/kg every 9 weeks) compared to low-dose CS1002 (0.3mg/kg every 3 weeks) in microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair-deficient tumors, melanoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma (50.0% vs. 58.8%, 14.3% vs. 42.9%, and 0% vs. 16.7%). CS1002, as monotherapy, and in combination with CS1003, had a manageable safety profile across a broad dosing range. Promising antitumor activities were observed in patients with immune oncology (IO)-naive and IO-refractory tumors across CS1002 dose levels when combined with CS1003, supporting further evaluation of this treatment combination for solid tumors. CS1002 is a human immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction of CTLA-4 with its ligands and increases T-cell activation/proliferation. CS1003, now named nofazinlimab, is a humanized, recombinant IgG4 monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction between human PD-1 and its ligands. In this original article, we determined the safety profile of CS1002 as monotherapy and in combination with CS1003. Furthermore, we explored the antitumor activity of the combination in anti-programmed cell death protein (ligand)-1 (PD-[L]1)-naive microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair-deficient (MSI-H/dMMR) pan tumors, and anti-PD-(L)1-refractory melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CS1002 in combination with CS1003 had manageable safety profile across a broad dosing range and showed promising antitumor activities across CS1002 dose levels when combined with CS1003. This supports further assessment of CS1002 in combination with CS1003 for the treatment of solid tumors.

Fabry disease: integrative aspects from diagnosis to treatment

Aim: identify the main aspects of Fabry disease (FD) from clinical suspicion to diagnosis, its vascular and cellular effects, in addition to treatment. Methods: This study is an integrative review of the literature supported by the search for articles in databases, Pub Med, Lilacs, Scielo, journals, and websites, with the following descriptors “Fabry disease”, “Fabry Disease treatment”, “Agalsidase-β”, “Agalsidase-α”, “Migalatast”, “inflammatory biomarkers” and “oxidative stress”, using original research articles and reviews between the years 1991 and 2023. This bibliographic survey was carried out in the period 01/10/2022 to 20/04/2023. Results: From a total of 340 articles found, 85 articles were selected. Discussion: The natural history of FD appears to be very complex, with multisystemic involvement and phenotypic variability. The analysis of FD symptoms is essential to the early diagnosis, aiming for greater success in therapy and prognosis, ensuring better patients’ quality of life and survival. Conclusion: This review addresses the diagnosis and main therapeutic approaches to guide health professionals and researchers, and to stimulate the development of research on FD.

Quality of life of patients treated with robotic surgery in the oral and maxillofacial region: a scoping review of empirical evidence

BackgroundThere is a blooming trend in the application of robotic surgery in oral and maxillofacial care, and different studies had evaluated the quality of life (QoL) outcomes among patients who underwent robotic surgery in the oral and maxillofacial region. However, empirical evidence on the QoL outcomes from these procedures is yet to be mapped. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the available scientific evidence and gaps concerning the QoL outcomes of patients treated with robotic surgery in the oral and maxillofacial region.MethodsThis study adopted a scoping review design, and it was conducted and reported based on the Arksey and O’Malley, PRISMA-ScR, and AMSTAR-2 guidelines. SCOPUS, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and APA PsycINFO were searched to retrieve relevant literature. Using Rayyan software, the retrieved literature were deduplicated, and screened based on the review’s eligibility criteria. Only the eligible articles were included in the review. From the included articles, relevant data were charted, collated, and summarized.ResultsA total of 123 literature were retrieved from the literature search. After deduplication and screening, only 18 heterogeneous original articles were included in the review. A total of 771 transoral robotic surgeries (TORSs) were reported in these articles, and the TORSs were conducted on patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPC), recurrent tonsillitis, and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). In total, 20 different QoL instruments were used in these articles to assess patients’ QoL outcomes, and the most used instrument was the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory Questionnaire (MDADI). Physical functions related to swallowing, speech and salivary functions were the most assessed QoL aspects. TORS was reported to result in improved QOL in patients with OPC, OSA, and recurrent tonsillitis, most significantly within the first postoperative year. Notably, the site of the lesion, involvement of neck dissections and the characteristics of the adjuvant therapy seemed to affect the QOL outcome in patients with OPC.ConclusionCompared to the conventional treatment modalities, TORS has demonstrated better QoL, mostly in the domains related to oral functions such as swallowing and speech, among patients treated with such. This improvement was most evident within the initial post-operative year.

University Social Responsibility as Part of Sustainable Development in Latin America: A Study of Scientific Production in the Last 20 Years

University social responsibility refers to the policies of continuous improvement of institutions aimed at greater community development from a holistic and sustainable perspective. The objective was to describe the current state of scientific production on university social responsibility in the Latin American context during the period 2000-2022. The study was a bibliometric, descriptive and retrospective study of scientific production in Scopus. A total of 117 documents were found where there was a predominance of the original article type of document, representing 83.76% of the total number of documents. It was found that the countries of Colombia and Peru had the highest scientific production with 23.93% and 17.95% respectively. Likewise, it was identified that from the year 2019 there was a growing trend in publications. There was international collaboration between authors who published in the Latin American context. The findings allow identifying that scientific production on university social responsibility is linked to ethical commitments and university student training, sustainable development and university social responsibility from an educational management approach.

More on the Influence of Gender Equality on Gender Differences in Economic Preferences

Abstract This study replicates and extends the work of Falk and Hermle (2018. “Relationship of Gender Differences in Preferences to Economic Development and Gender Equality.” Science 362 (6412): eaas9899), who hypothesized that gender differences in economic preferences (patience, altruism, willingness to take risks, negative and positive reciprocity, and trust) were related to economic development and gender equality. While we were able to replicate their main results, we found that a number of methodological choices called for reexamination. Specifically, the use of an ad hoc gender equality index built by the authors lacked systematic justification, which led us to employ solely well-established indexes from gender studies in the subsequent analysis. This new analysis confirmed a positive and statistically significant association between aggregated gender differences in economic preferences and economic development conditional on gender equality. However, in contrast to the original article, the evidence of the relationship between gender differences and gender equality conditional on economic development was weak. We also investigated the relationships for the separate economic preferences and found that economic development predicts gender differences in all six preferences, whereas gender equality seems to have a negligible or null influence on most of them. Our findings provide a more nuanced view of the gender differences in economic preferences, with possible implications for policy-making.

Reply to the comment on “Assessing the extent of bone bioerosion in short timescales – A novel approach for quantifying microstructural loss [Quat. Int., in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2023.01.011

In our original article we evaluated diagenetic changes to rat cortical bone osteocyte lacunae over increasing post-mortem intervals. We suggested that with further, more intensive research, it may be possible to exploit these changes for the purposes of post-mortem interval estimation of skeletal remains. In their comment to our paper, Miszkiewicz et al. (in press) raise concerns about the project design and interpretation of the results. Here, we reply to their comments and offer answers to their concerns.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of serum lipid concentrations in people with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent chromosomal disorder, being the leading cause of intellectual disability. The increased life expectancy of individuals with DS has led to a shift in the incidence of non-communicable chronic diseases, resulting in new concerns, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to analyse the blood lipid profile of a large DS cohort to establish a baseline for evaluating health risk parameters. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases to identify original articles published before July 2022. Selected studies were included in the meta-analysis. Fifteen studies reporting serum lipid levels in individuals with DS were incorporated into the analysis. The meta-analysis used the means and standard deviations extracted from the selected studies. The analysis encompassed 671 participants in the DS group and 898 euploid controls. The results indicated significant differences in total cholesterol [C] (mean difference [MD]: -3.34; CI: 95%: -4.94 to -1.73; P<0.0001), HDL-C (MD: -3.39; CI: 95%: -6.72 to -0.06; P=0.05) and triglycerides (MD: 21.48; CI: 95%: 9.32 to 33.65; P=0.0005) levels between individuals with DS and their control counterparts. Individuals with DS have less favourable blood lipid concentrations than their controls, particularly HDL-C, triglycerides, and total-C, even when grouped by age. These findings underscore the importance of closer monitoring of lipid profiles in people with DS and the necessity for specific cut-offs for this population, considering the risk for ischemic heart and Alzheimer's diseases.

SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: UPDATE ΟN THE DIAGNOSIS, PREVALENCE, CLINICAL MANAGEMENT, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, NEW HORIZONS IN THE PATHOGENESIS, MANIFESTATIONS AND PROGRESS IN TREATMENT

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease with multisystem involvement, generating chronic inflammation and damage of more than one organ. It is usually clinically and serologically diagnosed with the presence of autoantibodies. Lupus is a Latin term meaning wolf, due to the fact that the typical facial eruptions of the pathology are very similar to the bite marks of a wolf. Objective: to detail the current information related to systemic lupus erythematosus, description, etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, histology, classification, clinical manifestations, treatment and differential diagnosis. Methodology: a total of 45 articles were analyzed in this review, including review and original articles, as well as clinical cases, of which 35 bibliographies were used because the other articles were not relevant to this study. The sources of information were PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane; the terms used to search for information in Spanish, Portuguese and English were: lupus, SLE, autoimmune, multisystemic. Results: Familial segregation and high concordance rates in identical twins strongly suggest a genetic contribution to SLE, however there is no obvious pattern of inheritance. Females have 10 times the risk of developing SLE compared to males. Lupus in males is less common but has a propensity to be more severe. About 80 to 90% of individuals with SLE show musculoskeletal involvement in the course of the disease, ranging from mild arthralgias to deforming arthritis. Avascular necrosis with or without the use of steroids may occur in 10% of individuals with SLE and is most often bilateral and affects the hip joints. Conclusions: systemic lupus erythematosus presents a wide range of clinical and histopathologic manifestations. Adequate education of affected individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus about the possible clinical manifestations can lead to early recognition and intervention, which may prevent potential significant organ damage. The role of markers and autoantibodies in the differential diagnosis of the pathology is essential. Treatment of SLE is aimed at preventing organ damage and achieving remission. The choice of treatment will depend on the altered organ system(s) and the extent of the involvement. Education of the affected individual, physical measures, lifestyle and emotional support play an important role in the comprehensive treatment of SLE. KEY WORDS: lupus, SLE, autoimmune, manifestations, treatment.

Therapeutic Approach in Pigmented Purpuric Dermatoses-A Scoping Review.

Pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPD) encompass a group of chronic skin conditions characterized by the presence of petechiae, purpura, and pigmentation changes. While generally benign, these dermatoses can be persistent and aesthetically bothersome. Key clinical features include red to brownish patches with a distinctive "cayenne pepper" appearance, predominantly localized on the lower extremities, particularly the shins. Subtypes include Schamberg disease, Majocchi's disease, Gougerot-Blum disease, Ducas and Kapetanakis pigmented purpura, and lichen aureus. Diagnosis relies primarily on clinical evaluation of skin lesions, with biopsy as a confirmatory tool. Although the exact cause of PPD remains unclear, capillary fragility and red blood cell extravasation are implicated. Treatment strategies for PPD aim to alleviate symptoms, considering the generally benign and chronic nature of the condition. As there is no standardized treatment, various methods with varying efficacy are employed. After searching SCOPUS and PubMed databases, we assessed 42 original articles to present current knowledge regarding therapy of PPD. This review will compare treatment approaches specifically in Schamberg disease and other manifestations of pigmented purpuric dermatoses.

Reporting and presentation of statistical analyses: instructions for authors of health sciences journals based in South Africa

Background: Statistical analyses are a key component of quantitative research in health sciences. Objectives: To review the instructions for authors on reporting and presentation of statistical methods by all health sciences journals based in South Africa. Methods: Health sciences journals based in South Africa that publish original quanti-tative research articles were identified using three sources, namely the list of accred-ited South African journals compiled by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training in 2022, relevant journals covered in Scopus, and web pages of major health sciences publishers in South Africa. The list was cross-checked against the listing of journals in Sabinet, an online database covering South Africa, under the category &amp;lsquo;Collection: Medicine and Health&amp;rsquo;. The instructions for authors given by the journals were accessed through their websites. The form for recording data was based on items listed in the &amp;lsquo;Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature&amp;rsquo; (SAMPL) guidelines. Results: All except one of the 52 journals could be located online. Of the 51, 13 (25%) made no mention of statistics in their instructions, and 11 (22%) made only a gen-eral statement regarding statistical content with no further guidance. The statistical item most frequently mentioned was the P value (45% of journals), whereas the rest of the items appeared in the instructions of 20% or fewer journals. Nine journals (18%) referred to the EQUATOR guidelines, mainly CONSORT (10%). Conclusion: Nearly half of the health sciences journals based in South Africa either did not mention statistics at all in their instructions for authors or made only a cur-sory reference to statistics. The study thus emphasizes that these journals, in their instructions for authors, need to cover in greater detail the reporting and presenta-tion of statistical methods in articles reporting quantitative research.