Health Disparity Still Exists in an Economically Well-Developed Society in Asia.

Background: The socioeconomic inequalities in child health continue to widen despite improved economy.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between socio-economic factors and health risk behaviors and psychosocial well-being of children in Hong Kong.

Hypothesis: The null hypothesis is that for this particular developed region, there exists little or no correlation between social-economic factors and health risk behaviors and psychosocial well-being of children.

Facing the threat of influenza pandemic - roles of and implications to general practitioners.

The 2009 pandemic of H1N1 influenza, compounded with seasonal influenza, posed a global challenge. Despite the announcement of post-pandemic period on 10 August 2010 by the WHO, H1N1 (2009) virus would continue to circulate as a seasonal virus for some years and national health authorities should remain vigilant due to unpredictable behaviour of the virus. Majority of the world population is living in countries with inadequate resources to purchase vaccines and stockpile antiviral drugs.

Validation of a Chinese version of the Cardiff Acne Disability Index.

Objectives: To assess the validity (face validity and criterion-related validity) and reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency) of a Cantonese (the Chinese dialect predominantly used in Guangdong Province) version of the Cardiff Acne Disability Index.

Design: Questionnaire study.

Setting: Two secondary schools in Hong Kong.

Sexually transmitted infections--ten common myths.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND The management of sexually transmitted infections serves as a good example of how medical practitioners should offer continuous and 'whole person' care to patients and their contacts.

Objective: This article discusses 10 myths commonly held by patients with sexually transmitted infections consulting their general practitioners.

Discussion: We stress the importance of risk assessment, patient education, pre- and post-test counselling, assessment of associated diseases, contact tracing, and modification of health related behaviour in managing patients with sexually transmitted infections.

Unilateral mediothoracic exanthem: a variant of unilateral laterothoracic exanthem.

We report the cases of a 4-year-old Chinese boy and a 33-year-old Chinese man with prodromal constitutional symptoms followed by eruption of small, painless, erythematous, papular lesions on relatively medial aspects of the anterior chest but not as far as the periflexural regions. Spontaneous remission was seen 2 and 3 weeks after rash onset in the child and the adult, respectively. We believe that the terms unilateral mediothoracic exanthem and unilateral thoracic exanthem are appropriate diagnostic labels.

Temporal case clustering in pityriasis rosea: a regression analysis on 1379 patients in Minnesota, kuwait, and diyarbakir, Turkey.

Objective: To detect temporal case clustering in patients with pityriasis rosea in different geographic locations.

Design: Regression analysis of dates on which 1379 patients were diagnosed as having pityriasis rosea in 3 different geographic locations. The control data consisted of dates of diagnosis of patients with psoriasis in the same settings.

Procedures in primary care dermatology.

Background: General practitioners can provide a range of diagnostic and treatment procedures for patients with dermatological problems.

Objective: This article reviews the use of Wood's light, diascopy, skin scrapings for microscopy, skin biopsy, cauterisation, doppler measurement of ankle-brachial pressure index, and multi-layer compression bandages for venous ulcers.

Discussion: Adequate training and proper equipment is essential for commonly neglected areas including informed written consent, good communication with the histopathologist, a system for handling specimens and reports, action plans for laboratory results, and adequate training and protection for auxiliary staff.

Effect on quality of life in patients with pityriasis rosea: is it associated with rash severity?

Background: It is unknown how the quality of life (QOL) is affected in patients with pityriasis rosea (PR), and whether it is related to rash severity.

Methods: We constructed a valid and reliable Cantonese version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). We recruited patients with PR, with atopic dermatitis and with acne vulgaris, and controls of the same sex and comparable age.

Is human herpesvirus 7 the causative agent of pityriasis rosea?--A critical review.

Background: Conflicting results on the association of pityriasis rosea and human herpesvirus 7 infection have been reported by different investigators.

Aim: To review the level of evidence for such an association.

Methods: Medline was searched with unlimited data entry and 13 reports were retrieved.

Demonstration of residual perifollicular pigmentation in localized vitiligo--a reverse and novel application of digital epiluminescence dermoscopy.

Digital epiluminescence dermoscopy (microscopy) is usually employed to examine melanomas and other pigmented lesions. We report its reverse application in assisting the early diagnosis of a depigmentation condition-localized vitiligo. A pattern of depigmentation with residual reservoirs of perifollicular pigments is clearly visualized.

Validation of a Cantonese version of the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index.

My goal was to assess the validity and reliability of a Cantonese version of the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). To do so, I invited four translators to produce a proper Cantonese translation of the CDLQI. I asked five children to complete this version and made adjustments as necessary.

Quality of life in children with pityriasis rosea: a prospective case control study.

Our aim was to investigate the effects on quality of life of pityriasis rosea (PR) in children and the concerns of their parents. We recruited all children ages 5-16 years with a diagnosis of PR in a primary care setting over a period of 30 months. Controls were the next child of the same sex and comparable age consulting for atopic dermatitis or for conditions unrelated to the skin.

Truncal lesions do not exclude a diagnosis of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome.

A boy aged 2 years and 10 months had a pruritic eruption and low-grade fever for 1 week. Examination revealed discrete erythematous papules and papulovesicles on his buttocks and extensor surfaces of four limbs. Several papules were also present on his back.

Case clustering in pityriasis rosea: a multicenter epidemiologic study in primary care settings in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To investigate the epidemiology of pityriasis rosea in primary care settings in Hong Kong and to analyze for temporal clustering.

Design: Retrospective epidemiologic study.

Setting: Six primary care teaching practices affiliated with a university.

The association of pityriasis rosea with cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and parvovirus B19 infections - a prospective case control study by polymerase chain reaction and serology.

A viral aetiology is suspected for pityriasis rosea (PR). The objective was to investigate the association of PR with cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and parvovirus B19 infections. Patients with PR were recruited in a primary care setting over 18 months.

A prospective case control study of the association of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome with human herpesvirus 6 and human herpesvirus 7 infections.

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (GCS) is known to be associated with hepatitis B and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections. Apart from a single case report based on serology alone, there are no published data on an association between GCS and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) primary infections or reactivations. Our aim was to investigate the association between GCS and HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections.

Rash orientation in pityriasis rosea: a qualitative study.

Rash orientation in pityriasis rosea (PR) has been described as Christmas-tree pattern, inverted Christmas-tree pattern, fir tree pattern, parallel to the ribs or along skin cleavage lines. We retrieved clinical photographs of 11 patients diagnosed as having PR over a two-year period for qualitative study of rash orientation. We found that Langer's cleavage lines are the most appropriate description.

Prospective case-control study of chlamydia, legionella and mycoplasma infections in patients with pityriasis rosea.

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial reported the benefit of erythromycin in treating pityriasis rosea (PR), a postulated mechanism being the eradication of bacteria susceptible to erythromycin. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PR and Chlamydia pneumoniae, C. trachomatis, Legionella longbeachae, L.

The use of digital epiluminescence dermatoscopy to identify peripheral scaling in pityriasis rosea.

Non-digital epiluminescence dermatoscope (ED) is a skin surface microscope utilizing oil immersion. Digital ED achieves epiluminescence by cross-polarization, with real-time images shown on computer screen.Non-digital and digital ED can assist to identify peripheral scaling in pityriasis rosea (PR).