Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), one of the most frequently detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurring in soil, surface water, and groundwater near sites contaminated with aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), has proven to be recalcitrant to many destructive remedies, including chemical oxidation. We investigated the potential to utilize microbially mediated reduction (bioreduction) to degrade PFOS and other PFAS through addition of a known dehalogenating culture, WBC-2, to soil obtained from an AFFF-contaminated site. A substantial decrease in total mass of PFOS (soil and water) was observed in microcosms amended with WBC-2 and chlorinated volatile organic compound (cVOC) co-contaminants - 46.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Multiple patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for health-related quality of life (HRQL) exist for patients with psoriasis. Evidence for the content validity and other measurement properties of these PROMs is critical to determine which HRQL PROMs could be recommended for use.
Objective: To systematically review the validity of HRQL-focused PROMs used in patients with psoriasis.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
January 2024
Background: A fluorochemical facility near Fayetteville, North Carolina, emitted per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs), a subgroup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), to air.
Objective: Analyze PFAS in private wells near the facility and in blood from well users to assess relationships between PFEA levels in water and serum.
Methods: In 2019, we recruited private well users into the GenX Exposure Study and collected well water and blood samples.
Background: Adequate methods reporting in observational and trial literature is critical to interpretation and implementation.
Objective: Evaluate methodology reporting adherence in the dermatology literature and compare this to internal medicine (IM) literature.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional review of randomly-selected dermatology and IM manuscripts published between 2014-2018.
Since the 1970s, intramuscular triamcinolone (IMT) has been available as an option for systemic corticosteroid use in dermatology. Although shown to be safe and effective in early studies, this method of systemic corticosteroid delivery fell out of favor in the 1980s in many United States residency programs. To identify factors associated with US dermatologists' preferences for and use of IMT we surveyed a random sample of US board-certified dermatologists to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding IMT in dermatologists' daily clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNevi of specialized sites (NOSS) occur on the scalp, ears, flexural, acral, and genital areas and display atypical clinical and histologic features. We assessed NOSS recurrence and progression to melanoma, management patterns, and associations between histologic features and treatment recommendations. We queried all histologic diagnoses of NOSS (n = 275) from 2012 to 2017 from a large U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Multiple patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) exist for patients with acne. However, little is known about the content validity and other measurement properties of these PROMs.
Objective: To systematically review PROMs for HRQoL in adults or adolescents with acne.
Departing from extant deficit models, the present study qualitatively explored 50 LGBTQ+ college students' development within Greek Life from a Transformative Intersectional Psychology (TIP) approach. Amidst the heteronormative and gendernormative challenges of Greek Life, participants actively pursued an authentic self, friendship, leadership and transformative social change. Sixty-six percent of participants characterized their Greek Life experiences as positive, with 88% of participants reporting that their overall Greek Life engagement positively contributed to their college experience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Amelanotic melanoma (AM) is a rare form of melanoma lacking pigment. Data on AM risk factors and factors predicting survival are limited.
Objectives: We sought to identify predictors of AM, survival differences in AM and melanotic melanoma, and AM-specific survival rates.
Objective: Combination topical clotrimazole/ betamethasone dipropionate (C-BM) contains a high-potency topical corticosteroid and is not infrequently prescribed for inappropriate patient groups and body sites. Use of C-BM can lead to inadequate clearance or exacerbation of fungal infections as well as cutaneous atrophy, striae, and other skin maladies.
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 1,978 clinical visits where C-BM was prescribed within the University of Utah Health system between 2014 and 2018 to better understand current prescribing patterns.
We quantified per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) transport from groundwater to five tributaries of the Cape Fear River near a PFAS manufacturing facility in North Carolina (USA). Hydrologic and PFAS data were coupled to quantify PFAS fluxes from groundwater to the tributaries. Up to 29 PFAS were analyzed, including perfluoroalkyl acids and recently identified fluoroethers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article describes the results of a survey of dermatologists regarding the implementation and possible future use of telehealth appointments for common skin complaints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Insurance companies use prior authorizations (PAs) to address inappropriate prescribing or unnecessary variations in care, most often for expensive medications. Prior authorizations negatively affect patient care and add costs and administrative burden to dermatology offices.
Objective: To quantify the administrative burden and costs of dermatology PAs.
Importance: Acne is a common dermatologic condition and significantly affects psychosocial health and quality of life. An international task force recommended routine use of quality-of-life measures for clinic visits associated with acne management, but this has yet to translate into clinical practice.
Objective: To assess mean Skindex-16 scores over time among patients with moderate to severe acne receiving isotretinoin treatment.
Social media is increasingly cited as a contributing factor to the rising public interest in cosmetic procedures. By tracking online search interests, Google Trends (GT) can help quantify these trends. We used GT (trends.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an ensemble of persistent organic pollutants of global interest because of their associations with adverse health outcomes. Currently, environmental PFAS pollution is prolific as a result of the widespread manufacturing of these compounds and their chemical persistence. In this work, we demonstrate the advantages of adding ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) separation to existing LC-MS workflows for PFAS analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used anthropogenic chemicals. The PFAS class includes almost 5000 registered compounds, but analytical methods are lacking for most PFASs. The total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay was developed to indirectly quantify unknown PFASs that are precursors to commonly measured perfluoroalkyl acids.
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