Rejected

Musculoskeletal conditions are the world's fourth largest burden of disease, accounting for more than 50% of chronic health conditions in the population aged >50 years (Briggs et al., 2016). This increasing burden is due to a progressively overweight, sedentary and ageing population and is often poorly recognised as a priority globally in an under-resourced health care system. This article reviews the current literature to identify where Orthopaedic Nurse Practitioners (ONPs) currently fill gaps in care delivery through varied scopes of practice in musculoskeletal trauma, degenerative disease, tumour and bone health. The varied scopes of practice include, fracture management, surgical assisting, performing surgical and/or advanced clinical procedures, prescribing treatment for bone health, conducting home visits and managing ONP led outpatient clinics. The article will outline current ONP roles in orthopaedic trauma, pain management fragility hip fractures, osteoporosis, bone and soft tissue sarcoma and surgical assisting which effectively address long waiting lists, gaps in care delivery and reduce costs currently being managed by the health care system.

The past two decades have been marked by three epidemics linked to emerging coronaviruses. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the existence of neurological manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and raised the question of the neuropathogenicity of coronaviruses. The aim of this review was to summarize the current data about neurological manifestations and diseases linked to human coronaviruses.

The impact of sex and gender in the incidence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. Here, we aim to describe the characteristics of COVID-19 patients at disease onset, with special focus on the diagnosis and management of female patients with COVID-19. We explored the unstructured free text in the electronic health records (EHRs) within the SESCAM Healthcare Network (Castilla La-Mancha, Spain). The study sample comprised the entire population with available EHRs (1,446,452 patients) from January 1st to May 1st, 2020. We extracted patients' clinical information upon diagnosis, progression, and outcome for all COVID-19 cases. A total of 4,780 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were identified. Of these, 2,443 (51%) were female, who were on average 1.5 years younger than male patients (61.7 ± 19.4 vs. 63.3 ± 18.3,  = 0.0025). There were more female COVID-19 cases in the 15-59-year-old interval, with the greatest sex ratio (95% confidence interval) observed in the 30-39-year-old range (1.69; 1.35-2.11). Upon diagnosis, headache, anosmia, and ageusia were significantly more frequent in females than males. Imaging by chest X-ray or blood tests were performed less frequently in females (65.5% vs. 78.3% and 49.5% vs. 63.7%, respectively), all  < 0.001. Regarding hospital resource use, females showed less frequency of hospitalization (44.3% vs. 62.0%) and intensive care unit admission (2.8% vs. 6.3%) than males, all  < 0.001. Our results indicate important sex-dependent differences in the diagnosis, clinical manifestation, and treatment of patients with COVID-19. These results warrant further research to identify and close the gender gap in the ongoing pandemic.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections pose a significant burden on healthcare. Acute sinusitis can be one of its deadliest presentations as it can quickly lead to orbitocranial extension with complications including blindness, brain abscess and death. Previously believed to affect immunocompromised individuals only, community-associated MRSA is now known to affect healthy individuals too. The seriousness of MRSA infection increases manifold when the infection occurs in pregnant women who are immune modulated. We present a case of a 34-year-old pregnant lady who presented with a severe headache for two days. She had acute sinusitis that involved right orbit in less than 24 hours. She was promptly managed with intravenous antibiotics and drainage of abscess that revealed MRSA. Fortunately, the patient made a complete recovery. The purpose of this case report is to emphasize on keeping a high index of suspicion of MRSA for all soft tissue infections. Early recognition, proper evaluation and timely and appropriate treatment can prove lifesaving.

Background Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by pruritic, dry, and eczematous lesions. The effect of atopic dermatitis on the quality of patients' lives has been investigated. However, its impact on the quality of sleep is still controversial. Objective This study aims to identify the correlation between sleep quality and atopic dermatitis disease among adults living in Saudi Arabia. Design and setting This is a cross-sectional, quantitative survey study, carried out during July and August 2020, which included atopic dermatitis patients. The study used Arabic versions of a self-administered, Internet-based questionnaire of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Face-to-face patient interviews were not applicable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results A total of 400 patients participated in this survey study. Eighty-six percent (86%) were females while 39.6% were in the age group of 18 to 25 years old. A third of the responders could not sleep within half an hour, and a third of them woke up at night or early in the morning more than three times a week. Twenty-three point eight percent (23.8%) of the responders rated their sleep quality as a very good quality of sleep while 17.8% rated it as very bad. Inability to get to sleep within half an hour (p-value=0.002), waking up at night (p-value=0.005), and not being able to sleep because of pain (p-value<0.001) were all significantly correlated to the occurrence of many or a lot of skin symptoms of atopic dermatitis. There was a significantly higher total score among patients with atopic dermatitis (p value<0.001), which shows a poorer quality of sleep. Conclusion Symptoms of atopic dermatitis negatively influence the quality of sleep of adults in Saudi Arabia. The frequency of symptoms are significantly correlated to the poor quality of sleep. Therefore, we suggest that the evaluation of sleep quality is necessary for the management of atopic dermatitis patients.

Over the years, knowledge regarding the natural history of Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) has improved. However, there are still uncertainties in the literature regarding asymptomatic and oligosymptomatic patients with CM-I. We performed a literature review in order to determine the natural history of CM-I in symptomatic patients who were not operated and in asymptomatic adult patients. Among symptomatic patients, the most frequent symptom was headache (77%). Cough-related headache alone (34%), migraine-related headache alone (21.4%), and both cough- and migraine-related headaches (21.8%) were the most prevalent forms of headache. Some symptoms improved more effectively with surgical treatment options; cough-related headaches improved by 95% following surgery and by 40% following conservative treatment. Other headache types improved by 93% and 61.5% following conservative and surgical treatments, respectively. Patients diagnosed with asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic CM-I may improve over time or stabilize with conservative treatment. There is great heterogeneity in the literature regarding the diagnostic criteria for CM-I. Owing to the heterogeneity among the articles identified for this review, there is no consensus regarding the precise indications for surgery in asymptomatic patients. The natural CM-I history in asymptomatic patients reveals a favorable evolution.

Background Healthcare workers in frontline during the coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic are mandated to wear specific personal protective equipment (PPE) including high filtrating masks and/or eye protection during extended period of time. Compressive headaches secondary to PPE use including N95 masks have been reported. We aim to describe subtypes of headache related to PPE use in our hospital in Casablanca and working condition factors associated with it. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among healthcare workers in frontline at Cheikh khalifa International University Hospital, using an online questionnaire. We collected demographic data, comorbidities and previous headaches history. Data about working conditions during pandemic, type and duration of PPE use were described. We calculated the prevalence of De Novo or an aggravated headache among healthcare workers. We studied correlations between PPE related headaches and working conditions and trends in PPE use during the pandemic. Finally, we described the overall discomfort related to PPE use. Results A total of 155 healthcare workers responded to the questionnaire. The N95 masks were the most used type (95.5%) associated with an eye protection in 61.3%. The overall prevalence of headache related to PPE was 62%. It was experienced De Novo in 32.9%, while it was an aggravation of pre-existing headache in 29%. Working more than 8 hours per shift during the pandemic was correlated to De novo headache (p = 0.008). The profession of doctor and working more than 12 hours per shift were correlated to aggravated headache (p = 0.02, p = 0.023). Healthcare workers experienced moderate discomfort, blurred vision and reduced concentration. They judged their professional performance mildly reduced by the use of PPE. Conclusion The increased use of PPE, especially high filtrating masks during the COVID-19 outbreak is responsible for generating headaches in healthcare workers on frontline either De novo or as an aggravation of pre-existing one. Working conditions have the greater impact on generating these types of headaches more than any pre-existing comorbidity. These findings should be considered to accommodate health care professionals to increase efficacy and adherence to protective measures during pandemic.

To explore the effective therapy for treating chronic scapulohumeral periarthritis of cold-damp stagnation.

To evaluate the ophthalmic features of Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) and its association to radiological characteristics.