Dermatology Editorial Team Joins HealthPlexus and JCCC

I have the pleasure of introducing the latest edition of the Journal Of Current Clinical Care. As always there are a multitude of noteworthy developments to report and a variety of interesting and clinically relevant topics that are covered in this issue.

As hinted in my last editorial, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Charles Lynde as Editor-in-Chief for the Dermatology Educational Resource @HealthPlexus and the Journal of Current Clinical Care. Dr. Lynde with the help of his fellow editors Drs. Anne Goodfellow, John Kraft and Francesca Cheung, will spearhead a Dermatology section on www.healthplexus.net and the Journal of Current Clinical Care. For this edition, Shahana Nathwani and Dr. Joseph Lam from the University of British Columbia provide an approach to ‘lumps and bumps’ in the pediatric population. There are a number of conditions that present clinically as ‘lumps and bumps’ in this age group. Some of these follow a benign course and can be safely observed, and others are more concerning and require definitive therapy and may even result in serious complications. A helpful feature of the article is a practice helper tool: A menu of cutaneous lesions in the pediatric population categorized according to colour.

I am also happy to introduce our new department called Infographics. Going forward we will select a topic and present the information and facts in an exciting and visually informative format. In this issue our choice of condition to present as an infographic is Ulcerative Colitis, an important topic for which we are also developing a CME program that is scheduled for release later this year.

Another first that we are introducing in this issue is a Lecture Series department. Dr. Michael Gordon, the Medical Program Director at Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System at the University of Toronto, is one our regular contributors, and is the Editor-in-Chief of our Dementia Educational Resource, gives an engaging talk on Later Stage Dementia and focusing on Promotion of Comfort, Compassion and Care, complete with video and slides.

Also in this issue, Dr. Michael Gordon in his article When to Have the Critical Conversation? Issues in Planning for Persons with Dementia and their Caregivers, uses a poignant family vignette to remind us that as health care providers we should encourage families and our patients to initiate conversations early regarding treatment at the end of life.

Drs. Lovingly Quitania Park and Sarah Tomaszewski Farias from the Department of Neurology at the University of California at Davis review the concept of Functional Limitations Predict Future Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI is a term used to describe a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. In MCI there are subtle changes in everyday activities that may indicate the presence of an under lying neurodegenerative condition, however patient independence is maintained. The authors review how to assess for cognitive impairment in this population and the prognostic implications of on subsequent conversion to dementia and the rate of progression of dementia.

The effects of caregiver burden are often expressed as a decline in psychological and physical health, as well as an increase in physician visits. In the article, Identifying and Managing Caregiver Burden Among Spouses of Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease Dr. Andrew Johnson et al., examines some of the predictors of caregiver burden, with a specific emphasis on the burden experienced by caregivers of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Helpful strategies for relieving caregiver burden are also reviewed.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the journal. As always, your comments and questions are welcomed.

The Importance of Healthy Skin

Skin is the body’s largest organ. It acts as a protective layer between the insides and the rest of the world, helps regulate body temperature, acts as a natural filter and is constantly growing. It’s affected by every aspect of our life, by what we eat and the environment. Skin that is healthy is able to resist signs of aging, heals faster and can even stave off potential disease. It often manifests some underlying diseases and when it’s visually altered or damaged can make a profound effect on one’ quality of life.

As the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief for the Dermatology Educational Resource @HealthPlexus and the Journal of Current Clinical Care and with the help of my fellow editors Drs. Anne Goodfellow, John Kraft, and Francesca Cheung, we will solicit, organize and present to you educational materials of relevance to primary care practitioners and specialists alike by asking for contributions from recognized Key Opinion Leaders in the field of Dermatology on evidence-based best practices and treatment options.

In this issue, we are featuring the first article in our dermatology section titled Common Lumps and Bumps in Children: A Colour-coded Differential. Dr. Joseph Lam and Shahana Nathwani examine the many conditions that present as ‘lumps and bumps’ in the pediatric population. While some follow a benign course, others require definitive therapy or carry the potential for serious complications. Their review presents and categorizes common pediatric cutaneous lesions according to colours as a tool to help the general practitioner recognize and remember these lesions.

If you have questions, interested in serving as a contributor or peer-reviewer please reach out to us at contactus@healthplexus.net

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Journal. Feedback and discussion, as always, is welcomed.

When to Have the Critical Conversation? Issues in Planning for Persons with Dementia and their Caregivers

Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Medical Program Director, Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System; Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

Of the many challenges that face families when looking after their older loved ones, of the most difficult is deciding on end-of-life decisions. The accepting or rejecting artificial nutrition and hydration, apparently life-saving antibiotic intervention for an aspiration pneumonia or urinary tract infection or the implementation of theoretically life-saving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation are among the many decisions that substitute decision-makers, who are often close family members, have to make. More often than not, these types of decisions are required in urgent situations where a time-consuming deliberative process that might be expected for a well-thought out decision to be reached is not possible because of the pressures of the potentially fatal clinical situation. Proper preparation for such eventualities usually requires time and thought that includes exploration of personal values and wishes in what ideally should occur during conversations between older loved ones at risk of or in the throes of dementia when discussions might still take place. These revealing communications must occur with those that are responsible for making these very personal and potentially life-altering clinical decisions.

Identifying and Managing Caregiver Burden Among Spouses of Individuals with Parkinson's Disease

Kaitlyn Roland, MSc, Research Assistant, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC.
Andrew M. Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON.
Mary E. Jenkins, BSc(PT), BEd, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor of Neurology, Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON.

Abstract
Burden is a psychological concept, a subjective interpretation by caregivers of the extent to which the caregiving experience impacts on one's health, social life, or financial status. In this article, we examine some of the predictors of caregiver burden, and look specifically at the burden experienced by caregivers of individuals with Parkinson's disease.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, psychological health, physical health, caregiver burden

Functional Limitations Predict Future Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lovingly Quitania Park, PhD, Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA.
Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of California, California, CA.

Abstract
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a term used to describe the transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, wherein changes in cognitive abilities are limited enough to maintain independence. Although the degree of functional impairment present does not yet warrant a diagnosis of dementia in MCI, there are subtle changes in everyday activities that may indicate the presence of an underlying neurodegenerative condition. The goal of this paper is to review the types of functional changes that are detectable in MCI and the prognostic value of assessing everyday functioning in this population.
Keywords: MCI, Functional Impairment, ADL, Dementia, Aging.