Background
Prolonged wear of facial protective equipment can lead to occupational dermatoses.
Objective
To identify important causes of occupational dermatoses from facial protective equipment.
Methods
A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was performed using PubMed and Embase databases. Articles were included if they reported occupational dermatoses caused by surgical/procedure masks and/or N95 respirators.
Results
344 articles were identified; 16 were suitable for inclusion in this review. Selected articles focused on facial occupational dermatoses in healthcare workers. Allergic contact dermatitis was reported to the elastic straps, glue, and formaldehyde released from the mask fabric. Irritant contact dermatitis was common on the cheeks and nasal bridge due to pressure and friction. Irritant dermatitis was associated with personal history of atopic dermatitis and prolonged mask wear (greater than 6 hours). Acneiform eruption was reported due to prolonged wear and occlusion. Contact urticaria was rare.
Limitations
Only publications listed in PubMed or Embase were included. Most publications were case reports and retrospective studies.
Conclusions
This systematic review from members of the American Contact Dermatitis Society highlights cases of occupational dermatitis to facial protective equipment including potential offending allergens. This work may help in the diagnosis and treatment of healthcare workers with facial occupational dermatitis.
Background-Recently, we identified circulating smooth muscle progenitor cells (SPCs) in human peripheral blood. The integrin profile of such progenitors is currently unknown and may affect their in vivo homing characteristics. In this study, we determined the integrin profile of vascular progenitors and SPC adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Results-SPCs and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy human subjects, and expression of surface integrins and adhesion to several vascular ECM proteins were determined. Homing of SPCs in vivo to specific ECM protein was determined by intracoronary infusion of fluorescent SPCs into porcine coronary arteries containing a fibronectin-coated mesh stent. SPCs had high expression of  1 integrin, moderate expression of ␣ 1 , low levels of ␣ v  3 , and did not express ␣ v  5 ,  2 , ␣ 2  1 , or ␣ 4  1 integrins. In contrast, EPCs had high expression of ␣ 2  1 , ␣ v  3 , ␣ v  5 ,  1 , and ␣ 1 and minimal expression of ␣ 4  1 . Moreover, SPCs showed increased adherence to fibronectin and collagen type I compared with vitronectin, consistent with their integrin profile, and demonstrated a similar degree of in vivo attachment to fibronectin-coated mesh. Conclusions-These data for the first time show a spectrum of integrin expression on vascular progenitors and suggest the potential importance of integrins in mediating adherence of SPCs to specific ECM both in vitro and in vivo.
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