Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Mg Cm (mg + cm)
Selected AbstractsLIPID-LOWERING EFFICACY OF PIPERINE FROM PIPER NIGRUM L. IN HIGH-FAT DIET AND ANTITHYROID DRUG-INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATSJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2006RAMASAMY SUBRAMANIAM VIJAYAKUMAR ABSTRACT Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control diet group and high-fat diet group (HFD). Both groups were divided into four subgroups, each consisted of 10 animals, and the diets were supplemented with the following ingredients for 10 weeks: (1) 1% carboxymethyl cellulose; (2) 10 mg carbimazole (CM)/kg body weight; (3) 10 mg CM + 40 mg piperine/kg body weight; and (4) 10 mg CM + 2 mg atorvastatin/kg body weight. Feeding HFD to rats significantly (P < 0.05) elevated plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, free fatty acids, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and the activity of 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase in the liver, heart and aorta, while the activities of plasma and tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and plasma lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) and high-density lipoprotein were significantly (P < 0.05) lowered compared to control rats. Supplementing piperine with HFD significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the levels of plasma total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL tissue HMG CoA reductase and significantly (P < 0.05) elevated the levels of LPL and LCAT compared to rats that did not receive piperine. Fecal bile acids and neutral sterols were also elevated in HFD-fed rats as compared to control animals, while simultaneous supplementation of piperine significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced further excretion of bile acids and neutral sterols. The results indicate that piperine can prevent the accumulation of plasma lipids and lipoproteins significantly by modulating the enzymes of lipid metabolism. [source] Efficacy of piperine, an alkaloidal constituent from Piper nigrum on erythrocyte antioxidant status in high fat diet and antithyroid drug induced hyperlipidemic ratsCELL BIOCHEMISTRY AND FUNCTION, Issue 6 2006Ramasamy Subramaniam Vijayakumar Abstract The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of piperine on erythrocyte antioxidant status in high fat diet (HFD) and antithyroid drug induced hyperlipidemic rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups. The first four groups were fed a control diet and in addition were given respectively 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC); 10,mg/kg body weight carbimazole (CM); 10,mg CM,+,40,mg/kg body weight piperine and 10,mg CM,+,2,mg/kg body weight atorvastatin (ATV). A similar pattern was followed for the next four groups except that they were all fed HFD instead of the control diet. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility, total cholesterol, phospholipids, lipid peroxidation products, enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant status were studied in all experimental groups. Significantly increased osmotic fragility, total cholesterol/phospholipid ratio, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lipid hydroperoxides were observed in the plasma and erythrocytes of HFD fed and CM treated rats compared to the control. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin E and reduced glutathione in erythrocytes and vitamin C in the plasma were also significantly lowered in HFD fed, antithyroid drug treated rats compared to control animals. Concurrent piperine supplementation along with HFD and antithyroid drug administration normalized erythrocyte osmotic fragility, reduced lipid peroxidation, and improved the enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant status compared to those rats that did not receive piperine. Thus, our results indicate that piperine supplementation markedly protects erythrocytes from oxidative stress by improving the antioxidant status in HFD fed antithyroid drug treated rats. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Climatic influence on the inter-annual variability of late-Holocene minerogenic sediment supply in a boreal forest catchmentEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2010Gunilla Petterson Abstract Processes controlling sediment yield vary over a range of timescales, although most process-based observations are extremely short. Lake sediments, however, can be used to extend the observational timescale and are particularly useful when annually laminated (varved) sediment is present. The sediment record at Kassjön (N. Sweden) consists of ,6400 varves, each 0·5,1 mm thick. Image analysis was used to determine grey-scale variation and varve thickness from which annual minerogenic accumulation rate (MinAR) (mg cm,2 year,1) was inferred for the period 4486 BC , AD 1900. MinAR varies on annual to centennial scales and mainly reflects channel bank erosion by the inflow streams. The mineral input reflects the intensity of the spring run-off, which is dependent on the amount of snow accumulated during the winter, and hence MinAR is a long-term record of variability in past winter climate; other factors will be a variable response to catchment uplift, vegetation succession and pedogenesis. A major shift from low to high MinAR occurred ,250 BC, and peaks occurred around AD 250, 600, 1000, 1350 and 1650. Wavelet power spectrum analysis (confirmed by Fourier analyses) indicated significantly different periodicities throughout the period 4000 BC , AD 1700, including 275 years for the period 4000 BC , 2900 BC, 567 years for the period 2901 BC , 1201 BC, and 350 and 725 years for the period 1200 BC , AD 1700. The long-term, centennial scale variability (,350 years) may reflect solar forcing (cf the 385-year peak in tree-ring calibrated 14C activity) but interestingly, there is no obvious link to high frequency forcing, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation. The high resolution component of the record highlights the relevance of varved lake sediment records for understanding erosion dynamics in undisturbed forested catchments and their link to long-term climate dynamics and future climate change. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL cytokine signalling pathwayEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 4 2008B. G. Choi ABSTRACT Background, Observational studies suggest a strong relationship between menopause and vascular calcification. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-,, ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are critical regulators of bone remodelling and modulate vascular calcification. We assessed the hypothesis that ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL axis. Materials and methods, Age-matched sexually mature rabbits were randomized to ovariectomy (OVX, n = 12) or sham procedure (SHAM, n = 12). One month post-procedure, atherosclerosis was induced by 15 months 0·2%-cholesterol diet and endothelial balloon denudations (at months 1 and 3). Aortic atherosclerosis was assessed in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at months 9 and 15. At sacrifice, aortas were harvested for ex vivo microcomputed tomography (µCT) and molecular analysis of the vascular tissue. Results, Vascular calcification density and calcific particle number were significantly greater in OVX than SHAM (8·4 ± 2·8 vs. 1·9 ± 0·6 mg cm,3, P = 0·042, and 94 ± 26 vs. 33 ± 7 particles cm,3, P = 0·046, respectively). Calcification morphology, as assessed by the arc angle subtended by the largest calcific particle, showed no difference between groups (OVX 33 ± 7° vs. SHAM 33 ± 5°, P = 0·99). By Western blot analysis, OVX increased the vascular OPG:RANKL ratio by 66%, P = 0·029, primarily by decreasing RANKL (P = 0·019). At month 9, MRI demonstrated no difference in atheroma volume between OVX and SHAM, and no significant change was seen by the end of the study. Conclusions, In contrast to bone, vascular OPG:RANKL ratio increased in response to ovariectomy with a corresponding fourfold increase in arterial calcification. This diametrical organ-specific response may explain the comorbid association of osteoporosis with calcifying atherosclerosis in post-menopausal women. [source] Stimulation of intramembranous bone repair in rats by ghrelinEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Feilong Deng Researchers in our laboratory have previously shown that ghrelin, a gastric peptide hormone, may regulate mesenchymal cell differentiation into adipocytes and myocytes. Here we show that ghrelin promotes osteogenesis of intramembranous bone and improves the repair of calvarial bone defects in rats. Rats with a 9 mm full-thickness calvarial bone defect received either Bio-Oss® (control group) or Bio-Oss® mixed with 20 ,g ghrelin (treatment group), followed by local administration of saline or ghrelin (10 ,g), respectively, on days 5, 10 and 15. After 6 and 12 weeks, new bone formation was assessed. Animals treated with ghrelin showed a significant increase in new bone formation as demonstrated by an increment in bone mineral density and fluorescence labelling of tetracycline relative to the control group. At 6 weeks, bone mineral density increased from 54 ± 7 (control group) to 78 ± 9 mg cm,2 in the treatment group, while the tetracycline fluorescence labelling increased by 61 ± 15%. A similar increment was observed at 12 weeks. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed that expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin and collagen type I was elevated. Relative to the control animals, mRNAs for ALP, osteocalcin and collagen type I increased 2.4 ± 0.4-, 4.7 ± 1.9- and 4.0 ± 1.7-fold, respectively, in animals treated with ghrelin for 6 weeks (P < 0.05). At 12 weeks, mRNA levels of ALP, osteocalcin and collagen type I showed a decline relative to levels at 6 weeks but still remained significantly higher than in the control group, with fold changes of 2.4 ± 0.8, 2.4 ± 1.2 and 2.1 ± 0.7, respectively (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that ghrelin stimulates intramembranous osteogenesis. [source] Electrochemical Reduction of Oxygen on Carbon Supported Pt and Pt/Ru Fuel Cell Electrodes in Alkaline SolutionsFUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2003E.H. Yu Abstract A study of O2 reduction in 1 M NaOH solution at gas diffusion electrodes made from carbon supported Pt and Pt/Ru catalysts is reported. Two Tafel regions were observed for both the Pt and Pt/Ru electrodes. Although the same mechanism was suggested for oxygen reduction on both Pt and Pt/Ru catalysts, the O2 reduction activity was lower on Ru. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis was carried out at different potentials and showed the significant contribution of diffusion on the reaction process and kinetics. The effect of methanol on O2 reduction was investigated in solutions containing various concentrations of methanol. The electrode performance deteriorated with increasing methanol concentration because of a mixed cathode potential. The methanol tolerance, i. e., the methanol concentration which polarises the O2 reduction reaction for O2 reduction, at the Pt/C electrode with a Pt loading of 1.2 mg cm,2 is 0.2 M methanol in 1 M NaOH. [source] In vitro testing to assess the UVA protection performance of sun care productsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001Applied Cosmetics) Task Force, Members of the DGK (German Society for Scientific, Sun Protection'. Synopsis The UVA protection delivered by sunscreens is an issue of increasing importance due to the increasing knowledge about UVA-induced skin damage. In Europe there is no officially accepted method available to determine the degree of UVA protection. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to design a protocol combining the merits of an in vitro model, which are simple and reproducible, with aspects known to be relevant from in vivo studies. The principle is: an UV-transparent support to which the test product is applied, a (pre)irradiation and a transmission measurement. Transpore® tape (standard support for SPF determinations) was found to be incompatible with many preparations on prolonged contact times. Roughened quartz was adopted as a suitable alternative. Transmission measurements on this support are not reliable with a layer of 2 mg cm,2 (standard for SPF) due to detection limitations of spectrophotometers, hence a reduced layer of 0.75 mg cm,2 was adopted. Overall, it is very difficult to apply products in a reproducible thin layer on appropriate substrates. As a consequence, absolute parameters derived from the transmission profile show relatively large dispersion, whereas relative parameters, such as critical wavelength ,c[1] or UVA/UVB ratio are much less sensitive to unavoidable variations in layer thickness. An increase in deviations was observed when the samples were irradiated before measurement. It is crucial to control the output carefully (spectral distribution and even more importantly, irradiance and dose delivered) of the light source. By doing so and also taking into account the previous learning steps, a protocol was drafted and tested in a ringtest (four samples in six laboratories). The results are encouraging and show that if relative parameters (e.g. ,c, UVA/UVB ratio) are considered, the intra- as well as interlaboratory reproducibility is clearly better than can be obtained in vivo. In general, we describe a suitable method, which can be considered in any future official discussions about the methodology to determine UVA protection. Résumé La protection contre les UVA apportée par les écrans solaires est un sujet d'importance croissante en raison de la progression des connaissances concernant les dommages à la peau causés par les UVA. En Europe il n'existe pas de méthode disponible officiellement reconnue pour déterminer le degré de protection contre les UVA. Par conséquent, l'objectif de la présente étude est de concevoir un protocole associant les avantages d'un modèle in vitro, qui est simple et reproductible, avec des aspects connus comme appartenant aux études in vivo. Le principe est le suivant: un support transparent aux UV auquel le produit testé est appliqué, une (pré)irradiation et une mesure de transmission. Le ruban Transpore® (support standard pour la détermination des SPF) se révèle incompatible avec de nombreuses préparations lors de temps de contact prolongés. Le quartz rugueux est adopté comme alternative appropriée. Les mesures de transmission sur ce support ne sont pas fiables avec une couche de 2 mg/cm2 (norme pour les SPF) en raison des limites de détection des spectrophotomètres, et on adopte donc une couche réduite de 0,75 mg/cm2. Il est surtout très difficile d'appliquer des produits en une couche fine reproductible sur des substrats appropriés. En conséquence, les paramètres absolus tirés du profil de transmission montrent une assez grande dispersion, tandis que les paramètres relatifs, tels que la longueur d'onde critique ,c[l] ou le rapport UVA/UVB sont beaucoup moins sensibles aux variations inévitables de l'épaisseur de la couche. On observe une augmentation des écarts lorsque les échantillons sont irradiés avant la mesure. Il est crucial de contrôler soigneusement la sortie (distribution spectrale et encore plus important, irradiation et dose délivrée) de la source lumineuse. Dans ces conditions, et en tenant aussi compte des enseignements des étapes précédentes, un protocole a étéébauché et testé lors d'un essai tournant (quatre échantillons dans six laboratoires). Les résultats sont encourageants et montrent que si on considère les paramètres relatifs (par exemple ,c, rapport UVA/UVB), la reproductibilité intra et interlaboratoires est clairement meilleures que ce qu'on peut obtenir in vivo. D'une façon générale, nous décrivons une méthode appropriée, qui peut être considérée dans tout échange officiel futur concernant la méthodologie pour déterminer la protection contre les UVA. [source] The responses of floodplain primary production to flood frequency and timingJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2001A.I. Robertson Summary 1,River regulation and abstraction have dramatically altered the natural flow regime of many rivers world-wide, but experimental investigations of the biological effects are infrequent. In the mid-region of the Murray River, Australia, river regulation has reduced the frequency and duration of spring floods and increased the frequency of summer floods. We used controlled floods (treatments: no floods, spring floods, summer floods and spring + summer floods) to determine how the growth of river red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis trees, aquatic macrophytes and biofilms varied with the seasonal timing and frequency of flooding. 2,After 6 years of controlled flooding, above-ground net production of wood by river red gum trees was equal and greatest in plots receiving spring + summer floods and summer floods (mean 496 g m,2 year,1). Production was significantly lower in plots receiving spring floods or no controlled floods, which had similar rates of production (mean 330 g m,2 year,1). 3,During 2 years of measurement in wetlands created by flooding, production and species richness of aquatic macrophyte were both greater in spring than in summer floods. The history of flood frequency at any experimental site did not affect macrophyte production or species richness. The aquatic macrophyte community in shallow regions of wetlands differed significantly with the seasonal timing of floods, but not flood frequency. 4,The accumulation of chlorophyll a and total mass of biofilm on wood surfaces in wetlands created by flooding were greater in spring (mean chlorophyll a, 0·88 µg cm,2; mean mass, 0·066 mg cm,2) than in summer floods (mean chlorophyll a, 0·09 µg cm,2; mean mass, 0·034 mg cm,2). The history of flood frequency at any experimental site did not affect accumulation of either the autotrophic or heterotrophic components of biofilms. 5,Spring flooding, while not as beneficial for tree growth, is critical for the growth of wetland macrophytes, the maintenance of macrophyte species richness, and favours better development of autotrophic biofilms. Maintenance of both the timber harvest and wetland conservation values of these floodplains will require the return of more natural flood flows in the spring period. Restoration of floodplain rivers requires a thorough understanding of the relationships between ecological functions and the natural flow regime. [source] A thermal study on the use of immobilized penicillin G acylase in the formation of 7-amino-3-deacetoxy cephalosporanic acid from cephalosporin GJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2004Jian-Liang Pan Abstract Penicillin G acylase (PGA) is an important enzyme for the industrial production of 7-amino-3-deacetoxy cephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA) from cephalosporin G (Ceph-G), and 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) from penicillin G (Pen-G). These products are used for the manufacture of semi-synthetic cephalosporins and penicillins. In this study, immobilized PGA was utilized to catalyze the conversion of Ceph-G to 7-ADCA. The optimal conditions were found to be an operating temperature of 45 °C, 0.2 M phosphate buffer, a substrate concentration of 30 mg cm,3 and a catalyst particle concentration of 0.01 g cm,3 (specific activity of 623.2 U g,1). Up to 45 °C the reaction was characterized by an activation energy of 38.66 kJ mol,1. Beyond 57.5 °C there was a sharp decline of activity, characterized by a deactivation energy of 235.88 kJ mol,1. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Optimization of extraction of bulk enzymes from spent mushroom compostJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2003Avneesh D Singh Abstract The profiling of ligninase, hemicellulase and cellulase of Pleurotus sajor-caju after inoculation of spawn in bags containing sawdust was done at monthly intervals for a period of 6 months. Xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) was produced throughout the 6 months studied with the productivity range from 5.60 to 7.51 U g,1. Cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4) and ,-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) productivities were highest at 4 months, producing 3.31 U g,1 and 121.13 U g,1 respectively. Laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) productivity was highest at 2 months with a value of 7.59 U g,1. Lignin peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.14) productivity was highest at 5 months with a value of 206.20 U g,1. Total soluble proteins were highest at 4 months with a value of 0.139 mg cm,3. The profiling of lignin peroxidase in 5-month-old spent mushroom compost was monitored over a period of 10 months. It was observed that lignin peroxidase was produced throughout the period but productivity was variable. The average lignin peroxidase productivity ranged from 30 to 110 U g,1. The activities of the enzymes extracted in tap water at pH 8.4 were comparable to that extracted in 50 mmol sodium citrate buffer at pH 4.8 and distilled water at pH 5.2 at 4 °C using an incubator shaker at 200 rpm for 18 h. The optimum extraction time was 1 h using an incubator shaker at 4 °C. When an incubator shaker was used, there was no significant difference in the recovery of xylanase, cellulase and laccase at different pH values at 4 °C and 28 °C. No significant difference was observed in the recovery of ,-glucosidase using an incubator shaker at different pH values at 4 °C although the enzyme recovery was slightly higher at pH 8.12, with a value of 29.27 U g,1. The optimum extraction of ,-glucosidase was at pH 4 at room temperature using an incubator shaker. For the lignin peroxidase enzyme, the optimum pH for extraction was 6 at 4 °C and pH 7 at room temperature using an incubator shaker at 200 rpm for 1 h. Homogenization for 8 min at 8000 rpm using tap water at pH 4 had an advantage over the use of the incubator shaker for the extraction as high titers of enzymes were recovered. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] In Vitro Sunscreen Transmittance Measurement with Concomitant Evaluation of Photostability: Evolution of a MethodPHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Robert M. Sayre The recent paper by Miura et al. (Photochem. Photobiol. 84[6], 1569,1575) offers a re-examination of extant in vitro methods for dynamically measuring sunscreen photodegradation under continuous irradiation in situ. We commend the authors' efforts toward developing an improved system for accurate in vitro sunscreen assessment. This work describes an alternate derivative apparatus incorporating an improved detector which may prove an exceptionally valuable contribution toward that goal. Unfortunately their report suffers from insufficient detail in instrumentation description and lacks requisite calibration procedures. Their utilization of a solar simulator filtered for conventional in vivo sun protection factor (SPF) testing poses transmittance measurement limitations at short wavelengths that are not adequately addressed and is also deficient, relative to sunlight, in longer UVA wavelengths shown to contribute to sunscreen photoinstability. We concur that the in vitro sunscreen testing should utilize continuous or multiple irradiation doses and should ideally use the same 2 mg cm,2 product application amount as does the human SPF test. We encourage their proposal that methodology, which simultaneously measures sunscreen spectral transmittance and photodegradation under continuous irradiation to an accumulated erythemic endpoint, as we previously described, be developed into a consensus test standard. [source] Influence of a pore-former and PTFE in the performance of the direct ethanol fuel cellASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009S. K. Biswas Abstract The direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) is a promising fuel cell device, which could provide power to portable and microelectronic equipment in the future. In the present investigation, the influence of a pore-former, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and catalyst loadings in the electrocatalyst of the anode on DEFC performance is studied. The decal transfer method is used to prepare the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using PtRu/C (40:20% by wt) as the anode catalyst, and Pt/C (40% by wt) as the cathode catalyst, a pore-former, PTFE dispersion and Nafion ionomer. The pore-former used is 10% (by wt) NaHCO3 in the catalyst ink during the preparation of MEA. The voltage-current characteristics of DEFC were monitored at different loadings of the catalyst, PTFE and a pore-former in MEA. The DEFC performance improved with the use of a pore-former and higher loading of PTFE in MEA. Higher DEFC performance is obtained because PTFE, along with the network of pores in the anode side allowed easy removal of reaction species, thereby rendering the catalyst site available for ethanol oxidation. Further, the use of a pore-former and PTFE at the anode allowed higher loading of electrocatalyst resulting in an increase in the performance of DEFC. The DEFC, with 1 mg cm,2 of catalyst loading at the anode and cathode, 10% (by wt) NaHCO3 of a pore-former, 20% (by wt) PTFE loading in catalyst ink gives maximum power density of 8.5 mW cm,2 at a current density of 31.3 mA cm,2. Copyright © 2008 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Transdermal delivery system for zidovudine: in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo evaluationBIOPHARMACEUTICS AND DRUG DISPOSITION, Issue 1 2004Sunil Thomas Kumar Narishetty Abstract The objective of this study was to prepare a transdermal delivery system (TDS) for zidovudine (AZT) with a combination of menthol and oleic acid as penetration enhancers incorporated in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and to evaluate ex vivo as well as in vivo permeation across rat skin. It was found that AZT in gel formulation was stable in both refrigerated as well as accelerated stability conditions for 3 months and further, the gel did not significantly retard the permeability of AZT across the skin in comparison with solution formulation. Ex vivo steady state flux of AZT across rat skin from gel was 2.26 mg cm,2 h,1, which is sufficient to achieve therapeutic plasma concentrations. Intravenous pharmacokinetic parameters of AZT in rats were determined and used together with ex vivo flux data to generate theoretical plasma profiles of AZT and compared with plasma concentrations achieved after application of TDS. Further, steady state plasma concentrations of drug following multiple applications of TDS were determined and good correlations between ex vivo and in vivo data were observed. In addition, the combination of penetration enhancers used at 2.5% w/w in this study proved efficient in achieving sufficient enhancement in the transdermal permeability of AZT across rat skin with reduced skin irritation potential when compared with individual penetration enhancers at higher concentrations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Efficacy of short-duration (twice weekly) intralesional sodium stibogluconate in treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in IndiaBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2010R.A. Bumb Summary Background, Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by Leishmania major and L. tropica in the old world. Bikaner, the ,Thar Desert', situated in the north-western corner of India, is an endemic pocket for CL caused by L. tropica. Skin lesions of CL heal slowly, causing disfiguring scars if remaining untreated. Current recommended treatment for CL comprises systemic administration of sodium stibogluconate (SSG) for 2,3 weeks. Five to seven injections of SSG intralesionally have also been found to be effective. Objectives, To determine the efficacy of a short-duration, twice-weekly intralesional SSG treatment for CL. Methods, Two hundred and twenty patients with CL having 298 lesions were included in the present study. They were divided into groups A and B (110 patients each). Patients were treated with five to seven intralesional injections of SSG in doses of 50 mg cm,2 of lesion either once (group A) or twice (group B) weekly. Improvement was recorded at 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks and the rate of complete cure was compared. Results, Complete cure rate at 6, 8 and 10 weeks was higher (20%, 57% and 73%, respectively) in group B as compared with group A (12%, 36% and 62%, respectively). The differences in cure rates at these time points were statistically significant (P < 0·05). The complete cure rate at 24 weeks was similar in both groups (96% in group B and 92% in group A). The remaining 4% and 8% of patients in groups B and A were ,nonresponders', respectively. No major side-effects were observed in either group. In all cured cases, there were no relapses reported up to 2 years after treatment. Conclusions, A short-duration, twice-weekly intralesional SSG treatment for CL accelerates cure and is highly effective and well tolerated. [source] Change in ultraviolet (UV) transmission following the application of vaseline to non-irradiated and UVB-exposed split skinBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2000K. Hoffmann Background ,Topical preparations such as emollients used in combination with phototherapy can interfere with such treatment. Objectives,This study was performed to investigate the impact of vaseline on the ultraviolet (UV) transmission of non-irradiated split skin and on split skin previously exposed to UVB radiation. Methods,Split-skin specimens were obtained from 20 patients. In each case, one sample was taken from an area of non-irradiated skin, while the second was taken from an area that had been previously exposed to UVB. The transmission was spectrophotometrically measured with split skin placed in specially designed quartz glass cuvettes before and after the application of two different amounts of vaseline (2·5 and 17·5 mg cm,2). Results,Application of vaseline to skin previously exposed to UVB caused significant (P < 0·0001) changes in UV transmission in certain wavelength ranges. In the UVA range, a greater increase in transmission was achieved with 2·5 mg cm,2 vaseline, whereas in the UVB range, a greater increase was achieved with 17·5 mg cm,2 vaseline. The thicker the layer of vaseline applied, the lower was the difference in transmission between non-irradiated split skin and UVB-exposed split skin. Conclusions,Application of the correct amount of vaseline can enhance transmission in either the UVA or UVB range, and would enable dose reduction during a course of phototherapy. [source] | ||||||||||||||||