Comparing efficacy of montelukast versus doxycycline in treatment of moderate acne

Background: Treatment of acne is an important issue for reducing the cosmetic and psychological burden of disease. Regarding the inflammatory effect of LT-B4 in acne lesions and action mechanism of Montelukast, this study was performed to determine the efficacy of Montelukastin acne treatment comparison with doxycycline. Materials and Methods: In a randomized clinical trial that was performed in Dermatology Clinic in a Training Tertiary Health Care Center in Tehran, Iran since January 2012 to May 2014, 52 patients with moderate acne were evaluated. The included patients were randomly assigned to receive doxycycline 100 mg/day plus 1 Clindamycin solution (Group 1) or Montelukast 5 mg daily plus 1 clindamycin solution (Group 2). The acne severity index was measured and compared between two groups at baseline (on admission), 1-month and 3 months later. Independent-Sample-T, Chi-Square, and Repeated-Measure ANOVA tests were used and were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age was 26.8 ± 7.1 in Group 1 and25 ± 4.8 in Group 2 (P = 0.1). 73 women and 26.7 4 men in Group 1 and 86.7 women, and 13.3 men in Group 2 (P = 0.01). The mean acne severity index at baseline was 18.2 ± 6.1 and 19 ± 4.2 in Montelukast and doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0.679). The mean acne severity index after 1-month was 10.5 ± 6.2 and 12.9 ± 3.3 in Montelukast and doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0). Finally, the mean acne severity index after 3 months follow-up was 8.6 ± 4.8 and 8.2 ± 1.2 in Montelukast and doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0.01). There was no significant difference between two groups regarding the amount of decrease in acne severity index across the study (P = 0.186). However, each groups showed a significant reduction in the acne severity index, separately (P = 0.001). Conclusion: It may be concluded that Montelukast is an effective and safe medication for moderate-level acne treatment. © 2015, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Caon serum iron level, ferritin and total iron binding capacity level among nonpregnant women with and without melasma

Background: Melasma is a common acquired disorder characterized by symmetric, hyperpigmented patches with an irregular outline, occurring most commonly on the face. It is most prevalent among young to middle-aged women. Although iron overload affects skin pigmentation, effect of iron deficiency on skin is not clear. So, we evaluated serum iron level, ferritin and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) level among nonpregnant women with and without melasma. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional case study was conducted in 2012 at university dermatologic department on 33 nonpregnant women with melasma (case) and 33 nonpregnant women without melasma (control). Serum iron level, TIBC and ferritin in the two groups was measured and compared. Results: Serum iron level was lower in the case group (85 ± 11) in comparison with control group (102 ± 9), but the difference was not significant (P: 0.9). Mean TIBC and Ferritin were higher in the case group (TIBC: 329.4 ± 29, ferritin: 6 ± 18) than the control group (TIBC: 329.3 ± 29, ferritin: 33 ± 6) without significant difference. Conclusion: Although the serum iron level was lower in nonpregnant women with mealsma, it was not significant compared with those without melasma. © 2015, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Assessing potential indicators of aerosol wet scavenging during long-range transport

As one of the dominant sinks of aerosol particles, wet scavenging greatly influences aerosol lifetime and interactions with clouds, precipitation, and radiation. However, wet scavenging remains highly uncertain in models, hindering accurate predictions of aerosol spatiotemporal distributions and downstream interactions. In this study, we present a flexible, computationally inexpensive method to identify meteorological variables relevant for estimating wet scavenging using a combination of aircraft, satellite, and reanalysis data augmented by trajectory modeling to account for air mass history. We assess the capabilities of an array of meteorological variables to predict the transport efficiency of black carbon (TEBC) using a combination of nonlinear regression, curve fitting, and k-fold cross-validation. We find that accumulated precipitation along trajectories (APT) – treated as a wet scavenging indicator across multiple studies – does poorly when predicting TEBC. Among different precipitation characteristics (amount, frequency, intensity), precipitation intensity was the most effective at estimating TEBC but required longer trajectories (&gt;48 h) and including only intensely precipitating grid cells. This points to the contribution of intense precipitation to aerosol scavenging and the importance of accounting for air mass history. Predictors that were most able to predict TEBC were related to the distribution of relative humidity (RH) or the frequency of humid conditions along trajectories, suggesting that RH is a more robust way to estimate TEBC than APT. We recommend the following alternatives to APT when estimating aerosol scavenging: (1) the 90th percentile of RH along trajectories, (2) the fraction of hours along trajectories with either water vapor mixing ratios &gt;15 g kg−1 or RH &gt;95 %, and (3) precipitation intensity along trajectories at least 48 h along and filtered for grid cells with precipitation &gt;0.2 mm h−1. Future scavenging parameterizations should consider these meteorological variables along air mass histories. This method can be repeated for different regions to identify region-specific factors influencing wet scavenging.</p

Keratins and epidermolysis bullosa simplex

Keratin intermediate filaments play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the skin structure. Understanding the importance of this subject is possible with the investigation of keratin defects in epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS). Nowadays, in addition to clinical criteria, new molecular diagnostic methods, such as next generation sequencing, can help to distinguish the subgroups of EBS more precisely. Because the most important and most commonly occurring molecular defects in these patients are the defects of keratins 5 and14 (KRT5 and KRT14), comprehending the nature structure of these proteins and their involved processes can be very effective in understanding the pathophysiology of this disease and providing new and effective therapeutic platforms to treat it. Here, we summarized the various aspects of the presence of KRT5 and KRT14 in the epidermis, their relation to the incidence and severity of EBS phenotypes, and the processes with which these proteins can affect them. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

The association between melasma and iron profile: A case-control study

Background ' Melasma is a chronic acquired localized hypermelanosis, causing aesthetic problem for women and impairing their quality of life. Evidence has suggested that hyperpigmentation can occur as a result of iron deficiency anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency. Aim ' We aimed to evaluate the serum parameters of iron profile in melasma patients. Material and Methods ' This case-control study investigated 51 adult non pregnant women with melasma, compared with 51 controls, from patients referred to the Hospital, Tehran, Iran, 2017-2018. Melasma was diagnosed clinically according to the melasma area and severity index (MASI) score was calculated and recorded by the physician. The groups were compared in terms of vitamin B12, folate, serum iron, hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), and ferritin. Results ' The mean and standard deviation of the women's age was 36.89±8.88 years, significantly higher in the group of patients with melasma. Comparing the serum parameters between the groups indicated no statistically significant difference in terms of mean levels of ferritin, Hb, MCV, iron, vitamin B12, TIBC, and folate. The women in melasma group had a higher frequency in below normal range of ferritin and serum iron compared to the control group. None of the serum parameters were correlated with MASI. Conclusion ' The higher frequency of below normal range of ferritin and serum iron levels in women with melasma compared to the control group showed a possible association between these serum parameters and melasma. © 2020, LLC Science and Innovations, Saratov, Russi

Measurement Report: Long-Range Transport Patterns into the Tropical Northwest Pacific during the CAMP2Ex Aircraft Campaign: Chemical Composition, Size Distributions, and the Impact of Convection

The tropical Northwest Pacific (TNWP) is a receptor for pollution sources throughout Asia and is highly susceptible to climate change, making it imperative to understand long-range transport in this complex aerosol-meteorological environment. Measurements from the NASA Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex; 24 August to 5 October 2019) and back trajectories from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) were used to examine transport into the TNWP from the Maritime Continent (MC), peninsular Southeast Asia (PSEA), East Asia (EA), and the West Pacific (WP). A mid-campaign monsoon shift on 20 September 2019 led to distinct transport patterns between the southwest monsoon (SWM; before 20 September) and monsoon transition (MT; after 20 September). During the SWM, long-range transport was a function of southwesterly winds and cyclones over the South China Sea. Low- (high-) altitude air generally came from MC (PSEA), implying distinct aerosol processing related to convection and perhaps wind shear. The MT saw transport from EA and WP, driven by Pacific northeasterly winds, continental anticyclones, and cyclones over the East China Sea. Composition of transported air differed by emission source and accumulated precipitation along trajectories (APT). MC air was characterized by biomass burning tracers while major components of EA air pointed to Asian outflow and secondary formation. Convective scavenging of PSEA air was evidenced by considerable vertical differences between aerosol species but not trace gases, as well as notably higher APT and smaller particles than other regions. Finally, we observed a possible wet scavenging mechanism acting on MC air aloft that was not strictly linked to precipitation. These results are important for understanding the transport and processing of air masses with further implications for modeling aerosol lifecycles and guiding international policymaking to public health and climate, particularly during the SWM and MT

Assessment of Satellite and Reanalysis Cold Season Snowfall Estimates Over Arctic Sea Ice

This work presents a systematic assessment of precipitation estimates from satellite and reanalysis products over Arctic sea ice by reconstructing snow depths from precipitation products and comparing them with snow depth observations from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Operation IceBridge (OIB). Results show that the observed snow depth pattern is generally captured through reconstruction of snow depth using various precipitation products, but the use of passive microwave precipitation estimates results in significant underestimation of the snow depth. By using CloudSat monthly precipitation rate, to adjust the Global Precipitation Climatology Product (GPCP V1.3), the modified product (GPCP V1.3-mod) shows improved statistics over GPCP V1.3 as compared with OIB snow depth observations. Snow depth reconstructed from ERA-Int precipitation rate outperformed other products by showing the highest correlation coefficient and lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE). ERA5 shows largerRMSEthan ERA-Int, while MERRA-2 results in large overestimation of snow depth and largerRMSEcompared to GPCP and other reanalysis products.6 month embargo; first published online 08 July 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Assessment of Satellite and Reanalysis Cold Season Snowfall Estimates Over Arctic Sea Ice

This work presents a systematic assessment of precipitation estimates from satellite and reanalysis products over Arctic sea ice by reconstructing snow depths from precipitation products and comparing them with snow depth observations from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Operation IceBridge (OIB). Results show that the observed snow depth pattern is generally captured through reconstruction of snow depth using various precipitation products, but the use of passive microwave precipitation estimates results in significant underestimation of the snow depth. By using CloudSat monthly precipitation rate, to adjust the Global Precipitation Climatology Product (GPCP V1.3), the modified product (GPCP V1.3-mod) shows improved statistics over GPCP V1.3 as compared with OIB snow depth observations. Snow depth reconstructed from ERA-Int precipitation rate outperformed other products by showing the highest correlation coefficient and lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE). ERA5 shows largerRMSEthan ERA-Int, while MERRA-2 results in large overestimation of snow depth and largerRMSEcompared to GPCP and other reanalysis products.6 month embargo; first published online 08 July 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Neutrophilic dermatosis of dorsal hands and legs

We present a case of neutrophilic dermatosis of dorsal hands (NDDH), with lesions on the dorsal part of the hands with pustular features and histologic picture of vasculitis.This case highlights the notion that low dose oral steroid can offer a useful first therapeutic option for NDDH. Interstingly, in this case, a few additional lesions were located on the legs, making it different from some previously described cases of NDDH. As with other authors, we believe that this recently described neutrophilic dermatosis is a localized and acral variant of SS. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of NDDH from Iran. © 2016, Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved

Introducing Spatially Distributed Fire Danger from Earth Observations (FDEO) Using Satellite-Based Data in the Contiguous United States

Wildfire danger assessment is essential for operational allocation of fire management resources; with longer lead prediction, the more efficiently can resources be allocated regionally. Traditional studies focus on meteorological forecasts and fire danger index models (e.g., National Fire Danger Rating System-NFDRS) for predicting fire danger. Meteorological forecasts, however, lose accuracy beyond 10 days; as such, there is no quantifiable method for predicting fire danger beyond 10 days. While some recent studies have statistically related hydrologic parameters and past wildfire area burned or occurrence to fire, no study has used these parameters to develop a monthly spatially distributed predictive model in the contiguous United States. Thus, the objective of this study is to introduce Fire Danger from Earth Observations (FDEO), which uses satellite data over the contiguous United States (CONUS) to enable two-month lead time prediction of wildfire danger, a sufficient lead time for planning purposes and relocating resources. In this study, we use satellite observations of land cover type, vapor pressure deficit, surface soil moisture, and the enhanced vegetation index, together with the United States Forest Service (USFS) verified and validated fire database (FPA) to develop spatially gridded probabilistic predictions of fire danger, defined as expected area burned as a deviation from "normal". The results show that the model predicts spatial patterns of fire danger with 52% overall accuracy over the 2004-2013 record, and up to 75% overall accuracy during the fire season. Overall accuracy is defined as number of pixels with correctly predicted fire probability classes divided by the total number of the studied pixels. This overall accuracy is the first quantified result of two-month lead prediction of fire danger and demonstrates the potential utility of using diverse observational data sets for use in operational fire management resource allocation in the CONUS.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]