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

SMAP Soil Moisture Change as an Indicator of Drought Conditions

Soil moisture is considered a key variable in drought analysis. The soil moisture dynamics given by the change in soil moisture between two time periods can provide information on the intensification or improvement of drought conditions. The aim of this work is to analyze how the soil moisture dynamics respond to changes in drought conditions over multiple time intervals. The change in soil moisture estimated from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite observations was compared with the United States Drought Monitor (USDM) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) over the contiguous United States (CONUS). The results indicated that the soil moisture change over 13-week and 26-week intervals is able to capture the changes in drought intensity levels in the USDM, and the change over a four-week interval correlated well with the one-month SPI values. This suggested that a short-term negative soil moisture change may indicate a lack of precipitation, whereas a persistent long-term negative soil moisture change may indicate severe drought conditions. The results further indicate that the inclusion of soil moisture change will add more value to the existing drought-monitoring products

Comparative analysis of snowfall accumulation over Antarctica in light of Ice discharge and gravity observations from space

The remote and cold Antarctic continent presents unique challenges to quantify precipitation rates from space andin situobservations. This has resulted in large uncertainties in current estimates. In this study, we quantify annual precipitation rates over seven Antarctic basins using a novel mass budget (MB) approach, by building on the recent Landsat based estimate of ice discharge and changes in total water storage from GRACE. The MB precipitation rates are compared with those from CloudSat, GPCP, the Arthern precipitation climatology, the GPM constellation sensors, a few popular reanalysis products, and a regional climate model for two periods: 2007-2010 and 2013-2015. The new estimates are bounded by CloudSat precipitation rates with and without adjustment for the unmeasured near surface precipitation. GPM products significantly underestimate Antarctic precipitation rate, but capture spatial variability that is valuable for bias-adjustment. We find variable performance between products at basin scale, suggesting that an in-depth regional study of precipitation rates is necessary.District of Columbia Space Grant ConsortiumOpen access articleThis 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 serum vitamin D level in patients with cutaneous warts: A case-control study

Background: The use of vitamin D and its analogues in the treatment of warts has been to be effective and painless without any considerable side effects, unlike some other routine safe and effective therapeutic modalities such as cryotherapy that in some cases is really difficult to perform due to related pain, especially in the children. Owing to a probable relationship between the deficiency of serum vitamin D and warts, this research aimed to find the association between level of serum vitamin D and warts. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 56 subjects in Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran, for 18 months. The subjects were randomly divided into case and control groups, including 28 age and sex-matched subjects in each of them. The required data were extracted through a questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed in the SPSS software V.22 using tests such as Mann-Whitney and Pearson correlation. Results: In this study, 56 people were examined, and 28 subjects were included in both case and control groups. The mean serum level of vitamin D in both case and control groups was 23.564 and 31.593, respectively. The association between serum levels of vitamin D in the group with and without wart was not significant in both men and female groups. Serum vitamin D levels were compared in two groups of under 18 years old and between 18 and 50 years old, which were not statistically significant. Conclusion: According to our results, there is no significant relationship between serum vitamin D levels and existence of warts. This relationship is not statistically significant at the level of age and sex variables, and there is no difference in age and gender between the case and control groups. © 2020 Iranian Society of Dermatology

Increased Frequency of Extreme Tropical Deep Convection: AIRS Observations and Climate Model Predictions

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data from the tropical oceans (30 degrees N to 30 degrees S) are used to derive the probability of the process resulting in deep convective clouds (DCCs) as function of the sea surface temperature (SST). For DCC at or below the tropopause the onset temperature of this process shifts at the same rate as the increase in the mean SST. For tropopause overshooting DCC, which are associated with extreme rain events, the shift of the onset temperature is slower, causing their frequency to increase by about 21%/K of warming of the oceans. This sensitivity is not inconsistent with the sensitivity of the increase of extreme deep convective rain in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 5 model for a warmer SST. The mean of the 36 fifth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models predicts a 2.7 K warmer tropical SST by the end of this century, resulting in a 60% increases in the frequency of tropopause overshooting DCC. Plain Language Summary We use 15 years of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder observations of the tropical oceans to derive the probability of the deep convective cloud (DCC) process as a function of the sea surface temperature. Based on this, the frequency of extreme (tropopause overshooting) DCCs will increase about 21% per 1 K of warming of the tropical oceans. Tropopause overshooting DCC are correlated with extreme rain rates. We evaluated the expected increase in the frequency of extreme precipitation in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 5 model in a warmer tropical ocean. The increase of extreme rain rates in the model is consistent with the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder-derived increase in frequency of extreme DCC. The mean of the fifth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models predicts a 2.7 K increase in the surface temperature of the tropical oceans by the end of this century. This means that the frequency of extreme DCC in the tropical oceans could increase by about 60%.6 month embargo; published online: 3 December 2018This 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]

SMAP Soil Moisture Change as an Indicator of Drought Conditions

Soil moisture is considered a key variable in drought analysis. The soil moisture dynamics given by the change in soil moisture between two time periods can provide information on the intensification or improvement of drought conditions. The aim of this work is to analyze how the soil moisture dynamics respond to changes in drought conditions over multiple time intervals. The change in soil moisture estimated from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite observations was compared with the United States Drought Monitor (USDM) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) over the contiguous United States (CONUS). The results indicated that the soil moisture change over 13-week and 26-week intervals is able to capture the changes in drought intensity levels in the USDM, and the change over a four-week interval correlated well with the one-month SPI values. This suggested that a short-term negative soil moisture change may indicate a lack of precipitation, whereas a persistent long-term negative soil moisture change may indicate severe drought conditions. The results further indicate that the inclusion of soil moisture change will add more value to the existing drought-monitoring products

Systematic review of platelet-rich plasma in treating alopecia: Focusing on efficacy, safety, and therapeutic durability

Considering the different forms, alopecia could be a very common condition with particular therapeutic concerns; thus, recent therapies still require further assessments. Aim of this systematic review was to evaluate efficacy, safety, and therapeutic durability of platelet rich plasma (PRP) in treating various forms of alopecia. A total of 64 articles were found through a systematic search, and eight original articles were included in the study, based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. In most studies (62.5) patients' conditions had improved by receiving PRP therapy; these cases experienced an increase in growth and thickness of hair. Simultaneous use of PRP and Minoxidil demonstrated the highest rate of improvement and satisfaction. The highest efficacy in patients with alopecia areata was 76 and the lowest efficacy was 31.7 and in patients with androgenetic alopecia the highest efficacy was 42.75 and the lowest reported efficacy was 25.55. The main side effect was pain due to PRP injection, which disappeared after ending the treatment and only one article reported more serious side effects. Recurrence after treatment was also reported in only one article. PRP is a safe and easy method for treating hair loss and has limited adverse effects. Optimization of this method depends on dosage, number of sessions and their intervals, and injection techniques. According to the results, the use of PRP due to its relatively high efficiency, low and tolerable side effects, and low recurrence rate can be a good method for the treatment of alopecia and hair loss. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC

Systematic review of low-dose isotretinoin for treatment of acne vulgaris: Focus on indication, dosage, regimen, efficacy, safety, satisfaction, and follow up, based on clinical studies

Oral isotretinoin is the most effective treatment for moderate to severe acne and its side effects are mostly dose-dependent. Low dose isotretinoin (0.5 mg/kg/day for 1 week every 4 weeks for 6-months) could be effective and even in its end result, comparable with high or optimal doses. In this systematic review, we aimed to sum up the results of clinical trials regarding indications, dosage, prescription protocol, effectiveness, side effects, patient satisfaction, recurrence rate, and follow-up period of low dose isotretinoin in treatment of acne. Cochrane, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Medline were searched. A total of 460 articles were searched electronically and 382 articles were excluded. About 4 were non-English and 2, before 1980. The full text of 72 articles was reviewed. Finally 15 documents met the inclusion criteria for entering this systematic review. The standard dose of isotretinoin is 0.5-1 mg/kg/day for 4 months with a total dose of 120-140 mg/kg/day. Daily doses between 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg can be recommended for more than 6 months due to the occurrence of fewer side effects and more economical concerns. For greater effectiveness, it could be combined with other medications. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC