Treatment of head lice with dimeticone 4% lotion: comparison of two formulations in a randomised controlled trial in rural Turkey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dimeticone 4% lotion was shown to be an effective treatment for head louse infestation in two randomised controlled trials in England. It is not affected by insecticide resistance but efficacy obtained (70-75%) was lower than expected. This study was designed to evaluate efficacy of dimeticone 4% lotion in a geographically, socially, and culturally different setting, in rural Turkey and, in order to achieve blinding, it was compared with a potential alternative formulation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Children from two village schools were screened for head lice by detection combing. All infested students and family members could participate, giving access to treatment for the whole community. Two investigator applied treatments were given 7 days apart. Outcome was assessed by detection combing three times between treatments and twice the week following second treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the intention to treat group 35/36 treated using dimeticone 4% had no lice after the second treatment but there were two protocol violators giving 91.7% treatment success. The alternative product gave 30/36 (83.3%) treatment success, a difference of 8.4% (95% CI -9.8% to 26.2%). The cure rates per-protocol were 33/34 (97.1%) and 30/35 (85.7%) respectively. We were unable to find any newly emerged louse nymphs on 77.8% of dimeticone 4% treated participants or on 66.7% of those treated with the alternative formulation. No adverse events were identified.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results confirm the efficacy of dimeticone 4% lotion against lice and eggs and we found no detectable difference between this product and dimeticone 4% lotion with nerolidol 2% added. We believe that the high cure rate was related to the lower intensity of infestation in Turkey, together with the level of community engagement, compared with previous studies in the UK.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN10431107</p

Evaluation of mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) identified in Manisa province according to their breeding sites and seasonal differences

Amaç: Manisa ilinde yaşayan sivrisinek türlerini ve bunların neden olabileceği enfeksiyon hastalıklarını belirlemek amacıyla, Ekim 2008-Ekim 2009 arası sucul habitatlardan sivrisinek larva örnekleri toplanarak tür tayini yapılmıştır. Yöntemler: Çalışma alanlarında yüzey suyundan standart larva toplama kepçesi yardımıyla sivrisinek larvaları toplanmıştır. Toplanan 1. ve 2. evre sivrisinek larvaları laboratuvara getirilmiş, 3. ve 4. evre larva haline geldiklerinde tür tayinleri yapılmış ve ergin hale gelene dek laboratuarda tutulmuşlardır. Ayrıca, habitat suyunda bulunan sivrisinek pupaları ile 3. ve 4. evre larvalarından ergin hale geçenlerin tür tayinleri de yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışmada toplam 8098 larvanın örneklemesi yapılmış ve Culex pipiens ile Culex martinii’nin Manisa’daki baskın türler olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar Manisa’da Culex cinsine bağlı üç [Culex (Culex) pipiens, Culex (Neoculex) martinii ve Culex (Maillotia) deserticola], Culiseta cinsine bağlı iki [Culiseta (Culiseta) annulata ve Culiseta (Allotheobaldia) longiareolata] ve Anopheles cinsine ait bir türün [Anopheles (Cellia) superpictus] bulunduğunu göstermiştir. Sonuç: Manisa ilinde sıtma vektörü An. superpictus ile, tularemi ve Batı Nil Virüsü gibi birçok arbovirüsün vektörleri olan Cx. pipiens, Cs. annulata ve Cs. longaireolata’nın yerleşik olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmanın ikinci aşamasında toplanan sivrisineklerde enfeksiyon ajanı mikroorganizmaların varlığı araştırılacaktır. Bu gibi çalışmaların daha geniş ölçekli olarak yürütülmesi bölgemizde görülebilecek vektör hastalıklarına karşı önlem alınmasına katkıda bulunacaktır.Objective: To identify the mosquito species and the potential mosquito-related infectious diseases in Manisa province, mosquito larvae were collected from aquatic habitats in Manisa between October 2008 and October 2009. Methods: Mosquito larvae were collected from the surface water of study sites with a standard larvae collection spoon. The 1st and 2nd stage larvae brought to the laboratory were kept until they become adults, and their species were identified during 3rd or 4th larvae stages. In addition, species identification was made for 3rd or 4th stage larvae as well as pupae in aquatic samples, as well. Results: A total of 8098 larvae samples were collected during the study and Culex (Culex) pipiens and Culex (Neoculex) martini were found to be the predominant species in Manisa. Three Culex [Culex (Culex) pipiens, Culex (Neoculex) martini, Culex (Maillotia) deserticola], two Culiseta [Culiseta (Culiseta) annulata, Culiseta (Allotheobaldia) longiareolata] and one Anopheles [Anopheles (Cellia) superpictus] species were identified. Conclusion: Anopheles superpictus, the vector of malaria; Culex pipiens, Culiseta annulata, Culiseta longiareolata, the vectors of tularemia and arbovirus infections such as West Nile Virus infection, were identified in Manisa province. Conduction of similar larger-scale studies will contribute to the prevention of vector-borne diseases in our region

SELEX against whole-cell bacteria resulted in lipopolysaccharide binding aptamers

Nucleic acid aptamers are target-specific oligonucleotides selected from combinatorial libraries through an iterative in vitro screening process known as Systemic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX). In this report, the selection of bacteria differentiating ssDNA aptamer candidates from a combinatorial library through the whole-cell SELEX method was performed. The enriched SELEX pool was sequenced using Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology and analyzed for the most abundant sequences using CLC Genomics Workbench. The sequencing data resulted in several oligonucleotide families from which three individual sequences were chosen per SELEX based on the copy numbers. The binding performance of the selected aptamers was assessed by flow cytometry and fluorescence spectroscopy, and the binding constants were estimated using binding saturation curves. Varying results were obtained from two independent SELEX procedures where the SELEX against the model gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli provided more selective sequences while the SELEX library used against gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes did not evolve as expected. The sequences that emerged from E. coli SELEX were shown to bind Lipopolysaccharide residues (LPS) and inhibit LPS-induced macrophage polarization. Thus, it can be said that, performed whole-cell SELEX could be resulted as the selection of aptamers which can bind LPS and inhibit LPS induced inflammation response and thus can be candidates for the inhibition of bacterial infections. In future studies, the selected aptamer sequences could be structurally and chemically modified and exploited as potential diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents as LPS antagonists

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

Objective: The aim of the present study is to assess carpal tunnel syndrome's (CTS's) ultrasonography (US) and magnetic reso-nance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and compare them with healthy controls.Methods: Thirty-nine PsA and twenty-eight healthy volunteers were examined in this study. Demographic and clinical features were recorded. CTS-6, a diagnostic algorithm, was used to estimate the probability of CTS. Electrodiagnostic study (EDS) was applied to all wrists included in the report, where the diagnosis of CTS was made by EDS. The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve was measured at pisiform bone level by US and MRI.Results: Regarding to the demographic characteristics, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Twelve of 39 (30.76%) PsA patients had CTS, whereas CTS was not detected in the control group (p=0.001). US and MRI showed increased median nerve CSA in PsA patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.005, p<0.001; respectively). Also, US and MRI showed increased median nerve CSA in CTS patients compared to others (p=0.002, p<0.001; respectively). The Pearson correla-tion coefficient between MRI and US measurements of the CSA was 0.85 (p<0.001).Conclusion: CTS frequency in PsA patients is found higher than healthy controls. The relationship between CTS diagnosed by EDS and CSA measured by both US and MRI was observed in PsA patients

Comparison of two combs in the detection of head lice in school children

The diagnostic efficacies of two metal pin lice combs having different spacing between their teeth were compared in two cohorts of school children, aged between 7 and 15 years, from different villages of Manisa, Turkey. Head lice infestation was evaluated with comb A (0.18 mm of distance between the teeth) in 95 children in Cavusoglu village, and with comb B (0.15 mm of distance between the teeth) in 146 children in Yesilk;ouml;y village, compared to visual inspection. Five of 95 (5.3%) children in Cavusoglu village and 5 of 146 (3.4%) children in Yesilk;ouml;y village were found to harbor live head lice with combing, while none was detected during the visual inspection. The difference between the infestation rates of two cohorts was statistically insignificant (p;gt;0.05). With visual screening, 15 and 16 children with louse eggs were identified in Cavusoglu and Yesilk;ouml;y villages, respectively. With combing in these villages, 5 and 8 children, respectively, with louse eggs were identified and 3 and 5 children, respectively, were detected only with combing, not with visual screening. In conclusion, combing is more effective than visual inspection in head lice detection, but there were no significant difference between the two combs either in lice detection or in usage.Manisa'nın farklı iki köyündeki ilköğretim okullarında okuyan yaşları 7 ile 15 arasındaki iki öğrenci grubunda, metal diş aralıkları birbirinden farklı iki bit tarağının tanısal etkinlikleri gözle muayene yöntemiyle karşılaştırılarak değerlendirildi. Bunun için Çavuşoğlu köyündeki 95 çocukta Tarak A (diş aralığı 0.18 mm), Yeşilköy' deki 146 çocukta ise Tarak B ile (diş aralığı 0.15 mm) saç biti (Pediculus capitis) varlığı araştırıldı. Çavuşoğlu köyündeki 95 çocuğun 5'inde (% 5,3) ve Yeşilköy'deki 146 çocuğun 5'inde (%3.4) tarama ile canlı saç bitine rastlanırken gözle muayene ile ise hiç saç bitine rastlanmadı. İki kohort arasındaki saç biti infestasyon oranları arasındaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmadı (p>0.05). Gözle muayene sırasında, Çavuşoğlu ve Yeşilköy okullarındaki sırasıyla 15 ve 16 çocukta bit yumurtasına rastlandı, ancak hiçbirinde canlı saç bitine rastlanmadı. Tarama ile ise sırasıyla 5 ve 8 çocukta bit yumurtası görüldü ve bunların sırasıyla 3 ve 5 tanesi sadece tarama sırasında görülüp gözle muayenede görülmedi. Yapılan değerlendirmede, saç bitinin tanısında taramanın gözle muayeneye kıyasla daha etkili olduğu ve karşılaştırılan iki tarağın tanısal etkinlik ya da kullanım kolaylığı açılarından birbirlerinden farklı olmadıkları gösterild

Okullarda Düzenli Aralıklarla Gerçekleştirilen Kontroller Saç Biti (Pediculus capitis) İnsidansını Düşürmekte Yeterli Olabilir mi?

In the present study, school children of similar age-groups from two villages of Manisa province, namely Osmancalı and Maldan, were examined in regular time periods to monitorize the changes in the incidence of head lice (Pediculus capitis). A total of 2091 children (1565 in Osmancalı and 526 in Maldan) were combed with a newly-designed lice comb (PDC;reg;, KSL Consulting, Helsinge, Denmark) four times in May and November in 2008 and 2009. The assessment of the results was conducted with SPSS;reg; v.15 program using CHAID and logistic regression analysis. The results of the periodic examinations of the children showed that the infestation rate of girls were found to be higher significantly compared to boys (P;lt;0.001), and the incidence of head lice infestation in boys from Osmancalı was found three times higher than the incidence in boys in Maldan (P=0.002). In addition, regular dry combing and treatment lowered the infestation rates among girls significantly (P=0.001). According to the results of the study, regular dry combing of school children with specially-designed lice combs may be essential for the control of this common infestation, especially in rural areasÇalışmamızda Manisa'nın Osmancalı ve Maldan köylerindeki ilköğretim okullarında aynı yaş grubundaki çocuklarda belirli aralıklarla saç biti (Pediculus capitis) taramaları yapılmış ve çocuklardaki bit varlığındaki değişimler izlenerek kaydedilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, 2008 ve 2009 yıllarının Mayıs ve Kasım aylarında o zaman için yeni geliştirilmiş bir bit tarağı (PDC®, KSL Consulting, Helsinge, Danimarka) kullanılarak yapılan düzenli taramalarda, (1565'i Osmancalı, 526'sı Maldan'dan) toplam 2091 çocuk çalışmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Sonuçların değerlendirilmesi SPSS® v.15 programının CHAID ve lojistik regresyon analizi kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Düzenli aralıklarla toplam 4 kez gerçekleştirilen taramalar sonucunda, kızlarda saç biti infestasyonunun erkeklerden çok daha yüksek düzeylerde olduğu (P0.001), Osmancalı'daki erkek öğrencilerdeki insidansın Maldan'daki erkeklerin yaklaşık 3 katı olduğu (P=0.002) gözlenmiştir. Ayrıca, düzenli tarama ve tedaviler sonucunda kızlardaki saç biti infestasyonunun anlamlı düzeyde azaldığı belirlenmiştir (P=0.001). Bu çalışmanın sonuçları, saç biti infestasyonunun kontrol altına alınmasında düzenli aralıklarla yapılan muayene ve tedavilerin özellikle kırsal kesimde başarılı olabileceğini göstermişti