Management of epidermal hyperpigmentation with a novel depigmenting formulation: a research survey

Background: Epidermal hyperpigmentation is an important dermatological concern with a high prevalence in the Indian population. Kojic acid-based depigmenting formulations have proven to be effective in the management of epidermal hyperpigmentation. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to assess physicians’ knowledge about epidermal hyperpigmentation and practice patterns about a novel depigmenting formulation containing a combination of kojic acid dipalmitate 4%, azelaic acid 12%, glycolic acid 3%, niacinamide 4%, arbutin 2%, glycogen liquid 2%, sodium hyaluronate solution 2%, and shea butter 1% for epidermal hyperpigmentation treatment in India. Methods: The survey was conducted among 235 dermatologists across different geographical regions of India over 3 months. The questionnaire evaluated prevalence and choice and duration of therapies for epidermal hyperpigmentation in Indian clinical practice, and dermatologists’ real-life experience with efficacy of the novel formulation. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey results. Results: All 235 dermatologists completed the questionnaire and responded to questions based on experience in treating patients with epidermal hyperpigmentation. In all, 58% dermatologists preferred kojic acid-based combinations. Furthermore, 57% of dermatologists agreed that glycolic acid can enhance the penetration of kojic acid and azelaic acid, 47.45% strongly agreed that a kojic acid-based formulation could be a safe alternative to steroid and hydroquinone-based formulations. Overall, 67% of dermatologists agreed that the kojic acid-based formulations with additional moisturizers helped in faster resolution of epidermal hyperpigmentation compared to other depigmenting formulations. Conclusions: The survey findings indicate that the novel kojic acid-based formulation with additional moisturizers could be a preferred choice for epidermal hyperpigmentation management

Soil Moisture Dynamics in Cover Cropping Systems: From Local to Global Scales

Cover cropping systems, which have gained recognition for their ability to enhance soil health and promote sustainability are also associated with potential risks related with declining soil moisture and pose a dilemma for farmers considering the adoption of cover crops in water deficit semi-arid settings worldwide. To address this pressing issue, we conducted a participatory cover cropping trial in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) region, encompassing four different farms and supplemented this experiment with a meta-analysis to answer our soil moisture and climate parameters and quantify the impact of cover crops on soil moisture levels. The findings revealed that cover crops absorb soil moisture during the cover cropping season, particularly in farms with clay soil. However, no significant impact on soil moisture was observed during cash cropping seasons in all the farms under study. The negative effect of cover crops on soil moisture was counterbalanced by precipitation events across all farms. Additionally, we observed that the root biomass and root distribution of cover crops play a significant role in governing soil moisture dynamics along the vertical soil moisture profile. However, further extensive examination is required to fully understand these dynamics. Our meta-analysis indicated that the impact of cover crops on soil moisture varies depending on the soil depth and the aridity of the region. In humid and sub-humid regions, cover crop-induced soil moisture losses were most pronounced in the uppermost soil layer, up to ~35 cm. In contrast, in arid and semi-arid climatic regions, the losses extended to depths of ~ 60 to 75 cm. These findings suggest that cover crop-induced soil moisture losses may be confined to specific depths, creating an opportunity for cash crops to access moisture at greater depths. Future research should focus on exploring climate-specific cover crop species suitable for different soil types and cultivation practices, particularly concerning the vertical soil moisture profile. Considering the significant influence of rainfall, it is essential for future studies to quantify the amount of rainfall required to offset the negative impact of cover crops. Additionally, the study of other physiological parameters such as evapotranspiration, ground cover, and shading effects can provide a comprehensive understanding of soil moisture dynamics under the cover cropping system at local and global scales

An Inventory Control Model for Fixed Deterioration and Logarithmic Demand Rates

This paper proposes an inventory control model for fixed deterioration and Logarithmic demand rat for the optimal stock of commodities to meet the future demand which may either arise at a constant rate or may vary with time. The analytical development is provided to obtain the optimal solution to minimize the total cost per time unit of an inventory control system. Numerical analysis has been presented to accredit the validity of the mentioned model. Effect of change in the values of different parameters on the decision variable and objectives function has been studied. Keywords:  Inventory Control, Fixed Deterioration, Logarithmic Demand rate, Commodities

Influenza Vaccine Production Capacity Building in Developing Countries: Example of the Serum Institute of India

AbstractIt is predicted that in case of an influenza pandemic, there will be a significant gap between potentially available vaccine supply and international demand. This paved the way for a WHO Global Pandemic Influenza Action Plan (GAP) aiming at increasing the world's production capacity for pandemic vaccine. In November 2006, six developing country manufacturers were awarded grants either to develop processes for production of inactivated or live attenuated seasonal and/or H5N1 influenza vaccines or for establishing filling facilities using imported antigens. In April 2009, spread of a new H1N1 influenza virus was identified which took a pandemic form. This paper gives an overview of influenza vaccine capacity building of developing country's manufacturers identified in WHO's GAP. Further, an account of developments at Serum Institute of India Limited (SIIL), one of recipients of WHO grant to develop pandemic influenza vaccine, are presented as a case study. Such initiatives have strengthened developing country vaccine manufacturers ability to respond to a pandemic situation in the future

Acute ST elevation myocardial infarction after intravenous immunoglobulin infusion in a young patient: a rare but probable adverse effect of immunoglobulin

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including autoimmune conditions. IVIG has been considered a safe medication, with minor and transient adverse effects. With the wider use of IVIG, the reported rate of adverse effects has been increased, some of them are potentially fatal cardiovascular reactions due to induction of hypercoagulable state. We report a 40-year-old female treated with IVIG for Guillain-Barre syndrome, who developed chest pain 1 hr following IVIG infusion. The symptoms were associated with ST elevation in anterior leads on electrocardiogram. This anterior wall myocardial infarction (MI) is compatible with IVIG-induced hypercoagulability and considered as a probable adverse effect of this medication. To the best of our knowledge, this is probably the first case report where a young patient developed acute MI without any cardiac risk factors after IVIG infusion

An Inventory Model with Periodic Demand, Constant Deterioration and Shortages

In this paper, an inventory model with periodic demand, constant deterioration and shortages has been proposed. The periodic demand rate increases by a constant percentage during each time interval. The proposed model will be constrained binomial geometric programming model with constant deterioration and shortage. This implies that for any exponentially growing quantity, the larger the increase in quantity, the faster it grows. A numerical analysis of the proposed model has been presented. Production rate is considered as finite and approximation procedure is used to solve the model. Keywords: Deterioration, shortage, Inventory Control, Demand Rate, periodic, Exponential Growth

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Not AvailablePeople of all ages are suffering from periodontal disease. It causes indirect damage in the oral cavity. It is of interest to evaluate the efficacy of xanthan-based chlorhexidine gel (Xan-CHX) in patients with mild-severe chronic periodontitis. Five patients with 60 sites were divided in two groups. Group A (treated with SRP) and group B (treated with Chlosite i.e., SRP + CHL). The recorded clinical parameters were Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI), Bleeding index (BI), and Clinical attachment Level (CAL) with sub gingival plaque subjected to microbial analysis. Significant reduction was observed in both groups. However, group B (treated with Chlosite i.e., SRP + CHL) showed statistically significant improvement on above mentioned parameters as compared to group A. Data suggest that in the treatment of periodontal disease (viz. PI, GI, BI and CAL) combination of SRP and Chlosite showed added benefits over only SRP.Not Availabl

A study of association of vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery disease

Background: Recently vitamin D has received great interests for its multiple effects on inflammatory system and potential role in atherothrombosis. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the common causes of death and disability in developed countries. Experimental evidence points to the involvement of multiple factors in coronary plaque formation, including vitamin D. The study aimed to examine the association of coronary artery disease with vitamin D level.Methods: 140 patients of CAD (coronary artery disease) and 101 age and sex matched control were enrolled in the study and 25-hyroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration was measured. All participants were evaluated for presence of conventional risk factors for coronary artery disease. Association of vitamin D level was established after adjusting other risk factors using logistic regression analysis.Results: In our study vitamin D level is significantly lower in patient group (CAD patients) compared with control group (18.2±10.9 vs 28.8±21ng/mL). Vitamin D deficiency was present in 81.4% patient in CAD patients whereas 57.7% in control group. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be an independent predictor of CAD after adjusting effect of other risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol and level of physical activity with adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 2.695 (1.148-6.330).Conclusions: In present study patients of coronary artery disease had significantly low level of vitamin D as compared to individual without coronary artery disease. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be an independent predictor of CAD after adjusting other risk factors emphasizing that vitamin D can be a potential risk factor for development of coronary artery disease.