A model analysis to measure the adherence of Etanercept and Fezakinumab therapy for the treatment of psoriasis

This article deals with a immunological model, which includes multiple classes of T cells, namely, the naive T cell, type I, type II and type 17 T helper cells (Th1, Th2, Th17), regulatory T cell (Treg) along with the activated natural killer cells (NK cells) and epidermal keratinocytes. In order to describe the etiology of psoriasis development, we have studied the basic mathematical properties of the model, existence and stability of the interior equilibrium. We have also derived the drug-induced mathematical model using impulse differential equation to determine the effects of combined biologics Etanercept (TNF-α inhibitor) and Fezakinumab (IL-22 monoclonal antibody) therapy considering perfect dosing during the inductive phase. We have determined the required dosing interval of both drugs to maintain the keratinocytes concentration below a threshold level. This study shows that Etanercept alone could theoretically maintain the keratinocytes level, whereas frequent dosing of Fezakinumab alone may not be enough to control the hyper-proliferation of keratinocytes. Furthermore, combination of the drugs with perfect dosing has the noticeable effect on keratinocytes dynamics, which may be suitable therapeutic approaches for treatment of psoriasis

Long term dynamics in a mathematical model of HIV-1 infection with delay in different variants of the basic drug therapy model

Infection with HIV-1, degrading the human immune system and recent advances of drug therapy to arrest HIV-1 infection, has generated considerable research interest in the area. Sebastian Bonhoeffer et al. [2], introduced a population model representing long term dynamics of HIV infection in response to available drug therapies. We consider a similar type of approximate model incorporating time delay in the process of infection on the healthy T cells which, in turn, implies inclusion of a similar delay in the process of viral replication. The model is studied both analytically and numerically. We also include a similar delay in the killing rate of infected CD4+ T cells by Cytotoxic TLymphocyte (CTL) and in the stimulation of CTL and analyze two resulting models numerically. The models with no time delay present have two equilibria: one where there is no infection and a non-trivial equilibrium where the infection can persist. If there is no time delay then the non-trivial equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable. Both our analytical results (for the first model) and our numerical results (for all three models) indicate that introduction of a time delay can destabilize the non-trivial equilibrium. The numerical results indicate that such destabilization occurs at realistic time delays and that there is a threshold time delay beneath which the equilibrium with infection present is locally asymptotically stable and above which this equilibrium is unstable and exhibits oscillatory solutions of increasing amplitude

Cystic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Diagnostic Dilemma

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are typically solid neoplasms but in rare instances may present as cystic lesions. Preoperative diagnosis of a cystic pancreatic lesion is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary and multimodal approach. We hereby describe an elderly female who came with complaints of abdominal lump. Radiologically, it appeared to be a pancreatic hydatid cyst located at the head of the pancreas, following which resection was done. Histopathological study of the lesion turned out to be a cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Thus, we present this unique case due to its rarity and diagnostic challenge

D-penicillamine induced degenerative dermopathy

D-penicillamine interferes with elastin and collagen metabolism and produces several cutaneous and multi-systemic side-effects. We present two cases of Wilson′s disease who on long-term penicillamine therapy developed drug-induced degenerative dermopathy manifesting as skin fragility over pressure sites and cutis laxa-like changes

A mathematical model on CTL mediated control of hiv infection in a long-term drug therapy

Bonhoeffer et al.1 studied the long-term dynamics of HIV drug therapy and virus load dynamics. It is well known that highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART) can effectively control the HIV replication. It is also well known that reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) could block new infection and as a result control HIV infection. The positive feedback control on such dynamics plays an important role and CD4+T cells are not only produced from a source but also produced from existing T cells. The present investigation takes into account these factors in the original model of Bonhoeffer et al. The optimal control therapy and the effect of time delay in the positive feedback control function have been investigated. Numerical simulation of the nonlinear model has confirmed our analytical studies.Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S021833901350019

Designer porous antibacterial membranes derived from thermally induced phase separation of PS/PVME blends decorated with an electrospun nanofiber scaffold

We report the development of porous membranes by thermally induced phase separation of a PS/PVME (polystyrene/polyvinylmethyl ether]) blend, which is a typical LCST mixture. The morphology of the membrane after etching out the PVME phase was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. To give the membrane an antibacterial surface, polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl(methyl ether)]-alt-maleic anhydride (PVME-MAH) with silver nanoparticles (nAg) were electrospun on the membrane surface. Pure water flux was evaluated by using a cross-flow membrane setup. The microgrooved fibers changed the flux across the membrane depending on the surface properties. The antibacterial properties of the membrane were confirmed by the reduction in the colony count of E. coli. The SEM images show the disruption of the bacterial cell membrane and the antibacterial mechanism was discussed

Synchronous Malignancies: Pathological Analysis of Three Patients, Each with Dual Malignancies

Multiple primary malignancies are defined as two or more malignancies arising independently to each other in the same or different anatomical sites, while excluding the possibility of metastasis from the primary malignancy. Here, we present three cases, each with dual malignancies involving different anatomical locations