Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of vitilgo vulgaris: an open label pilot clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vitiligo is a common hypopigmentation disorder with significant psychological impact if occurring before adulthood. A pilot clinical trial to determine the feasibility of an RCT was conducted and is reported here.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>12 participants 12 to 35 years old were recruited to a prospective open-label pilot trial and treated with 60 mg of standardized <it>G. biloba </it>two times per day for 12 weeks. The criteria for feasibility included successful recruitment, 75% or greater retention, effectiveness and lack of serious adverse reactions. Effectiveness was assessed using the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) and the Vitiligo European Task Force (VETF), which are validated outcome measures evaluating the area and intensity of depigmentation of vitiligo lesions. Other outcomes included photographs and adverse reactions. Safety was assessed by serum coagulation factors (platelets, PTT, INR) at baseline and week 12.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After 2 months of recruitment, the eligible upper age limit was raised from 18 to 35 years of age in order to facilitate recruitment of the required sample size. Eleven participants completed the trial with 85% or greater adherence to the protocol. The total VASI score improved by 0.5 (P = 0.021) from 5.0 to 4.5, range of scale 0 (no depigmentation) to 100 (completely depigmented). The progression of vitiligo stopped in all participants; the total VASI indicated an average repigmentation of vitiligo lesions of 15%. VETF total vitiligo lesion area decreased 0.4% (P = 0.102) from 5.9 to 5.6 from baseline to week 12. VETF staging score improved by 0.7 (P = 0.101) from 6.6 to 5.8, and the VETF spreading score improved by 3.9 (P < 0.001)) from 2.7 to -1.2. There were no statistically significant changes in platelet count, PTT, or INR.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The criteria for feasibility were met after increasing the maximum age limit of the successful recruitment criterion; participant retention, safety and effectiveness criteria were also met. Ingestion of 60 mg of <it>Ginkgo biloba </it>BID was associated with a significant improvement in total VASI vitiligo measures and VETF spread, and a trend towards improvement on VETF measures of vitiligo lesion area and staging. Larger, randomized double-blind clinical studies are warranted and appear feasible.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical trials.gov registration number <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00907062">NCT00907062</a></p

Influence of energy dissipation at the interphase boundaries on impact fracture behaviour of a plain carbon steel

The paper deals with the impact deformation and fracture behaviour of commercial plain carbon pipe steel 17Mn1Si. The explicit account of the internal grain structure, temperature and geometry of the notch have been made in theoretical physical mesomechanics formulation aiming at in depth understanding of the role of strain energy factors in dynamic fracture. Theoretical method of excitable cellular automata and laboratory impact bending tests followed by fractographic analysis were paired with time–frequency analysis of acoustic emission accompanying local deformation and fracture processes. It was shown that formulation of the crack opening criterion under dynamic loading conditions should explicitly account for rotation energy accumulation and incorporate the microscopic temporal and spatial details of defect generation from internal (grain) boundaries. A fairly good agreement has been found between the strain energy characteristics obtained from mechanical loading data and independently measured acoustic emission signal being distinguished in terms of consumed and released energy. The impact toughness almost linearly decreased with temperature, which was consistent with fractographic observations. At the stage of crack initiation, when the energy dissipation processes at the internal structure elements significantly affect the initiation of dynamic fracture, the acoustic emission energy reduced in proportion to the expended mechanical energy, which considerably decreased with temperature. The vital role of the energy release at interface/grain boundaries and its decreased significance with decreasing temperature was demonstrated both in numeric simulations and in dynamic experiments

The formation of the superheavy hydrogen isotope H-6 in the absorption of stopped pi(-)-mesons by nuclei

An experimental search for the superheavy hydrogen isotope H-6 was conducted through studying the absorption of stopped pi(-)-mesons by Be-9 and B-11 nuclei. A structure in the missing mass spectrum caused by the resonance states of H-6 was observed in three reaction channels, namely, Be-9(pi(-), pd)X, B-11(pi(-), d(3)He)X, and B-11(pi(-), p(4)He)X. The parameters of the lowest state E-r = 6.6 +/- 0.7 MeV and Gamma = 5.5 +/- 2.0 MeV (E-r is the resonance energy with respect to the disintegration into the triton and three neutrons) are evidence that H-6 is a more weakly bound system than H-4 and H-5. Three excited states of H-6 were observed. Their resonance levels (E-1r = 10.7 +/- 0.7 MeV, Gamma(1r) = 4 +/- 2 MeV, E-2r = 15.3 +/- 0.7 MeV, Gamma(2r) = 3 +/- 2 MeV, and E-3r = 21.3 +/- 0.4 MeV, Gamma(3r) = 3.5 +/- 1.0 MeV) are energetically capable of disintegrating into six free nucleons. (C) 2003 MAIK "Nauka / Interperiodica"

The formation of the superheavy hydrogen isotope H-6 in the absorption of stopped pi(-)-mesons by nuclei

An experimental search for the superheavy hydrogen isotope H-6 was conducted through studying the absorption of stopped pi(-)-mesons by Be-9 and B-11 nuclei. A structure in the missing mass spectrum caused by the resonance states of H-6 was observed in three reaction channels, namely, Be-9(pi(-), pd)X, B-11(pi(-), d(3)He)X, and B-11(pi(-), p(4)He)X. The parameters of the lowest state E-r = 6.6 +/- 0.7 MeV and Gamma = 5.5 +/- 2.0 MeV (E-r is the resonance energy with respect to the disintegration into the triton and three neutrons) are evidence that H-6 is a more weakly bound system than H-4 and H-5. Three excited states of H-6 were observed. Their resonance levels (E-1r = 10.7 +/- 0.7 MeV, Gamma(1r) = 4 +/- 2 MeV, E-2r = 15.3 +/- 0.7 MeV, Gamma(2r) = 3 +/- 2 MeV, and E-3r = 21.3 +/- 0.4 MeV, Gamma(3r) = 3.5 +/- 1.0 MeV) are energetically capable of disintegrating into six free nucleons. (C) 2003 MAIK "Nauka / Interperiodica"