Comparative study of oral ivermectin, topical permethrin and benzyl benzoate in the treatment of scabies

Background: Efficacy of these modalities as shown by various investigations are inconsistent and ambiguous. Thus, evidence based effective treatment option is warranted. Aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of oral ivermectin, topical permethrin and benzyl benzoate in the treatment of uncomplicated scabies.Methods: Patients with confirmed diagnosis of scabies were included in this study. One hundred and ninety-five subjects were included in this investigation as per inclusion and exclusion criteria laid down. Equal numbers of patients were randomly allocated to one of the three treatment groups. Efficacy of three groups [oral ivermectin (Group A), topical permethrin (Group B) and benzyl benzoate (Group C)] of drugs was compared in terms of improvement in clinical grading of disease (%) and improvement in clinical grading of pruritus (%) during follow up visits.Results: Those subjects receiving topical permethrin, at 1st follow up 56.9% showed cure rate which increased to 89.2% at 2nd follow up with respect to clinical improvement in pruritus. Maximum relief in severity of pruritus at the end of 6th week was reported by 58(89.2%) patients receiving group B treatment modality followed by 52 patients (80%) in arm A. Regarding efficacy of three treatment groups in terms of improvement in severity of lesion at the end of 6 weeks, maximum number of patients 57(87.7%), receiving group B treatment reported improvement which is better than other two treatment groups.Conclusions: maximum number of patients receiving topical Permethrin treatment reported improvement better than other Oral Ivermectin therapy and topical benzyl benzoate. Oral ivermectin may serve a good alternative for managing scabies under certain conditions like poor compliance to topical scabicides

Food, Nutrition and Agrobiodiversity Under Global Climate Change

Available evidence and predictions suggest overall negative effects on agricultural production as a result of climate change, especially when more food is required by a growing population. Information on the effects of global warming on pests and pathogens affecting agricultural crops is limited, though crop–pest models could offer means to predict changes in pest dynamics, and help design sound plant health management practices. Host-plant resistance should continue to receive high priority as global warming may favor emergence of new pest epidemics. There is increased risk, due to climate change, to food and feed contaminated by mycotoxin-producing fungi. Mycotoxin biosynthesis gene-specific microarray is being used to identify food-born fungi and associated mycotoxins, and investigate the influence of environmental parameters and their interactions for control of mycotoxin in food crops. Some crop wild relatives are threatened plant species and efforts should be made for their in situ conservation to ensure evolution of new variants, which may contribute to addressing new challenges to agricultural production. There should be more emphasis on germplasm enhancement to develop intermediate products with specific characteristics to support plant breeding. Abiotic stress response is routinely dissected to component physiological traits. Use of transgene(s) has led to the development of transgenic events, which could provide enhanced adaptation to abiotic stresses that are exacerbated by climate change. Global warming is also associated with declining nutritional quality of food crops. Micronutrient-dense cultivars have been released in selected areas of the developing world, while various nutritionally enhanced lines are in the release pipeline. The high-throughput phenomic platforms are allowing researchers to accurately measure plant growth and development, analyze nutritional traits, and assess response to stresses on large sets of individuals. Analogs for tomorrow’s agriculture offer a virtual natural laboratory to innovate and test technological options to develop climate resilience production systems. Increased use of agrobiodiversity is crucial to coping with adverse impacts of global warming on food and feed production and quality. No one solution will suffice to adapt to climate change and its variability. Suits of technological innovations, including climate-resilient crop cultivars, will be needed to feed 9 billion people who will be living in the Earth by the middle of the twenty-first century