Therapeutic Considerations Related to Finasteride Administration in Male Androgenic Alopecia and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Finasteride has been used extensively until now as a relative efficient therapeutic option for male androgenic alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Unfortunately, over time several concerns appeared regarding the frequency and magnitude of adverse effects, which in some cases have been even irreversible. Herein we review the recent literature on this topic, trying to clarify the current safety profile of Finasteride for these two therapeutic indications. We concluded that Finasteride could be retained as a therapeutic approach for male androgenic alopecia, based on two important reasons. First, a synergistic action between a partial inhibitor of 5α-reductase (Finasteride) and another compound (like Minoxidil) are preferable to a complete suppression of 5α-reductase (see Dutasteride), in order to preserve the important physiological roles of dihydrotestosterone. Second, Finasteride side effects can currently be addressed in part prior to the onset of the therapy, by using information about the patient such as hand preference and sexual orientation to predict the risk of adverse effects

Therapeutic Considerations Related to Finasteride Administration in Male Androgenic Alopecia and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Finasteride has been used extensively until now as a relative efficient therapeutic option for male androgenic alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Unfortunately, over time several concerns appeared regarding the frequency and magnitude of adverse effects, which in some cases have been even irreversible. Herein we review the recent literature on this topic, trying to clarify the current safety profile of Finasteride for these two therapeutic indications. We concluded that Finasteride could be retained as a therapeutic approach for male androgenic alopecia, based on two important reasons. First, a synergistic action between a partial inhibitor of 5α-reductase (Finasteride) and another compound (like Minoxidil) are preferable to a complete suppression of 5α-reductase (see Dutasteride), in order to preserve the important physiological roles of dihydrotestosterone. Second, Finasteride side effects can currently be addressed in part prior to the onset of the therapy, by using information about the patient such as hand preference and sexual orientation to predict the risk of adverse effects

Structure and dynamics in protic ionic liquids: a combined optical Kerr-effect and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy study

The structure and dynamics of ionic liquids (ILs) are unusual due to the strong interactions between the ions and counter ions. These microscopic properties determine the bulk transport properties critical to applications of ILs such as advanced fuel cells. The terahertz dynamics and slower relaxations of simple alkylammonium nitrate protic ionic liquids (PILs) are here studied using femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The observed dynamics give insight into more general liquid behaviour while comparison with glass-forming liquids reveals an underlying power-law decay and relaxation rates suggest supramolecular structure and nanoscale segregation

Burden of Stroke in Europe:An Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study Findings From 2010 to 2019

BACKGROUND:While most European Regions perform well in global comparisons, large discrepancies within stroke epidemiological parameters exist across Europe. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the stroke burden across European regions and countries in 2019 and its difference to 2010.METHODS:The GBD 2019 analytical tools were used to evaluate regional and country-specific estimates of incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years of stroke for the European Region as defined by the World Health Organization, with its 53 member countries (EU-53) and for European Union as defined in 2019, with its 28 member countries (EU-28), between 2010 and 2019. Results were analyzed at a regional, subregional, and country level.RESULTS:In EU-53, the absolute number of incident and prevalent strokes increased by 2% (uncertainty interval [UI], 0%–4%), from 1 767 280 to 1 802 559 new cases, and by 4% (UI, 3%–5%) between 2010 and 2019, respectively. In EU-28, the absolute number of prevalent strokes and stroke-related deaths increased by 4% (UI, 2%–5%) and by 6% (UI, 1%–10%), respectively. All-stroke age-standardized mortality rates, however, decreased by 18% (UI, −22% to −14%), from 82 to 67 per 100 000 people in the EU-53, and by 15% (UI, −18% to −11%), from 49.3 to 42.0 per 100 000 people in EU-28. Despite most countries presenting reductions in age-adjusted incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life year rates, these rates remained 1.4×, 1.2×, 1.6×, and 1.7× higher in EU-53 in comparison to the EU-28.CONCLUSIONS:EU-53 showed a 2% increase in incident strokes, while they remained stable in EU-28. Age-standardized rates were consistently lower for all-stroke burden parameters in EU-28 in comparison to EU-53, and huge discrepancies in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-year rates were observed between individual countries.<br/

Spremljanje adsorpcije heparina na modelne polietilentereftalatne (PET) površine s pomočjo kremenove mikrotehtnice

The adsorption of anticoagulant heparin onto model poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) film was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance with a dissipation unit (QCM-D). Synthetic vascular grafts are usually made from PET, a material with appropriate mechanical properties but moderate haemocompatibility. Therefore anticoagulant heparin is usually used to improve haemocompatibility of PET surfaces. Heparin possesses a high negative charge and as such does not adsorb directly onto hydrophobic PET, which is also negatively charged. To increase heparin adsorption different cationic polymers were investigated as spacers and the highest adsorption was achieved using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as an anchoring agent. The heparin was adsorbed from water solution as well as from phosphate buffer saline (PBS). Heparin dissolved in PBS adsorb better onto PET than heparin from water solution. The results were characterized using Sauerbrey equation and Voigt based viscoelastic model. We found out that heparin adsorbed onto PET formed a thin and rigid film and that Sauerbrey equation is appropriate for characterization of heparin adsorption onto PET.Adsorpcijo antikoagulanta heparina na modelni film polietilentereftalata (PET) smo merili s pomočjo kremenove mikrotehtnice s spremljanjem dušenja nihanja (QCM-D). PET, ki se uporablja za izdelavo sintetičnih žilnih vsadkov, ima sicer primerne mehanske lastnosti, vendar slabšo hemokompatibilnost. Heparin, ki izboljša hemokompatibilnost površine polimera v stiku s krvjo, ima močno negativen naboj, zato je njegova adsorpcija na hidrofobni in zato prav tako bolj negativen PET, zanemarljiva. Zato je bilo za uspešno adsorpcijo potrebno uporabiti vmesni vezivni sloj kationskega polimera. Preverili smo učinke več različnih kationskih polimerov in ugotovili, da se heparin najbolje adsorbira na sloj polietilenimina (PEI). Heparin smo adsorbirali iz vodne raztopine in iz fiziološke raztopine (PBS). Heparin se je iz raztopine PBS znatno bolje adsorbiral. Meritve smo ovrednotili z uporabo Sauerbreyeve enačbe in Voigtovega viskoelastičnega modela in ugotovili, da heparin na površini PET tvori čvrst film

The influence of structural properties on the dye diffusion and dyeability of PA 6 fibres

The relationships were investigated between the structural and dyeing properties of different structurally modified PA 6 fibers. PA 6 monofilament yarn samples were applied having different crystalline degrees and different content of alpha, respectively gamma crystalline modification. The diffusion coefficients of two different acid dyes were determined together with the content of dyestuff absorbed (under specific conditions) by fiber samples. In order to estimate colorimetry method from the viewpoint of polymer structural change detection, the colors of the dyed PA 6 samples were determined (L*, a*,b*, C*, h coordinates) and the color differences (L*, a*, b*, C*, H*, E*) were calculated between untreated standard and structurally modified samples. The dyeability of PA 6 fibers depended mainly on the way in which crystallinity had been achieved, i.e. on the materialćs history. Different crystalline modifications caused different sorption properties and fiber dyeability. Smaller increases (app 20%) of crystallinity degree caused a decrease in diffusion coefficients. Contrary to expectations, the significant increase of crystallinity degree (app 50%) had an influence on the increase ofdyeability, presumably owing to the formation of larger empty spaces in the structure. The results achieved by colorimetry were in good correlation with dye absorption measurements. The colorimetry of dyed fiber samples was sensitive enough to detect even small differences in the quantities of absorbed dyestuff

Dissociation/adsorption character of structurally modified fibres determined by titration methods

Različni postopki obdelave orientiranih polimerov lahko povzročajo spremembe nadmolekulske strukture in tako spreminjajo njihovo morfologijo. S strukturnimi spremembami vlaken se spreminjajo tudi površinske lastnosti, ki so bistvenega pomena za njihov adsorpcijski značaj. Osredotočili smo se na raziskave disociacijsko-adsorpcijskih značilnosti strukturno modificiranih tekstilnih vlaken, ki smo jih opredelili s titracijskimi metodami. Uporaba različnih titracijskih metod za spremljanje disociacijsko-adsorpcijskih sposobnosti tekstilnih vlaken v polarnem mediju predstavlja novost na področju raziskav vlaken. Namen prispevka je ocenitev količine značilnih disociacijskih skupin na PA 6 vlaknih, strukturno modificiranih z različnimi postopki visokotemperaturne obdelave in z obdelavo v raztopini fenola, v primerjavi z ostalimi fizikalno-kemijskimi lastnostmi vlaken (molekulska masa, pokazatelji nadmolekulske strukture vlaken, jodovo adsorpcijsko število ...). Na podlagi rezultatov smo želeli ugotoviti vpliv strukturnih modifikacij na disociacijsko-adsorpcijske značilnosti vlaken in posledično na njihovo reaktivnost. Spoznanja o številu in dostopnosti reaktivnih skupin vlaken vodijo k razjasnitvi reakcijskega mehanizma v procesih predobdelave, obdelave in ostalih proizvodnih procesih, hkrati pa lahko dajejo pomembne informacije o spremembah, ki se dogajajo pri degradaciji vlaken.Changes in the fine structure influence the fibre morphology and consequently the surface properties which define the adsorption character. In this present work the dissociation-adsorption character and the adsorption capacity of structurally modified PA 6 fibres (high temperature and phenol PA 6 fibres) were studied using the titration method and correlated with other fibre characteristics (molecular mass, fine structure, iodine number). The use of titration methods for the characterisation of the fibres dissociation-adsorption characteristics is a new approach for determining the fibres behaviour in polar environments. On the basis of our results the influence of the fibres structural modifications on their dissociation - adsorption properties were determined and, therefore, their reactivity

Characterization of amino groups for cotton fibers coated with chitosan

The adsorption of chitosan onto cellulose cotton fibers introduces antimicrobial properties, mainly created by the amount and location of amino groups. Therefore, it is important to be able to analyze both parameters, especially in a heterogeneous system, namely cotton fibers coated with chitosan. In this research, three different analytical techniques were applied to determine amino groups of cotton fibers coated with chitosan. The number of positively charged groups was determined indirectly by the spectrophotometric method using Acid Orange 7 dye, and the use of polyelectrolyte titration. In addition, the chemical surface composition regarding non-modified, as well as modified cotton fibers (coated with chitosan), was investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The results from a combination of these methods show that chitosan treatment introduces more than 14 mmol/kg of accessible amino groups onto the cotton fibers. The results were in good agreement with the results of XPS. The use of spectrophotometric and titration methods in combination with XPS appears to be a very useful tool for identifying the formation of amino groups in modified cotton fibers and their surfaces