Comparative study of the Efficacy of Various Topical Treatment Modalities in Palmoplantar Psoriasis.

INTRODUCTION : Psoriasis is a common, genetically determined, inflammatory and proliferative disease of the skin. The most characteristic lesions consist of red, scaly, sharply demarcated, indurated plaques present particularly on the elbows, knees, lowerback, extensor surfaces and scalp. The first recognisable description of psoriasis is attributed to Celsus (25BC-45AD) in his de re medica nearly 2000 years ago. The disease was described under the heading of impetigo from the Latin word impeto which means "to attack or rush on" Galen was the first to use the word psoriasis from the Greek work 'psora' which means 'to itch'. Psoriasis and Leprosy were grouped together for centuries. Willan was the first to accurately describe psoriasis and its various manifestations in 1809, but he did not separate it with certainty from Leprosy. In 1841, Hebra definitively distinguished the clinical picture of psoriasis from that of Hansen's disease. Eventhough a number of treatment modalities are available, psoriasis continues to be a therapeutic challenge in spite of our growing knowledge of its pathogenesis. AIM OF THE STUDY : Palmoplantar psoriasis is a chronic disease with remissions and exacerbations. Most of the topical therapies currently available for psoriasis are either suited for short term therapy or long term maintenance therapy. Furthermore topical corticosteroids commonly used for palmplantar psoriasis, show diminished response on continuous use due to tachypylaxis and more incidence of recurrence. OBJECTIVE : To compare the efficacy of various topical therapies like Short contact compound dithranol ointment (dithranol 1.15%, salicylic acid 1.15%, coal tar solution 5.3% in white soft paraffin) Topical 0.1% Betamethasone valerate ointment Topical tazarotene 0.05% gel Topical PUVA using -1% methoxypsoralen solution Liquid paraffin. CONCLUSION : Topical therapies are the first line therapeutic strategy in the treatment of localized palmoplantar psoriasis and can be made effective when the appropriate drugs were used judiciously. Among the five modalities compared in this study, tazarotene (0.05%) gel may be considered as an initial treatment of choice. Topical PUVA is as effective as tazarotene except for the limiting factors for PUVA therapy such as availability of PUVA unit, patient compliance and long term side effects. Topical dithranol is as effective as topical PUVA when used as 20minutes short contact therapy. Topical 0.1% Betamethasone valerate was moderately effective with frequent exacerbation. Liquid paraffin was the least effective with no adverse effects, no exacerbation and remissions. However it can be used as an adjunct with other topical therapies

6-Phenyl-5a,6,6a,7,12,13a-hexa­hydro-5H-benzo[6,7]indolizino[3,2-a]pyrrolizine

In the title compound, C23H22N2, the central pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation. The benzene ring of the hexa­hydro­pyrroloisoquinoline ring system makes dihedral angles of 83.43 (6) and 61.99 (10)°, respectively, with the phenyl and pyrrole rings. In the crystal structure, weak C—H⋯π inter­actions are observed

Enhanced electrochemical performance of manganese oxide nanocomposites for supercapacitor application

634-642Manganese oxide (MO) has been synthesised by chemical co-precipitation method and it was characterised for its functional group, phase structure, particle size and morphology by using FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. Additionally, its electrochemical properties like cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/ discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are recorded. The specific capacitance of the prepared manganese oxide is found to be 116 F/g at current density of 1 A/g. To augment its capacitance value, it was doped with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and their electrochemical performance are recorded. By doping MWCNT and PEDOT:PSS over MO, a high specific capacitance of 537 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g with 97% capacitance retention and coulombic efficiency of 98% over 10,000 cycles at a current density of 5 A/g is obtained. All these results demonstrates that MO/MWCNT/PEDOT:PSS is a promising electrode material for supercapacitor application

Methyl 1-methyl-3-phenyl-1,2,3,3a,4,9b-hexahydrobenzo[f]chromeno[4,3-b]pyrrole-3a-carboxylate

In the title compound, C24H23NO3, the dihedral angle between the naphthalene ring system and the phenyl ring is 76.82 (6)°. The pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation. In the crystal, weak intermolecular C—H...O and C—H...π interactions are observed

Protic Ionic Liquid Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Ferromagnetic Cobalt Oxide Nanocatalyst

Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanocatalyst was synthesized by sol-gel method using the protic ionic liquid namely 1-butylimidazolium glycolate as solvent and stabilizer. The obtained Co3O4 nanocatalyst was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared, High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Selected area electron diffraction, UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Powder XRD results showed the well-crystalline cubic structure of synthesized Co3O4 with size of 19.29 nm. Also, the sphere-like morphology of Co3O4 nanocatalyst was confirmed by HR-SEM and HR-TEM images. Furthermore, the synthesized Co3O4 nanocatalyst possessed optical band gap values of 1.75 and 2.46 eV and hence acted as a semiconducting material. In addition, the presence of small hysteresis loop in Magnetic measurement (VSM) confirmed the ferromagnetic nature of Co3O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, the synthesized Co3O4 nanocatalyst found to be used in photo-catalytic degradation of methylene blue and exhibited 94.61% efficiency

Fiber reinforced composite and methods of forming the same

US7758785Granted Paten