A cross-sectional study on quality of life among acne vulgaris patients

Background: In India, prevalence data from dermatology clinic in a teaching hospital in Varanasi reported acne in 50.6% of boys and 38.13% of girls in the age group 12-17 years. Though it is considered to be merely a cosmetic problem, it is associated with considerable psychological impairment which is comparable with certain chronic diseases. Acne patients are prone to low self-esteem, low self-confidence and social dysfunction which may lead to anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsiveness and sometimes suicidal ideation. Acne affects the functional abilities of individuals and patients have higher rate of unemployment when compared to those without acne. Acne also may have negative impact on personal relationships, sports activities and employment opportunities in teens and young adults. The management of acne must take into account the impact of acne on the patient’s quality of life. So the present study was carried out to determine the impact of acne and its clinical severity on quality of life among patients of different grades of acne patients in various age groups.Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted in Patients diagnosed as acne vulgaris attending OPD of PCMS and RC Bhopal (India) in department of dermatology for a period of 2 year. (November 2012 – October 2014). 300 patients attending the Dermatology OPD with diagnosis of acne vulgaris were taken for the study. Patients aged 16 -35 years were included in our study. A detailed history was taken after obtaining consent from all the participants of study. Cardiff Acne disability index (CADI) and Dermatology life quality index (DLQI) were administered on patients to determine the impact of acne vulgaris on quality of life (QOL). Data was analyzed to compare the quality of life indices (CADI and DLQI) for duration and severity of acne.Results: Mean age of study population was 20.69 years. There was a male preponderance with ratio of 1.04:1 (M:F). According to this study 49% of patients had acne vulgaris for less than 1year. In present study maximum number 63.7% of patients presented with lesions over face followed by 14.7% of patients having lesions over face and back. According to DLQI scores of acne showed no effect in 4.3% of the patients, small effect in 26.3% of the patients, moderate effect in 38.7% of patients, very large effect in 29% of patients and extremely large effects on 1.7% of patients. According to CADI scores of acne showed low effect in 31.3% of the patients, majority had medium effect in 56.7% of patients and high effect was seen on 12 % of patients.Conclusions: Overall our study showed that quality of life is significantly impaired in patients of severe acne vulgaris. Use of these simple QOL measures as a part of integral clinical strategy will improve the outcome

Skindex-29 to Determine Quality of Life and Emotional Factors in Dermatological Conditions

Though rarely fatal, skin diseases are known to be associated with increased psychiatric morbidity and considerable impairment of quality of life (QoL). Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in skin diseases can be assessed by generic or skin specific instruments. One hundred sixty patients with a range of dermatological diagnoses were studied on a cross sectional observational paradigm. Skindex- 29, a skin specific instrument, was used to assess QoL, while anxiety and depression were assessed by Anxiety Status Inventory (ASI) and Depression Status Inventory (DSI), respectively. Sixty two patients (39%) had impaired QoL out of which 37(60%) had severe impairment. 11 patients (7%) had anxiety and 22(14%) had depression in the mild to moderate range. Gender, anxiety, depression and effect on appearance seem to be not related to impaired QoL. Further large scale studies are needed to ascertain the factors impinging on the QoL of dermatologically ill patients.Keywords: Quality of life, anxiety, depression, skindex-29, skin diseases.Â

Curcumin restores glutathione-S-transferase activity for LNCaP prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death in males aged fifty and over. Glutathione transferase (GST) activity is depressed in prostate cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess GST reactivation in LNCaP prostate cancer cells treated with curcumin or 5-azacitidine (5-Aza) which is a known hypomethylation agent. GST activity was determined using monochlorobimane (MCB). Cell viability was assessed with resazurin (Vision blue TM) or 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-di-phenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT). From the results, treatment with >5 μM of curcumin or 5-Aza for 3 or 6 days depressed LNCaP cell viability. The concentrations of curcumin leading to 50% reduction of LNCaP cell viability (IC50) was 10-25 μM or 2-3 μM for 3 days or 6 days of treatment, respectively. The IC50 with 5-Aza was 17-23 μM (3 days) or 50-52 μM (6 days). Combination treatment using curcumin and 5-Aza showed complimentary interactions affecting cell viability. Low levels of curcumin or 5-Aza had no effect on GST activity. By contrast, cytotoxic doses of curcumin or 5-Aza increased GST activity by 450-750 % (3days) or 161-2800 % (6days). In conclusion, GST reactivation was feasible but only when LNCaP prostate cancer cells were treated with cytotoxic doses of curcumin or 5-azacytidne

Reliability characterization of MEMS switch using MIM test structures

Silicon nitride thin film dielectrics are used in capacitive radio frequency micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches since they provide a low insertion loss, good isolation, and low return loss. The lifetime of these switches is believed to be adversely affected by charge trapping in the silicon nitride. The goal of this research was to characterize Si3N4-based MIM (Metal–Insulator–Metal) capacitors to describe the mechanisms responsible for the conduction and trapping behaviour in MEMS switches. The silicon nitride films were deposited by ICP chemical vapour deposition at room temperatures. The upper Si3N4 layer was removed by the reactive ion etching process (RIE) in order to provide contact paths to the bottom electrode. In the near-stoichiometric films, different electrical characterizations were performed to study dependence of the leakage current on different electrical parameters. It was concluded that the Poole–Frenkel mechanism dominated the conduction in the silicon nitride films at high fields

Enhanced growth-inhibitory effect of microemulsified curcumin formulation in human prostate cancer LNCaP Cells

Aim: To assess the effect of curcumin microemulsified with non-ionic surfactant surfynol 465 W or dispersed using edible oils on prostate LNCaP cancer cell viability and glutathione status. Methodology: LNCaP cells were treated for 72-144 hr with curcumin dissolved with fish or corn oil and microemulsified using non-ionic surfactant surfynol 465 W; alternatively LNCaP cells were treated with curcumin directly dispersed in fish or corn oil (0-50 μM) for 24 -72-144 hr. Cell viability was determined using resazurin (Vision blueTM) fluorescence assay. Glutathione status was determined by monochlorobimane (MCB) assay. Results: Treatment with 0-34 μM of microemulsified curcumin produced moderate cytotoxic effect on LNCaP cells, no 50% reduction of cell viability was observed graphically. However, when LNCaP cells were treated with curcumin dispersed with corn oil the concentration or 50% reduction of cell viability (IC50) was 12-45 μM. Similarly for cells treated with curcumin dispersed with fish oil, the IC50 was between 20-40 μM. Cytotoxic doses of curcumin dispersed with corn or fish oil increased GST status in cells by 272-656% (p =<0.01). Conclusion: Microemulsified curcumin formulation prepared using fish or corn oil and surfynol 465 W surfactant had an inhibitory effect on viability of LNCaP cells as did direct dispersion of curcumin in fish or corn oil coupled with the ability for inducing intracellular GST status in LNCaP cells