Nail Peeling with Glycolic Acid 50%: A Prospective Study of 20 Cases

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Surface abnormalities of the nail may be due to nail diseases or chemical abuse. So, every nail plate change does not require medical treatment. The aim of our study was to support the benefit of glycolic acid (GA) in both pathological conditions and dry, discolored nails due to cosmetics. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A prospective single open label uncontrolled study is conducted in our department from January until April 2017. We divided our cases into 2 groups: G1 (consequences of cosmetics) and G2 (pathological conditions). In G1, we used 1–2 coat of GA 50% in 1–2 sitting at weekly intervals, but we needed multiple sittings (6–12 weeks) in G2 with 2–4 coats. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We have collected 20 cases: 12 in G1 and 8 in G2. In G1, 8 patients had good response. In G2, 6 had good response. Adverse effects were tolerable. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Good response in G1 was also noted in the Indian report. The improvement in the chemotherapy side effect led us to widen the sample in order to have more credible results. GA 50% peels can offer aesthetically better looking nails. However, larger studies with a longer follow-up are required to validate the results.

Toxic Gaslighting: On the Ins and Outs of Pollution

Outdoor images predominate in cultural conceptions of “air pollution,” whilst indoor air quality (IAQ) is typically tenfold more contaminated. Recent nonprofit research revealed that “green label” carpet contains up to 44 hazardous substances. How and why do school administrators not know this? When people speak colloquially about “toxic” schools, they typically refer to social environments whose power dynamics are manipulated by difficult people (bullies, narcissists, gaslighters, etc.). In this article, I borrow the cultural concept of gaslighting to query how and why the literal off-gassing of banal objects like carpet have escaped scientific inquiry. In dialogue with recent innovative air studies in California that blur the boundaries of in/outdoor pollution, this auto-ethnographic paper chronicles a carpet controversy at “Beacon” Elementary, a bilingual school in the Central Valley. Even as outdoor smoke from California wildfires in 2017 pushed PM2.5 levels past red into unprecedented magenta alerts, children were sickened inside school classrooms after new carpets were laid in 2017. By “outing” internal school board communication through repeated public records requests, Beacon mothers discovered how a chemical risk manager on the board manipulated confusion about patterns of pollution to dismiss the mothers’ citizen science of the chemical abuse of their children. When pollution occurs out-of-sight (in locked classrooms) or affects groups rarely studied in exposure (minors), institutions can easily deploy gaslighting techniques of doubt, denial, and disavowal of the chemical abuse of children. Given the slow (Nixon 2011), delayed, incremental, and “gaslighted” nature of modern chemical violence, even those harmed by chronic pollution may misrecognize the symptoms; those that do recognize the symptoms may be perceived or portrayed as delusional in stories worthy of Hollywood noir.

DICA endoscopic classification: 2-year analysis from an international, multicenter prospective study

Background Diverticulosis of the colon is the most frequent anatomical alteration detected during colonoscopy. The endoscopic classification “DICA”(Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment) has been recently developed in order to have an objective endoscopic description of the colon harbouring diverticula. Aim of this multicentre, international, prospective study was to assess the predictive value of this classification in term of acute diverticulitis and surgery occurrence on a 2-year observational follow-up period. Methods 2215 prospective patients at the first diagnosis of diverticular disease were enrolled after exclusion of radiological signs of acute diverticulitis; inflammatory bowel diseases; ischemic colitis; prior colonic resection; patients with severe liver failure (Child-Pugh C) or severe kidney failure; pregnant women; patients who are currently using or who have received any laxative agents or mesalazine or probiotics or antibiotics &lt; 2 weeks prior to the enrollment; inability to comply with study protocol; patients with or history of cancer, of any origin, within 5 years before enrollment; history of alcohol, drug, or chemical abuse. Results 1377(62.15%) patients were classified as DICA 1, 599(27,04%) as DICA 2 and 239(10.80%) as DICA 3. The risk of acute diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence, as well as the risk of surgery, were significantly linked to the severity of DICA score at entry. Overall, acute diverticulitis occurred in 123 (5,5%) patients: it occurred in 32 (2,3%) DICA 1, 53 (8,9%) DICA 2 and 32 (16.4%) DICA 3 patients respectively (p &lt; 0,0001). Overall, surgery occurred in 35 (1,6%) patients: it occurred in 2 (0.1%) DICA1, 15 (2,5%) DICA 2 and 18 (7,6%) DICA 3 patients respectively (p &lt; 0,0001). Conclusions The 2-year results of this prospective study seems to confirm that DICA endoscopic classification has a significant prognostic role on the risk of acute diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence and surgery in these patients. Key messages DICA is the first endoscopic classification of diverticular disease. The risk of occurrence/recurrence of acute diverticulitis and the risk of surgery are strictly linked to the severity of DICA score.

Surveilans Penyalahgunaan Bahan Kimia Sintetis Deksametason Pada Jamu Pegal Linu Menggunakan Metode Near Infra Red dan Kemometrik

Law Number 36 of 2009 regarding Health states that the community is given the widest opportunity to process, produce, distribute, develop, improve, and use traditional medicines that can be justified for their benefits and safety. The presence of medicinal chemicals added to traditional medicines (herbs) is not appropriate to the therapeutic dose, resulting in overdosing and causing side effects that can be harmful to the health of the consumers. One of the analytical methods to detect the presence of medicinal chemicals, especially dexamethasone, is the Near Infra Red and Chemometrics method. The research design used in this study was descriptive non-analytic. The population in this study is 28 herbal medicine shop that sells herbal sore-aches traditional medicines (jamu pegal linu) in Jember Regency using the Total Sampling technique. This study is using univariate analysis of frequency distribution. This research shows that there was no chemical content of dexametasone found in all herbal medicine samples in the analysis using the Near Infra Red method while in the Chemometric testing, it was found that one of the herbal samples (code J-C) contained 2% of dexamethasone. It is imperative to Socialize to the community the impact of using herbal medicine containing medicinal chemicals, and it also needs to be analyzed using the most sensitive methods.Keyword: Chemical Abuse, Dexamethasone, Sciatica Herbs, Near Infra Red, Chemometric Methods