An experimental study of the wound healing effect of ophthalmic drug films with 6-methyl-3-(thietan-3-yl)uracil and methyluracil

Purpose: to study experimentally the wound-healing effect of ophthalmic drug films (ODF) with 6-methyl-3-(thietan-3-yl) uracil and methyluracil. Material and methods. The study involved 17 Chinchilla rabbits (34 eyes), whose corneas were histomorphologically studied after an experimental chemical acid burn and treatment. ODF with 6-methyl-3-(thietan-3-yl)uracil were deposited in the right eyes of 15 rabbits (15 eyes), and ODF with methyluracil — in the left eyes of these rabbits. Two rabbits served as control: their right eyes were left without wound healing therapy, while the left eyes received dexpanthenol 5 % gel (corneregel) 4 times a day. All animals were monitored daily for 21 days. The morphological changes in the cornea were recorded on the 2nd, 7th, 14th and 21st days after the experimental chemical burn.Results. The course of reparative processes of the chemical burns of the cornea was found to be different depending on the drugs used. Our results show that the ODF with methyluracil led to the resorption of the edema and the turbidity, as well as to a total closure of the desquamation sites of the corneal epithelium on the 7th day. With the ODF containing 6-methyl-3-(thietan-3-yl) uracil, the effect was achieved on the 14th day. In contrast to the control, ODF enhanced the growth and reproduction of cells, rapidly improved the trophism, and stimulated the regeneration process in damaged corneal tissues. ODFs produced no toxic reactions, such as destruction of the collagen framework, maceration, pronounced edema, and hyperemia. On the 21st day of observation, the microscopic picture of rabbit cornea showed the usual normal structure. Conclusion. ODF therapy with methyluracil and 6-methyl-3-(thietan-3-yl)uracil leads to accelerated centripetal epithelialization of corneal erosion, more structured and histologically correct restoration of the epithelial-stromal layer.

IDENTIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION OF CAROTENOID PIGMENT PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM VEGETABLE, FRUITS AND MINI-SURVEY ON PERCEPTION OF URBAN POPULATION TOWARDS BACTERIAL PIGMENTS

Pigments are largely exploited compounds due to their chromophoric variations and enticing properties in several applications such as food, dairy, printing, textile and pharmaceutical industries etc. While synthetic pigments are widely used, toxic reactions and effects of the pigments has led to the prompt diversion of consumers towards natural pigment sources such as microbial pigments (MP). MP hold great promise against existent synthetic counterparts with additional properties such as biodegradability, non-toxicity, therapeutics (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer etc.

Comparison of radiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab vs. chemoradiotherapy for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background The present study compared the effectiveness and toxicity of two treatment modalities, namely radiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab (N) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LR-NPC). Methods Patients with LR-NPC who were treated with radiotherapy were retrospectively enrolled from January 2015 to December 2018. The treatment included radiotherapy combined with N or platinum-based induction chemotherapy and/or concurrent chemotherapy. The comparison of survival and toxicity between the two treatment modalities was evaluated using the log-rank and chi-squared tests. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. Results A total of 87 patients were included, of whom 32 and 55 were divided into the N group and the CRT group, respectively. No significant differences were noted in the survival rate between the N and the CRT groups (4-year OS rates, 37.1% vs. 40.7%, respectively; P = 0.735). Mild to moderate acute complications were common during the radiation period and mainly included mucositis and xerostomia. The majority of the acute toxic reactions were tolerated well. A total of 48 patients (55.2%) demonstrated late radiation injuries of grade ≥ 3, including 12 patients (37.5%) in the N group and 36 patients (66.5%) in the CRT group. The CRT group exhibited significantly higher incidence of severe late radiation injuries compared with that of the N group (P = 0.011). Conclusion Radiotherapy combined with N did not appear to enhance treatment efficacy compared with CRT in patients with LR-NPC. However, radiotherapy combined with N may be superior to CRT due to its lower incidence of acute and late toxicities. Further studies are required to confirm the current findings.

Lip angioedema after indirect contact with a sea anemone

Sea anemones are marine animals that can produce toxins causing severe angioedema. Swimmers and divers should be aware of sea anemone species that can cause local and systemic toxic reactions and avoid indirect or direct skin contact. High index of suspicion, full laboratory workup, and treatment with steroids and antibiotics are imperative for an uneventful recovery.

Indications, advantages, disadvantages and effectiveness of Invisalign aligners

As a result of the increasing demands to enhance esthetics among the different community populations, many efforts have focused on innovating other substitutes to increase patients’ satisfaction and to obtain better clinical outcomes. Among the variously proposed candidates, clear aligners are now commonly reported and used within clinical settings. Additionally, technological advances are also significant in this field. In this literature review, we aim to discuss the indications, advantages, disadvantages and the effectiveness of Invisalign braces. Typically, the ideal patients that are indicated to receive Invisalign systems are adult patients with either incisor flaring, spacing, crowding, infra- or supra-positions. Although time-consuming, Invisalign systems are reported with reduced adverse events and toxic reactions with the gingival tissue, minimizing the risk of developing periodontal diseases. However, Although Invisalign modalities are associated with fewer adverse events and reduced gingival inflammation and plaque formation. Previous studies have demonstrated that the outcomes might be similar when patients with fixed appliances are educated about properly conducting oral hygienes. Besides, improved healing of the periodontal ligament was also reported with the modality. Therefore, better clinical outcomes are expected with the modality. Furthermore, studies have also demonstrated similar effectiveness between Invisalign and fixed appliances while the most accurately obtained tooth movements with Invisalign might include retrusion, rotations, fan-type expansions and protrusions. Further investigations are urgently needed for further validation of the current evidence.

Systematic Evaluation of Toxicity of Aconite Based on Bibliometric Method

Aim. Based on the bibliometric method, the toxicity of aconite is analyzed and evaluated. Methods. Studies on the toxicity of aconite were retrieved from CNKI, CQVIP, Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, and PubMed, ranging from January 1985 to November 2020. All those studies were formed into the Database of Literature of Toxicity of Aconite (DLTA). Studies on the toxicity of aconite were retrieved from CNKI, CQVIP, SinoMed, and PubMed, respectively. Collecting relevant information in DLTA, we analyzed the hotspots, factors and mechanism of aconite toxicity, and attenuation methods. Results. A total of 445 studies on the toxicity of aconite have been collected. “Compatibility attenuation” and “Processing attenuation” have been the hotspots of aconite toxicity in recent years. Many studies support that the main toxic reactions of aconite are heart damage, liver toxicity, nephrotoxicity, and neurotoxicity. The toxic effect of aconite is related to the effect on the central nervous system. Exciting the vagus nerve reduces the autonomy of the sinus node and damages myocardial cells. The decoction time, dosage, and administration of aconite are the main factors of the toxicity of aconite. There are few studies about the effect of the origin of aconite and the specifications of the medicinal materials on toxicity. Therefore, it is impossible to analyze its relevance. At present, the commonly used methods to reduce the toxicity of aconite mainly include three methods: drug compatibility, processing, and decoction. The most common compatibility with aconite medicines includes licorice, dried ginger, ginseng, and ephedra. Black sliced aconite, steamed slices, and fried slices are less toxic than other processed products. Aconite decoction for more than 60 minutes can basically reach the safe range, and more than 2 hours of decoction may cause the loss of active ingredients. Conclusions. The research on the mechanisms of aconite dosage-efficacy-toxicity, compatibility, processing, liver toxicity, and nephrotoxicity is still not comprehensive and in-depth. Researchers should perfect toxicity studies of aconite, remove the constraints that affect its clinical application, and promote the clinical use of aconite safely and reasonably.

Comparison of Radiotherapy Combined with Nimotuzumab vs. Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

BackgroundThe present study compared the effectiveness and toxicity of two treatment modalities, namely radiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab (N) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LR-NPC).MethodsPatients with LR-NPC who were treated with radiotherapy were retrospectively enrolled from January 2015 to December 2018. The treatment included radiotherapy combined with N or platinum-based induction chemotherapy and/or concurrent chemotherapy. The comparison of survival and toxicity between the two treatment modalities was evaluated by the log-rank and chi-squared tests. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint.ResultsA total of 87 patients were included, of whom 32 and 55 were divided into the N group and the CRT group, respectively. No significant differences were noted in the survival rate between the N and the CRT groups (4-year OS rates, 37.1% vs. 40.7%, respectively; P=0.735). Mild to moderate acute complications were common during the radiation period and mainly included mucositis and xerostomia. The majority of the acute toxic reactions were tolerated well. A total of 48 patients (55.2%) demonstrated late radiation injuries of grade ≥3, including 12 patients (37.5%) in the N group and 36 patients (66.5%) in the CRT group. The CRT group exhibited significantly higher incidence of severe late radiation injuries compared with that of the N group (P=0.011). ConclusionRadiotherapy combined with N did not appear to enhance treatment efficacy compared with CRT in patients with LR-NPC. However, radiotherapy combined with N may be superior to CRT due to its lower incidence of acute and late toxicities. Further studies are required to confirm the current findings.

Relationship Between the Free and Total Methotrexate Plasma Concentration in Children and Application to Predict the Toxicity of HD-MTX

High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) can be highly effective as well as extremely toxic. Many drug molecules can bind to plasma proteins to different extents in vivo, whereas only the free drug can reach the site of action to exert a pharmacological effect and cause toxicity. However, free MTX concentrations in plasma have not been reported. Traditional analyses of free drugs are both cumbersome and inaccurate. We collected 92 plasma samples from 52 children diagnosed with ALL or NHL or other lymphomas that were treated with HD-MTX. The hollow fiber centrifugal ultrafiltration (HFCF-UF) was used to prepare plasma samples for analysis of the free MTX concentration. Protein precipitation was employed to measure the total MTX concentration. The HFCF-UF is a simple method involving a step of ordinary centrifugation; the validation parameters for the methodological results were satisfactory and fell within the acceptance criteria. A linearity coefficient r2 of 0.910 was obtained for the correlation between the free and total MTX plasma concentrations in 92 plasma samples. However, the free and total MTX concentrations was only weakly correlated in 16 clinical plasma specimens with total MTX concentrations >2 μmol L−1 (r2 = 0.760). Both the free and total MTX concentrations at 42 h were negatively correlated with the creatinine clearance (CCr) level (P = 0.023, r = −0.236 for total MTX and P = 0.020, r = −0.241for free MTX, respectively). The free MTX concentration could not be accurately estimated from the total MTX concentration for patients with high MTX levels which are conditions under which toxic reactions are more likely to occur. High plasma MTX levels could become a predictor of the occurrence of MTX nephrotoxicity to draw people's attention. The proposed HFCF-UF method is a simple and accurate way to evaluate efficacy and toxicity in clinical therapeutic drug monitoring.

Tolerability of individual chemotherapy regimens in children suffering from respiratory tuberculosis and exposed to multiple and extensive drug resistant tuberculosis

The objective of the study: to assess the tolerability of anti-tuberculosis drugs (TB drugs) in children with respiratory tuberculosis and exposure to multiple and extensive drug resistant tuberculosis treated by individual chemotherapy (CT) regimens.Subjects and methods: Totally, 89 children (2-12 years old) with respiratory tuberculosis, they all were exposed to multiple and extensive drug resistant tuberculosis. Patients were divided into three groups: Group 1 (17 patients) – minor forms, the chemotherapy regimen consisted of 3 TB drugs, Group 2 (35 patients) – limited lesions, the chemotherapy regimen consisted of 4 TB drugs, Group 3 (37 patients) – the disseminated disease, the chemotherapy regimen consisted of 5 TB drugs. The following TB drugs were used in Group 1: Pto ‒ in 94.1%, Z ‒ in 76.5%, PAS ‒ in 76.5%, Am – in 35.3%, E – in 17.6%, and Cs – in 5.9% of cases. In Group 2: PAS – in 94.3%, Z – in 80.0%, Pto – in 68.6%, Am – in 48.6% and Fq – in 45.7%, Cs ‒ in 37.1%, and E – in 25.7% of cases. In Group 3: Z – in 97.3%, PAS – in 89.2%, Pto – in 81.1%, Fq ‒ in 73.0%, Am – in 70.3%, Cs – in 51.4%, and E – in 37.8% of cases.Results. In general, chemotherapy was well tolerated by 50.6% (45 people) of children, and poorly - by 49.4% (44 people), p> 0.05. Toxic reactions were observed statistically significantly more often versus allergic ones: 63.6 ± 7.3% (28 persons) and 36.4 ± 7.3% (16 persons), p < 0.05. The culprits drugs causing toxic reactions were prothionamide (24 patients), pyrazinamide (2 patients), cycloserine (1 patients), and levofloxacin (1 patients), toxic reactions - amikacin (16 patients). Adverse reactions statistically significantly more often occurred when five-component regimen (67.6 ± 7.7%) was used versus three- and four-component regimens (29.4 ± 11.4 and 40.0 ± 8.3%, respectively), p <0.05.

Risk groups of patients at the dentist with a burdensome allergy history

Local injectable anesthesia is widely used in modern dentistry. First of all, the purpose of anesthesia in the practice of the doctor is to relieve the patient’s emotional stress and eliminate pain during the procedure. According to the classical position of N. E. Vvedensky, local anesthetics affect the functional state of the nerve, changing its conductivity and excitability. With the help of questionnaires we conducted a survey of 65 patients aged 18 to 75 years who sought medical help at the regional dental center in Poltava. The results of a questionnaire of doctors on the use of local anesthetics in dental practice were also analyzed. With the help of laboratory methods of examination of oral fluid, a decrease in the rate of salivation, saliva pH, leukocyte migration rate was determined. The purpose of the survey was to identify the frequency of manifestations of various allergic reactions to drugs in patients. All patients were systematized by age and comorbidities, which further affected their distribution. The distribution of patients by risk groups (allergy history) allowed to assess the prevalence of allergic diseases depending on age and sex. Particular attention was paid to elderly and senile patients, as their condition is characterized by a decrease in compensatory and adaptive capabilities. Patients with somatic pathology and persons with multiple foci of chronic odontogenic infection should be classified as at risk for the development of allergic reactions to local anesthetics, which should be taken into account when performing local injection anesthesia on an outpatient basis. It should be remembered that concomitant pathology affects the choice of anesthetic and can determine the development of toxic reactions during local injection anesthesia in the head and neck. This category of patients requires dentists to take a more responsible approach to collecting medical history and taking preventive measures to prevent the development of allergic and toxic reactions to local anesthetics.