Comparative potency of formulations of mometasone furoate in terms of inhibition of 'PIRHR' in the forearm skin of normal human subjects measured with laser doppler velocimetry

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Topical glucocorticoid formulations are widely used for effective treatment and control of a variety of dermatoses. Mometasone furoate is a newer corticoid that has high potency but low systemic toxicity. Pharmaceutical factors are known to significantly influence potency and systemic absorption of topically applied glucocorticoids. We studied the potency of "Elocon", a topical formulation of mometasone furoate, compared with two other branded formulations of the same corticoid. METHODS: Corticoid potency was measured by employing a pharmacodynamic parameter of an inhibitory effect of the corticoid on post-ischemic-reactive-hyperemic-response (PIRHR) in human forearm skin under occlusive dressing. The PIRHR was expressed in terms of % increase in the skin blood flow (SBF) as measured with laser doppler velocimetry (LDV). RESULTS : All three active branded formulations of mometasone furoate produced significant inhibition of PIRHR. The AUC(0-2 min) of PIRHR was ( Mean +/- SEM ), Control = 213.52 +/- 11.80, Placebo = 209.77 +/- 19.31, Formulation A = 119.83 +/- 13.71, Formulation C = 53.67 +/- 4.85 and Formulation D = 111.46 +/- 22.87. Formulation "C" exhibited significantly higher topical anti-inflammatory potency than formulations "A" or "D". CONCLUSIONS: Thus, branded formulations of the same glucocorticoid, mometasone furoate significantly differed in their topical anti-inflammatory potency. "Elocon" was significantly more potent than the two other branded formulations studied.     

Hyperhomocysteinemia as a risk factor for ischemic stroke: an Indian scenario

BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been proposed as an important risk factor for ischemic stroke worldwide, but data available from the Indian subcontinent is scarce. AIM: To study homocysteine levels in patients with ischemic stroke and compare it with age- and sex-matched controls. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Case-control prospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with ischemic stroke and 30 controls were recruited for the study. They were subdivided into two subgroups (< 40 years and> 40 years of age) and plasma fasting total homocysteine (tHcy) levels were measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Student's 't' test and chi-square test. RESULTS: The tHcy were significantly high in patients with stroke, compared to controls (9.91 +/- 2.25 vs 8.00 +/- 2.74 micromol/l; P vs 8.45 +/- 2.72 micromol/l; P = 0.01) and female patients compared to controls (9.08 +/- 1.81 vs 6.79 +/- 2.60 micromol/l; P = 0.04). The tHcy levels were significantly high in patients with hypertension compared to normotensive patients (10.96 vs 9.49 micromol/l; P = 0.01) and smokers compared to nonsmokers (11.17 vs 9.33 micromol/l; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperhomo-cysteinemia emerged as an important independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. A strong positive correlation was also observed between hypertension, smoking, and high-tHcy levels in the present study.     

Living donor transplantation of a pelvic kidney

Pelvic kidneys are uncommon anomalies rarely utilized in kidney transplantation. We describe a successful case of living-donor transplantation using a pelvic kidney in a 17-month-old infant with congenital renal dysplasia. The recipient had exhausted all options for renal replacement therapy, and urgent transplantation was considered a life saving treatment.     

Paraganglioma of the urinary bladder--a case report

Paragangliomas of the urinary bladder are extremely rare tumors accounting for less than 1% of all bladder tumors. Males and females are affected roughly equally with an average age of 41 years. Hypertension and headache during or immediately after voiding in association with intermittent hematuria is virtually diagnostic of urinary bladder paragangliomas. A high index of clinical suspicion is required to diagnose these tumors. We present a case of a urinary bladder paraganglioma because of its rarity.