Comparison of efficacy and safety of intralesional triamcinolone and combination of triamcinolone with 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars: Randomised control trial

The treatment of keloid and hypertrophic scar is challenging with no universally accepted mode for permanent ablation. Conventional therapies yield unpredictable results, significant complications and require elaborate hardware.

Immunological appraisal of wheat varieties in relation to chapatti-making characteristics

The current research work was conducted to characterize wheat proteins through immunochemical techniques and to find out their relationship with wheat quality traits. The results revealed that wheat variety AARI-11 possessed higher protein content (11.96%), wet gluten (31.39%), dry gluten (9.66%), Pelshenke value (190.52 min), and SDS-Sedimentation value (28.27 ml) than other tested varieties. The chapattis prepared from the wheat variety AARI-11 got significantly higher sensory scores owing to its higher protein contents. The wheat variety AARI-11 also exhibited significantly the highest antibody response against all the assessed protein fractions. The results of the present study suggest that anti-glutenin and anti-high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) antibody response was found positively correlated to the quality characteristics of flours and chapattis. The present study suggests that the use of antibodies response against glutenin and HMW-GS offers good tool for predicting quality and suitability of wheat to chapatti-making quality.     

Uptake of heavy metal ions from aqueous media by hydrogels and their conversion to nanoparticles for generation of a catalyst system: two-fold application study

Poly(methacrylic acid) (P(MAA)), poly(acrylamide) (P(AAm)) and poly(3-acrylamidopropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride) (P(APTMACl)) were synthesized as anionic, neutral and cationic hydrogels, respectively. The synthesized hydrogels have the ability to be used as absorbents for the removal of selected heavy metal ions such as Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ from aqueous media. Absorption studies revealed that the absorption of metal ions by the hydrogels followed the order Cu²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Zn²⁺. For the mechanism of absorption, both Freundlich and Langmuir absorption isotherms were applied. Metal ion entrapped hydrogels were treated using an in situ chemical reduction method in order to convert the metal ions into metal nanoparticles for the synthesis of hybrid hydrogels. The synthesis and morphology were confirmed using FT-IR and SEM, while the absorbed metal amounts were measured using TGA and AAS. The hybrid hydrogels were further used as catalysts for the reduction of macro (methylene blue, methyl orange and congo red) and micro (4-nitrophenol and nitrobenzene) pollutants from the aqueous environment. The catalytic performance and re-usability of the hybrid hydrogels were successfully investigated.

Poly(methacrylic acid) (P(MAA)), poly(acrylamide) (P(AAm)) and poly(3-acrylamidopropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride) (P(APTMACl)) were synthesized as anionic, neutral and cationic hydrogels respectively.     

Preparation and characterization of emamectin benzoate nanoformulations based on colloidal delivery systems and use in controlling Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Colloidal delivery systems have been widely used as carriers for controlled delivery of pesticides to improve the efficacy and photostability of natural and semi-synthetic pesticides. In this study, we have synthesized emamectin benzoate nanoformulations (EB + NFs) depending on polymeric nanocapsules (PNC) and two types of the nanosilica, mesoporous nanosilica (MCM-48) and silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SNPs) as carriers for the emamectin benzoate (EB). The fabricated nanoformulations were characterized by using X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, particle size, zeta potential, morphology, absolute recovery (AR), entrapment efficiency (EE), UV stability and release kinetics. The obtained results showed that the carriers had a remarkable loading ability for EB and improved the EB photostability. The EE% of nanoformulations were 92.84%, 87.45% and 71.19% for emamectin benzoate polymeric nanocapsules (EB + PNC), emamectin benzoate SNPs (EB + SNPs) and emamectin benzoate MCM-48 (EB + MCM-48) respectively. The insecticidal activity of EB + NFs against Plutella xylostella showed that the EB + SNPs was more effective than other EB + NFs and EB alone. The LC₅₀ values were 0.18, 4.03, 8.49 and 11.06 mg L⁻¹ for EB + SNPs, EB + MCM-48, EB + PNC and EB respectively. The obtained results suggest the colloidal delivery systems that used in this study could improve the efficacy and photostability for EB, and they are able to overcome the disadvantage of the natural and semi-synthetic pesticides such as environmental sensitivity and to increase the efficacy of pesticides, which eventually leads to reduce the dosage of pesticides needed, reducing the number of applications required in comparison to conventional formulations.

Colloidal delivery systems have been widely used as carriers for controlled delivery of pesticides to improve the efficacy and photostability of natural and semi-synthetic pesticides.     

Irreversible Loss of Vision in a Child due to Occipital Infarction after Gastroenteritis

A 2½-year-old girl developed a bilateral occipital infarct following severe gastroenteritis with bilateral vision of light perception. Evaluations for sickle cell anemia, hemolytic anemia and coagulopathies were negative. Cortical blindness is an uncommon but dramatic complication of gastroenteritis, hence the need of prompt hydration and other supportive measures to avoid irreversible visual loss or mental sequela.Key Words: Occipital infarct, Gastroenteritis, Visual recovery