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This article discusses the use of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) as a treatment for traction alopecia (TA) in women. TA is a condition that primarily affects women of African descent and is caused by prolonged tension on the hair follicles due to certain hair grooming practices. The study presents a case series of four patients who experienced significant hair regrowth after using oral minoxidil. The treatment was found to be effective and safe, with improvements in hair thickness and volume observed after just three months of therapy. The article suggests that oral minoxidil may be a viable option for treating TA in both the early and late stages. [Extracted from the article]

Understanding the physical mechanism of ground deformation at a volcano supports the use of deformation data as a monitoring tool. An inverse correlation was observed between eruption frequency and ground deformation of Sakurajima volcano from November 2018 to April 2021. Over the same period, the mass density of magma in the conduit was monitored via muography. Mass density increased during inflation, when eruption frequency was low, and decreased during deflation, when eruption frequency was high. Periods of low eruption frequency are associated with the formation of a dense plug in the conduit, which we infer caused the inflation of the edifice by trapping pressurized magmatic gas. Conversely, periods of high eruption frequency are associated with the absence of the plug, which we infer allows gas to escape, leading to deflation. Muography thus reveals the in‐conduit physical mechanism for the observed correlation, with implications for interpretation of deformation at other volcanoes. Plain Language Summary: The ground surface of a volcano often deforms before an eruption. Remote sensing of ground movements could be a valuable tool for eruption forecasting if the physical causes of ground deformation were known. We have used naturally occurring cosmic muons to image the changes in mass density over time in the upper plumbing system of Sakurajima Volcano (Japan) and compared this with ground surface motions and eruption activity. We found that the mass density increased during dormant periods, when the ground surface of the volcano was high, and the mass density decreased during periods of frequent eruption, when the ground surface was low. Muon imaging helped to reveal the hidden volcanic processes: the volcano plugged with dense magma during dormant periods allowing pressure in the conduit to build up, resulting in the uplift of the volcano's surface. During periods of eruption, the plug was destroyed and replaced with fresh, lower‐density magma, releasing pressure and causing the volcano's surface to move downwards. Key Points: An inverse correlation was observed between eruption frequency and ground surface deformation of Sakurajima volcanoBeneath the crater, muon imaging visualized that the mass density increased during ground inflation and decreased during ground deflationPlugging of the conduit with dense, stiff magma during recharge caused inflation during quiescent periods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our work confirms and emphasizes the role of LDOM in achieving good aesthetic relevance with camouflage effect of LPP-affected female patients, with an even higher rate of efficacy. Low-dose oral minoxidil in female patients with lichen planopilaris: Real-life experience Dear Editor, Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is the most frequent form of scarring alopecia, which mainly affects women between 40 and 60 years of age. [Extracted from the article]

A low-dose isotretinoin treatment (0.3 mg/kg) was started with progressive regression of the scalp lesions and disappearance of itching with excellent tolerance to therapy without adverse events (Fig. Dear Editor, Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is a rare, very pruritic, benign skin disease that, characterized by itchy papules and sterile pustules on the scalp, is often misdiagnosed and treated extensively with antibiotics with no effect. Histopathological examination of a biopsied erythematous papule of the scalp showed a prominent suppurative folliculitis with blisters and pustules in the deep stratum corneum, focally extending into the sebaceous gland. [Extracted from the article]

Four mixed cyclodextrin-calixarene nanosponges were tested as possible Drug Delivery Systems, using Tetracycline antibiotic as a suitable model drug. The selected nanosponges featured a different composition ratio between the two host co-monomer components, and the possible presence of ionisable amine or carboxyl groups deriving from chemical post-modification. The pH-dependent absorption and release abilities of the materials were verified; in particular release kinetics showed the occurrence of a simple first-order profile. The antibacterial activity of nanosponge-tetracycline composites suitably prepared under sterile conditions was assayed towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative typical bacterial strains, showing in some cases an interesting improvement of the biocidal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diimidazolium-based organic salts, bearing peptides or amino acids as anions have been synthesised and tested for their gelling ability in biocompatible solvents. These low molecular weight salts were successfully used as gelators in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution and ionic liquids. Then, the properties of the obtained soft materials were analysed in terms of melting temperature and gel strength as accounted for by rheological investigations. The gel-phase formation was studied by using UV/Vis and resonance light scattering measurements, whereas the morphology of the soft materials was analysed by using polarised optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To get information about the organisation of the gelator in the gelatinous matrix, X-ray diffraction measurements were performed both on the neat gelators and their gels. The results collected show that the properties of the gel phases, like the thermal stability, the self-repairing ability, the resistance to flow as well as the morphology, are dependent on the nature of the anion. Furthermore, bioassays revealed that the obtained diimidazolium organic salts possessed antimicrobial activity, against gram-negative and gram-positive tester strains. In particular and noteworthy, the diimidazolium organic salts exert a bactericidal capability, which was retained even if they are included in the gel phase. Thus, a novel kind of bioactive soft material was obtained that could be fruitfully employed as a non-covalent coating exerting antibacterial capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ultrasound (US) guidance is currently used for placement of wire-guided thoracic drains, and its use is associated with a decreased risk of complications. However, most studies conducted to date in this field have been performed on adult patients. The aim of this study was to report the technical success and complication rates observed during real-time US-guided placement of a thoracic pigtail catheter in pediatric liver-transplant recipients with symptomatic pleural effusion.Methods: This was a single-center retrospective review of the clinical records and images from pediatric liver-transplant patients with symptomatic pleural effusion who had undergone real-time US-guided pleural-space puncture followed by placement (via the Seldinger technique) of a pigtail catheter for drainage, between May 2006 and June 2014.Results: We identified 25 patients who had undergone 41 pigtail catheter-placement procedures during the study period. The patients' mean age (± SD) was 4.2 ± 3.9 years (range, 2 months to 16 years), and their mean weight was 14.2 ± 7.2 kg (range, 4.5-33 kg). Seventeen procedures had been performed in the intensive care unit, and 8, in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Twelve of the 41 procedures had been performed in patients with altered hemostasis (ie, platelet count < 50 × 10(3) /μl and/or international normalized ratio > 1.5). The size of the pigtail catheters ranged from 5 F to 8.5 F. The technical success rate was 100%, with no major complications such as pneumothorax or hemothorax. Accidental dislocation of the catheter occurred in four patients (9%) over 3-10 days after the first procedure.Conclusions: In our experience, real-time US-guided pleural-space puncture, performed at bedside, with the patient in the supine position, followed by placement of a pigtail catheter for drainage of effusion, is safe to use and has a high rate of technical success in pediatric patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:284-289, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we prepared poly(caprolactone) (PCL) monofilaments incorporating different amounts of the antiseptic chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) and evaluated the effect of 'online' drawing during the melt spinning or of an 'offline' cold drawing on the antimicrobial and physical properties of PCL/CHX monofilaments. The results showed that the drawing conditions strongly affected the properties of the threads. In particular, the filaments exhibited antimicrobial activity for all the draw ratios (DR) adopted, but on increasing DR the antibacterial efficiency reduced. These results were correlated with the CHX surface concentration and with the release kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Although the mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor stem cells from healthy donors (HDs) using granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor is widely used, the ideal method for the administration of the cytokine has not yet been determined. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Seventy-five consecutive HDs received lenograstim (LENO) as mobilization agent. LENO was given subcutaneously at a dose of 10 µg/kg in a once-daily dose (ODD) every 24 hours. Results were compared with a historical control group of 181 HDs treated with 5 µg/kg LENO twice-daily dose (TDD) with a time interval of 12 hours. RESULTS CD34+ cell concentrations evaluated on Day 4 and on Day 5 were 45 × 106 (range, 6 × 106-217 × 106)/L and 75 × 106 (range, 7 × 106-279 × 106)/L with ODD versus 36 × 106 (range, 3 × 106-200 × 106)/L and 55 × 106 (range, 3 × 106-738 × 106)/L with TDD (p = 0.067 and p = 0.001). The collected CD34+ cell counts in first apheresis procedure were 5.6 × 106 ± 2.9 × 106 and 5.7 × 106 ± 3 × 106/kg donor and recipient body weight in the ODD versus 5.4 × 106 ± 3.8 × 106 and 5.3 × 106 ± 3.5 × 106/kg in the TDD cohort, respectively (p = 0.08 and p = 0.02). Five HDs (6.7%) mobilized CD34+ cells of fewer than 2 × 106/kg recipient body weight in the ODD group compared with seven HDs (3.9%) in the TDD group (p = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS Once-daily administration of LENO is at least as effective as twice-daily administration for the mobilization of CD34+ cells in HDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficacy of switching from adalimumab originator to adalimumab biosimilar in moderate to severe psoriasis patients: A Real-life experience in a tertiary referral centre 30 (41.1%) patients also had a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) before starting the therapy. All patients received at least one conventional treatment before Adalimumab: Methotrexate was the most used (73.9%) conventional treatment before Adalimumab, followed by Ciclosporin (53.4%) and Acitretin (38.3%). [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the use of tacrolimus 0.3% cream in the treatment of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), a common cause of cicatricial alopecia. The study aimed to assess the treatment outcomes of this cream in managing FFA. A prospective observational study was conducted, and 47 Caucasian women were enrolled and treated for 12 months. The majority of patients experienced either stable conditions or a relatively slow progression of hairline recession. The study acknowledges limitations such as the lack of a control group and the homogeneity of the sample. Further large-scale studies are needed to validate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus 0.3% cream in FFA treatment. [Extracted from the article]

Nail psoriasis is a chronic nail disorder that commonly affects psoriatic patients causing severe distress despite the limited body surface area. Treatments for nail psoriasis are limited, as nails are often difficult to treat with topical therapies, and among different systemic agents responses are unpredictable. We carried out a prospective study in order to analyze the effectiveness and tolerability of topical cyclosporine hydrogel ointment in nail psoriasis. Three patients, for a total of 44 nails, were treated with topical cyclosporine hydrogel ointment. All nails were evaluated, before starting the treatment, every 28 days and after 12 weeks of therapy, by the same dermatologists, through clinical and onychoscopic evaluations. The patients were also asked to assess on the compliance with product use. Complete response (CR) was observed in 2 of 3 patients; a partial response (PR) was observed in the other patient. Overall, 24 of 44 nails had CR and 20 had a PR. Cyclosporine hydrogel ointment has shown efficacy and safety in the treatment of nail psoriasis. The product has also been shown to be stable in composition, easy to apply and not discomfortable for the patient., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Palmo-plantar lesions in discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) can be considered a very distinct rarity, generally refractory to conventional treatments. We present a 47-year-old African female patient with a 6-month clinical history of palm and soles erosions. Clinical examination revealed painful multiple, well defined, erosions with an erythematous and scaly central area and peripherical post-inflammatory hyperchromic border bilaterally distributed on the palmo-plantar surfaces. Pterygium inversum unguis involved all nails of both hands. Histological analysis and direct immunofluorescence study confirmed palmo-plantar DLE. Therapy with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was initiated with a progressive clearing of palmo-plantar lesions and a drastic reduction of pain. Therapy was well tolerated, neither side effects nor altered laboratory investigations were observed. Our case and literature review confirm that MMF may be an effective approach for the management of refractory palmo-plantar DLE with a safer profile than Azathioprine regarding adverse effects and cutaneous malignancies risk., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)