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Introduction Tinea corporis (TC; ringworm or dermatophytosis) is a superficial skin infection caused by Microsporum , Epidermophyton and Trichophyton genera of dermatophytes. We compared the effects of individualized homeopathic medicines (IHMs) in fifty-millesimal (LM) potencies against placebo in TC. Methods A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two parallel arms trial was conducted on 62 individuals suffering from TC at the National Institute of Homoeopathy, India. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either IHMs in LM potencies or identical-looking placebos for a period of 3 months. The primary outcome measure was the number of participants showing complete disappearance of skin lesions after 3 months. Secondary outcomes were a numeric rating scale (NRS) measuring intensity of itching and the Skindex-29 questionnaire (overall, and three sub-scales – degree of symptoms, psychological functioning, emotional status). All were assessed at baseline and every month, up to 3 months. The intention-to-treat sample was analyzed to detect inter-group differences using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance after adjusting for baseline differences. Results The primary outcome revealed no improvement in either of the groups (χ 2 = 0.012, p = 0.999). Inter-group differences in some of the secondary outcomes favored IHMs against placebo – itching NRS (mean group difference after 3 months: −0.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], −1.1 to −0.4; p = 0.001); Skindex-29 overall (mean group difference after 3 months: 3.2 [95% CI, −0.6 to 7.0; p = 0.009]); Skindex-29 degree of symptoms (mean group difference after 3 months: 0.9 [95% CI, −0.2 to 1.9; p = 0.007]); and Skindex-29 psychological functioning (mean group difference after 3 months: 1.7 [95% CI, 0–3.4; p = 0.002]). Conclusion Results were negative on the primary outcome; however, secondary outcomes included some statistically significant results favoring IHMs against placebo after 3 months. Trial registration CTRI/2019/11/021999; UTN: U1111–1242–0070. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation and viability of lignocellulosic biorefineries for production of biofuels and bio based chemicals as compared to fossil fuel based refinery depends on the efficient method of fractionation and subsequent downstream process integration. The lignocellulosic biomass requires pre-treatment to break its recalcitrant nature for further enzymatic hydrolysis. This review summarises the use of agricultural feedstocks and technology development in the field of pre-treatment and chemical additives that enhance the production of fermentable sugars. Towards this end, this review summarizes aspects of various pre-treatment methods which includes the traditional ones such as steam, acid, organosolv and also the rapidly evolving newer pretreatments like ionic liquids and biological based ones. The role played by the traditional pre-treatment methods and their impact on downstream is emphasized. Finally, this review covers perspective on transition from lab scale to demo/commercial scale stressing the importance of process integration to make the bioethanol technology scalable and viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: R. Jothi, A. Ismail, R. Senthamarai, Siddhartha. Pal Aim: This study was designed to compare the bimatoprost/timolol combination and dorzolamide/timolol combination in glaucoma for efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness in [...]

A new rhodamine-based Schiff base ( L) has been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic tools. This organic molecule selectively reacts with $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ions with a remarkably significant optical change, which supports the development of a chemosensor for $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ions as low as nanomolar level in aqueous medium. On the basis of the experimental work, the ' turn-on' colorimetric/fluorimetric spectroscopic change is due to $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ion-assisted hydrolysis followed by spirolactam ring opening of the probe ( L) in 20 mM HEPES buffer [pH 7.4; water/acetonitrile (9:1 v/v)]. The competitive ions do not affect the selectivity and specificity of the probe ( L) in the detection of $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ions. The cell imaging study using fluorescence microscope showed that this non-cytotoxic probe is useful to detect the distribution of $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ions in AGS cells lines. Graphical abstract: A new turn-on non-cytotoxic rhodamine hydrazone derivative ( L) senses $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ion in nano molar region selectively in 20 mM HEPES buffer [pH 7.4; water/acetonitrile (9:1 v/v)] and is an efficient biomarker to detect $$\hbox {Cu}^{2+}$$ ions in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly designed and structurally characterized benzimidazole containing compound, 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5,6-dihydro benzo[4,5] imidazo [1,2-c] quinazolin-6-yl)-phenol) (HL), behaves as a ‘turn-on’ fluorescent sensor selective for Zn2+ ions at as low as 39.91 nM within a very short responsive time (15–20 s) in 5 mM HEPES buffer (DMSO/water: 1/5, v/v) at biological pH. Thorough experimental and theoretical (DFT) studies indicate the occurrence of greenish yellow fluorescence through a chelation enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) process. Using this organic moiety (HL) as a probe, almost no interference of other competitive ions in the detection of Zn2+ ions was observed. The reaction of HL with Zn2+ led to the in situ formation of a tridentate monobasic ligand (HL1) to produce the complex as [Zn(L1)2] through a [1,5] sigmatropic-type shift of HL prior to metal coordination. HL is also capable of detecting the intercellular distribution of Zn2+ ions in Candida sp. cells under a fluorescence microscope by developing the image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]