Efficacy and safety of topical glycopyrrolate in patients with facial hyperhidrosis: a randomized, multicentre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, split-face study.

BACKGROUND: Although facial hyperhidrosis has been frequently associated with a diminished quality of life, various conservative modalities for its management are still far from satisfactory. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antiperspirant efficacy and safety of the topical glycopyrrolate on facial hyperhidrosis at specified posttreatment intervals. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with facial hyperhidrosis were enrolled and treated with 2% topical glycopyrrolate on one-half of the forehead, whereas the other half of the forehead was treated with a placebo. All patients applied topical glycopyrrolate or placebo once a day for nine successive days. Each evaluation included weighing sweat and assessing the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) score and any adverse effects. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo-treated sides, topical glycopyrrolate-treated sides showed a reduction in the rate of sweat production at the forehead of 25.16 ± 10.30% (mean ± SD) at 90 min after the first application (day 1), 29.63 ± 7.74% at 24 h after the first application (day 2) and 36.68 ± 11.41% at 24 h after eight additional successive daily applications (day 10) (all P < 0.025). There was a little more decrease in HDSS score with the topical glycopyrrolate-treated half of the forehead, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.025). No serious adverse events were reported during the course of this study. Only one patient developed a transient headache after treatment. CONCLUSION: Topical glycopyrrolate application appears to be significantly effective and safe in reducing excessive facial perspiration.

Inhibitory effect of tianeptine on catagen induction in alopecia areata-like lesions induced by ultrasonic wave stress in mice.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is characterized by rapid and complete hair loss in one or multiple areas of the scalp. Stress is an important triggering factor in AA. AIM: To identify the inhibitory effect of tianeptine on catagen induction in C57BL/6 mice with AA-like lesions induced by ultrasonic wave stress (UWS). METHODS: The mice were divided into four groups. Group 1 received oral tianeptine before and after UWS; group 2 received oral tianeptine only after UWS; group 3 was given UWS treatment only; and group 4 (negative control group) was not given any treatment. Phototrichigraphy and dermatoscopy were used for assessment. Histological analysis was performed using haematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue, Masson trichrome and Verhoeff-van Gieson stains. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed. The level of apoptosis and expression of neuropeptides in the skin were assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling and immunofluorescence assays. RESULTS: Mice in group 1 had an increased rate of hair growth and greater hair-shaft thickness compared with mice in groups 2 and 3. In addition, mice in group 1 had a higher number of anagen hair follicles, increased synthesis of collagen and elastic fibres, decreased mast-cell degranulation, reduction in cell apoptosis in hair follicles, and recovery of vitamin D receptor expression. Expression of neuropeptides (substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide) was not altered. CONCLUSIONS: Tianeptine might play a role in suppressing catagen induction in a stress-induced AA mouse model.

[Intensity of incorporation of 2-C14-acetate into the cerebrosides and gangliosides of the brain and spinal cord of rabbits in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis]. / Intensivnost' vkliucheniia 2-C14-atsetata v tserebrozidy i gangliozidy golovnogo mozga i spinnogo mozga krolikov pri eksperimental'nom allergicheskom entsefalomielite

In rabbits the acute form of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was caused by inoculation of emulsion of homologous myelin from spinal cord with Freund's adjuvant. In terminal paralytic period of the disease the animals were subcutaneously administered with 2-14C-acetate and a dose 50 micronCi per 100 g of body weight 2 hrs before death. From lumbar and stem sections of the central nervous system purified fractions of cerebrosides and gangliosides were isolated and their specific radioactivity was determined. The intensity of the cerebrosides synthesis was found to be distinctly decreased not only in the more impaired lumbar region but also in the stem section of the central nervous system, where the centers of demyelinization were not observed. The intensity of the gangliosides synthesis was also markedly decreased, in spite of that their content was not altered in the central nervous system under experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Electrophysiological study for comparing the effect of biological activity between type A botulinum toxins in rat gastrocnemius muscle.

BACKGROUND: New cosmetic applications and products based on the effects of botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment have stimulated demand for this class of natural compounds. This demand generates the need for appropriate standardized protocols to test and compare the effectiveness of new BTX preparations. OBJECTIVES: Based on the previously described electrophysiological methods, we measured and compared the inhibitory effects of two BTX type A (BTX-A) preparations on neuromuscular transmission through split-body test. METHODS: The effectiveness was evaluated in terms of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and conduction velocity after BTX-A injection. We used a split-body method to compare two different BTX-As in the rat. RESULTS: Based on the changes in the CMAP, the two different BTX-As induced paralytic effect on the rat tibialis anterior muscle. However, the two different BTX-A preparations did not differ significantly in effectiveness and did not induce a delay in conduction velocity. CONCLUSIONS: The new BTX-A preparation used in this electrophysiological study had similar effect compared with the previously marketed BTX-A.[AQ: Please approve the edits made to the sentence "The new BTX-A preparation…") We propose that a split-body electrophysiological protocol will be useful in establishing the comparative effectiveness of new BTX products.

[Intensity of phospholipid and cholesterol synthesis in the brain and spinal cord of rabbits with experimental allergic encephelomyelitis]. / Intensivnost' sinteza fosfolipidov i kholesterina v golovnom mozge krolikov pri éksperimental'nom allergicheskom éntsefalomielete

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in rabbits by inoculation of homologous spinal cord myelin with Freund's adjuvant. During the paralytic stage of EAE rabbits were injected with 2-C14-acetate and sacrificed in two hours. As revealed, the intensity of phospholipid and cholesterol synthesis decreased markedly in rabbits with EAE not only in the lumbar part of the spinal cord (where the greatest lesions of myelin were localized), but also in the brain stem (where demyelinization was absent).

Efficacy of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in the immunological infertile patients.

PROBLEM: To evaluate the efficacy of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in the immunological infertile patients. METHODS: The subjects were 60 cycles of 44 immunological infertile patients and these clinical data were analysed, retrospectively. They were classified into female and male immunological infertility group and were treated with conventional IVF, ICSI, and half-ICSI. RESULTS: The fertilization rate of ICSI (60.3%) and half-ICSI (60.7%) cycles were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than conventional IVF (42.6%) cycles. In the male immunological infertility group, fertilization rate was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in ICSI (60.7%) and half-ICSI (66.7%) cycles than in conventional IVF (27.4%) cycles and clinical pregnancy rate was higher in ICSI (54.5%) and half ICSI (33.3%) than in conventional IVF (25.0%) cycles. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that ICSI treatment is highly effective method to improve fertilization and pregnancy rate in IVF-ET program of male immunological infertility.

Efficacy of microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in obstructive azoospermia.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to test whether micromanipulation using subzonal insemination and intracytoplasmic sperm injection could improve the poor fertilization and pregnancy rates obtained when attempting in vitro fertilization in patients with congenital absence of the vas deferens and unreconstructable obstructive azoospermia with microsurgically retrieved epididymal spermatozoa. RESULTS: Conventional in vitro fertilization (group A; 14 cycles), subzonal insemination (group B; 13 cycles), and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (group C; 28 cycles) were carried out in 55 treatment cycles. Fertilization rates for groups A, B, and C were 16.1, 31.4, and 48.6%, respectively (P < 0.05). Clinical pregnancy rates for groups A, B, and C were 7.1, 7.7, and 32.1% (P < 0.05), respectively. In five cycles, intracytoplasmic sperm injection using epididymal sperm from alloplastic spermatoceles was performed and two clinical pregnancies (40%) were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The combined microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration and intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure is highly effective in improving the fertilization and pregnancy rate in congenital absence of the vas deferens and unreconstructable obstructive azoospermia. Furthermore, alloplastic spermatoceles may be useful for repeat sperm aspirations.