Treatment of ocular surface squamous neoplasia with topical Aloe vera drops.

PURPOSE: To report a case of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) that resolved with topical Aloe vera eye drop treatment. METHODS: A 64-year-old Hispanic woman with a lesion typical for OSSN in her left eye was followed up with multiple clinical examinations and ocular surface photographs to document changes over time with A. vera-based topical treatment. RESULTS: The patient refused biopsy of her lesion and traditional treatments and, instead, initiated using A. vera eye drops 3 times daily. At follow-up visits, the lesion was noted to regress until it finally resolved 3 months after commencing treatment. No additional topical medications were used, and she has remained tumor free for 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing research is warranted because A. vera may represent a new therapeutic class of medications for OSSN treatment.

Possible mechanism of hypoglycemic effect of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, a constituent of Pandanus odorus root.

We studied the hypoglycemic effect of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, a constituent of the root of Pandanus odorus Ridl. (Pandanaceae, Thai name: Toei-hom), in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Oral administration of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid caused a decrease in plasma glucose levels dose-dependently in the diabetic rat. The constituent did not affect serum insulin level and liver glycogen content in the diabetic model, but increased glucose consumption in normal and diabetic rat diaphragms. These results suggest that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid produces a hypoglycemic effect mediated by an increase in the peripheral glucose consumption.