Efficacy of Azithromycin in Treatment of Acne Vulgaris: A Mini Review.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are commonly used in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Considering the rise of antibiotic resistance, alternative medications may be used in the main anti-acne armamentarium. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of oral azithromycin in the treatment of acne vulgaris. METHODS: Database searches were performed in PubMed and Scopus using the keywords "azithromycin" and "acne". RESULTS: Azithromycin 500 mg once daily for 3 days per week or in cycles of 10 days for 12 weeks are the most commonly used regimens. CONCLUSION: Available experimental data suggest that oral azithromycin is an effective and well-tolerated option for treatment of acne vulgaris.

Nicorandil potentiates sodium butyrate induced preconditioning of neurons and enhances their survival upon subsequent treatment with H2O2.

BACKGROUND: Extensive loss of donor neural stem cell (NSCs) due to ischemic stress and low rate of differentiation at the site of cell graft are two of the major issues that hamper optimal outcome in NSCs transplantation studies. Given that histone deacetylases (HDACs) modulate various cellular processes by deacetylating histones and non-histone proteins, we hypothesized that combined treatment with small molecules, sodium butyrate (NaB; a known HDAC inhibitor) and nicorandil, will enhance the rate neuronal differentiation of NSCs besides their preconditioning to resist oxidative stress. METHODS: NSCs derived from 14-day old Sprague Dawley rat ganglion eminence were characterized for tri-lineage differentiation. Treatment with 1 mM NaB significantly changed their culture characteristics while continuous treatment for 10 days enhanced their neural differentiation. NaB treatment also preconditioned the cells for their resistance to oxidative stress. RESULTS: The highest rate of neural differentiation and preconditioning effect was achieved when the NSCs were treated concomitantly with NaB and nicorandil. Cell proliferation assay showed that concomitant treatment with NaB and nicorandil retarded their rate of proliferation. CONCLUSION: These data conclude that preconditioning of NSCs with NaB and nicorandil effectively enhances their differentiation capacity besides preconditioning the cells to support their survival under ischemic conditions.