Efficacy of Low-Dose Isotretinoin in the Treatment of Rosacea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Rosacea is a common cutaneous condition caused by persistent, recurring lesions in facial skin vessels. It is a chronic skin condition with a variety of clinical symptoms and an unknown cause. Rosacea begins with the widening of capillaries and a flushed appearance. Following that, telangiectasia appears, and reddened patches persist, particularly on the cheeks and nose. Erythema persists due to repeated vasodilation and telangiectasia. In addition, skin inflammation manifests as papules, pustules, lymphedema, and fibrosis. Despite recent advances in treatment, rosacea, a chronic inflammatory relapsing central facial dermatosis, can be extremely difficult to manage.  The purpose of this meta-analysis and systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of low-dose isotretinoin in the treatment of rosacea. Following the guidelines set forth by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), the researcher employed the following search terms in the EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases to provide a therapeutic update relevant to clinical practice: "low dose isotretinoin," "isotretinoin and rosacea," "isotretinoin treatment of rosacea," and "effectiveness of isotretinoin in treating rosacea". The search was carried out by the researcher for articles published from February 2019 to February 2024. The articles included were all published in the English language. The overall frequency of patients with adverse events differed significantly between the groups treated with low-dose isotretinoin and the comparators (minocycline, pulsed dye laser, evening primrose oil, Lactobacillus plantarum, doxycycline, combined dose or placebo) (0.80, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.88, p = 0.0001). Sub-group analysis indicated that there was a difference between the interventions used in the treatments all in favor of low-dose isotretinoin treatment. The results showed that the moderate group had RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.44-1.30, I2 = 0%; the mild group had RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.56-1.57, I2 = 0%; and the group with severe rosacea had RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.47-1.13, I2 = 0%. According to this study, rosacea can be treated effectively with low-dose isotretinoin even in patients at severe stages of the disease by using the recommended dose once a week. Further, the intervention has also been shown to have fewer side effects on the patients. Therefore, this study recommends randomized controlled trials to be done to fully investigate the best combination options for isotretinoin on mild to severe rosacea based on the fact that some of the treatments combined have shown to be effective on treatment.

Overview of the Association Between the Pathophysiology, Types, and Management of Sickle Cell Disease and Stroke.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that affects hemoglobin and increases stroke risk, particularly in childhood. This review examines the pathophysiological association between SCD and stroke, the classification of stroke types, risk factors, diagnosis, management, prevention, and prognosis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted via PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Relevant studies on SCD and stroke pathophysiology, classification, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention were identified. Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to become rigid and sickle-shaped, obstructing blood vessels. Recurrent sickling alters cerebral blood flow and damages vessel walls, often leading to ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes (HS). These occur most frequently in childhood, with ischemic strokes (IS) being more common. Key risk factors include a prior transient ischemic attack (TIA), low hemoglobin, and a high leukocyte count. Neuroimaging is essential for diagnosis and determining stroke type. Primary prevention centers on blood transfusions and hydroxyurea for those at high risk. Acute treatment involves promptly restoring blood flow and managing complications. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding stroke mechanisms, optimizing screening protocols, and improving long-term outcomes. This review synthesizes current evidence on SCD and stroke to highlight opportunities for further research and standardizing care protocols across institutions. Ultimately, a holistic perspective is critical for mitigating the high risk of debilitating strokes in this vulnerable patient population.

Investigation of boron-doped graphene oxide anchored with copper sulphide flowers as visible light active photocatalyst for methylene blue degradation.

The non-biodegradable nature of waste emitted from the agriculture and industrial sector contaminates freshwater reserves. Fabrication of highly effective and low-cost heterogeneous photocatalysts is crucial for sustainable wastewater treatment. The present research study aims to construct a novel photocatalyst using a facile ultrasonication-assisted hydrothermal method. Metal sulphides and doped carbon support materials work well to fabricate hybrid sunlight active systems that efficiently harness green energy and are eco-friendly. Boron-doped graphene oxide-supported copper sulphide nanocomposite was synthesized hydrothermally and was assessed for sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. BGO/CuS was characterized through various techniques such as SEM-EDS, XRD, XPS, FTIR, BET, PL, and UV-Vis DRS spectroscopy. The bandgap of BGO-CuS was found to be 2.51 eV as evaluated through the tauc plot method. The enhanced dye degradation was obtained at optimum conditions of pH = 8, catalyst concentration (20 mg/100 mL for BGO-CuS), oxidant dose (10 mM for BGO-CuS), and optimum time of irradiation was 60 min. The novel boron-doped nanocomposite effectively degraded methylene blue up to 95% under sunlight. Holes and hydroxyl radicals were the key reactive species. Response surface methodology was used to analyze the interaction among several interacting parameters to remove dye methylene blue effectively.

Leverage of weave pattern and composite thickness on dynamic mechanical analysis, water absorption and flammability response of bamboo fabric/epoxy composites.

Spar caps, which cover 50% of the cost of windmill blades, were made of unidirectional and biaxial glass/carbon reinforcements of 600 gsm with thicknesses ranging from 100 to 150 mm for blades 70-80 m long. The significance of this study was to utilize an economical biodegradable material i.e bamboo fabric of 125 gsm to fabricate a lightweight composite and study its behavior for spar caps applications. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of weave pattern and composite size at coupon level under thermal, dynamic, water absorption, and flammability conditions. Composites comprising 125 gsm plain and twill weave bamboo as reinforcements/AI 1041 Phenalkamine bio-based hardener with epoxy B-11 as matrix were tested. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis revealed that the weave pattern and composite thickness had an effect on the rate of weight loss and sustenance until 450 °C. The pattern had an effect on the glass transition temperature, as seen by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The weave pattern and size thickness had an effect on energy storage and dissipation, displaying the damping behavior in DMA. The weave pattern and size had an effect on the rate of water absorption, which saturated after a few hours. The wettability and thickness of composites hampered the burning rate, with 5.4 mm thickness resulting in a 30% decrease.

Experimental Analysis of Steel Circular Hollow Section under Bending Loads: Comprehensive Study of Mechanical Performance.

The present study aimed at evaluating the mechanical performance under bending loads of circular hollow sections of steel. Different bending tests have been carried out by applying two-point loads, to determine and examine the effects of the diameter, the thickness of the section, and the span of the beam on the performance of the steel tube. The effects of square opening and variation in the number of openings on the performance of these sections have also been examined. Ten samples of hollow circular beams of varying thickness (2 mm, 3 mm, and 6 mm), varying diameter (76.2 mm, 101.6 mm, and 219 mm), and varying span (1000 mm, 1500 mm, and 2000 mm) were fabricated and tested for pre-failure and post-failure stages. The dimensions of the reference specimen considered were 3 mm in thickness, 101.6 mm in diameter, and 1500 mm in span. The results have shown that on increasing the section thickness by 200%, ductility and bearing strength were enhanced by 58.04% and 81.75%, respectively. Meanwhile, decreasing the section thickness by 67%, ductility and bearing strength were reduced by 64.86% and 38.87%, respectively. Moreover, on increasing the specimen diameter and on decreasing span, a significant increase in bearing strength and stiffness was observed; however, ductility was reduced. Meanwhile, on increasing the span of the specimen, all the parameters observed, i.e., bearing strength, stiffness, and ductility, decreased. On observing the ultimate strength of each specimen with square opening, the ultimate strength was reduced by 17.88%, 19.71%, and 14.23% for one, two-, and three-square openings, respectively. Moreover, the ductility was significantly reduced by 72.40%, 67.71%, and 60.88% for one, two-, and three-square openings/apertures, respectively, and led to the sudden failure of these specimens. The local buckling failure dominated for specimens having a D/t ratio more than 50 and showed very negligible levels of ovalization of the cross-section. Local buckling failure was observed to be prevented after providing the circular rings in the specimen, since bearing strength increased compared with the specimen without rings.

Evaluation and Prediction of the Bending Behavior of Circular Hollow Steel Tube Sections Using Finite Element Analysis.

Circular hollow steel tube columns are widely used in high-rise buildings and bridges due to their ductility and lower weight compared to reinforced concrete. The use of this type of steel section has several advantages over using reinforced concrete members. The present study investigates the bending behavior of steel circular hollow sections when subjected to bending loads. The variations in material characteristics with regard to position along the cross-section of a steel tube member is first considered in this experimental study, providing for a more accurate definition of the material behavior in the model. A supported beam tested by two-point loads is the loading type that is used to study the bending performance of steel tubes. Ten circular hollow beam specimens were prepared and tested up to and post the failure stage with the following dimensions: thickness (2, 3, and 6 mm), diameter (76.2, 101.6, and 219 mm), and span (1000, 1500, and 2000 mm). A finite element analysis has been conducted for these ten specimens using the ANSYS program. The finite element model is compared to experimentally obtained data to verify that both local and global behaviors are correctly considered. The load-deflection results of this analysis showed a good agreement with the experimental results. A parametric study also was performed that considered two variables, which were the effect of the presence of circular rings and the change of opening location in the length direction on the specimens' behavior. This study showed that the presence of the circular rings in the specimen led to an increase in its ultimate strength (of 53.24%) compared with the non-presence of these rings. In contrast, the presence of openings at 30, 40, and 50% from the specimen length reduced the strength capacity by 8.76, 14.23, and 17.88%, respectively.

Evaluating the Stress-Strain Relationship of the Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures.

Extensive amount of research on additively manufactured (AM) lattice structures has been made to develop a generalized model that can interpret how strongly operational variables affect mechanical properties. However, the currently used techniques such as physics models and multi-physics simulations provide a specific interpretation of those qualities, and are not general enough to assess the mechanical properties of AM lattice structures of different topologies produced on different materials via several fabrication methods. To tackle this problem, this study develops an optimal deep learning (DL) model based on more than 4000 data points, which has been optimized by analyzing three different hyper-parameters optimization schemes including gradient boost regression trees (GBRT), gaussian process (GP), and random forest (RF) with different data distribution schemes such as normal distribution, nth root transformation, and robust scaler. With the robust scaler and nth root transformation, the accuracy of the model increases from R2 = 0.85 (for simple distribution) to R2 = 0.94 and R2 = 0.88, respectively. After feature engineering and data correlation, the stress, unit cell size, total height, width, and relative density are chosen to be the input parameters to model the strain. The optimal DL model is able to predict the strain of different topologies of lattices (such as circular, octagonal, Gyroid, truncated cube, Truncated cuboctahedron, Rhombic do-decahedron, and many others) with decent accuracy (R2 = 0.936, MAE = 0.05, and MSE = 0.025). The parametric sensitivity analysis and explainable artificial intelligence (by using DeepSHAP library) based insights confirm that stress is the most sensitive input to the strain followed by the relative density from the modeling perspective of the AM lattices. The findings of this study would be helpful for the industry and the researchers to design AM lattice structures of different topologies for various engineering applications.