Trunk-oriented Exercises Versus Whole-body Vibration on Abdominal Thickness and Balance in Children with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy.

OBJECTIVES: Progressive proximal muscle weakening in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) impairs postural adjustments by impairing motor function and preventing ambulation. During daily activities, for gait and dynamic balance, certain postural modifications are required. The objective was to compare the impact of trunk-oriented exercises versus whole-body vibration on abdominal muscle thickness and balance in children with DMD. METHODS: Participants in this study were 30 boys with DMD, aged 6 to 10 years old. Children were divided into two groups (A and B) randomly. Children in group (A) underwent a prescribed regimen of physical therapy along with trunk-oriented exercises, whereas group (B) received the same regimen as group (A) together with whole-body vibration three times per week for three consecutive months. Balance and the thickness of the abdominal muscles were measured using the Biodex balance system and ultrasonography, respectively, before and after therapy. RESULTS: When compared to the pre-treatment results in both groups, the post-treatment results showed a significant difference in all measured variables (p<0.05). Post-treatment values showed that all of the measured variables significantly differed in favor of group A. CONCLUSIONS: Trunk-oriented exercises can improve abdominal thickness and balance more effectively than whole-body vibration in children with DMD. CLINICALTRIALS: gov ID: NCT05688072.

Narrow Band Ultraviolet B Versus Red Light-Emitting Diodes in the Treatment of Facial Acne Vulgaris: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: One of the most common dermatological conditions affecting most teenagers is acne. Phototherapy was described as a therapeutic modality with low-side effects of acne vulgaris (AV). Hence, we examined the effects of narrow band ultraviolet B (NBUVB) versus red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on facial AV. Methods: Forty-five subjects suffering from facial AV mild to a moderate degree were randomly assigned into three groups, 15 subjects within every group. Group A was equipped to NBUVB with 311-313 nm and an initial dose of 250 mJ/cm2, thrice a week for 8 weeks, Group B was equipped red LED with wavelengths 633 ± 6 nm and power density of 80 mW/cm2, thrice a week for 8 weeks, whereas group C had received the only erythromycin as a control group. Outcome measures included measurement of acne lesion count and degree of severity. Measures at three-time intervals were assessed: baseline, 4 weeks (post I), and 8 weeks (post II). Results: Acne numeral findings revealed a significant variance among groups A, B, and C in favor of group A (p < 0.001). Notable improvements were observed across all three groups (p < 0.001). The degree of adjustment effects indicated a greater increase in group A in comparison with group B (p < 0.01), whereas no statistical variance was detected between group B and group C (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Both NBUVB and red LED were effective in acne treatment; NBUVB, however, revealed a highly efficient treatment than red LED in decreasing the acne lesions count and the improved degree of AV severity as measured by the global investigator's assessment scale. Clinical Trial Registration No. NCT04254601.

Olanzapine Mesoporous Nanostructured Lipid Carrier: Optimization, Characterization, In Vivo Assessment, and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling.

A promising approach has been emerging to enhance dissolution of hydrophobicdrugsby encapsulation in mesoporous silica materials. Olanzapine is a practically insoluble antipsychotic drug which is subjected to excessive first pass effect and shows inadequate oral bioavailability. Therefore, mesoporous silica was used to improve bioavailability of olanzapine incorporated in nano-structured lipid carriers (NLCs). These systems were characterized for their particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as well asits release profile. The optimized mesoporous NLC system displayed nano-spherical particles (120.56 nm), possessed high entrapment efficiency (88.46%) and the highest percentage of drug released after six hours (75.13%). The biological performance of the optimized system was assessed in comparison with the drug suspension in healthy albino rabbits. The optimized system showed significantly (P < 0.05) prolonged MRT (8.47 h), higher Cmax (22.12± 0.40 ng/ml) and Tmax (2.0 h) values compared to drug suspension. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was simulated and verified. All the predicted results were within 0.6 and 1-fold of the reported data. To set a conclusion, in vitro results as well as in vivo pharmacokinetic study and PBPK data showed an enhancement in bioavailability of the optimized NLCs system over the plain drug suspension. These results proved the potentiality of incorporating olanzapine in mesoporous NLC for a significant improvement in oral bioavailability of olanzapine.