Itraconazole versus propranolol: therapeutic and pharmacologic effect on serum angiopoietin-2 in patients with infantile hemangioma.

BACKGROUND: The initial recommendation propranolol usage in managing infantile hemangioma was in 2008 followed by various researches assessing the dosage, efficacy, and other parameters. Itraconazole is a world-wide tolerated antifungal but only a few studies have focused on its assessment in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IH). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the newly proposed antifungal drug ICZ and characterize different aspects of its usage as an antiangiogenic drug. METHODS: This was an interventional clinical trial to assess the efficacy of ICZ versus propranolol in the treatment of infantile hemangioma with studying the change in serum angiopoietin 2 (Ang2). A total of 36 pediatric patients were divided into two equal groups: firstly treated with oral itraconazole and secondly treated by oral propranolol. RESULTS: Response to treatment was observed using a modified IH score. In itraconazole-treated infants, good response was observed in 44.4% of the patients. This was slightly higher than the propranolol group which showed 22.2% with good response. We observed a decrease in serum ang2 level after usage of ICZ and propranolol and the change in serum Ang2 level before and after treatment in each group was statistically significant (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Oral itraconazole can be an equivalent option for oral propranolol while safer and shorter treatment periods.

Impact of betanin against paracetamol and diclofenac induced hepato-renal damage in rats.

Context: Paracetamol (PAR) and diclofenac (DF) are the most popular consumed analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications.Objective: This study aimed to explore the protective effect of betanin (Bet) against PAR or DF induced hepato-renal damage in rats.Methods: Rats were randomly divided into five groups: Normal control (NC) group rats were given saline only. PAR group rats received PAR (400 mg/kg). PAR/Bet treated group rats administered PAR (400 mg/kg) plus Bet (25 mg/kg). DF group rats received DF (10 mg/kg). DF/Bet treated group rats administered DF (10 mg/kg) plus Bet (25 mg/kg). All drugs were given by gavage for 28 consecutive days.Results: PAR and DF administration in high dose and long-time induced liver and kidney injury, disrupted serum lipid profile, enhanced serum levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, triggered DNA fragmentation and caused drastic changes in the histopathological pictures of the two organs. Bet supplementation succeeded to ameliorate most of the biochemical changes and protected DNA from damage as obtained from comet assay. Histological features in H&E taken to different groups also mirrors this findings.Conclusion: Bet exerted a potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect against hepato-renal damage induced by PAR or DF overconsumption.

Protective effects of betanin against paracetamol and diclofenac induced neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption in rats.

Context: Overconsumption of paracetamol (PAR) and diclofenac (DF) have been reported to induce neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. Objective: The current study was designed to explore the protective potential of betanin against PAR and DF inducing neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption in a rat model. Material and Methods: Forty rats were equally divided into five groups: group I served as control, group II received PAR (400 mg/kg), group III received PAR plus betanin (25 mg/kg), group IV received DF (10 mg/kg) and group V received DF plus betanin orally for 28 consecutive days. Thyroid axis hormones, sex hormone, neurotransmitters, paraoxonase-1, hemeoxygenase-1 and nuclear factor-2 were measured by ELISA. While, the oxidative stress markers were colorimetrically estimated. Moreover, DNA damage and histopathological picture of the brains were investigated. Results: A marked reduction in thyroid axis hormones, brain neurotransmitters and serum testosterone as well as enhanced oxidative stress and brain DNA damage accompanied by drastic changes in the brain histopathological picture were recorded in the challenged PAR and DF groups. Betanin supplementation ameliorated most of the biochemical and histopathological changes induced by PAR or DF. Conclusion: The study suggests betanin of potential protective effects against neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption induced by PAR and DF overconsumption.

Mono- and co-substrate utilization kinetics using mono- and co-culture of Clostridium beijerinckii and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum.

The effect of co-culturing C. beijerinckii and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum for H2 production using mono- and co-substrates of glucose, starch, and cellulose was assessed. Monod kinetic parameters (K, maximum specific substrate utilization rate; and Ks, half-saturation constant) of the C. beijerinckii, C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum, and the co-culture were determined. Co-cultures utilizing glucose competed for the substrate, but showed enhancement for utilizing starch. The maximum values for K on glucose and starch were 0.48g substrate/gVSS.h achieved by C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum mono-culture and 0.39g substrate/gVSS.h achieved by the co-culture, respectively. The average Ks for all mono- and co-culture experiments was 0.93±0.03g/L. Acetate, butyrate, and propionate were the main fermentation products for all experiments. Maximum H2 production yields on glucose (2.69mol/molglucose) and starch (1.07mol/molhexose) were achieved by C. beijerinckii and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum mono-cultures, respectively; however, neither culture was able to degrade cellulose as a mono-substrate.

Performance of mesophilic biohydrogen-producing cultures at thermophilic conditions.

In this study, batch tests were conducted to investigate the performance of mesophilic anaerobic digester sludge (ADS) at thermophilic conditions and estimate kinetic parameters for co-substrate fermentation. Starch and cellulose were used as mono-substrate and in combination as co-substrates (1:1 mass ratio) to conduct a comparative assessment between mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (60 °C) biohydrogen production. Unacclimatized mesophilic ADS responded well to the temperature change. The highest hydrogen yield of 1.13 mol H2/mol hexose was observed in starch-only batches at thermophilic conditions. The thermophilic cellulose-only yield (0.42 mol H2/mol hexose) was three times the mesophilic yield (0.13 mol H2/mol hexose). Interestingly, co-fermentation of starch-cellulose at mesophilic conditions enhanced the hydrogen yield by 26% with respect to estimated mono-substrate yields, while under thermophilic conditions no enhancement in the overall yield was observed. Interestingly, the estimated overall Monod kinetic parameters showed higher rates at mesophilic than thermophilic conditions.

Comparative assessment of single-stage and two-stage anaerobic digestion for the treatment of thin stillage.

A comparative evaluation of single-stage and two-stage anaerobic digestion processes for biomethane and biohydrogen production using thin stillage was performed to assess the impact of separating the acidogenic and methanogenic stages on anaerobic digestion. Thin stillage, the main by-product from ethanol production, was characterized by high total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) of 122 g/L and total volatile fatty acids (TVFAs) of 12 g/L. A maximum methane yield of 0.33 L CH(4)/gCOD(added) (STP) was achieved in the two-stage process while a single-stage process achieved a maximum yield of only 0.26 L CH(4)/gCOD(added) (STP). The separation of acidification stage increased the TVFAs to TCOD ratio from 10% in the raw thin stillage to 54% due to the conversion of carbohydrates into hydrogen and VFAs. Comparison of the two processes based on energy outcome revealed that an increase of 18.5% in the total energy yield was achieved using two-stage anaerobic digestion.