Surgical treatment of a rare brachial artery aneurysm post-arteriovenous fistula closure after kidney transplant: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Brachial artery aneurysms are defined as dilations greater than 50% of the normal diameter, which are rare among all peripheral arterial aneurysms. While they are often present as pseudoaneurysms, true brachial artery aneurysms are also detected rarely. In this case report, the surgical repair method of true brachial artery aneurysms, which is a rare condition, is explained. CASE SUMMARY: Herein, we present a 61-year-old male patient with complaints of swelling and pain in the right arm antecubital region that had been progressing over 6 mo. Upon the diagnosis of a true brachial artery aneurysm associated with arteriovenous fistula, the aneurysm was surgically repaired with an autologous saphenous vein graft. The patient was discharged without any neurovascular complications postoperatively. CONCLUSION: True brachial artery aneurysms are rare and there are not any recommendations for their management in the current literature. Even though the treatment of true aneurysms in this artery is primarily based on a surgical treatment, endovascular repair also might be an option.

Evaluation of novel cosmetic shampoo formulations against Malassezia species: Preliminary results of anti-dandruff shampoo formulations.

OBJECTIVES: Malassezia species are common, clinically relevant, and lipid-dependent yeasts of humans. They are also the leading causes of the dandruff problem of humans, and the azoles are used primarily in their topical and systemic treatment. Resistance to azoles is an emerging problem among Malassezia sp., which indicates the need of new drug assessments that will be effective against dandruff and limit the use of azoles and other agents in treatment. Among them, the efficacy of various combinations of piroctone olamine and climbazole against Malassezia sp. is highly important. Here, we assessed the efficacies of various piroctone olamine and climbazole formulations against Malassezia sp. in comparison with ketoconazole. METHODS: A total of nine formulations were included in the study, where each formulation was prepared from different concentrations of piroctone olamine and climbazole and both. All formulations contained the same ingredients as water, surfactants, hair conditioning agents, and preservatives. Malassezia furfur CBS1878, Malassezia globosa CBS7874, and Malassezia sympodialis CBS9570 were tested for antifungal susceptibility of each formulation by agar diffusion method. Sizes of the inhibition zones were compared with standard medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole, and the data were analyzed by Dunnett's multiple-comparison test. RESULTS: For all Malassezia sp. strains, climbazole 0.5% and piroctone olamine/climbazole (0.1%/0.1% and 0.1%/0.5%) combinations were found to have the same effect as the medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole. Piroctone olamine/climbazole 1.0%/0.1% formulation showed the same efficacy as 2% ketoconazole on M. furfur and M. sympodialis, while 0.1%/0.5% formulation to only M. furfur. For M. globosa, none of the formulations tested were as effective as ketoconazole. CONCLUSION: The species distribution of Malassezia sp. varies depending on the anatomical location on the host. According to the results of this study, climbazole and piroctone olamine combinations seem to be promising options against the dandruff problem with their high antifungal/anti dandruff efficacy.

Investigation of Superhydrophobic and Anticorrosive Epoxy Films with Al2O3 Nanoparticles on Different Surfaces.

In this study, superhydrophobic epoxy coatings were prepared on different surfaces by utilizing hydrophobized aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles. The dispersions containing epoxy and inorganic nanoparticles with different contents were coated on glass, galvanized steel, and skin-passed galvanized steel substrates by the dip coating method. The contact angles of the obtained surfaces were measured via a contact angle meter device, and the surface morphologies were analyzed by utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion resistance was performed in the corrosion cabinet. The surfaces showed superhydrophobic properties with high contact angles greater than 150° and self-cleaning properties. SEM images indicated that the surface roughness increased as the concentration increased by the incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles into epoxy surfaces. The increase in surface roughness was supported by atomic force microscopy analysis on glass surfaces. It was determined that the corrosion resistance of the galvanized and skin-passed galvanized surfaces increased with the increase of Al2O3 nanoparticle concentration. It has been shown that red rust formation on skin-passed galvanized surfaces was reduced, although they have low corrosion resistance due to roughening on their surfaces.

Efficacy of two plant extracts against acne vulgaris: Initial results of microbiological tests and cell culture studies.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease characterized by increased sebum production, inflammation, and colonization of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) on pilosebaceous follicles. AIMS: To determine the efficacy of two different plant extracts against P. acnes and to analyze the gene expression levels of IL-1α, SRD5A1, and TNFα in HaCaT cells treated with these plant extracts. METHODS: Anti-acne extract 1 (AE1) consisted of Juglans regia (walnut husk), Myrtus communis (myrtle leaves), Matricaria chamomilla (chamomilla flowers), Urtica dioica (stinging nettle leaves), and Rosa damascena (rose flowers). Anti-acne extract 2 (AE2) contained Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (broccoli) and B. oleracea var. italica (cauliflower). The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were tested on two different P. acnes strains: the reference strain of P. acnes (ATCC 51277) and the clinical isolate from a patient. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts was determined using the broth dilution method. Human keratinocyte cells were used for in vitro tests. Gene expression analyses were performed with RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The MIC values of the extracts were below 1/2048 µg/mL. In the gene expression analysis, AE1 increased the expression level of TNFα (1.1719, P < 0.0001), suppressed the expression level of IL-1α, SRD5A1 (0.0588, P = 0.0231; 0.3081, P = 0.0351), respectively. AE2 suppressed gene expression level of IL-1α, SRD5A1, TNFα (0.3815, P = 0.0254; 0.3418, P = 0.0271; 0.1997, P = 0.0623). CONCLUSIONS: Both herbal extracts demonstrated strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity in this preliminary trial. In conclusion, the topical application of these botanical extracts can be good candidates for local acne treatment.

In vitro evaluation of natural thermal mineral waters in human keratinocyte cells: a preliminary study.

We aimed to test the anti-inflammatory and angiogenic properties of two different thermal waters at the cellular level in human keratinocyte cells in the present study. Two different thermal waters, thermo-mineral BJ1 (Bursa, Turkey) and oligomineral BG (Bolu, Turkey), were tested in human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line. HaCaT cells were incubated for 3 days with thermal waters; RNA isolation was carried out in the treated and untreated cells. The gene expressions of TNFα, IL-1α, and VEGF were measured using the RT-qPCR. The tested thermal waters significantly decreased the expression of IL-1α (BJ1 93% p = 0.0024 and BG 38% p = 0.0303). BJ1 and BG thermal waters downregulated the expression of TNFα (59% p = 0.0001 and 23% p = 0.0238 respectively). Furthermore, BJ1 and BG significantly downregulated the gene expression of VEGF (98% p = 0.0430 and 15% p = 0.0120). The observed decrease in the gene expression of TNFα and IL1α could be interpreted as an anti-inflammatory effect of mineral waters on HaCaT cells. Moreover, the suppressed VEGF expression might be an indicator of the antiangiogenic effect on human keratinocytes. Therefore, we hypothesized that depending on their specific chemical composition such as silica (128 mg/L) in BJ1 and hydrogen sulfide (1.2 mg/L) in BG, thermal waters suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines and angiogenic growth factor. These preliminary findings might give insight on the underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic benefits observed in some skin diseases such as rosacea and psoriasis.

Effect of Ficus carica leaf extract on the gene expression of selected factors in HaCaT cells.

BACKGROUND: Ficus carica Linn. (Fc), common fig, has been traditionally used for many metabolic, cardiovasculary, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin disorders. Several studies were performed showing its anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anticancerogenic, and tissue-protective effects. In all of those studies, the positive effects of Fc were concluded as the result of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features due to the polyphenols it contains. AIMS: To study the phenolic compounds of Fc extract and to investigate the molecular basis of anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, antimitotic, and anti-androgenic effects of Fc leaf extract in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The gene expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), interleukin 1-alpha (IL-1a), and 5 alpha-reductase type II (SRD5A2) were tested in human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) by RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The gene expression analysis showed that the plant extract caused statistically significant downregulation of VEGF, TNF-a, IL-1a, and SRD5A2 compared to the untreated cells. DISCUSSION: These preliminary results of this in vitro study may partially explain the clinical success of Fc in the traditional medicine. CONCLUSION: Topical Fc leaf extract may be beneficial for some inflammatory disorders and androgen-dependent disorders of the skin such as androgenetic alopecia.