ABSTRACT
Acne vulgaris is challenging to treat for several individuals. Laser therapy may be a desirable alternative to traditional therapies with limited success. This study aimed to assess efficacy of fractional CO2 laser versus Nd:YAG laser for acne vulgaris therapy. Thirty cases with acne vulgaris underwent both fractional CO2 laser and Nd: YAG laser treatments in a randomized split face design at a 14-day interval for four sessions. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by counting acne lesions and utilizing the Global Acne Severity Scale (GEA Scale). GEAs decreased significantly after both fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG modalities after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up; fractional CO2 demonstrated significant more decrease in GEAs with (P = 0.006, 0.00 (respectively. Moreover, fractional CO2 showed a significantly higher satisfaction level (P = 0.004) and a better clinical improvement percentage regarding inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions (P = 0.007 and 0.000, respectively) after 3 months of follow-up. Apart from transient erythema, there were insignificant adverse effects concerning both treated sides. Fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers are efficient physical modalities of acne treatment. However, fractional CO2 laser was more effective and more satisfying to the patients.
Subject(s)
Acne Vulgaris , Lasers, Solid-State , Low-Level Light Therapy , Humans , Carbon Dioxide , Lasers, Solid-State/therapeutic use , Acne Vulgaris/radiotherapy , LightABSTRACT
Wheat crops are highly sensitive to high temperatures during their reproductive and grain-filling phases. We hypothesized that potassium could increase thermotolerance in wheat during grain filling by protecting cellular organelles, particularly chlorophyll, from heat injury. Two wheat genotypes, Ujala-16 (relatively heat tolerant) and Anaj-17 (relatively susceptible) were grown in pots and were submitted to 4 and 8 days of heat stress under polythene sheets 1 week after anthesis. One day before the onset of heat stress, 2% potassium (K) as K2SO4 was sprayed on all the plants. Flag leaves from both genotypes were collected after 4 and 8 days of heat stress. Leaf physiology changes were measured to quantify heat damage and to understand the K-induced recovery mechanism. The crop was harvested 125 days after sowing, and grain yield data were collected. Increasing duration of heat stress significantly impaired leaf physiology and grain yield of both studied wheat genotypes. Compared with control (under optimum temperature), 4 and 8 days heat-stressed plants produced 11 and 19% lesser grain yield per spike (averaged across genotypes and in the second years of study), respectively. Likewise, 4- and 8-days heat-stressed plants had 15 and 37% (averaged across genotypes and in the second years of study) lower flag leaf photosynthesis, respectively, compared with control plants. Across the genotypes, 8-days heat caused significantly more grain yield loss in Anaj-17 during the second year than in Ujala-16. Foliar K significantly restored leaf chlorophyll, Pn, Fv/Fm by reducing cellular membrane damage in the heat-stressed plants. This physiological recovery and activation of the plant defensive system by K under high-temperature stress protected the growth and grain development. For example, K-treated plants produced 19% higher 1,000 grain weight in 8 days of heat stress (across genotypes and in the second years of study) compared with water-treated plants under the hot environment of the respective thermal regime. Our study suggests that wheat performance under terminal heat stress can be improved through the exogenous application of K.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we explore local dynamics with topological classifications, bifurcation analysis, and chaos control in a discrete-time COVID-19 epidemic model in the interior of â + 4 . It is explored that for all involved parametric values, discrete-time COVID-19 epidemic model has boundary equilibrium solution and also it has an interior equilibrium solution under definite parametric condition. We have explored the local dynamics with topological classifications about boundary and interior equilibrium solutions of the discrete-time COVID-19 epidemic model by linear stability theory. Further, for the discrete-time COVID-19 epidemic model, existence of periodic points and convergence rate are also investigated. It is also studied the existence of possible bifurcations about boundary and interior equilibrium solutions and proved that there exists no flip bifurcation about boundary equilibrium solution. Moreover, it is proved that about interior equilibrium solution, there exist Hopf and flip bifurcations, and we have studied these bifurcations by utilizing explicit criterion. Moreover, by feedback control strategy, chaos in the discrete COVID-19 epidemic model is also explored. Finally, theoretical results are verified numerically.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the success of treatment between thumb spica cast with "methylprednisolone acetate injection" versus thumb spica cast alone for the treatment of de Quervain's disease as functional outcomes, complications and patient compliance. METHODS: A single blinded randomized controlled trial using a probability sampling technique was conducted from January 2014 to h February 2017at the Orthopaedic Unit II, King Edward Medical University / Mayo Hospital, Lahore. A total of 134 patients of both genders, between 30-60 years of age presented with wrist pain and diagnosed de Quervain's disease, were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two group by the computer allocation method. Patients in Group-A received thumb spica cast with methylprednisolone acetate and xylocaine injection while patients in Group-B were treated with thumb spica cast alone. The outcome variable was frequency of successful treatment which was noted and compared among the groups. RESULTS: Amongst the total 134 patients, the age of the patients ranged from 30 to 60 years with a mean of 37.16±5.15 years. Most of the patients were aged between 30 40 years (78.8%) followed by 41-50 years (21.2%). There were 38 (28.4%) male and 96 (71.6%) female patients in the study group with a male to female ratio of 1:2.5. In group-A mean VAS and Quick DASH score before treatment and after the treatment was statistically significant (p-value <0.001). In group-B mean VAS and Quick DASH score before and after the treatment was also significant (p-value <0.001) ( Table-2). CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of treatment was significantly higher in patients treated with thumb spica cast with methylprednisolone acetate injection as compared to thumb spica cast alone.
