Comparison of 8 weeks standard treatment (rifampicin plus clarithromycin) vs. 4 weeks standard plus amoxicillin/clavulanate treatment [RC8 vs. RCA4] to shorten Buruli ulcer disease therapy (the BLMs4BU trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled multi-centre trial in Benin.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that affects skin, soft tissues, and bones, causing long-term morbidity, stigma, and disability. The recommended treatment for BU requires 8 weeks of daily rifampicin and clarithromycin together with wound care, physiotherapy, and sometimes tissue grafting and surgery. Recovery can take up to 1 year, and it may pose an unbearable financial burden to the household.

Cost and consequences of using 7.1 % chlorhexidine gel for newborn umbilical cord care in Kenya.

Background: Omphalitis is an important contributor to neonatal mortality in Kenya. Chlorhexidine digluconate 7.1 % w/w (CHX; equivalent to 4 % w/w chlorhexidine) was identified as a life-saving commodity for newborn cord care by the United Nations and is included on World Health Organization and Kenyan Essential Medicines Lists.

Ru-Catalyzed Selective Catalytic Methylation and Methylenation Reaction Employing Methanol as the C1 Source.

Methanol can be employed as a green and sustainable methylating agent to form C-C and C-N bonds via borrowing hydrogen (BH) methodology. Herein we explored the activity of the acridine-derived SNS-Ru pincer for the activation of methanol to apply it as a C1 building block in different reactions. Our catalytic system shows great success toward the β-C(sp)-methylation reaction of 2-phenylethanols to provide good to excellent yields of the methylated products.

Synthesis of 1,8-Dioxo-decahydroacridine Derivatives Ru-Catalyzed Acceptorless Dehydrogenative Multicomponent Reaction.

A Ru-catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenative multicomponent reaction has been developed. This reaction offers a cost-effective and simple operational strategy to synthesize biologically active 1,8-dioxodecahydroacridine derivatives. The protocol provides a wide range of substrate scope and various functional groups are also well tolerated under the reaction condition.

Acceptorless dehydrogenative construction of C[double bond, length as m-dash]N and C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds through catalytic aza-Wittig and Wittig reactions in the presence of an air-stable ruthenium pincer complex.

The construction of C[double bond, length as m-dash]N bonds was achieved by the dehydrogenative coupling of alcohol and azide via aza-Wittig type reaction. The reaction is catalyzed by an acridine-derived ruthenium pincer complex and does not use any oxidant. The present protocol offers a wide substrate scope, including aliphatic, aryl or heteroaryl alcohol/azides.

Evaluation of Socio-demographic Factors for Non-compliance to Treatment in Locally Advanced Cases of Cancer Cervix in a Rural Medical College Hospital in India.

Introduction: Carcinoma cervix is a leading cause of cancer in India. However, majority of the patients face a problem of not being able to complete the treatment.

Aim: This study was an attempt to find out the important causes of this non-compliance to treatment in a rural Medical College Hospital where majority of the cancer cases are of cervical cancer.

Effect of plant-based phenol derivatives on the formation of Cu and Ag nanoparticles.

The complexes formed on the reaction of various metal ions viz., Cu(II) and Cu(I) with phenol derivatives viz. catechol, chlorogenic acid (CGA), hydroquinone and n-propyl gallate (nPG) were established by UV-visible spectroscopy.

Phase-transfer and film formation of silver nanoparticles.

In this article, a simple method for either transfer of silver nanoparticles from formamide to chloroform or to form a film at their interface is demonstrated. The transfer of the particles is a two-step size-dependent process. The size distribution of the colloidal hydrophobic silver particles in chloroform was almost the same as that before its transfer.

Studies on adsorption of mono- and multi-chromophoric hemicyanine dyes on silver nanoparticles by surface-enhanced resonance Raman and theoretical calculations.

Structural and vibrational properties of mono- and multichromophoric hemicyanine (HC) dyes in solution and adsorbed on silver-coated films have been investigated using optical absorption and resonance Raman scattering techniques, with interpretations aided by theoretical calculations. This is the first report on the Raman spectroscopic studies of multichromophoric HC derivatives. The structure of the monomer, N-propyl-4-(p-N,N-dimethylamino styryl)pyridinium bromide (HC3), and its charged and neutral silver complexes (HC3-Ag) in the ground electronic (S(0)) state were optimized using density functional calculations with the B3LYP method using the 6-31G(*) and LANL2DZ basis sets.

Role of phenol derivatives in the formation of silver nanoparticles.

We demonstrate that dihydroxy benzenes are excellent reducing agents and may be used to reduce silver ions to synthesize stable silver nanoparticles in air-saturated aqueous solutions. The formation of Ag nanoparticles in deaerated aqueous solution at high pH values suggests that the reduction of silver ions occurs due to oxidation of dihydroxy benzenes and probably on the surface of Ag2O. Pulse radiolysis studies show that the semi-quinone radical does not participate in the reduction of silver ions at short time scales.

Ascorbic acid monoglucoside as antioxidant and radioprotector.

Ascorbic acid monoglucoside (AsAG), a glucoside derivative of ascorbic acid, has been examined for its antioxidant and radioprotective abilities. AsAG neutralized 1, 1 diphenyl -2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), a stable free radical in a concentration dependent manner thus indicating its antioxidant ability. AsAG protected mice liver tissues in vitro from peroxidative damage in lipids (measured as TBARS) resulting from 25Gy gamma irradiation.

Rosiglitazone/metformin fixed-dose combination compared with uptitrated metformin alone in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study.

Background: Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) that involves uptitration of monotherapy to the maximum dose has been associated with delays in achieving glycemic control and an increased number of adverse events (AEs). Studies have reported the benefits of adding a thiazolidinedione to metformin (MET), but none has compared the effect of adding a thiazolidinedione to MET versus increasing the daily dose of MET to 3 g.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the benefits of fixed-dose combination rosiglitazone and MET (RSG/MET) compared with high-dose MET monotherapy in patients with type 2 DM.

Rosiglitazone, but not glyburide, reduces circulating proinsulin and the proinsulin:insulin ratio in type 2 diabetes.

An elevation in the ratio of proinsulin (PI) to immunoreactive insulin (IRI) is inversely related to beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes, and increased PI is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. An objective of the present studies was to assess the effects of the thiazolidinedione insulin sensitizer, rosiglitazone, on indirect markers of beta-cell function and cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes by measuring plasma PI and the PI:IRI ratio. Parameters of insulin processing, including plasma PI and PI:IRI ratios, were determined in type 2 diabetes patients enrolled in two randomized double-blind studies comparing the effects of rosiglitazone (4 or 8 mg/d) with placebo (study 1, 26-wk treatment) or the sulfonylurea glyburide (study 2, 52-wk treatment).

Effects of rosiglitazone alone and in combination with atorvastatin on the metabolic abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study evaluated the effects of rosiglitazone therapy on lipids and the efficacy and safety of rosiglitazone in combination with atorvastatin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Three-hundred thirty-two patients entered an 8-week, open-label, run-in treatment phase with rosiglitazone 8 mg/day, and 243 were randomized to a 16-week, double-blinded period of continued rosiglitazone plus placebo, atorvastatin 10 mg/day, or atorvastatin 20 mg/day. With rosiglitazone alone, a modest increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (9%), a shift in LDL phenotype from dense to large buoyant subfractions (52% of patients), and an increase in total high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (6%), predominantly in HDL(2) levels (13%), occurred from week 0 to week 8.

Effect of rosiglitazone on insulin sensitivity and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients [corrected].

Objective: To investigate the effects of rosiglitazone (RSG) on insulin sensitivity and regional adiposity (including intrahepatic fat) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Research Methods And Procedures: We examined the effect of RSG (8 mg/day, 2 divided doses) compared with placebo on insulin sensitivity and body composition in 33 type 2 diabetic patients. Measurements of insulin sensitivity (euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp), body fat (abdominal magnetic resonance imaging and DXA), and liver fat (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) were taken at baseline and repeated after 16 weeks of treatment.