The role of platelet-rich plasma in androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also referred to as male or female pattern hair loss, is the commonest cause of chronic hair loss and affects up to 80% of men by the age of 70. Despite a high prevalence, there are few approved therapies, which show minimal efficacy.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PrP) in the treatment of AGA in male patients.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane (CENTRAL), CINAHL, clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar and the Science Citation Index database were searched to identify eligible studies. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies related to PrP use in AGA were included. Primary outcomes included changes in hair density and hair count. Methodological quality was assessed using bias assessment tools.

RESULTS

Eight RCTs and one cohort study were included in the review with a total of 291 participants. Six studies reported a statistically significant increase in hair density in the PrP group versus the control. Five studies reported a statistically significant increase in hair count with PrP. Seven studies showed moderate risk and two showed low risk of bias.

CONCLUSION

In a methodologically robust review on the effectiveness of PrP on male AGA, PrP demonstrated some potential to be used therapeutically. However, the low quality of evidence, moderate risk of bias, and high heterogeneity of included studies limit inferences and call for more robust designs to investigate this further.

Synergistic interaction between hydrocolloids and kinnow peel biowaste for the development of edible fillers using response surface methodology

Rapidly rising societal awareness about the planet sustainability through developing environmentally friendly and biodegradable alternatives to current impact of plastics waste represents an emerging need for establishing a circular bioeconomy of cleaner, safer, greener, and sustainable future. Until now, no investigation has been done on edible tableware made from leftover fruit peels. Presently, Kinnow mandarin is the most commercially farmed citrus fruit commodity, with the highest production, productivity, and popularity among all horticulture crops worldwide, generating vast quantity of peels ending up as putrefying biowaste that impacts ecosystem health. Sustainable efforts are therefore required in the circular economy to develop a creative and comprehensive strategy to address aforementioned issues, raising profitability, enhancing processing efficiency, and exploring "taste over waste," which contributes to overall sustainability. Therefore, in the current study, we established an approach for transforming the citrus peels biowaste into food-related end products by creating edible fillers, which is a sustainable material in terms of its functional, physical, and microbiological qualities for holding of confectionery products. The optimum level of independent variables with maximum desirability were found to be 0.75% calcium chloride concentration, 1.01% agar concentration, and 10% moisture content. A significant (p < 0.05) effect of process parameters was found in all responses. Model validation revealed that the model developed was accurate, with a prediction error ranging from - 9.96 to 3.28%. The technology developed for biowaste-based biofillers is still in a nascent stage, and it is expected that significant advancements will be made in the bio-refinery industries that can make edible fillers a reality in the future and might be helpful in contributing towards sustainable development. This research also demonstrated an efficient and novel approach towards a "zero-waste."

Using a mobile phone-based application as an adjunct to facilitate oral hygiene practices in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy of a mobile phone application to facilitate oral hygiene practices in children with ADHD.

METHODS

This was a randomized controlled study that included 54 ADHD children after obtaining informed parental consent. The children were randomly divided into 2 groups; Group 1 (conventional) participants were instructed verbally as well as demonstrated the brushing technique on models. Group 2 (mobile phone application) participants were made to download and use the 'BRUSH DJ' app developed by Ben Underwood. At baseline, the oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) [Greene and Vermillion, 1964] of each child was evaluated clinically and the parents were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding the oral hygiene practices followed by their child every day. At the end of the second, sixth, and twelfth week, the parents were asked to fill the same questionnaire in addition to the evaluation of the OHI-S index.

RESULTS

A significant difference was found in the brushing time, brushing frequency, and OHI-S index between group 1 and group 2 at the end of 12 weeks. (unpaired t-test, p<0.05)

CONCLUSION

The mobile phone application proved to be an effective tool in captivating the attention of these children and thus improving their oral health.

110 DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY HYBRID EDUCATION PROGRAM IN SYNCOPE AND RELATED DISORDERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background

Syncope and related disorders is an important area for training of all health professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted the delivery of our annual face-to-face certified program to a 9-month hybrid program. Here, we describe the development, delivery, and evaluation of such new program.

Methods

A pre-existing curriculum was modified to incorporate online content, online lecture delivery and interactive group learning, in addition to individual practical placements in a syncope management unit, in line with government and hospital infection control guidance at the time. Monthly content included video consultant case presentations, ECG analysis and interpretation, and instructional videos of diagnostic testing and relevant technologies. A comprehensive online week-long lecture program was developed.

Results

The lecture week included 30 clinical lectures, 10 clinical case presentations and 10 ‘how to’ practical videos for testing/monitoring procedures. Further learning over zoom incorporated learner case presentations in a small group format. At the completion of the course the leaners attended a final online half day of lectures and completed the multi choice question examination.

Conclusion

“Thank you so much for putting together such a fantastic week of training.” “The quality and expertise of the speakers was outstanding.” “I have taken a huge amount away to incorporate into my practice and local unit.”

The above learner feedback is consistent with our aim to deliver a high-quality specialist program for those interested in advancing the management of syncope and related disorders. Over time, this specialist training will aid the development of regional syncope management units across Ireland. The benefits of a hybrid learning model include multiple options to cater for all categories of learners, thus suggesting it is the cornerstone of future learning modalities.

Immunization with 60 kD Ro peptide produces different stages of preclinical autoimmunity in a Sjögren's syndrome model among multiple strains of inbred mice

Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic illness manifested characteristically by immune injury to the salivary and lacrimal glands, resulting in dry mouth/eyes. Anti-Ro [Sjögren's syndrome antigen A (SSA)] and anti-La [Sjögren's syndrome antigen B (SSB)] autoantibodies are found frequently in Sjögren's subjects as well as in individuals who will go on to develop the disease. Immunization of BALB/c mice with Ro60 peptides results in epitope spreading with anti-Ro and anti-La along with lymphocyte infiltration of salivary glands similar to human Sjögren's. In addition, these animals have poor salivary function/low saliva volume. In this study, we examined whether Ro-peptide immunization produces a Sjögren's-like illness in other strains of mice. BALB/c, DBA-2, PL/J, SJL/J and C57BL/6 mice were immunized with Ro60 peptide-274. Sera from these mice were studied by immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for autoantibodies. Timed salivary flow was determined after pharmacological stimulation, and salivary glands were examined pathologically. We found that SJL/J mice had no immune response to the peptide from Ro60, while C57BL/6 mice produced antibodies that bound the peptide but had no epitope spreading. PL/J mice had epitope spreading to other structures of Ro60 as well as to La, but like C57BL/6 and SJL/J had no salivary gland lymphocytic infiltration and no decrement of salivary function. DBA-2 and BALB/c mice had infiltration but only BALB/c had decreased salivary function. The immunological processes leading to a Sjögren's-like illness after Ro-peptide immunization were interrupted in a stepwise fashion in these differing mice strains. These data suggest that this is a model of preclinical disease with genetic control for epitope spreading, lymphocytic infiltration and glandular dysfunction.