AIMS To compare the relative antiinflammatory potency and safety of topical diclofenac-gentamicin with betamethasone-neomycin following strabismus surgery. METHODS A single centre, single observer, prospective, randomised, and double masked clinical trial of 25 children undergoing bilateral symmetrical horizontal strabismus surgery was carried out. One eye received diclofenac-gentamicin and t...

We report the case of a 58-year-old woman who was referred to our hospital due to frequent bloody mucus diarrhea. She was diagnosed with cap polyposis based on typical endoscopic and histological findings. Colonoscopy revealed multiple, reddish, mucus-capped polypoid lesions from the rectum to the sigmoid colon. A pathological examination revealed that the polyps were covered by erosive and inf...

We describe 5 cases of immediate-type reactions to systemic corticosteroids observed during the last 2 decades in boys aged 2, 4, 8, 9, and 10 years. Symptoms ranged from generalized urticaria and angioedema to anaphylactic shock immediately after administration. Oral betamethasone was implicated in 2 cases, oral prednisolone in 2 cases, and intravenous prednisolone in 1 case. The parents of pa...

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4% dimeticone lotion for treatment of head louse infestation. Design Randomised controlled equivalence trial. Setting Community, with home visits. Participants 214 young people aged 4 to 18 years and 39 adults with active head louse infestation. Interventions Two applications seven days apart of either 4.0% dimeticone lotion, applied for eight ho...

BACKGROUND Conspicuous facial pores are therapeutic targets for cosmeceuticals. Here we examine the effect of topical fullerene on conspicuous facial pores using a new image analyser called the VISIA® system. Ten healthy Japanese females participated in this study, and they received applications of 1% fullerene lotion to the face twice a day for 8 weeks. FINDINGS Fullerene lotion significantl...

BACKGROUND The optimal vehicle to ensure adequate penetration of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) for its use in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of skin lesions has not been determined. OBJECTIVES We aimed to study the effects of ALA in various vehicle formulations [saline lotion with and without dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), cream, liposomes and vaseline] after topical application in a murine subcutaneo...

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of intralesional triamcinolone and topical betamethasone in the management of localized alopecia areata. STUDY DESIGN A randomized trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Dermatology OPD, PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi, from January to June 2013. METHODOLOGY Patients aged 18 - 50 years with localized alopecia areata were included in the study. Exclusion criteria ...

Prostate cancer occurs more frequently among older males and such elderly individuals often have chronic underlying disorders for which various drugs are administered for treatment. The levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a widely used prostate cancer marker, are influenced by a number of drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and statins. In the present study, the drugs pr...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate whether betamethasone decreases the incidence of postoperative nausea/vomiting (PONV) and reduces postoperative pain following partial mastectomy. DESIGN Prospective randomized, double-blinded study. SETTING Operating room and Postanesthesia Care Unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS 80 ASA physical status 1 and 2 women scheduled for elective breast cancer...

The results are reported of a multicenter randomized study of the effectiveness of maternal administration of betamethasone versus ambroxol, a substance of the group of the benzylamines, for prevention of RDS in preterm infants. Women of 27 to 34 weeks gestation with threatened premature delivery or planned premature delivery were admitted to the trial. Between September 1981 and November 1984 ...