Outbreak of mesotherapy-associated skin reactions--District of Columbia area, January-February 2005.
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Mesotherapy is a treatment involving local subcutaneous injections of minute quantities of various substances (e.g., vitamins or plant extracts) for cosmetic purposes (e.g., fat and wrinkle reduction or body contouring) or relief of musculoskeletal pain. In February 2005, the Virginia Department of Health and CDC were notified of a cluster of skin reactions unresponsive to antimicrobial therapy among patients who had been administered mesotherapy by an unlicensed practitioner in the District of Columbia (DC) area. This report 1) summarizes the subsequent investigation by CDC and state and local health departments in Virginia, Maryland, and DC, which identified prolonged skin reactions in 14 patients, and 2) provides recommendations for practices related to mesotherapy. Patients should accept medical therapy only from licensed practitioners and should not permit injection of substances that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Licensed practitioners should follow safe-injection practices when practicing mesotherapy and patients should observe that safe-injection practices are followed. (+info)
Mesotherapy.
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Mesotherapy is a technique which involves microinjections of conventional homeopathic medication and/ or vitamins into the mesoderm or middle layer of the skin to promote healing or corrective treatment to a specific area of the body. It is a debatable addition in the therapeutic armamentarium in the management of skin rejuvenation. However, dermatologists have to use this cautiously and judiciously as at present there is a lot of controversy regarding its efficacy and safety despite the fact that mesotherapy is gaining popularity in the West. (+info)
Complementary and alternative medicine use among long-term lymphoma survivors: a pilot study.
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Disclosure of the quackery: testing of the bactericidal action of products based on the "hydronic" technology ("informed glass") on ATCC strains of Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella enteritidis and Candida albicans.
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To disclose a quackery called "revitalisation of tired water by hydronic technology", scientific experiments have been conducted with drinking water kept in "ordinary, everyday-use" drinking glasses and so-called 'informed' glasses, a patent-protected product supposed to have an effect on the "structure, vitality and memory of water". Drinking "informed" water is claimed to have a wide range of positive revitalising health effects (blue informed glass), to facilitate weight loss (red informed glass) and to have a stress-relieving action (green informed glass). Allegedly, by the use of the "orgon methodology", information is coded into the glass, which action is additionally enforced by the addition of the "magic life" symbol - a specially designed energy condenser which, together with the selected information, is permanently introduced into the liquid contained in the glass. Since the manufacturer claimed the products to have a broad bactericidal action, regardless of the external conditions and completely independent from additional factor that would lead to the activation of the system, the efficacy of the informed drinking glass was tested using standardised, microbiological tests. Respecting the principle of a single-blind test for each of 5 samples of each type of the informed glass, growth reduction factor (RF) (difference log cfu/ml - colony per unit/ml of control glass and log cfu/ml of each informed glass) was determined after 0,2,4,6 and 8 h in spring water experimentally contaminated with standardised ATCC strains of two types of bacteria and one yeast. The results showed a statistically significant bactericidal action of the blue informed glass with all strains-Enterococcus faecalis (RF 0.62/0.76), Salmonella enteritidis (RF 0.87/0.97), and Candida albicans (RF 0.5/0.60) - as opposed to the red and green glasses where this effect was negligible (RF < 0.1). However, when the tests were repeated in complete darkness, none of the three informed glasses showed any bactericidal action. The obtained results indicate a fraud: bactericidal effect is rather a result of photocatalytic action of a hidden component used on purpose in the production of glass or subsequently applied by the use of nanotechnology (possibly antimony trioxide or titanium oxide) than of the so-called "orgon and hydronic technology". (+info)
Chronic oral arsenic intoxication as a possible aetiological factor in idiopathic portal hypertension (non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis) in India.
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Estimates were made of the arsenic concentration in liver specimens from nine patients having idiopathic portal hypertension (IP), and in four livers these were found to be significantly higher than those in patients with cirrhosis and in control subjects. The splenovenogram revealed extensive portosystemic collateral circulation. Corrected sinusoidal pressure and blood flow studies showed higher levels in four patients than in normal subjects. Microscopic examination of liver tissues revealed periportal fibrosis. The higher hepatic arsenic levels that were found were due to the inadvertent drinking of water contaminated with arsenic, adulterated opium, and indigenous medicines. A history of opium intake was not forthcoming but two patients had drunk water contaminated with arsenic and two others had taken bhasams (Ayurvedic medicines prepared by repeated oxidation of ores). Though the aetiology of idiopathic portal hypertension is not known, it is possible that arsenic intake may be one of the factors. (+info)
Changing patterns of corneal disease and associated vision loss at a rural African hospital following a training programme for traditional healers.
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AIMS/BACKGROUND: Use of African traditional eye medicines (TEM) is associated with the presence of corneal disease, delay in presentation, and vision loss. An interactive training programme was conducted with traditional healers in Chikwawa District, Malawi and changes in the pattern of corneal disease assessed in patients presenting to the district hospital after the training. METHODS: All patients presenting to the district hospital with corneal disease for a 15 month period before intervention and a 12 month period after intervention were enrolled in the study. Interviews and examinations were carried out by the same person using a standardised, pretested form. RESULTS: Among the 175 pre-intervention and 97 post-intervention patients, delay in presentation improved only slightly. Blindness among patients reporting the use of TEM decreased from 44% to 21%; bilateral corneal disease in patients using TEM decreased from 31% to 10%. Multivariate analysis demonstrates that poor vision in corneal disease patients continues to be associated with TEM use and distance from the district hospital. CONCLUSION: As there were no other relevant eye health programmes in the district it is believed that this collaborative eye care programme with the traditional healers was likely to have been responsible for many of the changes in the pattern of corneal disease in the district. Although the changing patterns are encouraging and are likely to improve with additional collaboration, distance to a district hospital will continue to be a barrier to timely use of Western eye care services. (+info)