Alta, a scarlet-red solution used by some Indian women as a cosmetic to colour their feet, was found to be associated with depigmentation at the site of application. Chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis of 3 brands of alta confirmed the presence of 2 dyes: Crocein Scarlet MOO (CSM) (brilliant crocein) and rhodamine B (tetraethyl rhodamine). Patch testing produced depigmentation at the site of application of alta, CSM and para-phenylenediamine (PPD). Although PPD has been reported to produce leukoderma, azo dyes have not previously been reported as depigmenting agents.

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BACKGROUND Role of testosterone in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus has been studied in recent years and an inverse relationship has been subsequently elicited. Low testosterone levels have been associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, limited data are available regarding association of testosterone with metabolic indices like Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference and lipid profile. This study was undertaken with the objective of evaluating levels of serum testosterone in newly diagnosed male T2DM and to correlate testosterone levels with the glycemic status and other metabolic indices. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single point cross sectional case control study was conducted at MLN Medical College, Allahabad and its associated SRN Hospital, Allahabad during a period from March 2013 to July 2014 on 168 males between 18-60 years of age of whom 83 were diagnosed with T2DM within the past three months were taken as cases and remaining 85 patients without diabetes were taken as controls. Detailed history was obtained and clinical examination was done. Low testosterone was defined as total testosterone <241 ng/dl and its prevalence was calculated. The values of serum testosterone were correlated with Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Post-prandial Blood Sugar (PPBS), Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c), BMI, Waist circumference and Lipid profile of the patients. RESULTS Out of the 83 patients of T2DM, low serum testosterone was found in 37 (44.58%) while it was present in only 10 (11.8%) of 85 controls, which was found to be statistically significant (p value=<0.0001). The mean HbA1c in T2DM with low testosterone was 6.81±0.44% compared to 6.5±0.47% in normal testosterone group and the difference was statistically significant (p value=0.0029). Among cases there was statistical difference between low and normal testosterone values when BMI was compared (p=0.0162). It was significant among controls as well (p=0.0229). CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of hypogonadism was significantly higher in T2DM as compared to controls. Testosterone levels had significant negative correlation with HbA1c levels and BMI of the subjects.

Background: The present study has been conducted to compare regimens containing either of nevirapine (NVP) and efavirenz (EFV) and two or more nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) among HIV infected patients in respect to clinical outcome and to compare incidence of opportunistic infections among these patients.Methods: This study was an observational study conducted at a tertiary care centre over 105 patients, who were evenly matched and received three antiretroviral drug one of the drug was either nevirapine (NVP) or efavirenz (EFV) and these patients were followed up for 6 months for occurrence of any opportunistic infections during these 6 months.Results: 105 patients were followed for 6 months, the maximum incidence of opportunistic infection (OI’s) was found among patients who were on ZLN (zidovudine, lamivudine, nevirapine) regime i.e. 60% followed by patients who changed their regime from ZLN to TLE i.e. 36.5%, while the least incidence of OI’s was noted among the patients who were on TLE (tenofovir, lamivudine, efavirenz) regime i.e. 28.5%. These differences were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: EFV containing antiretroviral regimen was associated with superior clinical outcome than NVP containing regimen.

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