Menthol 1% in Hydrocortisone 1% cream

Averagely 80% to 90% of breastfeeding women experience the nipple pain and fissures. The important factor for successful breastfeeding is to treat this problem. This study has done as a review with the aim of analysis of the clinical trials in the field of the prevention and treatment of the nipple fissures and pain due to the importance of breastfeeding. For this purpose, the key words of sore, nipples, fissure, trauma, wound, prevention, treatment, therapeutics, therapy, clinical trial, breastfeeding and their Persian synonyms and all of their possible combinations were searched in the national databases: SID and Iran Medex and Magiran, and in the international databases: PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Science direct by May 2017. The Jadad criterion was used to assess the quality of the articles and the articles with a score of 3 or more were included in this study. Finally, 48 clinical trials were reviewed that 17 of them (sample size 1801) scored 3 or more based on the Jadad criterion. Seven articles were also in the non- drug treatment group (sample size 491) and 2 articles in the drug treatment group (sample size 337) and 8 articles in the herbal treatment group (sample size 973).The results show that menthol and warm water compress as well as teaching the correct breastfeeding methods are effective treatments to prevent and treat the nipple pain and fissures. Moreover, applying the herbal medicine for prevention and treatment of the issues raised from breastfeeding may have beneficial such as Aloe vera, Portulaca olearacea. However, more studies with a great methodology are necessary to obtain more accurate evidence.

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Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are highly prevalent, complex, chronic inflammatory skin diseases that immensly affect the patient's quality of life. While there is no definitive cure for these conditions, suppressive medications aim at managing the symptoms of these diseases. The application of emollients accompanied by symptomatic anti-inflammatory therapy consisting of topical corticosteroids (TCS) is extensively employed for controlling the symptoms among general practitioners making this therapeutic class an indispensable pillar of dermatotherapeutics. The first TCS, hydrocortisone (HC) introduced in the early 1950s led to the development of different steroidal moieties of varying potencies by inducing chemical modifications to the basic steroid structure. The wide spectrum of the available range of formulations and potency provides flexibility to treat all patient groups, different phases of the diseases, and different anatomical sites. Conventional TCS therapy suffers from drawbacks such as low drug permeation and retention rate. Thus, novel nanoformulations have been developed to overcome these problems. This review provides an insight into the current state of nanocarrier-mediated topical delivery of corticosteroids monotherapy and combination therapy with special emphasis on targeting psoriasis and AD.

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Abstract Background: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines to examine the Key Question: Does menthol cigarette use have a differential impact on smoking cessation compared with non-menthol cigarette use?Methods: The original protocol was registered on March 22, 2016 (updated January 10, 2019; PROSPERO: CRD42019119301). Six databases were queried from inception to December 14, 2018.Results: Fifty-seven studies (27 rated “good”, 27 rated as “fair”, and three studies rated as “poor” individual study quality) that compared menthol and non-menthol smokers were qualitatively synthesized across the following cessation measures (total adjusted studies; strength of evidence grade): duration of abstinence (2; low); quit attempts (14; insufficient); rate of abstinence/quitting (28; moderate); change in smoking quantity/frequency (3; insufficient); and return to smoking/relapse (2; insufficient). Overall, the qualitative synthesis failed to show a consistent trend for the association of menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation across the outcomes. Further, meta-analytic results found no difference between menthol and non-menthol cigarette use and the two measures of quit attempts and duration of abstinence.Implications: The overall strength of evidence for an association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation was graded as “low”, based on deficiencies of indirectness and inconsistency in the available body of evidence. Therefore, there is no consistent, significant, or differential association between menthol cigarette use and smoking cessation.

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We characterized the flavor chemicals in a broad sample of commercially available electronic cigarette (EC) refill fluids that were purchased in four different countries. Flavor chemicals in 277 refill fluids were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and two commonly used flavor chemicals were tested for cytotoxicity with the MTT assay using human lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells. About 85% of the refill fluids had total flavor concentrations >1 mg/ml, and 37% were >10 mg/ml (1% by weight). Of the 155 flavor chemicals identified in the 277 refill fluids, 50 were present at ≥1 mg/ml in at least one sample and 11 were ≥10 mg/ml in 54 of the refill fluids. Sixty-one% (170 out of 277) of the samples contained nicotine, and of these, 56% had a total flavor chemical/nicotine ratio >2. Four chemicals were present in 50% (menthol, triacetin, and cinnamaldehyde) to 80% (ethyl maltol) of the samples. Some products had concentrations of menthol ("Menthol Arctic") and ethyl maltol ("No. 64") that were 30 times (menthol) and 100 times (ethyl maltol) their cytotoxic concentration. One refill fluid contained cinnamaldehyde at ~34% (343 mg/ml), more than 100,000 times its cytotoxic level. High concentrations of some flavor chemicals in EC refill fluids are potentially harmful to users, and continued absence of any regulations regarding flavor chemicals in EC fluids will likely be detrimental to human health.

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BackgroundThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently banned flavours from pod-style electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), except for menthol and tobacco. JUUL customers have quickly discovered that flavoured disposable e-cigarettes from other manufacturers, such as Puff, are readily available. Our goal was to compare flavour chemicals, synthetic coolants and pulegone in mint-flavoured/menthol-flavoured e-cigarettes from JUUL and Puff, evaluate the cytotoxicity of the coolants and perform a cancer risk assessment for pulegone, which is present in both JUUL pods and disposable Puff products.MethodsIdentification and quantification of chemicals were performed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Cytotoxicity of the coolants was evaluated with BEAS-2B cells using the MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The cancer risk of pulegone was calculated using the margin of exposure (MOE).ResultsMenthol was the dominant flavour chemical (>1 mg/mL) in all products from both manufacturers. Minor flavour chemicals (ConclusionsSwitching from flavoured JUUL to Puff e-cigarettes may expose users to increased harm due to the higher levels of WS-23 and pulegone in Puff products. Cancer risk may be reduced in e-cigarettes by using pure menthol rather than mint oils to produce minty-flavoured e-cigarette products.

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This review examines the pharmaceutical applications of essential oils (EOs) and terpenes, highlighting their dual role as therapeutic agents and natural penetration enhancers. These volatile, hydrophobic compounds have well-documented antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, their clinical potential is limited by poor water solubility, high volatility, and sensitivity to environmental factors, including light, heat, and oxygen. To address these challenges, various advanced delivery systems have been developed to enhance stability, bioavailability, and controlled release. These systems not only protect chemical integrity but also exploit these compounds' abilities to interact with lipid membranes, facilitating the transport of active compounds across biological barriers. Additionally, their inherent antimicrobial properties can contribute to the overall stability of formulations. The review critically examines the incorporation of terpenes and major essential oil (EO) components, such as limonene, linalool, eugenol, α-pinene, and menthol, into delivery systems, assessing their performance in enhancing drug permeability and targeting specific tissues. Current challenges and future directions in terpenes and EO-based delivery strategies are discussed, highlighting their promising role in developing multifunctional and efficient pharmaceutical formulations.

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Skin penetration/permeation enhancers are compounds that improve (trans)dermal drug delivery. We designed hybrid terpene-amino acid enhancers by conjugating natural terpenes (citronellol, geraniol, nerol, farnesol, linalool, perillyl alcohol, menthol, borneol, carveol) or cinnamyl alcohol with 6-(dimethylamino)hexanoic acid through a biodegradable ester linker. The compounds were screened for their ability to increase the delivery of theophylline and hydrocortisone through and into human skin ex vivo. The citronellyl, bornyl and cinnamyl esters showed exceptional permeation-enhancing properties (enhancement ratios up to 82) while having low cellular toxicities. The barrier function of enhancer-treated skin (assessed by transepidermal water loss and electrical impedance) recovered within 24 h. Infrared spectroscopy suggested that these esters fluidized the stratum corneum lipids. Furthermore, the citronellyl ester increased the epidermal concentration of topically applied cidofovir, which is a potent antiviral and anticancer drug, by 15-fold. In conclusion, citronellyl 6-(dimethylamino)hexanoate is an outstanding enhancer with an advantageous combination of properties, which may improve the delivery of drugs that have a limited ability to cross biological barriers.

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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) use electrical resistance (sub-ohm to above-ohm) to heat coils that vaporize e-liquids for the generation of aerosols, which are inhaled directly. The effect of varying coil resistances on the production of toxicants in e-liquid aerosols remains unclear. In this study, we examined how varying coil resistance (0.6 Ω (sub-Ohm), 0.9 Ω (intermediate-Ohm), or 1.4 Ω (above-Ohm)) affects the physicochemical properties of e-cig aerosols, including mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), size distribution, heavy metals, acellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in PG/VG, PG/VG with nicotine, and commercially available menthol and tobacco-flavored e-liquids. Further, we examined how varying coil resistance affected cytotoxicity and inflammatory mediator (interleukin-6) release by normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) that were exposed to e-cig aerosols at the air-liquid interface (ALI), a unique non-animal new methodological approach for vaping studies. Sub-ohm coils led to increased MMAD, while above-ohm coils produced finer particles and contained higher levels of aluminium, lead, chromium, and nickel, depending on the e-liquid formulation. Additionally, above-ohm coils significantly increased ROS generation in aerosols from commercially available flavored e-liquids, which in turn led to greater cellular ROS production in ALI-cultured NHBE. Both sub-ohm and above-ohm coils induced similar interleukin-6 release. Conversely, for cytotoxicity, PG/VG and menthol aerosols from sub- and intermediate-Ohm coils significantly raised LDH release. Overall, sub-ohm coils produce larger aerosols, above-ohm coils contain higher concentrations of heavy metals and ROS, whose toxicological impacts are reflected by the physiologically relevant in vitro lung models at the air-liquid interface.

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Introduction Effective pain management is essential for improving the quality of life. Currently, we have medications to address both mild and severe pain, but there remains a therapeutic gap for pain that is not adequately managed by over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Prescription opioids can lead to addiction, respiratory suppression, and even death. OTC pain relief options often lack the potency required to alleviate more intense pain, while stronger treatments, though effective, carry risks of addiction and other adverse effects, limiting their long-term use. This situation underscores the urgent need for safer, nonopiate alternatives. Both musculoskeletal pain and pain from animal toxin envenomation share common mechanisms, including structural changes to the plasma membrane that trigger signaling cascades from membrane-associated phospholipases. Diethyl azelate (DEA), a medium-chain fatty acid ester, represents a new class of NSAIDs that reversibly alter plasma membrane structure and function. DEA mitigates insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and musculoskeletal pain, and inhibits both exogenous and endogenous phospholipases PLD and PLA2, which are involved in pain signaling. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic properties of DEA in combination with topical penetration enhancers. Methodology Analgesic activities of DEA, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), turpentine, 32 miscellaneous terpenes (including D-limonene, menthol, a and b-pinene), cannabinoid oil, pelargonic acid vanillylamide, and non-prescription analgesics drug controls were examined as single entities and in mixtures in cutaneous mechanical sensitivity (CMS) assays that utilized standardized Von Frey monofilaments (fibers) of variable forces. In addition, DEA, DMSO, and D-limonene were tested as single reagents and mixtures in hemolysis assay in vitro. Inhibition of hemolysis was used as a surrogate endpoint for PLA2 enzymatic activity in bee venom. Results Mixtures of DEA and DMSO showed synergy that was most pronounced at equimolar ratios of the components. The maximum duration of sensitivity suppression in CMS assay of 72 h was achieved at 78% DEA and 22% DMSO. Multi-component mixtures of DEA, DMSO, limonene, a-pinene (but not b-pinene), and menthol demonstrated additional enhancement of synergy with DEA at a relatively narrow range of concentrations. Both DMSO and limonene showed bell-shaped dose responses, suggesting that the enhancement of the effects of DEA is not merely due to enhancement of tissue penetration. The activities of multi-component mixtures suggested competition between individual components in certain concentration ranges. The synergy of DEA in mixtures with DMSO and limonene in CMS assays was not observed with related diesters of azelaic acid, diethyl suberate, and diethyl sebacate. In hemolytic assays, DEA, DMSO, and limonene were ineffective as single agents at the examined concentrations, but a specific mixture thereof significantly suppressed hemolysis caused by PLA2. Conclusion The findings warrant further development of the mixtures of DEA, DMSO, and select terpenes as novel modalities.

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