Archive for category: News

A new study published in the International Journal of Women’s Health showed that a lack of vitamin D may make oral lichen planus (OLP) more likely. Given their potential to hasten the healing process, vitamin D delivery and assessment were crucial factors in therapy choices for OLP patients.

The chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease known as oral lichen planus is typified by immune-mediated destruction to the oral epithelium and painful erosive lesions. A major management problem arises from recalcitrant instances of OLP, which do not react well to standard treatments like corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.

Recent research has demonstrated that vitamin D’s immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and epithelial-healing qualities may make it useful as an adjuvant therapy. Three key processes in the pathophysiology of OLP are influenced by vitamin D: cytokine balance, keratinocyte development, and T-cell modulation.

Increased disease activity and delayed healing in mucosal illnesses have been associated with vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, in situations of resistant OLP, supplementation may relieve clinical symptoms, lessen the severity of lesions, and improve quality of life. Examining vitamin D’s therapeutic potential provides encouraging information on a more secure, economical, and environmentally friendly method of treating resistant oral lichen planus. This case study examined stubborn OLP that persisted for more than a year and shown how important vitamin D is for promoting wound healing.

This case study was 1 and 3 years ago, 2 female patients, ages 50 and 58, complained of pain in their left and right cheeks. Despite receiving prior treatments, neither patient had exhibited any improvement. On the left and right buccal mucosa, an intraoral examination showed erosive lesions with Wickham striae. Research identified reticular and erosive OLP in both individuals.

Anti-inflammatory medication and mouthwash containing corticosteroids were the initial treatments for both individuals. Because of the severity and persistence of the clinical symptoms, a screening for risk factors was conducted, including an assessment of vitamin D 25 (OH) levels.

Both patients got vitamin D replacement treatment after the evaluation revealed a vitamin D deficit. The final control demonstrated that there were notable improvements in the patients’ subjective and objective complaints.

Overall, a lack of vitamin D raised the risk of OLP. Vitamin D delivery and evaluation were crucial factors in therapy choices for OLP patients as they may hasten the healing process.

Source:

Rahmadhini, E. N., Hidayat, W., & Zakiawati, D. (2025). Vitamin D in the treatment of recalcitrant oral lichen planus: A case series. International Journal of Women’s Health, 17, 3229–3239. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S527877

A study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help reverse changes in the immune system caused by menopause, potentially booting immune health. The research reveals new evidence that menopause significantly alters women’s immune system, increasing their vulnerability to infections.

The study, published in Aging Cell is the first detailed analysis of how ageing and sex differences influence monocytes, a key group of immune cells that act as the body’s first responders to infection. Analysing blood samples from younger adults less than 40 years of age and older adults aged 65 and above, the team found that after menopause, women develop more inflammatory types of white blood cells called monocytes, which are less effective at clearing bacteria.

These changes were linked to lower levels of complement C3, an immune protein that helps monocytes engulf and destroy harmful microbes. In contrast, men of the same age did not show these changes, suggesting menopause has a uniquely disruptive effect on female immunity.

To test whether hormone therapy could influence this decline, the researchers studied peri-and post-menopausal women taking HRT. They found that these women had healthier immune profiles, with fewer inflammatory monocytes and stronger infection-fighting ability as compared to age-matched controls. Levels of complement C3 in their blood were also higher in those taking HRT, bringing them close to the immune status of younger women.

Dr Emma Chambers, Senior Lecturer in Immunology at Queen Mary and lead author of the study said: “Our findings highlight menopause as a critical turning point for women’s immunity. While ageing affects everyone, the loss of female hormones appears to accelerate immune decline in women. Encouragingly, hormone therapy seems to restore key aspects of immune health, offering benefits that go beyond easing menopausal symptoms.”

Fiona Miller Smith, Chief Executive of Barts Charity, said: “We’re proud to have supported this pioneering research. This is a brilliant example of how funding innovative ideas in health can lead to advances in our understanding – this time around menopause and women’s immune systems. These findings could have a huge impact for women in our East London community and beyond.”

Menopause typically occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55 and is often preceded by a decade-long peri-menopausal phase. Symptoms such as hot flushes, joint pain, fatigue and brain fog can have a profound effect on quality of life. In the UK alone, more than four million women are in this age bracket, and women over 50 make up a growing proportion of the workforce. Yet they are also among the most likely to experience work disruption due to menopausal symptoms.

HRT is already prescribed to manage symptoms, but this study suggests it may also help maintain immune health and reduce infection risk in later life. The researchers caution, however, that more work is needed to confirm whether HRT reduces real-world infection rates, and to understand how different formulations or delivery methods affect the immune system.

The authors caution that while the findings are promising, the study does not mean HRT should automatically be prescribed for immune health. More research is needed to confirm whether women taking HRT have lower infection rates in real-world settings, and to investigate how different types and route of HRT administration may affect the immune system. 

Reference:

R. P. H. De Maeyer, J. Sikora, O. V. Bracken, B. Shih, A. F. Lloyd, H. Peckham, K. Hollett, K. Abdelhamid, W. Cai, M. James, P. E. Pfeffer, M. Vukmanovic-Stejic, A. N. Akbar, E. S. Chambers, Age-Associated Inflammatory Monocytes Are Increased in Menopausal Females and Reversed by Hormone Replacement Therapy, Aging Cell, https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70249

Chandigarh: Raising strong objections to the state government’s decision to assign medical officers the responsibility of collecting food samples and checking adulteration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association has refused to accept this decision, stating that doctors are neither trained nor equipped to perform such legally sensitive tasks. 

In a letter submitted by the association on October 7, food sampling requires specific procedures and training, as even a small mistake could lead to legal trouble for the officers and the department involved.  

Also read- Haryana doctors launch hunger strike against Geo-fencing Attendance System

“The food sampling involved technical sampling procedures, documentation, and compliance with intricate legal protocols. The food sampling process has significant legal implications, and any procedural lapse, even inadvertent, could lead to complications, including the possibility of litigation. The absence of formal training and standardised operating procedures exposes both the concerned officers and the department to unnecessary risks,” stated the letter. 

As per HT media report, the opposition comes after the Food and Drugs Administration directed civil surgeons on October 3 to direct deputy civil surgeons, senior medical officers in-charge of sub divisional hospitals and community health centres and medical officers in-charge of primary health centres who had been notified as food safety officers to take food samples particularly milk products during the festival season due to shortage of food safety officers.

In this regard, HCMS general secretary, Dr Anil Yadav, said, “Under the current arrangement, medical officers are expected to seek directions from designated class II officers who are junior in official hierarchy to the doctors. This not only creates an administrative anomaly but is also contrary to established government protocol. Such an arrangement undermined the professional standing of medical officers and may lead to practical difficulties and confusion in coordination, accountability, and chain of command. Furthermore, food adulteration is a highly sensitive public health issue which demands a specialised, robust and dedicated mechanism for effective food safety enforcement rather than resorting to temporary or makeshift arrangements.”

Also read- Haryana Doctors Association writes to CM over vacant posts, promotion delays