RITUXAN (rituximab) – Complete Information
What is RITUXAN and what is it used for? RITUXAN is a CD20-directed cytolytic antibody indicated for the treatment of: Adult patients with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL): refractory or relapsed, low grade or follicular, CD20-positive B-cell NHL as a single agent. Previously untreated follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL in combination with first-line chemotherapy and, in patients achieving a complete or partial response to a rituximab product in combination with chemotherapy, as single-agent maintenance therapy. Non-progressing, low-grade, CD20- positive, B-cell NHL as a single agent after first-line vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone chemotherapy. Previously untreated diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive NHL in combination with (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and prednisone) (CHOP) or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens.…
What is the best type of conditioner for your hair?
A conditioner mainly consists of a mixture of water and oil with two types of conditioning ingredients: Cationic surfactants (behentrominium/centrimonium chloride), and Fatty alcohols (cetearly/cetyl/stearyl alcohol). Why do you need these 2 types of conditioning ingredients? These two types form a lamellar phase. Lamellar phases lead to a great deposition of ingredients into the hair and the main goal of a conditioner is to deposit the conditioning ingredients into the hair. Not every lamellar phase gives the same deposition and the optimal performance of a lamellar depends on the exact ratio of the ingredients. Two products can contain the same ingredients but, if the ratio is different, it will not…
Do you need Hyaluronic acid in hair products?
Hyaluronic acid is an overrated ingredient in the skincare industry and it can hold up to 1000 times its own weight. In addition to that, it also hydrates the skin. Promoting HA for haircare just because it can hold so much water doesn’t make sense. Haircare products are not about hydrating or adding water to the hair. The hair needs to be conditioned i.e. conditioning agents form a film around the hair to smoothen it. When searching for hair care ingredients, we are looking for ingredients that can coat the hair and smoothen it. HA has lubricating properties, but the ingredient needs to be able to bind to the hair.…
What does a protein treatment do for your hair?
This is concerning the protein treatments like masks/deep conditioners. As you already know, our hair consists of proteins, especially keratin, and keratin treatments are seen as the holy grail of hair care. Although there is a similarity, this doesn’t mean that it works better than other conditioning agents. If an ingredient wants to bind to the hair, it needs to have an affinity with the hair. For example, in electrostatic interactions, the hair is negatively charged so it needs to bind to something which is positively charged or by a similar chemical structure like protein. Hair can be damaged in two ways: The surface of the hair can be easily…
Does protein overload exist and when does your hair need protein?
Our hair consists of protein which is the most essential thing needed in our hair but, due to heat styling, bleaching, etc, the protein in your hair gets damaged. So you would think that if my hair is damaged it needs more protein. But, it is very difficult to replace the damaged protein in your hair with a protein, because your hair has a very unique composition and that’s why most conditioning products contain ingredients that attach to the hair by another mechanism. Silicones attach to the hair because they are hydrophobic. Cationic ingredients are positively charged and they bind by electrostatic interactions. The hair is negatively charged, so it…
How often should you wash your hair?
There is really no right answer to this. It really depends on the individual, their hair type (curly hair does not become greasy quick), grooming habits, and natural oil production. What are the pros and cons of washing hair? Pros: You must wash your scalp to avoid scalp health issues and irritations such as dandruff. People with oily scalps should wash their hair more often like 2-3 times a week. We should wash our hair because of the styling products we use. Cons: The surfactants or the cleaning agents present in the shampoo can really damage the hair lengths. The roots of your hair near the scalp are coated with…
Do you need to worry about the porosity of your hair?
The short answer is NO. Porosity is about damage. The porous your hair is, the more damaged it is. Factors like mechanical damage, UV radiation, and chemical treatments can damage your hair cuticle. It is extremely hard to accurately determine your true hair porosity because: firstly, at-home methods are useless, and you would need expensive lab equipment. Not all of your hair has the same porosity. The newer hair will have lower porosity, while the ends are usually porous. High porosity means that your hair is damaged. High porous hair has cracked cuticles and the cuticles won’t lay flat, they will be raised. To prevent cuticle damage, brush softly, always…
What should you always do after using dry shampoo?
Let us look into how dry shampoos actually work: The main ingredient in a dry shampoo is starch. Starches are produced by plants and it can be found in all types of plants and that is why thee are different starches like corn starch or rice starch. Why is starch the main ingredient in dry shampoo? Starches absorb sebum/oils very well. Approximately 1.0g of rice starch has a surface area of 1.6 square meters, resulting in enormous absorption capacity. So, when starches come in contact with the sebum that is present in the hair, these starch particles start to absorb the sebum and swell. This is why dry shampoo makes…
Rituximab for Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an immune-mediated disorder in which there is less number of platelets in the blood. A decrease in blood platelets can lead to easy bruising, bleeding gums, internal bleeding, and reddish-purple spots on the lower leg. Rituximab has become a widely used treatment option for chronic ITP. 40 to 60% of chronic ITP patients achieve a partial or complete platelet response following their initial 4 infusions with standard-dose rituximab. Despite this good response rate, only 15–20% of patients sustain responses lasting at least 3 years. Therefore, more than 70 to 80% of the treated patients will not achieve a response or will respond but the disorder will…
Omalizumab for Bullous Pemphigoid
Bullous pemphigoid is a rare skin condition and is mainly seen in older people. It starts with an itchy, raised rash and as the condition develops, large blisters are formed on the skin. The current treatment for bullous pemphigoid is not effective for many patients and this is where biologic drugs like dupilumab, ligelizumab, rituximab, and omalizumab, etc come in. For now, let’s look at some case studies on how omalizumab can be effective for bullous pemphigoid. 1. The first case study shows that 6 patients with BP used omalizumab and the doctor checked in on them for up to 42 months. 5 of the 6 patients with BP received therapeutic…