Measurement of the time of flight of photons into the skin: influence of site, age and gender, correlation with other skin parameters.

Background/purpose: The speed of light (time of flight) into the skin is obviously relied to its structure, and might appear as a tool for non-invasive investigation of skin physico-chemical properties, among them aging is of primary importance. Though already published, such time of flight measurements have never been extensively correlated with other well-documented skin parameters such as localization, the influence of gender and age, the elasticity and roughness, and the water trans-epidermal diffusion (TEWL).

Methods: A specific practical device was designed to routinely measure the time of flight (TOF) of the light into the human skin 'in vivo', in a totally non-invasive process.

In vitro evaluation of the sensitization potential of weak contact allergens using langerhans-like dendritic cells and autologous T cells.

Contact hypersensitivity is a major public health concern in most industrial countries, which is why predictive tests which could identify potential allergens are needed. We have established an in vitro approach for the detection of primary immune response. This model uses Langerhans-like dendritic cells (LLDC) derived from cord blood progenitors and autologous T lymphocytes, isolated from the same blood sample.

[Electrophoresis of native cardiac myosin in Anura amphibians].

Electrophoresis in non dissociating conditions of native cardiac myosin was adapted to the study of Amphibian myosin. Utilization of potassium ion has allowed to obtain a good separation of myosin isoenzymes. An evolution of isoenzymic composition of cardiac myosin during metamorphosis and aging in Xenopus laevis (Daudin) was observed.