Efficacy and Safety of a Water-Based Head Lice Lotion: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigator-Blinded, Comparative, Bicentric Study.

Introduction: Silicones (e.g., dimethicone) are effective and safe alternatives to insecticides for the treatment of head lice.

Daily Application of an Aqueous, Acidifying, Peelable Nail Polish versus Weekly Amorolfine for Topical Onychomycosis Treatment: A Prospective, Randomized, Blinded Trial.

Introduction: Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection, frequently caused by dermatophytes, which occurs in 2-14% of Western adults. The present study was set up to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a water-based, peelable nail polish (daily application), which acidifies the nail environment, versus a 5% amorolfine nail lacquer (weekly application) for topical treatment of mild-to-moderate onychomycosis.

Methods: One hundred two adults were randomized in this open, prospective, blinded trial.

Efficacy and Safety of Three Cryotherapy Devices for Wart Treatment: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigator-Blinded, Comparative Study.

Introduction: Cutaneous warts are common skin lesions, caused by human papillomavirus. For years, liquid nitrogen is the cryogen of choice for wart treatment. Alternatively, several cryogenic devices for home treatment are commercially available.

Efficacy and Safety of a Mineral Oil-Based Head Lice Shampoo: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigator-Blinded, Comparative Study.

Background: Due to increased resistance and safety concerns with insecticide-based pediculicides, there is growing demand for head lice treatments with a physical mode of action. Certain mineral oils kill lice by blocking spiracles or by disrupting the epicuticular wax layer. The present study was performed to evaluate efficacy and safety of a mineral oil-based shampoo.

Field Method for Testing Repellency of an Icaridin-Containing Skin Lotion against Vespid Wasps.

Vespid wasps are ecologically beneficial predators of insects but their stings also pose a human health risk. Current control methods based on killing vespids are suboptimal. Here, the repellent effect against Vespula vulgaris of a 20% icaridin skin lotion was evaluated under field conditions.

An Improved Neutral a-Glucosidase Assay for Assessment of Epididymal Function-Validation and Comparison to the WHO Method.

Neutral a-glucosidase (NAG) activity in human seminal plasma is an important indicator for epididymis functionality. In the present study, the classic World Health Organization (WHO) method has been adapted to enhance assay robustness. Changes include modified enzyme reaction buffer composition and usage of an alternative enzyme inhibitor for background correction (glucose instead of castanospermine).

Single cell and spheroid collagen type I invasion assay.

Tumor invasion is the outcome of a complex interplay between cancer cells and the stromal environment and requires the infiltration of a dense, cross-linked meshwork of collagen type I extracellular matrix. We use a membrane-free single-cell and spheroid-based complementary model to study cancer invasion through native collagen type I matrices. Cell morphology is preserved during the assays allowing real-time monitoring of invasion-induced changes in cell structure and F-actin organization.

Difference in receptor-binding contributes to difference in biological activity between the unique guinea pig GnRH and mammalian GnRH.

In the current study, we compared the in vitro potency of a unique form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) present in the brain of the guinea pig (gpGnRH) with that of mammalian GnRH (mGnRH) as well as their binding affinities to the GnRH receptor. In gpGnRH, the highly conserved histidine in position 2 (His(2)) and leucine in position 7 (Leu(7)) are substituted by tyrosine and valine, respectively. In vivo, gpGnRH was shown to be less potent than mGnRH, possibly in part because of higher susceptibility to enzymatic degradation.

Further evaluation of the biological activity of the unique gonadotropin-releasing hormone peptide in the guinea pig brain.

In this study we compared the biological activity of a unique form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the brain of the guinea pig (gpGnRH) with mammalian GnRH (mGnRH). In gpGnRH, the highly conserved histidine in position 2 (His(2)) and leucine in position 7 (Leu(7)) are substituted by tyrosine and valine, respectively. The gpGnRH was less potent than mGnRH in stimulating the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) in vivo in the guinea pig and displayed only low activity in the rat.

Estrogen receptor signaling is an unstable feature of the gonadotropic LbetaT2 cell line.

The murine, gonadotropic LbetaT2 cell line was assessed as a potential in vitro model to analyze estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated regulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) synthesis and secretion. In agreement with limited literature data, repeated exposure to (sub) physiological concentrations of gonadotropin-releasing hormone enhanced LHbeta-subunit gene expression, being the rate-limiting step of LH synthesis, and the corresponding LH secretory response. However, in the same subclone of the LbetaT2 cell line, we observed that LH production was not affected following exposure to E(2), which is in contrast to previously reported weak or modest effects.

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) cross-talk in the gonadotropic alphaT3-1 cell line.

In reproductive tissues such as the breast and the uterus, cell proliferation and differentiation is strongly regulated by complex interactions between estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and growth factor receptors. In the present study, we investigated the potential occurrence of such cross-talk in the murine, gonadotropic alphaT3-1 cell line, which expresses ERalpha and the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR). Under estrogen-free conditions, basal cell proliferation and ER-mediated gene transcription was strongly inhibited by the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4-OH-Tam) and by the pure anti-estrogen ICI 182,780 (ICI).