Impedance spectroscopy for the non-destructive evaluation of in vitro epidermal models.

Purpose: Reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) is standardly used for the risk assessment of chemical compounds. However, analysis is dependent on invasive methods such as histological processing or 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) staining.

Methods: As an alternative, we have developed a non-destructive technology to analyze the integrity of epidermal equivalents based on impedance spectroscopy.

[Primal therapy--a clinically confirmed procedure?].

In two legal findings, the courts had to decide whether medical insurance would pay for so-called primal therapy. The courts requested an evaluation as to whether primal therapy is recognized as a scientific therapeutic process. The authors examined the available literature and then came to the conclusion that primal therapy is not a valid therapeutic technique.