Efficacy of a Skin Condition-Adapted Solution for Xerosis and Itch Relief Associated With Aging.

In recent decades, the stratum corneum (SC), has been recognized for its multifunctional role in maintaining the homeostasis of the human epidermal barrier. A better understanding of the SC's ability to act as its own biosensor in detecting dysfunction and integrating restorative actions can help identify the origin of certain skin conditions. A more holistic understanding of the morphological changes of the SC during the natural aging process and how it deviates in disease states can help bring about new treatment strategies.

CheapStat: an open-source, "do-it-yourself" potentiostat for analytical and educational applications.

Although potentiostats are the foundation of modern electrochemical research, they have seen relatively little application in resource poor settings, such as undergraduate laboratory courses and the developing world. One reason for the low penetration of potentiostats is their cost, as even the least expensive commercially available laboratory potentiostats sell for more than one thousand dollars. An inexpensive electrochemical workstation could thus prove useful in educational labs, and increase access to electrochemistry-based analytical techniques for food, drug and environmental monitoring.