A comparative study of the in vitro dermal absorption of radiolabeled benzophenone through human skin.

Octocrylene is a common sun filter ingredient used to protect the skin from damaging UV rays. Benzophenone is an impurity found in formulations containing octocrylene. [C]-Benzophenone was spiked (0.

Triggered: Discovery of Neurocysticercosis Following Self-Administered Albendazole.

A 25-year-old man with no medical history presented with a seizure one month after taking a self-administered dose of albendazole. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed multiple ring-enhancing lesions, and the workup confirmed neurocysticercosis (NCC). Treatment with antiparasitics was delayed due to concern for worsening symptoms from the presence of cysts in the midbrain and hippocampus.

Low-level red plus near infrared lights combination induces expressions of collagen and elastin in human skin in vitro.

Objective: Light therapy has attracted medical interests as a safe, alternative treatment for photo-ageing and photo-damaged skin. Recent research suggested the therapeutic activity of red and infrared (IR) lights may be effective at much lower energy levels than those used clinically. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-level red plus near IR light emitting diode (LED) combination on collagen and elastin and ATP production.

A blackberry-dill extract combination synergistically increases skin elasticity.

Background: The loss of structural elastin due to intrinsic and extrinsic ageing results in the skin's inability to stretch and recoil (decrease in elasticity) and manifests as loss of skin firmness and sagging. While other extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as collagen and hyaluronic acid are continually synthesized and assembled through life, elastic fibres are not. Elastic fibre assembly and functionality require fibre cross-linking, induced by the lysyl oxidase-like (LOXL) enzymes, which sharply decrease during ageing.

A unique gel matrix moisturizer delivers deep hydration resulting in significant clinical improvement in radiance and texture.

As skin ages, it loses its ability to retain moisture and becomes rough and dry. This results in a clinically dull appearance with a loss of radiance, firmness, and suppleness. Symptoms can be improved with use of a moisturizer that builds and maintains skin hydration over time; however, most moisturizers that occlude the skin surface are perceived as heavy and greasy and are not consumer preferred.

Propionibacterium acnes susceptibility to low-level 449 nm blue light photobiomodulation.

Background And Objective: Recent advances in low-level light devices have opened new treatment options for mild to moderate acne patients. Light therapies have been used to treat a variety of skin conditions over the years but were typically only available as treatments provided by professional clinicians. Clinical application of blue light has proven to be effective for a broader spectral range and at lower fluences than previously utilized.

Low-level red LED light inhibits hyperkeratinization and inflammation induced by unsaturated fatty acid in an in vitro model mimicking acne.

Background And Objective: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous units (PSU), associated with increased sebum production, abnormal follicular keratinization (hyperkeratinization), follicular overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), and increased inflammatory mediator release. Light therapy has attracted medical interests as a safe alternative treatment for acne.

In vitro modeling of unsaturated free fatty acid-mediated tissue impairments seen in acne lesions.

Acne vulgaris is a disease of pilosebaceous units with multifactorial pathogenesis, including hyperkeratinization, increased sebum secretion, and inflammation. Recently, it was suggested that acne subjects may have also impaired skin barrier. We hypothesized that excess unsaturated free fatty acids (UFFA) present in the sebum may cause barrier impairment associated with increased follicular stratum corneum (SC) thickening and inflammation seen in acne.

Topical stabilized retinol treatment induces the expression of HAS genes and HA production in human skin in vitro and in vivo.

Skin Aging manifests primarily with wrinkles, dyspigmentations, texture changes, and loss of elasticity. During the skin aging process, there is a loss of moisture and elasticity in skin resulting in loss of firmness finally leading to skin sagging. The key molecule involved in skin moisture is hyaluronic acid (HA), which has a significant water-binding capacity.

Daily Use of a Facial Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Over One-Year Significantly Improves Clinical Evaluation of Photoaging.

Background: Sunscreens are known to protect from sun damage; however, their effects on the reversal of photodamage have been minimally investigated.

Objective: The aim of the prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of a facial sun protection factor (SPF) 30 formulation for the improvement of photodamage during a 1-year use.

Methods: Thirty-two subjects applied a broad spectrum photostable sunscreen (SPF 30) for 52 weeks to the entire face.

Colloidal Oatmeal (Avena Sativa) Improves Skin Barrier Through Multi-Therapy Activity.

Oats (Avena sativa) are a centuries-old topical treatment for a variety of skin barrier conditions, including dry skin, skin rashes, and eczema; however, few studies have investigated the actual mechanism of action for the skin barrier strengthening activity of colloidal oatmeal. Four extracts of colloidal oatmeal were prepared with various solvents and tested in vitro for skin barrier related gene expression and activity. Extracts of colloidal oatmeal were found to induce the expression of genes related to epidermal differentiation, tight junctions and lipid regulation in skin, and provide pH-buffering capacity.

Topically applied ceramide accumulates in skin glyphs.

Ceramides (CERs), structural components of the stratum corneum (SC), impart essential barrier properties to this thin outer layer of the epidermis. Variations in CER species within this layer have been linked to several skin diseases. A recent proliferation of CER-containing topical skin-care products warrants the elucidation of CER penetration profiles in both healthy and diseased skin.

Visible Light Induces Melanogenesis in Human Skin through a Photoadaptive Response.

Visible light (400-700 nm) lies outside of the spectral range of what photobiologists define as deleterious radiation and as a result few studies have studied the effects of visible light range of wavelengths on skin. This oversight is important considering that during outdoors activities skin is exposed to the full solar spectrum, including visible light, and to multiple exposures at different times and doses. Although the contribution of the UV component of sunlight to skin damage has been established, few studies have examined the effects of non-UV solar radiation on skin physiology in terms of inflammation, and limited information is available regarding the role of visible light on pigmentation.

4-Hexyl-1,3-phenylenediol, a nuclear factor-κB inhibitor, improves photodamaged skin and clinical signs of ageing in a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Background: The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway is a key mediator of inflammation; however, few studies have examined the direct effects of NF-κB inhibition on the skin.

Objectives: To investigate NF-κB activity in cultured human fibroblasts and to investigate the effects of 4-hexyl-1,3-phenylenediol (an NF-κB inhibitor) on elastin and collagen gene expression in vitro and on the clinical appearance of photodamaged skin.

Methods: The amount and activity of NF-κB in human fibroblasts obtained from donors (17-78 years old) was measured after transfection with a NF-κB reporter and a luciferase promoter system.

p38 MAP Kinase Inhibition Reduces Propionibacterium acnes-Induced Inflammation in Vitro.

Introduction: Propionibacterium acnes, a ubiquitous skin bacterium, stimulates keratinocytes to produce a number of proinflammatory cytokines and may contribute to inflammatory acne. The aim of the study was to investigate whether P. acnes-induced proinflammatory cytokine release is mediated by P.

One-year topical stabilized retinol treatment improves photodamaged skin in a double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial.

Background: Retinol, a precursor of retinoic acid, has great potentials as a topical anti-aging molecule; however, only a handful of clinical investigations have been published to date.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of 0.1% stabilized retinol on photodamaged skin during a one-year treatment.

Keratinocyte differentiation and upregulation of ceramide synthesis induced by an oat lipid extract via the activation of PPAR pathways.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) has been shown to have an important role in skin barrier function by regulating differentiation and lipid synthesis in keratinocytes. Oat (Avena sativa) has long been used as a soothing agent to relieve skin irritations, and the clinical benefits of topical oat formulations have been proven; however, the mechanistic understanding of oat's mode of action remains unknown. We investigated whether an oat lipid extract could activate PPARs and subsequently increase epidermal lipid synthesis and differentiation markers.

Anti-inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) contribute to the effectiveness of oats in treatment of itch associated with dry, irritated skin.

Background: Oat (Avena sativa) in colloidal form is a centuries-old topical treatment for a variety of skin conditions, including skin rashes, erythema, burns, itch, and eczema; however, few studies have investigated the exact mechanism of action for the anti-inflammatory activity of colloidal oatmeal.

Methods: Four extracts of colloidal oatmeal were made with various solvents and tested in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant assays. In addition, an investigator blind study was performed with twenty-nine healthy female subjects who exhibited bilateral mild to moderate itch with moderate to severe dry skin on their lower legs.

Metabolic signature of sun exposed skin suggests catabolic pathway overweighs anabolic pathway.

Skin chronically exposed to sun results in phenotypic changes referred as photoaging. This aspect of aging has been studied extensively through genomic and proteomic tools. Metabolites, the end product are generated as a result of biochemical reactions are often studied as a culmination of complex interplay of gene and protein expression.

Clinical efficacy and safety of 4-hexyl-1,3-phenylenediol for improving skin hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation disorders are of social and cosmetic concerns to many individuals due to their prevalent locations on highly visible parts of the body. Topical formulation containing hydroquinone is the most widely used remedy for the treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders. However, reports of side effects in long-term usage have raised concerns for its use in cosmetic products.

Galvanic microparticles increase migration of human dermal fibroblasts in a wound-healing model via reactive oxygen species pathway.

Electrical signals have been implied in many biological mechanisms, including wound healing, which has been associated with transient electrical currents not present in intact skin. One method to generate electrical signals similar to those naturally occurring in wounds is by supplementation of galvanic particles dispersed in a cream or gel. We constructed a three-layered model of skin consisting of human dermal fibroblasts in hydrogel (mimic of dermis), a hydrogel barrier layer (mimic of epidermis) and galvanic microparticles in hydrogel (mimic of a cream containing galvanic particles applied to skin).

A purified feverfew extract protects from oxidative damage by inducing DNA repair in skin cells via a PI3-kinase-dependent Nrf2/ARE pathway.

Background: Environmental factors such as solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation and other external aggressors provide an oxidative challenge that is detrimental to skin health. The levels of endogenous antioxidants decrease with age, thus resulting in less protection and a greater potential for skin damage. The NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) - antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway is a primary defense mechanism against oxidative stress, and induces the expression of antioxidant, detoxification and repair genes.

Metabolomic analysis of sun exposed skin.

It is very well known that exposure of skin to sun chronically accelerates the mechanism of aging as well as making it more susceptible toward skin cancer. This aspect of aging has been studied very well through genomics and proteomics tools. In this study we have used a metabolomic approach for the first time to determine the differences in the metabolome from full thickness skin biopsies from sun exposed and sun protected sites.

Differential levels of elastin fibers and TGF-β signaling in the skin of Caucasians and African Americans.

Background: While skin color is the most notable difference among ethnic skins the current knowledge on skin physiological and aging properties are based mainly on Caucasian skin studies.

Objective: To evaluate histological differences in elastin fiber network and differential responsiveness to TGF-β in skin of Caucasians and African Americans.

Methods: These studies were undertaken using human skin biopsies, primary dermal fibroblasts, Western blot analyses, immunofluorescence microscopy, cDNA array and quantitative real-time PCR.