In vivo assessment of the efficacy of an innovative face care system in subjects with mild acne vulgaris.

The purpose of our studies was to verify efficacy and skin compatibility of a medical face care system containing 2% lactic acid (LA) as active ingredient in a specially designed vehicle (Follicle Targeting System) in adult subjects with mild acne vulgaris. The first study (46 patients) demonstrated superiority of 2% LA in comparison to 2% salicylic acid with respect to number of comedones and inflammatory lesions. The second study evaluated 90 patients receiving distinct combinations of face care products (Eucerin) Impure Skin, Hamburg, Germany), i.

Continuous-wave 1.55 microm diode-pumped surface emitting semiconductor laser for broadband multiplex spectroscopy.

A room-temperature-operating vertical external cavity surface emitting laser is applied around 1550 nm to intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy analyzed by time-resolved Fourier-transform interferometry. At an equivalent path length of 15 km, the high-resolution spectrum of the semiconductor disk laser emission covers 17 nm simultaneously. A noise-equivalent absorption coefficient at 1 s averaging equal to 1.

Highly selective and compact tunable MOEMS photonic crystal Fabry-Perot filter.

The authors report a compact and highly selective tunable filter using a Fabry-Perot resonator combining a bottom micromachined 3-pair-InP/air-gap Bragg reflector with a top photonic crystal slab mirror. It is based on the coupling between radiated vertical cavity modes and waveguided modes of the photonic crystal. The full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the resonance, as measured by microreflectivity experiments, is close to 1.

Mode locking a 1550 nm semiconductor disk laser by using a GaInNAs saturable absorber.

Passive mode locking of an optically pumped, InP-based, 1550 nm semiconductor disk laser by using a GaInNAs saturable absorber mirror is demonstrated. To reduce material heating and enable high-power operation, a 50 microm thick diamond heat spreader is bonded to the surface of the gain chip. The laser operates at a repetition frequency of 2.

Single-frequency operation of a high-power, long-wavelength semiconductor disk laser.

An optically pumped, high-power, single-frequency semiconductor disk laser is demonstrated. A thin (50 microm) diamond bonded to an InGaAsP gain chip provides the combined functions of heat removal and spectral filtering, thus eliminating the need for the additional intracavity etalons that are usually employed for single-frequency operation. In a short cavity (4 mm) configuration we obtained a maximum output power of 470 mW at 0 degrees C and 170 mW at 20 degrees C in a near-diffraction-limited beam (M2 < 1.

Characterization of low molecular weight hydrocarbon oligomers by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry using a solvent-free sample preparation method.

A new solvent-free sample preparation method using silver trifluoroacetate (AgTFA) was developed for the analysis of low molecular weight paraffins and microcrystalline waxes by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOFMS). Experiments show that spectral quality can be enhanced by dispersing AgTFA directly in liquid paraffins without the use of additional solvents. This preparation mixture is applied directly to the MALDI probe.

Comparative investigation of human stratum corneum ceramides.

The stratum corneum (SC) requires ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to provide the cutaneous permeability barrier. SC lipids can be analyzed by normal-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). However, without further analysis, some uncertainty remains about the molecular composition of lipids represented by every TLC band of an unknown sample.

Determination of moxonidine (BDF 5895) in plasma by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

For the measurement of the pharmacokinetic behaviour of moxonidine, 4-chloro-5-(2-imidazolin-2-yl-amino)-6-methoxy-2-methylpyrimidine, an extremely sensitive analytical method was needed. The GC-MS method developed is specific and reliably detects moxonidine plasma levels down to 40 pg ml-1. Using negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) the M- fragment of the ditrifluoromethyl benzamide derivative of moxonidine (m/z 721) and the [M-HCl]- fragment of the ditrifluoromethyl benzamide derivative of clonidine (internal standard, m/z 673) were monitored in the selected ion monitoring mode, ensuring a specific and sensitive detection of the compounds.

[Heart disease and pregnancy--results of consequent interdisciplinary management].

In this paper it has been published about the interdisciplinary cooperation during the treatment of 143 pregnant women having heart diseases. In spite of a partial centralisation this number only 0.46 per cent of all deliveries in a period of 16 years.

Studies on the metabolism of steroid hormones in a virilizing adrenal cortex adenoma.

Slices of an adreno-cortical adenoma which had been obtained at operation from an 11-year-old girl with clinical signs of virilism were incubated with each of the following steroids: [1,2-3H]progesterone, [4-14C]pregnenolone, [1,2-3H]testosterone, [4-14C]androstenedione and [7-3H]dehydroepiandrosterone, respectively. Isolation and identification of the free radioactive metabolites were achieved by gel column chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, thin-layer chromatography, radio gas chromatography and isotope dilution. After incubation of progesterone, the following metabolites were identified: 11beta-hydroxyprogesterone, 16alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 21-deoxycortisol, corticosterone and cortisol.

Gel chromatography of steroid oestrogens on sephadex LH-20.

The behavior of 23 steroid oestrogens Sephadex LH-20 using six solvent systems was investigated. The fractions eluted by gel column chromatography were analysed by thin-layer chromatography and spectrometry. The method was used for the radiochemical purity of labelled compounds by isotopic dilution.