Study of thermodynamic water properties and moisture sorption hysteresis of mango skin

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Properties of films obtained from biopolymers of different origins for skin lesions therapy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Development and Validation of a Clinical Scale for the Evaluation of Forearm Skin Photoaging

Background: Despite the focus on facial photoaging ratings, there are few classifications developed for forearm skin aging assessment.Objective: To develop and validate a clinical scale for the evaluation of forearm skin aging.Methods: Three clinical dermatology faculty members selected, discussed, and appraised the main signs of forearm photoaging. The validation of the resulting scale was performed by 5 assessors who were previously trained to classify 102 photographs of forearms with different degrees of aging. Retests were performed in 15 days.Results: There was significant correlation between the selected variables and the subjective global aging scale. The developed scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) and high correlation with the global photoaging scale (rho = 0.92). Inter- and intraobserver final scores showed high agreement.Conclusion: A validated clinical photoaging scale for forearms with internal consistency, reliability, and validity was developed.

Gene and protein expression of oestrogen-beta and progesterone receptors in facial melasma and adjacent healthy skin in women

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Antiageing mechanisms of a standardized supercritical CO2 preparation of Black Jack (Bidens pilosa L.) in human fibroblasts and skin fragments

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Structural characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of kojic dipalmitate loaded W/O/W multiple emulsions intended for skin disorders

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in non-outbreak skin infections

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Assessment of ALA-induced PpIX production in porcine skin pretreated with microneedles

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used for skin treatments of premalignant and cancer lesions and recognized as a non-invasive technique that combines tissue photosensitization and subsequent exposure to light to induce cell death. However, it is limited to the treatment of superficial lesions, mainly due to the low cream penetration. Therefore, the improvement of transdermal distribution of aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is needed. In this study, the kinetics and homogeneity of production of ALA-induced PpIX after the skin pre-treatment with microneedles rollers of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mm length were investigated. An improvement in homogeneity and production of PpIX was shown in a porcine model. Widefield fluorescence imaging three hours after the topical application of ALA-cream in the combined treatment with microeedles rollers.

Anuran skin and basking behavior: the case of the treefrog Bokermannohyla alvarengai (Bokermann, 1956)

We investigated the morphology of the skin and the biochemistry of the lipids in the skin secretion of Bokermannohyla alvarengai, a montane treefrog that is known to bask regularly, motionless in full sunlight for extended periods of time. Our primary goal was to identify structural and biochemical modifications that might assist this frog species to accommodate the conflicting demands for heat exchange and water balance while basking. The modulation of heat exchange in basking B. alvarengai involves changes in skin coloration. We found that this response was supported by a prominent monolayer of large iridophores, whose light reflectance property is adjusted by the response of intervening melanophores. Mucosubstances and lipid compounds, mainly consisted of saturated fatty acids and presumably secreted from granular glands, were detected on the skin of B. alvarengai. These compounds formed an extra-epidermal layer over the animal's dorsal surface that might assist in the prevention of excessive water loss through evaporation. Additionally, we found well-developed skin folds at the ventral region of the frogs that lead to an increment of surface area. This feature combined with the extensive hypervascularization, also noticed for the skin of B. alvarengai, may play an important role in water reabsorption. The suite of structural and biochemical modifications identified for the integument of B. alvarengai seems to conjugate aspects relevant to both, heat exchange and water balance, allowing for this species to explore basking as an efficient thermoregulatory strategy. J. Morphol. 276:1172-1182, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Does spinal block through tattooed skin cause histological changes in nervous tissue and meninges?: an experimental model in rabbits

Although there is no documented evidence that tattoo pigments can cause neurological complications, the implications of performing neuraxial anesthesia through tattooed skin are unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess whether spinal puncture performed through tattooed skin of rabbits determines changes over the spinal cord and meninges. In addition, we sought to evaluate the presence of ink fragments entrapped in spinal needles. Thirty-six young male adult rabbits, each weighing between 3400 and 3900 g and having a spine length between 38.5 and 39 cm, were divided by lot into 3 groups as follows: GI, spinal puncture through tattooed skin; GII, spinal puncture through tattooed skin and saline injection; and GIII, spinal puncture through skin free of tattoo and saline injection. After intravenous anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine, the subarachnoid space was punctured at S1-S2 under ultrasound guidance with a 22-gauge 2½ Quincke needle. Animals in GII and GIII received 5 μL/cm of spinal length (0.2 mL) of saline intrathecally. In GI, the needle tip was placed into the yellow ligament, and no solution was injected into the intrathecal space; after tattooed skin puncture, 1 mL of saline was injected through the needle over a histological slide to prepare a smear that was dyed by the Giemsa method to enable tissue identification if present. All animals remained in captivity for 21 days under medical observation and were killed by decapitation. The lumbosacral spinal cord portion was removed for histological analysis using hematoxylin-eosin stain. None of the animals had impaired motor function or decreased nociception during the period of clinical observation. None of the animals from the control group (GIII) showed signs of injuries to meninges. In GII, however, 4 animals presented with signs of meningeal injury. The main histological changes observed were focal areas of perivascular lymphoplasmacyte infiltration in the pia mater and arachnoid. There was no signal of injury in neural tissue in any animal of both groups. Tissue coring containing ink pigments was noted in all GI smears from the spinal needles used to puncture the tattooed skin. On the basis of the present results, intrathecal injection of saline through a needle inserted through tattooed skin is capable of producing histological changes over the meninges of rabbits. Ink fragments were entrapped inside the spinal needles, despite the presence of a stylet.

Development and in vitro skin delivery of dexamethasone acetate-loaded surfactant-based systems

Topical corticosteroids, e.g., dexamethasone acetate (DMA), are extensively used to treat cutaneous inflammatory disorders even though their use is correlated with potential local and systemic side effects. The objective of this study was to develop and test the topical delivery of DMA-loaded surfactant based systems in vitro; these studies could guarantee a suitable delivery and therapeutic efficacy, as well as minimize DMA's side effects. A phase diagram was constructed using polyoxypropylene (5) polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl alcohol as the surfactant (S), isopropyl myristate as the oil phase (O) and water (W). The systems were characterized using polarization light microscopy (PLM), as well as rheological and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. Depending on the concentration of the constituents, it was possible to obtain microemulsions (MEs) and liquid crystalline mesophases (lamellar and hexagonal). These types of arrangement were verified using PLM measurements. The SAXS results revealed that increasing the W/S ratio led to ME, as well as lamellar (LAM) and hexagonal (HEX) arrangements. The MEs displayed typical Newtonian behavior while the LAM and HEX phases exhibited pseudoplasticity and plasticity, respectively. The MEs displayed excellent drug solubilization that was approximately 10-fold higher than was observed with the individual components. The in vitro cutaneous permeation studies using pig ear skin and analysis of the mechanical parameters (hardness, compressibility, cohesiveness and adhesiveness) were carried out with a HEX phase and O/W emulsion. The HEX phase achieved better drug permeation and retention in the skin while its mechanical properties were suitable for skin administration. PPG-5-CETETH-20-based systems may be a promising platform delivering DMA and other topical corticosteroids through the skin.

Surfactant-based transdermal system for fluconazole skin delivery

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

P-233-Biodiversity of mucosa associated microbiome of Crohn's disease patients living in middle western São Paulo State, Brazil

Background: The intestinal microbiome (IM) has extensively been studied in the search for a link of bacteria with the cause of Crohn`s disease (CD). The association might result from the action of a specific pathogen and/or an eventual imbalance in bacterial species composition of the gut. The innumerous virulence associated markers and strategies described for adherent and invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) have made them putative candidate pathogens for CD. IM of CD patients shows dysbiosis, manifested by the proliferation of bacterial groups such as Enterobacteriaceae and reduction of others such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The augmented bacterial population comprising of commensal and/or pathogenic organisms super stimulates the immune system, triggering the inflammatory reactions responsible for the clinical manifestations of the disease. Considering the role played by IM in CD and the multiple variables influencing its species composition, resulting in differences among populations, the objective of this study was to determine the bacterial biodiversity in the mucosa associated microbiome of CD patients from a population not previously subject to this analysis, living in the middle west region of Sao Paulo state. Methods: A total of 4 CD patients and 5 controls subjects attending the Botucatu Medical School of the Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) for routine colonoscopy and who signed an informed consent were included in the study. A number of 2 biopsies, one from the ileum and other from any part of the terminal colon, were taken from each subject and immediately frozen at -70[degrees]C until DNA purification. The bacterial biodiversity was assessed by next generation (ion torrent) sequencing of PCR amplicons of the ribosomal DNA 16S V6 region (16S V6 rDNA). The bacterial identification was performed at the genus level, by alignment of the generated DNA sequences with those available at the ribosomal database project (RDP) website. Results: The overall DNA sequence output was based on an average number of 526,427 reads per run, matching 50 bacterial genus 16SrDNA sequences available at the RDB website, and 22 non matching sequences. Over 95% of the sequences corresponded to taxa belonging to the major phyla: Firmicutes, Bacterioidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Irrespective of the intestinal site analyzed, no case-control differences could be observed in the prevalence of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. The prevalence of Proteobacteria was higher (40%) in the biopsies of control subjects as compared to that of DC patients (16%). For Bacterioidetes, the higher prevalence was observed among DC patients (33% as opposed to 14,5% in controls). The significance for all comparisons considered a p value < 0,05 in a Chi2 test. No mucosal site specific differences could be observed in IM comparisons of CD and control subjects. Conclusions: The rise in the number of Bacterioidetes observed here among CD patients seems to be in agreement with most of studies published thus far. Yet, the reduction in the number of Proteobacteria along with an apparently unaltered population of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, which include the so called "beneficial" organisms Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were rather surprising. These data suggest that the analyses on the role of IM in CD should consider the multiple variables that may influence its species composition.

Tuberculin Skin Testing in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

The comparative cervical skin test for antemortem diagnosis of tuberculosis was done 169 times on 116 different white-tailed deer of known Mycobacterium bovis infection status. The sensitivity and specificity were 97 and 81%, respectively. The magnitude of change in skin thickness at test sites was not significantly influenced by dosage of inoculum, dissemination of the disease process, or repeated skin testing. However, the magnitude of change in skin thickness was significantly greater in deer infected for less than 109 days than in deer infected for more than 109 days. As used in the present study, the comparative cervical skin test is a sensitive method of antemortem diagnosis of M. bovis infection in white-tailed deer.