scholarly journals The Role of Every-Day Cosmetics in Altering the Skin Microbiome: A Study Using Biodiversity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wallen-Russell
Keyword(s):  
Independent Study ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Rrna Sequencing ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Medical University ◽  
First Time ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Universal Standard

As described in previous work, the use of synthetic chemical ingredients in modern cosmetics is postulated to be a cause of damage to the skin microbiome. The discovery that biodiversity on the human skin is currently the only reliable indicator of skin health, meant that for the first time, a mechanism to test for healthy skin was possible. Using this mechanism and in collaboration with The Medical University of Graz, who carried out the independent study, this work aimed to help answer whether modern day synthetic cosmetics are a main cause of long term damage to the skin microbiome. Thirty-two human participants tested three different face washes for their effect on the skin’s microbial diversity, along with skin pH, moisture and TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss), washing twice a day for four weeks. The upper volar forearm of the volunteers was swabbed at the beginning, two weeks in and end (four weeks). 16S rRNA sequencing was used. One leading ‘natural’ brand full of synthetic ingredients, a leading synthetic brand and a 100% natural face wash were used. Results give the first indications of a link between synthetic ingredients in a cosmetics product, and its effect on skin microbiome biodiversity. It paves the way for future studies on the topic with a larger sample group, longer test period and standardised methodology to create a universal standard for testing the health of skin using benchmark diversity values. This can be used in the future to test the effectiveness of cosmetics or ingredients on skin health, leading to the banning of products proven to harm the skin’s natural environment.

scholarly journals The Role of Every-Day Cosmetics in Altering the Skin Microbiome: A Study Using Biodiversity

Cosmetics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Wallen-Russell
Keyword(s):  
Independent Study ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Rrna Sequencing ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Medical University ◽  
First Time ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Universal Standard

As described in previous work, the use of synthetic chemical ingredients in modern cosmetics is postulated to be a cause of damage to the skin microbiome. The discovery that biodiversity on the human skin is currently the only reliable indicator of skin health, meant that for the first time, a mechanism to test for healthy skin was possible. Using this mechanism and in collaboration with The Medical University of Graz, who carried out the independent study, this work aimed to help answer whether modern day synthetic cosmetics are a main cause of long-term damage to the skin microbiome. Thirty-two human participants tested three different face washes for their effect on the skin’s microbial diversity, along with skin pH, moisture and TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss), washing twice-a-day for four weeks. The upper volar forearm of the volunteers was swabbed at the beginning, two weeks in and at the end of the four weeks. 16S rRNA sequencing was used. One leading ‘natural’ brand full of synthetic ingredients, a leading synthetic brand and a 100% natural face wash were used. Results give the first indications of a link between synthetic ingredients in a cosmetics product and its effect on skin microbiome biodiversity. It paves the way for future studies on the topic with a larger sample group, longer test period and standardised methodology to create a universal standard for testing the health of skin using benchmark diversity values. This can be used in the future to test the effectiveness of cosmetics or ingredients on skin health, leading to the restriction in cosmetics of products proven to harm the skin’s natural environment.

scholarly journals Occurrence of L1014F and L1014S mutations in insecticide resistant Culex quinquefasciatus from filariasis endemic districts of West Bengal, India

2022 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0010000
Author(s):  
Priyanka Rai ◽  
Dhiraj Saha
Keyword(s):  
Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Resistance Development ◽  
Vector Population ◽  
A Minor ◽  
First Time

Introduction Lymphatic filariasis causes long term morbidity and hampers the socio-economic status. Apart from the available treatments and medication, control of vector population Culex quinquefasciatus Say through the use of chemical insecticides is a widely applied strategy. However, the unrestrained application of these insecticides over many decades has led to resistance development in the vectors. Methods In order to determine the insecticide susceptibility/resistance status of Cx. quinquefasciatus from two filariasis endemic districts of West Bengal, India, wild mosquito populations were collected and assayed against six different insecticides and presence of L1014F; L1014S kdr mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene was also screened along with the use of synergists to evaluate the role of major detoxifying enzymes in resistance development. Results The collected mosquito populations showed severe resistance to insecticides and the two synergists used–PBO (piperonyl butoxide) and TPP (triphenyl phosphate), were unable to restore the susceptibility status of the vector thereupon pointing towards a minor role of metabolic enzymes. kdr mutations were present in the studied populations in varying percent with higher L1014F frequency indicating its association with the observed resistance to pyrethroids and DDT. This study reports L1014S mutation in Cx. quinquefasciatus for the first time.

scholarly journals Duodenal Dysbiosis and Relation to the Efficacy of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Functional Dyspepsia

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13609
Author(s):  
Lucas Wauters ◽  
Raúl Y. Tito ◽  
Matthias Ceulemans ◽  
Maarten Lambaerts ◽  
Alison Accarie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Dyspepsia ◽  
Proton Pump Inhibitors ◽  
Proton Pump ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Rrna Sequencing ◽  
Before And After

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) may improve symptoms in functional dyspepsia (FD) through duodenal eosinophil-reducing effects. However, the contribution of the microbiome to FD symptoms and its interaction with PPI remains elusive. Aseptic duodenal brushings and biopsies were performed before and after PPI intake (4 weeks Pantoprazole 40 mg daily, FD-starters and controls) or withdrawal (2 months, FD-stoppers) for 16S-rRNA sequencing. Between- and within-group changes in genera or diversity and associations with symptoms or duodenal factors were analyzed. In total, 30 controls, 28 FD-starters and 19 FD-stoppers were followed. Mucus-associated Porphyromonas was lower in FD-starters vs. controls and correlated with symptoms in FD and duodenal eosinophils in both groups, while Streptococcus correlated with eosinophils in controls. Although clinical and eosinophil-reducing effects of PPI therapy were unrelated to microbiota changes in FD-starters, increased Streptococcus was associated with duodenal PPI effects in controls and remained higher despite withdrawal of long-term PPI therapy in FD-stoppers. Thus, duodenal microbiome analysis demonstrated differential mucus-associated genera, with a potential role of Porphyromonas in FD pathophysiology. While beneficial effects of short-term PPI therapy were not associated with microbial changes in FD-starters, increased Streptococcus and its association with PPIeffects in controls suggest a role for duodenal dysbiosis after long-term PPI therapy.

scholarly journals Dynamics of intravital concentration of amino acid metabolites in human brain in post-traumatic period

2019 ◽  
Vol 484 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
N. A. Semenova ◽  
P. E. Menshchikov ◽  
A. V. Manzhurtsev ◽  
M. V. Ublinskiy ◽  
T. A. Akhadov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Acid Metabolites ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
First Time

Intracellular concentrations of N acetyaspartate (NAA), aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu) were determined for the first time in human brain in vivo, and the effect of severe traumatic brain injury on NAA synthesis in acute and late post-traumatic period was investigated. In MRI‑negative frontal lobes one day after injury Asp and Glu levels were found to decrease by 45 and 35%, respectively, while NAA level decreased by only 16%. A negative correlation between NAA concentration and the ratio of Asp/Glu concentrations was found. In the long-term period, Glu level returned to normal, Asp level remained below normal by 60%, NAA level was reduced by 65% relative to normal, and Asp/Glu ratio significantly decreased. The obtained results revealed leading role of the neuronal aspartate-malate shuttle in violation of NAA synthesis.

Too resilient for anyone’s good

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 751-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance Nizami
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Stimulus ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Detection Thresholds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infant Vision ◽  
Efficacious Treatment ◽  
Stimulus Detection ◽  
First Time

Purpose This study aims to examine the observer’s role in “infant psychophysics”. Infant psychophysics was developed because the diagnosis of perceptual deficits should be done as early in a patient’s life as possible, to provide efficacious treatment and thereby reduce potential long-term costs. Infants, however, cannot report their perceptions. Hence, the intensity of a stimulus at which the infant can detect it, the “threshold”, must be inferred from the infant’s behavior, as judged by observers (watchers). But whose abilities are actually being inferred? The answer affects all behavior-based conclusions about infants’ perceptions, including the well-proselytized notion that auditory stimulus-detection thresholds improve rapidly during infancy. Design/methodology/approach In total, 55 years of infant psychophysics is scrutinized, starting with seminal studies in infant vision, followed by the studies that they inspired in infant hearing. Findings The inferred stimulus-detection thresholds are those of the infant-plus-watcher and, more broadly, the entire laboratory. The thresholds are therefore tenuous, because infants’ actions may differ with stimulus intensity; expressiveness may differ between infants; different watchers may judge infants differently; etc. Particularly, the watcher’s ability to “read” the infant may improve with the infant’s age, confounding any interpretation of perceptual maturation. Further, the infant’s gaze duration, an assumed cue to stimulus detection, may lengthen or shorten nonlinearly with infant age. Research limitations/implications Infant psychophysics investigators have neglected the role of the observer, resulting in an accumulation of data that requires substantial re-interpretation. Altogether, infant psychophysics has proven far too resilient for its own good. Originality/value Infant psychophysics is examined for the first time through second-order cybernetics. The approach reveals serious unresolved issues.

scholarly journals Scribing Method for Carbon Perovskite Solar Modules

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone M. P. Meroni ◽  
Katherine E. A. Hooper ◽  
Tom Dunlop ◽  
Jenny A. Baker ◽  
David Worsley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Screen Printing ◽  
Fill Factor ◽  
Transparent Electrode ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cell ◽  
Metal Contacts ◽  
Good Efficiency ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
First Time

The fully printable carbon triple-mesoscopic perovskite solar cell (C-PSC) has already demonstrated good efficiency and long-term stability, opening the possibility of lab-to-fab transition. Modules based on C-PSC architecture have been reported and, at present, are achieved through the accurate registration of each of the patterned layers using screen-printing. Modules based on this approach were reported with geometric fill factor (g-FF) as high as 70%. Another approach to create the interconnects, the so-called scribing method, was reported to achieve more than 90% g-FF for architectures based on evaporated metal contacts, i.e., without a carbon counter electrode. Here, for the first time, we adopt the scribing method to selectively remove materials within a C-PSC. This approach allowed a deep and selective scribe to open an aperture from the transparent electrode through all the layers, including the blocking layer, enabling a direct contact between the electrodes in the interconnects. In this work, a systematic study of the interconnection area between cells is discussed, showing the key role of the FTO/carbon contact. Furthermore, a module on 10 × 10 cm2 substrate with the optimised design showing efficiency over 10% is also demonstrated.

scholarly journals On the Role of Homework in the Learning Process

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-19
Author(s):  
Sofia Fedorovna Usmanova ◽  
Natalia Nikolaevna Kholina
Keyword(s):  
Independent Study ◽  
Quality Information ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
High Quality Information ◽  
Cognitive Activities ◽  
Long Term Retention

A complete, long-term retention of material learned during the lesson should be supplemented by independent study at home, as it is a method of reinforcing knowledge and skills; it forms independence in educational and cognitive activities in children as well as develops their thinking and self-discipline skills. This article deals with different approaches to creating a highly effective homework organization system, which allows to get complete and high-quality information about the level of studied material.

scholarly journals No detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on urethral swab in patients with positive naso-pharyngeal swab

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Spirito ◽  
Biagio Pinchera ◽  
Angela Patrì ◽  
Mario Delfino ◽  
Ciro Imbimbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Organ ◽  
Human Tissues ◽  
Pharyngeal Swab ◽  
Genitourinary System ◽  
Oropharyngeal Swab ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Respiratory Droplets ◽  
First Time ◽  
Larger Sample

Abstract Background The recent SARS-CoV-2 infection is the cause of one of the most important pandemics that history has ever experienced. SARS-CoV-2 can lead to a MOF (Multiple Organ Failure) that is critical for life of patients. Viral RNA is found in human tissues as lung, intestine, testicle, kidney, etc. and it is the reason to theorize different ways of transmission of the virus in addition to respiratory droplets. The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in urethral swabs. Methods We enrolled 10 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who attended the Infectious Diseases Unit of the A.O.U. Federico II of Naples, from March 2020 to April 2020. For each patient, one urethral swab was collected at the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results All ten patients had a negative urethral swab for SARS-CoV-2 RNA when the rhino-oropharyngeal swab was found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Our data show for the first time that the virus would not affect the urinary tract and therefore would not be found in the urine and even less would it be transmissible through the urine. This result was independent of the stage of the disease, in fact, regardless of the severity of the clinical conditions, all patients had a negative urethral swab for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Conclusion This observation, which needs to be further investigated with further studies and a larger sample, could be the cornerstone for understanding the role of SARS-CoV-2 in relation to the genitourinary system.

scholarly journals Environmental plasticity and colonisation history in the Atlantic salmon microbiome: a translocation experiment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamsyn M. Uren Webster ◽  
Deiene Rodriguez-Barreto ◽  
Giovanni Castaldo ◽  
John Taylor ◽  
Peter Gough ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
First Time

AbstractMicrobial communities associated with the gut and the skin are strongly influenced by environmental factors, and can rapidly adapt to change. Historical processes may also affect the microbiome. In particular, variation in microbial colonisation in early life has the potential to induce lasting effects on microbial assemblages. However, little is known about the relative extent of microbiome plasticity or the importance of historical colonisation effects following environmental change, especially for non-mammalian species. To investigate this we performed a reciprocal translocation of Atlantic salmon between captive and semi-natural conditions. Wild and hatchery-reared fry were transferred to three common garden experimental environments for six weeks: standard hatchery conditions, hatchery conditions with an enriched diet, and simulated wild conditions. We characterised the faecal and skin microbiome of individual fish before and after the environmental translocation, using a BACI (before-after-control-impact) design. We found evidence of extensive plasticity in both gut and skin microbiota, with the greatest changes in alpha and beta diversity associated with the largest changes in environment and diet. Microbiome richness and diversity were entirely determined by environment, with no detectable historical effects of fish origin. Microbiome structure was also strongly influenced by current environmental conditions but, for the first time in fish, we also found evidence of colonisation history, including a number of OTUs characteristic of captive rearing. These results may have important implications for host adaptation to local selective pressures, and also highlight how conditions during early life can have a long-term influence on the microbiome and, potentially, host health.

Long-term unemployment

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-727
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Apergis ◽  
Nicholas Apergis
Keyword(s):  
Working Environment ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time ◽  
Robustness Check ◽  
Modelling Approach

PurposeThis paper empirically explores the role of skill losses during unemployment behind firms' behaviour in interviewing long-term unemployedDesign/methodology/approachThe analysis makes use of the Work Employment Relations Survey in the UK, while it applies a panel probit modelling approach to estimate the empirical findings.FindingsThe findings document that skill losses during long-term unemployment reduce the likelihood of an interview, while they emphasize the need for certain policies that could compensate for this deterioration of skills. For robustness check, the estimation strategy survives the examination of the same predictors under different types of the working environment.Originality/valueThe original values of the work 1 combines for the first time both duration and technology as predictors of interview probability. Until now, the independent variables were used to test whether an individual has managed to exit unemployment, thus skipping the step of the interview process.

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