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Abstract Introduction Rapid progress made in the management of atopic dermatitis (AD) in recent years and the differences in patient journey between Asian and non-Asian populations call for a review of current atopic dermatitis landscape in Asia. Methods A roundtable meeting with nine regional dermatological experts was held in June 2023 to discuss the optimal management approaches for moderate-to-severe AD, focusing on the use of advanced therapies. Results Disease burden on patients’ quality of life, treatment adherence, and financial constraints were identified as major concerns when managing patients with moderate-to-severe AD in parts of Asia. It was agreed that the Hanifin and Rajka’s criteria or the UK Working Party’s Diagnostic Criteria for Atopic Dermatitis can be used to guide the clinical diagnosis of AD. Meanwhile, patient-reported outcome scales including the Dermatology Life Quality Index and Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool can be used alongside depression monitoring scales to monitor treatment outcomes in patients with AD, allowing a better understanding for individualized treatment. When managing moderate-to-severe AD, phototherapy should be attempted after failure with topical treatments, followed by conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and, subsequently, biologics or Janus kinase inhibitors. Systemic corticosteroids can be used as short-term therapy for acute flares. Although these advanced treatments are known to be effective, physicians have to take into consideration safety concerns and limitations when prescribing these treatments. Conclusions Treatments in AD have evolved and its management varies country by country. Unique challenges across Asian countries necessitate a different management approach in Asian patients with AD.

Essential oils of Magnolia balansae A. DC. growing wild in Son La (leaf, twig and fruit) and Phu Tho (fruit) provinces of Vietnam were obtained by hydrodistillation and were analyzed using GC/MS-FID. From 30 to 49 compounds were identified accounting for 66.1-80.0% of the oils. Spathulenol (33.9%, 20.7%, and 11.2%), and caryophyllene oxide (10.0%, 10.1%, and 9.3%) were the main components of leaf, twig and fruit oils of M. balansae, respectively, from Son La province. Linalool (13.8%) was also the main component of fruit oil. While, in the fruit oil of M. balansae from Phu Tho province, cis-ß-elemene (10.4%) was the sole main component. The antimicrobial activity of the oils was tested against 3 microorganism strains using an agar disk diffusion method with inhibitory zone diameters ranging from 13.5 to 40 mm. IC50 and MIC of the M. balansae oils were determined using a microdilution broth susceptibility assay against 7 microorganism strains. Among them, Bacillus subtilis had the highest sensitivity with IC50 values (ranging from 57.0 to 82.0 µg/mL) and MIC value (512 µg/mL). This is the first study on the chemical composition of essential oils of M. balansae and their antimicrobial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the stems and leaves of Michelia alba D.C. growing in North Vietnam was analyzed using GC/MS. In total, 28 com¬pounds were identified in both stem and leaf oils, accounting for 99.33% and 99.54% of the oils, respectively. Linalool was the major component of both oils (80.65% and 72.89%, respectively), and other 22 compounds were also present as the constituents of both oils with varying amounts except 1,10-di-epi-cubenol present only in stem oil, whereas borneol (=endo-borneol), α-copaene, α-selinene and ethyl 2-phenylhexanoate were found only in leaf oil. In the stem oil, (Z)-β-ocimene (1.94%), (E)-β-ocimene (2.28%), β-caryophyllene (1.26%), (E)-nerolidol (1.15%), caryophyllene oxide (2.26%) and epi-α-muurolol (=T-muurolol) (1.80%) were present in sizeable amounts. The minor components detected in the leaf oil were (Z)-β-ocimene (1.73%), (E)-β-ocimene (2.28%), Cis-β-elemene (3.03%), P-caryophyllene (4.04%), α α-humulene (1.44%), (E)-nerolidol (4.42%) and caryophyllene oxide (1.36%). Antibiotic activity of the essential oil samples was tested against Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli, and yeast Candida albican using an agar disk diffusion method. The antimicrobial activity of leaf oil was stronger than that of stem oil, although both oils have significant inhibitory activity against all three microorganisms tested with the inhibitory zone diameters ranging from 15.5 to 46.5 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are attractive materials to generate multifunctional catalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to hydrocarbons. Here we report the synthesis of Cu and Zn modified Al-fumarate (Al-fum) MOFs, in which Zn promotes the selective reduction of CO 2 to CO and Cu promotes CO reduction to oxygenates and hydrocarbons in an electrocatalytic cascade. Cu and Zn nanoparticles (NPs) were introduced to the Al-fum MOF by a double solvent method to promote in-pore metal deposition, and the resulting reduced Cu-Zn@Al-fum drop-cast on a hydrophobic gas diffusion electrode for electrochemical study. Cu-Zn@Al-fum is active for CO 2 electroreduction, with the Cu and Zn loading influencing the product yields. The highest faradaic efficiency (FE) of 62% is achieved at -1.0 V vs. RHE for the conversion of CO 2 into CO, HCOOH, CH 4 , C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 5 OH, with a FE of 28% to CH 4 , C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 5 OH at pH 6.8. Al-fum MOF is a chemically robust matrix to disperse Cu and Zn NPs, improving electrocatalyst lifetime during CO 2 reduction by minimizing transition metal aggregation during electrode operation., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)