Search

Context: Transition to the use of recycled plastics raises an issue concerning safety assessment of Non Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS). To assess the mutagenic potential of the recycled polyethylene impurities and to evaluate the need to perform in vitro assays on recycled resins, this study lies in identifying existing NIAS associated with recycled Low/High Density Polyethylene and assessing the mutagenicity data-gaps by employing in silico tools., Methods: Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models predicting Ames mutagenicity were selected from literature, then NIAS were run to 1/evaluate performances of each model, 2/apply a QSAR strategy on the NIAS molecular space and address data-gaps., Results: Among the 165 NIAS identified, experimental Ames results were not found for 50 substances while the substances with experimental data were predominantly negatives. No individual model was able to predict all NIAS due to applicability domain limitations. Taking into account 1/calculated performances, 2/availability of applicability domain, 3/description of the Training Set, an Integrated Strategy was founded including Sarpy, Consensus and Protox to extend the applicability domain., Conclusion & Perspectives: Existing data and predictions generated by this strategy suggest a low mutagenic potential of NIAS. Further investigation is needed to explore other genotoxicity mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests of personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of our research was to investigate the heat-protecting effect of a product ex vivo and in vivo on human hair fibres., Methods: A preparatory study was carried out in order to determine an optimal threshold of thermal stress. For this, the structure of cross-sections of the hair fibre was observed by optical microscopy. Then, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Confocal Raman Spectroscopy (CRS) were applied to analyse ex vivo and in vivo morphological and molecular damage in hair structure after heat stress. Finally, in vivo tests were used to collect consumer perception., Results: The preparatory study enabled us to determine an optimal stress threshold of 10 heating cycle for SEM and 5 heating cycle for CRS. Based on spectral hierarchical classification using Ward's clustering algorithm, the ex vivo Raman results show that the spectral signature of the hair treated and heated is very close to the negative control. This shows that the product preserves the keratin structure after thermal stress. These results were also confirmed by an in vivo Raman analysis performed on hair samples from 5 donors. In concordance with Raman results, SEM shows that treated hair presents lesser "bubbles" and "crackling" on the hair surface. Finally, the in vivo studies proved that hair was more protected from heat., Conclusion: The authors concluded that the product shows protective properties with respect to morphological and molecular heat damage. We also demonstrate that the product promotes the α-helix keratin conformation and preserves the S-S disulfide bands., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Cosmetic Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Cosmetic Scientists and Societe Francaise de Cosmetologie.)

Amebic liver abscess is an emergent disease in Spain due to immigration and travel to endemic countries. Although mainly pharmacological, treatment can sometimes require drainage, especially when there is a high risk of rupture due to location or size. We report a case of amebic liver abscess that, due to its large size and lack of response to metronidazole therapy, required percutaneous drainage. This technique, with ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration, would be indicated in lesions with a diameter of > 5 cm, abscesses of the left lobe, and those unresponsive to medical treatment.

The consumption of medicinal herbs is one of the most important topics in alternative and complementary medicine. The widespread use of these substances among the general population gives rise to the possibility of therapeutic or toxic effects in patients seeking conventional medical assistance. To determine the frequency of medicinal herb use, the species consumed and the profile of medicinal herb consumers among patients with gastrointestinal disorders, patients attending the gastroenterology outpatient clinic of the Francesc de Borja district hospital (Gandía, Spain) over a 5-month period were interviewed and 539 valid questionnaires were obtained. A total of 34.7% of the interviewees had taken medicinal herbs at some time and 26.9% had used them in the last year. Self-prescription was reported by 67.1%. Medicinal herbs were mainly obtained in the pharmacy or herbalist's (74.7%). The results of medicinal herb therapy were considered good or excellent by 80.3% of the interviewees, average by 18.6% and poor by 1.1%. In the univariate analysis, medicinal herb consumption was positively associated with female sex (p < 0.001), a university education (p < 0.05), consumption of psychotropic drugs (p < 0.005), use of trencar l'enfit (TE, a common practice of magic medicine in Valencia) (p < 0.001), functional gastrointestinal disorders (p < 0.005) and a diagnosis of lower gastrointestinal disorder (p < 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, the variables that remained statistically significant were female sex (p < 0.005), university education (p < 0.01), use of TE and a diagnosis of lower gastrointestinal disorder. Fifty-seven botanical varieties were used. The most frequent varieties were Santolina chamaecyparissus (18.8%), Tilia platyphyllos (6.5%), Thymus vulgaris (6%), Equisetum ramosissimum (4.7%), Mentha pulegium (4.4%) and Valeriana officinalis (4.4%). The results show that consumption of medicinal herbs is frequent among patients attending the gastroenterology outpatient clinic of a district hospital. The probable profile of those showing maximum consumption is: female sex, university education, lower gastrointestinal disorder, functional gastrointestinal disorder, psychotropic drug consumption and use of TE.

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are considered to be markers of autoimmune disease. Several specific reactivities of ANA are known, among them the Ro (SS-a) complex. Although the presence of anti-Ro antibodies is widely known in systemic connective tissue diseases such as lupus erythematous or Sjögren's syndrome, few studies have attempted to link this finding with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We present a case of acute AIH in a 55-year-old woman who tested positive for anti-Ro 60 kD antibodies. The Ro (SS-A) antigen is a complex ribonucleoprotein whose structure is still the subject of debate. Two fractions, of 50 and 60 kD, have been identified. A review of the literature revealed frequencies of 21-34% for anti-Ro 52 kD and of 9-13-6% for anti-Ro 60 kD in AIH. Although no relationship has been demonstrated between this complex and the etiopathogenic mechanisms or clinical patterns of AIH, we propose that multicenter investigations with large series should be performed before the possible involvement of anti-Ro antibodies in these diseases is definitively ruled out.

In this study, we compared the effects of sunscreens and antioxidants on reconstructed epidermis made with or without melanocytes 24 h after UVB, UVA or UVA+B irradiation. For this purpose, we studied sunburn cells and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation, protein and lipid oxidation, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities and vitamin E levels. Topical sunscreens protected against direct cell death and thymine dimer formation whereas their protective effect against protein and lipid oxidation and antioxidant depletion was less marked partly due to the difficulty of spreading the cream. Antioxidant molecules protected against direct cell death and protein oxidation but not against thymine dimer formation. Since topical sunscreens and systemic antioxidant protected the skin differently, we speculate that their association might protect more efficiently against UV-induced damage. This model is relevant to study systemic molecules but is less practical, due to the technical limitations of studying topical molecules.

To assess the photoprotective role of melanocytes in the epidermis, we studied the effects of ultraviolet B on an epidermis reconstructed with and without melanocytes. To address more specifically the role of melanin in fair-skinned individuals, experiments were done with cells obtained from human skin of low phototypes (II-III). To study the effect of constitutive melanin and possibly that of newly synthesized melanin precursors, a single dose of ultraviolet B (0.10 or 0.15 J per cm2, corresponding to a 4-5 minimal erythema dose in vivo) was administered to reconstructs and the effects were monitored over the first 24 h. When reconstructs with and without melanocytes were compared, no difference was found for DNA damage/repair assessed with antibodies to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photoproducts. More necrotic/apoptotic cells, however, were noted 24 h following ultraviolet B irradiation in reconstructs lacking melanocytes. Twenty-four hours following ultraviolet B irradiation the number of necrotic/apoptotic cells and the number of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer positive cells was coarsely concentration-dependent. The number of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer positive cells, however, was independent of the type of reconstruct used (with/without melanocytes). In conclusion, low phototype melanocytes seem to protect epidermal basal cells against ultraviolet B-induced apoptosis/necrosis and may preserve the overall integrity of the epidermis after ultraviolet B irradiation. On the contrary, such melanocytes do not seem to have a protective role against DNA damage and may not prevent cancer.

Among 7015 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies done during five consecutive years (1984-1988) 642 patients were diagnosed as having benign gastric ulcer. Of this group, 213 patients have been followed-up during an adequate period of time. A recurrence was diagnosed endoscopically in 43 (20.18%). The authors analyze the influence on recurrences of general factors (age, sex, alcohol, tobacco and drugs), family history and local factors (site and size of the ulcer, histological lesions, concomitant duodenal ulcer or single or multiple ulcers). The conclusions are that in females and in males over 60 years of age, NSAIDS are the factors which greatly influence recurrences, while in males under 60 years of age, excessive smoking and alcohol. Chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia are common in recurrent ulcers. Multiple ulcers as well as those associated with duodenal ulcers have a greater tendency to recur. Recurring ulcers are more common at the incisura angularis. Recurrences are usually located at the site of a previous ulcer.