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Maryline Criquet,1 Romain Roure,1 Liliane Dayan,2 Virginie Nollent,1 Christiane Bertin11Johnson & Johnson Santé Beauté France, Issy les Moulineaux, 2Independent consultant dermatologist, Paris, FranceBackground: Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient used in the formulation of a range of personal care products for relief of skin dryness and itchiness. It is also used as an adjunctive product in atopic dermatitis. The safety of personal care products used on vulnerable skin is of particular importance and the risk of developing further skin irritations and/or allergies should be minimized.Methods: In a series of studies, we tested the safety of personal care products containing oatmeal (creams, cleansers, lotions) by assessing their irritant/allergenic potential on repeat insult patch testing, in safety-in-use and ocular studies using subjects with nonsensitive and sensitive skin. We also tested the skin moisturizing and repair properties of an oatmeal-containing skin care product for dry skin.Results: We found that oatmeal-containing personal care products had very low irritant potential as well as a very low allergenic sensitization potential. Low-level reactions were documented in 1.0% of subjects during the induction phase of repeat insult patch testing; one of 2291 subjects developed a persistent but doubtful low-level reaction involving edema during the challenge phase in repeat insult patch testing. No allergies were reported by 80 subjects after patch testing after in-use application. Sustained skin moisturizing was documented in subjects with dry skin that lasted up to 2 weeks after product discontinuation.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that colloidal oatmeal is a safe and effective ingredient in personal care products. No allergies were reported by consumers of 445,820 products sold during a 3-year period.Keywords: Avena sativa, colloids, protective agents, atopic dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, allergenic dermatitis, skin care

Background: Heating and cooling in buildings represents a significant amount of the energy demand in the EU, but the market penetration of renewable solutions is still marginal. The SunHorizon project aims at proving the viability and benefits of innovative coupling between heat pumps and various advanced solar panels. Methods: This study focuses on the optimal operation strategies of a technological package located in Latvia, and composed of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panels, a gas driven heat pump and a hot water storage tank. In this work, a model predictive control is developed, based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization. This model uses innovative elements compared to traditional model predictive control (MPC), with environmental indicators for the Latvian electricity grid accounting for imports, co-simulation with TRNSYS using the transmission control protocol (TCP) and modelling of long-term storage for long and short-term decisions. The usual minimization of costs is compared to two new optimization approaches, which aims to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and maximizing renewable use and self-consumption. Results and conclusions: The results of the optimization of costs and GHG emissions show that gains can be found within the variations in time series related to the electricity grid, but the overall operation strategies remain similar. Optimization of renewable share and self-consumption is another path for control strategy, but with less economic and environmental performance., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2023 Roure R et al.)

The Iron Age period occupies an important place in French history because the Gauls are regularly presented as the direct ancestors of the extant French population. We documented here the genomic diversity of Iron Age communities originating from six French regions. The 49 acquired genomes permitted us to highlight an absence of discontinuity between Bronze Age and Iron Age groups in France, lending support to a cultural transition linked to progressive local economic changes rather than to a massive influx of allochthone groups. Genomic analyses revealed strong genetic homogeneity among the regional groups associated with distinct archaeological cultures. This genomic homogenization appears to be linked to individuals' mobility between regions and gene flow with neighbouring groups from England and Spain. Thus, the results globally support a common genomic legacy for the Iron Age population of modern-day France that could be linked to recurrent gene flow between culturally differentiated communities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Genomic studies conducted on ancient individuals across Europe have revealed how migrations have contributed to its present genetic landscape, but the territory of present-day France has yet to be connected to the broader European picture. We generated a large dataset comprising the complete mitochondrial genomes, Y-chromosome markers, and genotypes of a number of nuclear loci of interest of 243 individuals sampled across present-day France over a period spanning 7,000 y, complemented with a partially overlapping dataset of 58 low-coverage genomes. This panel provides a high-resolution transect of the dynamics of maternal and paternal lineages in France as well as of autosomal genotypes. Parental lineages and genomic data both revealed demographic patterns in France for the Neolithic and Bronze Age transitions consistent with neighboring regions, first with a migration wave of Anatolian farmers followed by varying degrees of admixture with autochthonous hunter-gatherers, and then substantial gene flow from individuals deriving part of their ancestry from the Pontic steppe at the onset of the Bronze Age. Our data have also highlighted the persistence of Magdalenian-associated ancestry in hunter-gatherer populations outside of Spain and thus provide arguments for an expansion of these populations at the end of the Paleolithic Period more northerly than what has been described so far. Finally, no major demographic changes were detected during the transition between the Bronze and Iron Ages., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

The 5 main physical manifestations of aged skin are wrinkles, uneven tone, brown spots, loss of elasticity, and dryness. One mechanism resulting in these physical manifestations is increased activity of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) protein. This 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized split-face study compared the antiaging effect and safety of a face cream containing 4-Hexyl-1, 3-phenylenediol, an NFκB inhibitor, and ascorbic acid-2 glucoside versus placebo in adult females aged 45-70 years old. Subjects (n=42) applied active treatment or placebo to the same half face twice daily at home for 12 weeks. Clinical evaluation was carried out by a dermatologist. Subjects carried out similar self-grading assessments. Colorimetric measurements analyzed skin color, and biomechanical skin properties were evaluated. Clinical grading showed that most wrinkle parameters were significantly improved after 8 weeks of active treatment compared with baseline and placebo (P≤.05), with improvements maintained after 12 weeks. Only Marionette wrinkles did not show a significant improvement. Brown spots (color intensity/number), overall photodamage, and most complexion parameters improved significantly after 8 and 12 weeks compared with baseline and placebo (P≤.05). Self-grading yielded similar results compared with baseline. Self-grading did not demonstrate improvements with active treatment versus placebo, except for skin firmness at 8 and 12 weeks (P≤.05). A significant difference was seen with active treatment compared with placebo in all colorimetric parameters (L*, b*, and ITA°) after 8 weeks, and in spot coloration (b*) after 12 weeks (P<.05). Improvements in skin elasticity were not significantly different between treatments. Overall tolerability of active treatment was judged as good. In conclusion, a cream containing 4-Hexyl-1, 3-phenylenediol and ascorbic acid-2 glucoside improves the clinical appearance of aged skin, validating the potential use of NFκB inhibition as a novel, effective method of topical antiaging., , J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;15(6):750-758.

Objective: The overall appearance of an aged skin is characterized by a combination of several attributes such as wrinkles, brown spots and sagging. Our objective was to develop and validate a statistical framework to assess the overall anti-ageing benefits of products/procedures., Method: Different skin attributes were evaluated by a clinical grader and combined using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The Skin Ageing Index was defined as the normalized projection of the clinical grading values on the first PCA axis. Several Skin Indexes were built by grouping specific parameters related to a skin condition such as overall ageing, wrinkles and sagging. The method was validated following two steps. Firstly, a clinical study was performed on 173 Caucasian women and the correlation between the Skin Indexes and the volunteers' real and perceived age was estimated. Secondly, a double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized study was performed on 87 Caucasian women to assess the efficacy of an anti-wrinkle cream containing retinol, hyaluronic acid and dihydroxymethylchromone. Facial wrinkles were clinically evaluated and a Wrinkle Index was built., Results: All indexes were highly correlated with the real and the perceived age (0.57 ≤ Pearson R ≤ 0.92, P-value ≤ 0.05). Finally, the Wrinkle Index provides documented evidence that the tested product significantly reduced the appearance of wrinkles versus the placebo and the baseline assessment (-23.53% after 4 weeks, -27.83% after 8 weeks)., Conclusion: Skin ageing Indexes capture information relevant to the visual transformation of facial skin with age, while providing documented product benefits. These tools may enable a simpler and more consistent comparison of anti-ageing products/procedures., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Exposure to harsh environmental conditions, such as cold and dry climate and chemicals can have an abrasive effect on skin. Skin care products containing ingredients that avert these noxious effects by reinforcement of the barrier function can be tested using in vivo models. The objective is to use in vivo models to assess the efficacy of emollients in protecting skin against climatic and chemical insults. A first model used a stream of cooled air to mimic cold wind. A second used sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) under patch as chemical aggressor. In the model with simulated wind exposure, the untreated exposed area had a significant decrease in hydration. In contrast, application of an emollient caused a significant increase in hydration that was maintained after wind exposure. In the second model with SLS exposure, application of a barrier cream before SLS patch significantly reduced the dehydrating effect of SLS with a significant difference in variation between both areas. Application of the cream reduced TEWL, indicative of a physical reinforcement of the skin barrier. The two presented test methods, done under standardized conditions, can be used for evaluation of protective effect of emollient, by reinforcing the barrier function against experimentally induced skin dehydration.

In immunocompetent patients, septic arthritis of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint is a rare entity. It can be difficult to discern from glenohumeral septic arthritis and AC joint impingement syndrome. The usual symptoms are fever, erythema, swelling, palpable pain over the AC joint, and pain with shoulder motion. The most commonly reported causative organism is a Staphylococcus or Streptococcus species. Haemophilus parainfluenzae is a rare cause of septic arthritis in any joint. Although limited to case reports in the literature, most H parainfluenzae skeletal infections occur after surgical intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of AC septic arthritis with H parainfluenzae.

Background: Primary cardiac lymphomas (PCL) are extremely rare in immunocompetent patients. Their pathogenesis seems obscure and a few studies which have sought Epstein Barr virus (EBV) agree that this is generally not demonstrable., Cases: Two cases of cardiac lymphoma have been described. In both cases, as usually occurs, the histological diagnosis was performed after post-mortem examination. Histological examinations revealed a B large cell lymphoma in both patients. Autopsy material from both cases showed an inflammatory focus distant from the tumoral mass. EBERs and LMP for EBV were negative., Conclusions: PCLs are often fast-growing tumours with a highly unfavorable prognosis. Epstein-Barr virus appears to play no role in the development of this malignant condition.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hysterectomy vs. cone biopsy in HIV seropositive patients with carcinoma in situ of the cervix (CIS)., Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control study of all HIV seropositive patients diagnosed with carcinoma in situ of the cervix from 1989 to 1995. A control group of HIV(-) women with CIS was also ascertained matched for date of diagnosis of CIS, race and age., Results: There were 439 patients with CIS, of which 45 were HIV seropositive (10.3%). Nine were treated by hysterectomy, 30 by cone biopsy, and six remained untreated. Overall, 63% of HIV(+) patients did not receive any follow-up Pap smear (44% of hysterectomy patients, 50% of cone biopsy patients, and 83% of untreated patients; chi(2) P=0.41). According to Pap smear results, 67% (10/15) cone biopsy patients and 60% (3/5) hysterectomy patients had an abnormal Pap smear after treatment (P=0.9). Median time to recurrence was 12 months in hysterectomy patients vs. 14 months in cone biopsy patients. Deaths occurred in 22% of hysterectomy patients, 17% of cone biopsy patients, and 50% of untreated patients, none due to cervical cancer. Median time to death from presentation was 27.5 months for hysterectomy patients, 11 months for cone biopsy patients, and 7 months for untreated patients (P<0.05). There were no complications in the hysterectomy group, however, two patients were readmitted after cone biopsy for bleeding. When compared to HIV(-) women with CIS, HIV(+) patients were more likely to be treated by hysterectomy (chi(2) P=0.01)., Conclusion: All patients diagnosed with CIS should be counseled regarding HIV prevention and testing because of a significant seropositive rate. Compliance with gynecologic follow-up is very poor in this patient population. Special efforts should be made to enhance compliance. Cone biopsy and hysterectomy appear to be equally safe and effective in the treatment of CIS. CIS in HIV patients is a poor prognostic indicator for death from any cause.

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the proportion of Hodgkin disease (HD) expressing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in our area (Tarragona-Spain)., Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was performed on paraffin embedded HD tissues from 49 patients to examine the presence of latent membrane protein (LMP-1) by immunohistochemistry and for EBER-1 in situ hybridization., Results: Overall, EBV (EBER-1 and/or LMP positive) was expressed in 20 cases (40.8%). This percentage was higher, but not significant, in mixed cellularity, and significant higher in patients over 55 years old. No differences between sexes were observed., Conclusions: EBV is associated with 40.8% of HD in area of Tarragona.

An approach to correlate functions with cistrons in bacteriophage PM2 is presented. Two of the temperature-sensitive mutants obtained differed from the wild type in heat sensitivity and four differed in host range. Comparison of the electrophoretic patterns of DNA from cells infected at the restrictive temperature with those obtained in wildtype infection revealed that viral DNA bands were absent with three additional mutants. Complementation analysis assigned the four host range mutants to cistron I and the three mutants defective in DNA synthesis to cistron IV. Recombination frequencies were used to locate cistrons III and IV on the partial genetic map of PM2.