A Practical Approach for the In Vitro Safety and Efficacy Assessment of an Anti-Ageing Cosmetic Cream Enriched with Functional Compounds

(1) Background: Cosmeceuticals are topical products applied to human skin to prevent skin ageing and maintain a healthy skin appearance. Their effectiveness is closely linked to the compounds present in a final formulation. In this article, we propose a panel of in vitro tests to support the efficacy assessment of an anti-ageing cream enriched with functional compounds. (2) Methods: biocompatibility and the irritant effect were evaluated on reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) and corneal epithelium (HCE) 3D models. After a preliminary MTT assay, normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and keratinocytes (HaCaT) were used to evaluate the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) production. (3) Results: data collected showed good biocompatibility and demonstrated the absence of the irritant effect in both 3D models. Therefore, we demonstrated a statistical increase in collagen and elastin productions in NHDF cells. In HaCaT cells, we highlighted an anti-inflammatory effect through a reduction in IL-6 levels in inflammatory stimulated conditions. Moreover, the reduction of MMP-1 production after UV-B radiation was demonstrated, showing significant photo-protection. (4) Conclusion: a multiple in vitro assays approach is proposed for the valid and practical assessment of the anti-ageing protection, anti-inflammatory and biocompatible claims that can be assigned to a cosmetic product containing functional compounds.     

Network Dynamics in Elemental Assimilation and Metabolism

Metabolism and physiology frequently follow non-linear rhythmic patterns which are reflected in concepts of homeostasis and circadian rhythms, yet few biomarkers are studied as dynamical systems. For instance, healthy human development depends on the assimilation and metabolism of essential elements, often accompanied by exposures to non-essential elements which may be toxic. In this study, we applied laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to reconstruct longitudinal exposure profiles of essential and non-essential elements throughout prenatal and early post-natal development. We applied cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) to characterize dynamics involved in elemental integration, and to construct a graph-theory based analysis of elemental metabolism. Our findings show how exposure to lead, a well-characterized toxicant, perturbs the metabolism of essential elements. In particular, our findings indicate that high levels of lead exposure dysregulate global aspects of metabolic network connectivity. For example, the magnitude of each element’s degree was increased in children exposed to high lead levels. Similarly, high lead exposure yielded discrete effects on specific essential elements, particularly zinc and magnesium, which showed reduced network metrics compared to other elements. In sum, this approach presents a new, systems-based perspective on the dynamics involved in elemental metabolism during critical periods of human development.     

4‐(4‐Bromo­phenyl)‐2‐methyl‐1,3‐thia­zole

In the structure of the title compound, C₁₀H₈BrNS, the dihedral angles between the planes of the thia­zole and aryl rings, viz. 4.2 (6) and 7.5 (6)° for the two independent mol­ecules, are consistent with insignificant molecular perturbation by the weak intermolecular contacts. The mol­ecules are close to being related by a non‐crystallographic inversion centre, with C—H⃛π and π–π intermolecular interactions observed.     

Unexpected Secondary Nucleation in Poly(Vinyl acetate) Nanoparticle Synthesis by Ab Initio Batch Emulsion Polymerization Using Poly(Vinyl alcohol) as Surfactant

Kinetic aspects of the vinyl acetate ab initio batch emulsion polymerization using poly(vinyl alcohol) to produce polymer nanoparticles are studied. The initial nucleation step is followed by limited coagulation and then by the generation of new particles. It seems that this is the first report of secondary nucleation phenomenon occurring in the system under study in batch mode. To explain this phenomenon, a mathematical model that allows to determine whether certain polymerization conditions and the presence/absence of a steric barrier, can lead or not to significant secondary nucleation is developed. It is deduced that the effect of such steric barrier on the free‐radical entry process plays a key role on the observed phenomenon.     

Synergistic effect of magnesium and fluorine doping on the electrochemical performance of lithium-manganese rich (LMR)-based Ni-Mn-Co-oxide (NMC) cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

Mg-doped-LMR-NMC (Li_1.2Ni_0.15-xMg_xMn_0.55Co_0.1 O₂) is synthesized by combustion method followed by fluorine doping by solid-state synthesis. In this approach, we substituted the Ni²⁺ by Mg²⁺ in varying mole percentages (x = 0.02, 0.05, 0.08) and partly oxygen by fluorine (LiF: LMR-NMC = 1:50 wt%). The synergistic effect of both magnesium and fluorine substitution on electrochemical performance of LMR-NMC is studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic-charge-discharge cycling. Mg-F-doped LMR-NMC (Mg 0.02 mol) composite cathodes shows excellent discharge capacity of ~300 mAh g^?1 at C/20 rate whereas pristine LMR-NMC shows the initial capacity around 250 mAh g^?1 in the voltage range between 2.5 and 4.7 V. Mg-F-doped LMR-NMC shows lesser Ohmic and charge transfer resistance, cycles well, and delivers a stable high capacity of ~280 mAh g^?1 at C/10 rate. The voltage decay which is the major issue of LMR-NMC is minimized in Mg-F-doped LMR-NMC compared to pristine LMR-NMC.     

Linear and non-linear nature of the flow of polypropylene filled with ferrite particles: from low to concentrated composites

The flow behavior of a filled suspension consisting of ferrite particles suspended in a polypropylene matrix with and without the addition of a commercial dispersant (Solplus DP310) was studied. The composites were filled with 10, 20, 30, and 40 vol.%. Both capillary and parallel disk rotational flows were employed. On the one hand, dynamic results confirm general trends found for highly concentrated systems. The higher is the filler level, the lower is the linear viscoelastic domain. When adding the dispersant agent, it was shown a larger linear viscoelastic domain, lower moduli values and thus, lower viscosity. Also, the critical strain, G′ and G′′ showed a power law dependency on the volume fraction. On the other hand, the capillary results showed no dependency of the flow properties on the die. Thus, no slip of the suspension at the wall was observed. Actually, this experimental finding elucidated that the significant decrease on viscosity produced by the addition of the dispersant agent at 40 vol.% is principally due to lubricant effects and not at all to slip contributions. The results also reveal three distinct flow regimes. Low, moderate, and high shear rates lead to different microstructure under flow.     

Novel and efficient synthesis of 4-sulfonyl-2-pyridones

Heterocyclic 4-sulfonyl-2-pyridones represent useful scaffolds for drug discovery, and are also versatile synthetic building blocks. Herein, we describe a novel and efficient synthesis of this heterocyclic ring system utilizing an acid-mediated cyclo-condensation reaction. This synthetic method affords convenient access to structurally diverse N-substituted 4-sulfonyl-2-pyridones in moderate to good yields.     

Simplified categorization of outdoor activities for male and female U.S. indoor workers-a feasibility study to improve assessment of ultraviolet radiation exposures in epidemiologic study questionnaires

Skin cancer studies depend on questionnaires to estimate exposure to ultraviolet light and subsequent risk but are limited by recall bias. We investigate the feasibility of developing a short checklist of categories comprising outdoor activities that can improve sun exposure questionnaires for use in epidemiologic studies. We recruited 124 working and retired U.S. radiologic technologists (52% women). Each subject was instructed to complete a daily activity diary, listing main indoor and outdoor activities between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. during a 7 day period. A total of 4697 entries were associated with 1408 h (21.1%) of the total 6944 h spent outdoors. We were able to classify the activities into seven main activity categories: driving, yard work, home-maintenance, walking or performing errands, water activities, other recreational or sports activities and leisure activities or relaxing outside. These activities accounted for more than 94% of time spent outdoors both for working and retired men and women. Our data document the feasibility and guidance for developing a short checklist of outdoor activities for use in epidemiologic questionnaires for estimating sunlight exposures of working and retired indoor workers.