Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2012 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 7 Articles
Photoactivation and binding of photoactive chemicals to proteins is a known prerequisite for the formation of\r\nimmunogenic photoantigens and the induction of photoallergy. The intensive use of products and the availability of new\r\nchemicals, along with an increasing exposure to sun light contribute to the risk of photosensitizing adverse reactions.\r\nDendritic cells (DC) play a pivotal role in the induction of allergic contact dermatitis. Human peripheral blood monocyte\r\nderived dendritic cells (PBMDC) were thus perceived as an obvious choice for the development of a novel in vitro\r\nphotosensitization assay using the modulation of cell surface protein expression in response to photosensitizing agents. In\r\nthis new protocol, known chemicals with photosensitizing, allergenic or non-allergenic potential were pre-incubated with\r\nPBMDCs prior to UVA irradiation (1 J/cm2). Following a 48 h incubation, the expression of the cell surface molecules CD86,\r\nHLA-DR and CD83 was measured by flow cytometry. All tested photosensitizers induced a significant and dose-dependent\r\nincrease of CD86 expression after irradiation compared to non-irradiated controls. Moreover, the phototoxicity of the\r\nchemicals could also be determined. In contrast, (i) CD86 expression was not affected by the chosen irradiation conditions,\r\n(ii) increased CD86 expression induced by allergens was independent of irradiation and (iii) no PBMDC activation was\r\nobserved with the non-allergenic control. The assay proposed here for the evaluation of the photoallergenic potential of\r\nchemicals includes the assessment of their allergenic, phototoxic and toxic potential in a single and robust test system and\r\nis filling a gap in the in vitro photoallergenicity test battery....
The present day lifestyle heavily depends on industrial chemicals in the form of agriculture, cosmetics, textiles and medical\r\nproducts. Since the toxicity of the industrial chemicals has been a concern to human health, the need for alternative nontoxic\r\nnatural products or adjuvants that serve as antidotes are in high demand. We have investigated the effects of\r\nAyurvedic herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) leaf extract on methoxyacetic acid (MAA) induced toxicity. MAA is a\r\nmajor metabolite of ester phthalates that are commonly used in industry as gelling, viscosity and stabilizer reagents. We\r\nreport that the MAA cause premature senescence of normal human cells by mechanisms that involve ROS generation, DNA\r\nand mitochondrial damage. Withanone protects cells from MAA-induced toxicity by suppressing the ROS levels, DNA and\r\nmitochondrial damage, and induction of cell defense signaling pathways including Nrf2 and proteasomal degradation.\r\nThese findings warrant further basic and clinical studies that may promote the use of withanone as a health adjuvant in a\r\nvariety of consumer products where the toxicity has been a concern because of the use of ester phthalates....
Research on the perception of faces has focused on the size, shape, and configuration of inherited features or the biological\nphenotype, and largely ignored the effects of adornment, or the extended phenotype. Research on the evolution of signaling\nhas shown that animals frequently alter visual features, including color cues, to attract, intimidate or protect themselves\nfrom conspecifics. Humans engage in conscious manipulation of visual signals using cultural tools in real time rather than\ngenetic changes over evolutionary time. Here, we investigate one tool, the use of color cosmetics. In two studies, we asked\nviewers to rate the same female faces with or without color cosmetics, and we varied the style of makeup from minimal\n(natural), to moderate (professional), to dramatic (glamorous). Each look provided increasing luminance contrast between\nthe facial features and surrounding skin. Faces were shown for 250 ms or for unlimited inspection time, and subjects rated\nthem for attractiveness, competence, likeability and trustworthiness. At 250 ms, cosmetics had significant positive effects on\nall outcomes. Length of inspection time did not change the effect for competence or attractiveness. However, with longer\ninspection time, the effect of cosmetics on likability and trust varied by specific makeup looks, indicating that cosmetics\ncould impact automatic and deliberative judgments differently. The results suggest that cosmetics can create supernormal\nfacial stimuli, and that one way they may do so is by exaggerating cues to sexual dimorphism. Our results provide evidence\nthat judgments of facial trustworthiness and attractiveness are at least partially separable, that beauty has a significant\npositive effect on judgment of competence, a universal dimension of social cognition, but has a more nuanced effect on the\nother universal dimension of social warmth, and that the extended phenotype significantly influences perception of\nbiologically important signals at first glance and at longer inspection....
Background: Human hair is one of the essential components that define appearance and is a useful source of samples for\r\nnon-invasive biomonitoring. We describe a novel application of imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) of hair biomolecules for\r\nadvanced molecular characterization and a better understanding of hair aging. As a cosmetic and biomedical application,\r\nmolecules whose levels in hair altered with aging were comprehensively investigated.\r\nMethods: Human hair was collected from 15 young (2065 years old) and 15 older (5065 years old) volunteers. Matrix-free\r\nlaser desorption/ionization IMS was used to visualize molecular distribution in the hair sections. Hair-specific ions displaying\r\na significant difference in the intensities between the 2 age groups were extracted as candidate markers for aging. Tissue\r\nlocalization of the molecules and alterations in their levels in the cortex and medulla in the young and old groups were\r\ndetermined.\r\nResults: Among the 31 molecules detected specifically in hair sections, 2ââ?¬â?one at m/z 153.00, tentatively assigned to be\r\ndihydrouracil, and the other at m/z 207.04, identified to be 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DHMA)ââ?¬â?exhibited a higher signal\r\nintensity in the young group than in the old, and 1 molecule at m/z 164.00, presumed to be O-phosphoethanolamine,\r\ndisplayed a higher intensity in the old group. Among the 3, putative O-phosphoethanolamine showed a cortex-specific\r\ndistribution. The 3 molecules in cortex presented the same pattern of alteration in signal intensity with aging, whereas\r\nthose in medulla did not exhibit significant alteration.\r\nConclusion: Three molecules whose levels in hair altered with age were extracted. While they are all possible markers for\r\naging, putative dihydrouracil and DHMA, are also suspected to play a role in maintaining hair properties and could be\r\ntargets for cosmetic supplementation. Mapping of ion localization in hair by IMS is a powerful method to extract\r\nbiomolecules in specified regions and determine their tissue distribution....
Purpose. To report a case of pigmented corneal iron lines following use of tinted soft contact lenses (CL). Methods. A retrospective\r\ncase report. Results. A 16-year-old girl was referred with suspected CL-related keratopathy OU, having recently switched to\r\ntinted soft monthly disposable CLs (8.4/14.0 -3.00OD, -3.25 OS Aquamarine SofLens Natural Colours, Bausch and Lomb, New\r\nYork, USA). Both corneas exhibited symmetric superficial corneal pigmented iron lines, which gradually disappeared following\r\ndiscontinuation of CL wear. Conclusions. Pigmented corneal rings have been reported in normal ageing corneas, in certain\r\npathological conditions, and in association with altered corneal topography following LASIK and orthokeratology. We suspect\r\na poorly fitting CL resulted in localised tear pooling between the CL and cornea, and subsequent iron pigment deposition, similar\r\nto that seen with orthokeratology. Cosmetic CLs bought via the Internet can be used in an unsupervised manner, with possible\r\nimpacts on visual function and potential complications....
The desire of many to look young for their age has led to the establishment of a large cosmetics industry. However,\nthe features of appearance that primarily determine how old women look for their age and whether genetic or\nenvironmental factors predominately influence such features are largely unknown. We studied the facial appearance of\n102 pairs of female Danish twins aged 59 to 81 as well as 162 British females aged 45 to 75. Skin wrinkling, hair\ngraying and lip height were significantly and independently associated with how old the women looked for their age.\nThe appearance of facial sun-damage was also found to be significantly correlated to how old women look for their\nage and was primarily due to its commonality with the appearance of skin wrinkles. There was also considerable\nvariation in the perceived age data that was unaccounted for. Composite facial images created from women who\nlooked young or old for their age indicated that the structure of subcutaneous tissue was partly responsible.\nHeritability analyses of the appearance features revealed that perceived age, pigmented age spots, skin wrinkles and\nthe appearance of sun-damage were influenced more or less equally by genetic and environmental factors. Hair\ngraying, recession of hair from the forehead and lip height were influenced mainly by genetic factors whereas\nenvironmental factors influenced hair thinning. These findings indicate that women who look young for their age have\nlarge lips, avoid sun-exposure and possess genetic factors that protect against the development of gray hair and skin\nwrinkles. The findings also demonstrate that perceived age is a better biomarker of skin, hair and facial aging than\nchronological age....
Research suggests that the exposure to pictures of good-looking and even slightly above-averagelooking\nfemales lowers the self-image of exposed women and increases dissatisfaction with their own\nappearance. This study analyses the effect of perceived instrumental/utilitarian and hedonic/emotional\nbrand benefits on womenââ?¬â?¢s satisfaction with cosmetic brands, focusing on relief from dissatisfaction\nwith oneââ?¬â?¢s self-image as one of four identified emotional brand experiences. A survey of 355 women\nwas carried out, assessing instrumental and hedonic brand benefits of the brand used by each\ninterviewed participant, as well as the degree of satisfaction with the surveyed brand. The collected\ndata was modelled using structural equation analysis. Results indicate that utilitarian and hedonic\nbrand benefits both contribute to satisfaction with cosmetic brands ââ?¬â?? with an overall stronger influence\nof emotional consumption experiences. The greatest influences were found for the feeling of relief from\ndissatisfaction with oneââ?¬â?¢s self-image. This research reveals that one of the mechanisms through which\ncosmetics advertising works is by lowering womenââ?¬â?¢s self perception in the first place and then\ndelivering relief from this negative feeling as an emotional benefit through the brand. However, from an\nethical point of view, such a strategy is questionable, especially given the problems of eating disorders\nand body dysmorphia....
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