Project description:Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the pilosebaceous unit. Recent studies have shown an increasing number of cases of acne in adult women. These cases are predominantly normoandrogenic and have show some clinical differences compared to adolescent acne. In addition to the physical aspects, acne has a strong psychosocial impact and can lead to the onset of signs and symptoms of depression, such as anger. Our objective was to evaluate the effect on acne-specific quality of life in adult women treated with topical azelaic acid versus a combined oral contraceptive. The study population consisted of 38 adult women with acne and without any features of hyperandrogenism recruited from the clinic of Dermatology Hospital Division of São Paulo, Federal University of São Paulo from January 2012 to September 2014. Patients were randomized into two different groups: one receiving containing 20 ug of ethinylestradiol and 3 mg drospirenone in a regimen of 24 days of medication, a combined oral contraceptive (COC), and the other group topical 15% azelaic acid (AA) gel, twice daily, both for six months. The quality of life was evaluated at baseline and end of treatment with an acne specific measure (Acne-QoL). Before treatment, our data revealed a significant impact of the presence of acne on quality of life. Both treatments resulted in improvement with significant statistical values in quality of life scores. Comparing the four domains of Acne-QoL, patients treated with an oral contraceptive showed greater improvement in two domains (self-perception and acne symptoms) than those treated with azelaic acid.
Project description:BackgroundRecurrence rate is considerable with current topical treatments of plantar warts. We compared the efficacy of topical pyruvic acid (70%) with salicylic acid (16.7%) compound in treating multiple plantar warts.Materials and methodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 60 patients with multiple plantar warts were equally randomized to receive either pyruvic acid 70% or compound salicylic acid solution (salicylic acid 16.7%, lactic acid 16.7%, and collodion 100%) that was topically applied twice a day for 4 weeks. Patients were visited every 2 weeks for 1 month after starting treatment and then every 1 month for another 2 months. The number and size of warts, treatment complications (pain, burning, scar, pigmentation, and crust), and recurrence were evaluated.ResultsWarts' number was decreased by -13.12 ± 25.6% with pyruvic acid and by -23.0 ± 28.0% with compound salicylic acid (P = 0.159) after treatment. Warts' size was decreased by -43.47 ± 57.0% with pyruvic acid and by -37.40 ± 32.76% with compound salicylic acid (P = 0.615) after treatment. There was no difference between the two groups in cumulative incidence of treatment complications (P > 0.05). Also, there was no difference between the two groups in recurrence rate at 2 months (10 vs. 16.7%, P = 0.500) or at 3 months after treatment (3.3 vs. 6.7%, P = 0.335).ConclusionTopical pyruvic acid and compound salicylic acid had the same efficacy and complications in treating plantar warts. Decision for choosing the treatment can be made based on the costs and individual factors as well as patients preferences.
Project description:The title mononuclear complex mol-ecule, [Zn(C(7)H(4)BrO(3))(2)(C(7)H(8)N(2)O)(2)(H(2)O)(2)], has a crystallographically imposed centre of symmetry. The zinc(II) atom is coordinated by two N atoms from two N-methyl-nicotinamide ligands, two O atoms from two 5-bromo-salicylate anions and two aqua O atoms in a slightly distorted octa-hedral geometry. Intra-molecular O-H?O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions are present. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked by inter-molecular O-H?O and N-H?O hydrogen bonds, forming a two-dimensional network perpendicular to [100].
Project description:Exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) has been known for delaying ripening in many fruit and vegetables. But the function of endogenous SA in relation to postharvest fruit performance is still unexplored. To understand the role of endogenous SA in postharvest fruit ripening of tomato, 33 tomato lines were examined for their endogenous SA content, membrane stability index (MSI), and shelf life (SL) at turning and red stages of tomato fruit ripening. Six tomato lines having contrasting shelf lives from these categories were subjected further for ethylene (ET) evolution, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO), polygalacturonase (PG), pectin methyl esterase (PME), antioxidant assays and lipid peroxidation. It was found that high endogenous SA has a direct association with low ET evolution, which leads to the high SL of fruit. High lycopene content was also found to be correlated with high SA. Total antioxidants, PG, and PME decreased and lipid peroxidation increased from turning to red stage of tomato fruit development. Furthermore, these lines were subjected to expression analysis for SA biosynthesis enzymes viz. Solanum lycopersicum Isochorismate Synthase (SlICS) and SlPAL. Real-time PCR data revealed that high SL lines have high SlPAL4 expression and low SL lines have high SlPAL6 expression. Based on the results obtained in this study, it was concluded that endogenous SA regulates ET evolution and SL with the aid of the antioxidative defense system, and SlPAL4 and SlPAL6 genes play significant but opposite roles during fruit ripening.
Project description:Chemical peels are widely used as therapeutic agents in dermatology and cosmetology. This study aims to explore the differences in the effectiveness of azelaic and pyruvic acid peels in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Eligibility criteria for participants were: female gender, 18-25 years of age, no dermatological treatment within the last 12 months and mild to moderate papulopustular acne. We treated 120 young women (with a mean age of 22 years old) with six peeling sessions at 2-week intervals. In the parallel clinical study design, one randomized group (n?=?60, 50%) was treated using azelaic acid (AA), whereas the second group participated in pyruvic acid (PA) sessions. We evaluated the patients clinically twice (before and after treatment), using the Scale of Hellegren-Vincent Severity Symptoms to assess the acne diagnosis, and the Nati Analyzer to estimate the skin properties (oily skin, desquamation, porosity, and moisture). The clinical evaluation of the patients demonstrated a significant reduction of acne severity symptoms in both the AA and PA groups, after the peeling sessions. An effect was also found in terms of decreasing desquamation and the oiliness of the skin. PA showed a more significant reduction of greasy skin than AA. In conclusion, after the six peeling sessions using AA and PA, all patients showed better skin parameters in term of reduced oiliness and desquamation. Both AA and PA peelings are a safe and efficient treatment for mild acne, however, during the selection of one of the two acids, side effects, skin properties, and patients' preferences should be taken into account. This study was registered in the ISRCTN registry (registration number ISRCTN79716614, 17/01/2020).
Project description:Purpose: The goal of this study is to looked at the expression levels of defense genes in orange fruit in response to the application of the antagonist R. mucilaginosa enhanced with SA Methods: Three identical and evenly distributed wounds (5 mm diameter and 3 mm deep) made at the equator of each fruit were inoculated with 30 µL cell suspension of R. mucilaginosa (1×108 cells/mL) + 0.2 mM SA, whiles cell suspension of R. mucilaginosa alone (1×108 cells/mL) was used as a control. Treated fruits were then kept in plastic baskets and covered with film wraps to maintain relative humidity of 95% at storage temperature of 20 ºC. After 72 h of storage the wound tissues were excise and immediately kept in liquid nitrogen and maintained at -80 ºC for the analysis of the RNA. There were three replications per each sample. Results: The results showed that 46 genes were identified as DEGs. Among these 34 were up-regulated and 12 were down regulated, 10 of the RNA-seq these were validated using qRT-PCR. RNA-seq data had a linear relationship withqRT_PCR with a corelation coefficent value of (R2) 0.8388. Conclusion: Our finding showed that the defense genes of orange fruit were up-regulated by the innoculation of R. mucilaginosa enhanced with 0.2 mM SA in the fruit.
Project description:Penicillium digitatum causes serious losses in postharvest citrus fruit. Exogenous salicylic acid (SA) can induce fruit resistance against various pathogens, but the mechanism remains unclear. Herein, a transcriptome-based approach was used to investigate the underlying mechanism of SA-induced citrus fruit resistance against P. digitatum. We found that CsWRKY70 and genes related to methyl salicylate (MeSA) biosynthesis (salicylate carboxymethyltransferase, SAMT) were induced by exogenous SA. Moreover, significant MeSA accumulation was detected in the SA-treated citrus fruit. The potential involvement of CsWRKY70 in regulating CsSAMT expression in citrus fruit was studied. Subcellular localization, dual luciferase, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays and an analysis of transient expression in fruit peel revealed that the nucleus-localized transcriptional activator CsWRKY70 can activate the CsSAMT promoter by recognizing the W-box element. Taken together, the findings from this study offer new insights into the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of exogenous SA-induced disease resistance in Citrus sinensis fruit.
Project description:BackgroundCryotherapy is widely used for the treatment of cutaneous warts in primary care. However, evidence favours salicylic acid application. We compared the effectiveness of these treatments as well as a wait-and-see approach.MethodsConsecutive patients with new cutaneous warts were recruited in 30 primary care practices in the Netherlands between May 1, 2006, and Jan. 26, 2007. We randomly allocated eligible patients to one of three groups: cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen every two weeks, self-application of salicylic acid daily or a wait-and-see approach. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants whose warts were all cured at 13 weeks. Analysis was on an intention-to-treat basis. Secondary outcomes included treatment adherence, side effects and treatment satisfaction. Research nurses assessed outcomes during home visits at 4, 13 and 26 weeks.ResultsOf the 250 participants (age 4 to 79 years), 240 were included in the analysis at 13 weeks (loss to follow-up 4%). Cure rates were 39% (95% confidence interval [CI] 29%-51%) in the cryotherapy group, 24% (95% CI 16%-35%) in the salicylic acid group and 16% (95% CI 9.5%-25%) in the wait-and-see group. Differences in effectiveness were most pronounced among participants with common warts (n = 116): cure rates were 49% (95% CI 34%-64%) in the cryotherapy group, 15% (95% CI 7%-30%) in the salicylic acid group and 8% (95% CI 3%-21%) in the wait-and-see group. Cure rates among the participants with plantar warts (n = 124) did not differ significantly between treatment groups.InterpretationFor common warts, cryotherapy was the most effective therapy in primary care. For plantar warts, we found no clinically relevant difference in effectiveness between cryotherapy, topical application of salicylic acid or a wait-and-see approach after 13 weeks. (ClinicalTrial.gov registration no. ISRCTN42730629).
Project description:The present work is focused on the development of novel surface-functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles loaded with thymol (TH-NPs) for topical administration enhancing thymol anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound healing activities against acne. TH-NPs were prepared by solvent evaporation method using different surface functionalization strategies and obtaining suitable physicochemical parameters and a good short-term stability at 4 °C. Moreover, TH-NPs skin penetration and antioxidant activity were assessed in ex vivo pig skin models. Skin penetration of TH-NPs followed the follicular route, independently of the surface charge and they were able to enhance antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, antimicrobial activity against Cutibacterium acnes was evaluated in vitro by the suspension test showing improved antibacterial performance. Using human keratinocyte cells (HaCat), cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities were studied. TH-NPs were non-toxic and efficiently internalized inside the cells. In addition, TH-NPs displayed significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound healing activities, which were highly influenced by TH-NPs surface modifications. Moreover, a synergic activity between TH-NPs and their surface functionalization was demonstrated. To conclude, surface-modified TH-NPs had proven to be suitable to be used as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound healing agents, constituting a promising therapy for treating acne infection and associated inflammation.
Project description:Sweet cherry is an important non-climacteric fruit with a high commercial interest, but exploitation of sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) in orchards is usually subject to important economic losses due to fruit decay by pathogenic fungi and other microorganisms. Sweet cherries development and ripening are characterized by profound physiological changes in the fruit, among which the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role. In addition, sweet cherries are usually affected by fruit decay pathogens, and the role of other stress-related hormones such as jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) may also be of paramount importance, not only from a developmental point of view, but also from a fruit-microbe interaction perspective. Here, a tissue-specific hormone quantification by LC-MS/MS, including the contents of JA, SA, and ABA, in the fruit exocarp and mesocarp of sweet cherries during fruit development from trees growing in a commercial orchard was carried out. Additionally, this study was complemented with the characterization of the culturable epiphytic and endophytic microbial communities of sweet cherries at various stages of fruit development and during cracking lesion formation. Our results revealed a completely differential behavior of phytohormones between both tissues (the exocarp and mesocarp), with a more dynamic exocarp in front of a more stable mesocarp, and with marked variations during fruit development. Microbial epiphytic community was mainly composed by yeasts, although rot-causing fungi like Alternaria spp. were always also present throughout fruit development. Endophytic colonization was poor, but it increased throughout fruit development. Furthermore, when the exocarp was naturally disrupted in sweet cherries suffering from cracking, the colonization by Alternaria spp. markedly increased. Altogether, results suggest that the fruit exocarp and mesocarp are very dynamic tissues in which endogenous phytohormones not only modulate fruit development and ripening but also fruit-microbe interactions.