Acid-coated Textiles (pH 5.5-6.5)--a New Therapeutic Strategy for Atopic Eczema?

Increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and decreased skin capacitance are characteristic features of the disturbed epidermal barrier in atopic eczema (AE). The "acid mantle", which is a slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin has led to the development of acidic emollients for skin care. In this context, the effect of citric acid-coated textiles on atopic skin has not been examined to date. A textile carrier composed of cellulose fibres was coated with a citric acid surface layer by esterification, ensuring a constant pH of 5.5-6.5. Twenty patients with AE or atopic diathesis were enrolled in the study. In a double-blind, half-side experiment, patients had to wear these textiles for 12 h a day for 14 days. On day 0 (baseline), 7 and 14, tolerability (erythema, pruritus, eczema, wearing comfort) and efficacy on skin barrier were assessed by TEWL skin hydration (corneometry/capacitance), pH and clinical scoring of eczema (SCORAD). Citric acid-coated textiles were well tolerated and improved eczema and objective parameters of skin physiology, including barrier function and a reduced skin surface pH, with potential lower pathogenic microbial colonisation.

Photonic textiles for pulse oximetry.

Biomedical sensors, integrated into textiles would enable monitoring of many vitally important physiological parameters during our daily life. In this paper we demonstrate the design and performance of a textile based pulse oximeter, operating on the forefinger tip in transmission mode. The sensors consisted of plastic optical fibers integrated into common fabrics. To emit light to the human tissue and to collect transmitted light the fibers were either integrated into a textile substrate by embroidery (producing microbends with a nominal diameter of 0.5 to 2 mm) or the fibers inside woven patterns have been altered mechanically after fabric production. In our experiments we used a two-wavelength approach (690 and 830 nm) for pulse wave acquisition and arterial oxygen saturation calculation. We have fabricated different specimens to study signal yield and quality, and a cotton glove, equipped with textile based light emitter and detector, has been used to examine movement artifacts. Our results show that textile-based oximetry is feasible with sufficient data quality and its potential as a wearable health monitoring device is promising.

Textile Pressure Sensor Made of Flexible Plastic Optical Fibers.

In this paper we report the successful development of pressure sensitive textile prototypes based on flexible optical fibers technology. Our approach is based on thermoplastic silicone fibers, which can be integrated into woven textiles. As soon as pressure at a certain area of the textile is applied to these fibers they change their cross section reversibly, due to their elastomeric character, and a simultaneous change in transmitted light intensity can be detected. We have successfully manufactured two different woven samples with fibers of 0.51 and 0.98 mm diameter in warp and weft direction, forming a pressure sensitive matrix. Determining their physical behavior when a force is applied shows that pressure measurements are feasible. Their usable working range is between 0 and 30 N. Small drifts in the range of 0.2 to 4.6%, over 25 load cycles, could be measured. Finally, a sensor array of 2 x 2 optical fibers was tested for sensitivity, spatial resolution and light coupling between fibers at intersections.

Novel flexible light diffuser and irradiation properties for photodynamic therapy.

Many current light diffusers for photodynamic therapy are inflexible, and the applied light dose is difficult to adjust during treatment, especially on complex body surfaces. A thin and flexible luminous textile is developed using plastic optical fibers as a light distributor. The textile diffuser is evaluated for flexibility, irradiance, brightness distribution, and temperature rise with a 652-nm laser set to 100 mW. The bending force of the textile diffuser resembles a defined optical film. On the textile surface, an average output power of 3.6+/-0.6 mWcm(2) is measured, corresponding to a transmission rate of 40+/-3.8% on an area of 11 cm(2). Aluminum backing enhances the irradiance to the face (treatment side). The measured brightness distribution seems to lie within a range similar to other photodynamic therapy (PDT) devices. A power setting of 100 mW increases the temperature of the textile diffuser surface of up to 27 degrees C, and 1 W raises the temperature above 40 degrees C. Results confirm that the flexible textile diffuser supplies suitable radiation for low fluence rate photodynamic therapy on an area of several cm(2).

Performance of a contact textile-based light diffuser for photodynamic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Medical textiles offer a unique contact opportunity that could provide value-added comfort, reliability, and safety for light or laser-based applications. We investigated a luminous textile diffuser for use in photodynamic therapy. METHODS: Textile diffusers are produced by an embroidery process. Plastic optical fibers are bent and sewn into textile to release light by macrobending. A reflective backing is incorporated to improve surface homogeneity, intensity, and safety. Clonogenic assay (MCF-7 cells) and trypan blue exclusion (NuTu19 cells) tests were performed in vitro using 0.1µg/ml m-THPC with three textile diffusers and a standard front lens diffuser. Heating effects were studied in solution and on human skin. PDT application in vivo was performed with the textile diffuser on equine sarcoids (three animals, 50mW/cm(2), 10-20J) and eight research animals. Lastly, computer simulations were performed to see how the textile diffuser might work on a curved object. RESULTS: At low fluency rate, there is a trend for the textile diffuser to have lower survival rates than the front lens diffuser for both cell lines. The textile diffuser was observed to retain more heat over a long period (>1min). All animals tolerated the treatments well and showed similar initial reactions. The simulations showed a likely focusing effect in a curved geometry. CONCLUSIONS: The initial feasibility and application using a textile-based optical diffuser has been demonstrated. Possibilities that provide additional practical advantages of the textile diffuser are discussed.