Kids These Days: Social Media's Influence on Adolescent Behaviors.

We live in an electronic world with near-ubiquitous access to smartphones and social media. One consequence of this new reality is that children and teenagers may be unduly swayed by social media influencers who promote skincare products and practices, colloquially referred to as "skinfluencers," and enjoy unfettered access to emerging trends-not all of which lead to positive results. Herein, we describe two cases of adolescents presenting to a pediatric dermatology department after trying different beauty trends endorsed by social media influencers. The first patient developed allergic contact dermatitis to "snail slime" (96% Snail Secretion Filtrate; COSRX), a popular over-the-counter skincare product that has received notable attention on social media platforms due to its purported skin hydrating effects. The second patient presented urgently due to her mother's concerns of "overnight moles," which, in fact, the patient had acquired after applying makeup using a social media-endorsed "freckle stamp." Clinicians should be aware of these emerging trends to properly educate, manage, and treat patients susceptible to their influence-especially within the particularly impressionable teenage population.

Snail extract for skin: A review of uses, projections, and limitations.

BACKGROUND: Snail mucin is becoming increasingly popular for its wide range of ingredients and potential benefits. Snail extract's widespread appearance in cosmetic formulations encourages an investigation into the medical and cosmetic benefits. AIMS: This study aims to explore current literature on the variety of snail mucin applications. Specifically, we present a review of the uses, global market estimates and projects, and limitations to snail mucin. METHODS: A literature search was conducted on PubMed reviewing snail mucin and their application in medical and dermatologic fields examining their uses. Economic reports were also investigated for Global Market estimates. RESULTS: The therapeutic use of snail mucin in medical fields has been studied as antimicrobial agents, drug delivery vehicles, antitumor agents, wound healing agents, and biomaterial coatings among others. Additionally, the use in cosmetic fields includes antiaging, hydrating, anti-acne, scarring, and hyperpigmentation treatments. It is important to highlight that most studies conducted were preclinical or small clinical studies, stressing the need for additional large-scale clinical trials to support these claims. Investigations into the global market found estimates ranging from $457 million to $1.2 billion with upward projections in the upcoming decade. Limitations include ethical habitats for collection, allergy investigation, and missing clinical studies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings presented here emphasize the expanding uses of snail mucin and its ingredients alongside a growing market cosmetic industry should consider. We also emphasize the need for appropriate clinical trials into the stated benefits of snail mucin to ensure consumer safety and ethical extraction of mucin.

Surface-modified mucoadhesive microparticles as a controlled release system for oral delivery of insulin.

To overcome barriers and improve oral bioavailability of insulin delivery has been a mirage to formulation scientists due to instability of the insulin after oral administration. Microparticle (MP) composed of chitosan and snail mucin was prepared via double emulsion method for oral delivery of insulin. Microparticles were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the insulin-loaded MPs were evaluated. Insulin release behavior was evaluated in acidic and phosphate buffer (pH 1.2 and 7.4) at 37 °C. Bioactivities of insulin-loaded MPs were evaluated in a diabetic animal model after oral administration. The insulin-loaded MPs showed irregular shape with a zeta potential (>29 mV). The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were >75 and 28 %, respectively. The in vitro release shows >80 % release of insulin over 12 h in a sustained manner. The insulin-MPs significantly reduced blood glucose levels (>50 %) compared to positive control and the effect lasted for over 8 h. This study suggests that insulin-MPs as prepared would be potential carriers for oral delivery of insulin.

Evaluation of glucosamine and snail mucin on the progression of experimental knee osteoarthritis in dogs / Evaluación de la glucosamina y mucina de caracol en la progresión de la osteoartritis experimental de rodilla en perros

This study evaluated the effect of oral glucosamine and intramuscular injection (IM) of snail mucin on the progression of experimental osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs. Twenty adult mongrels with mean body weight (12.4±1.8 kg) were used. Experimental OA was induced surgically using the groove model. The dogs were randomly divided into three groups following radiographic evidence of OA. Group one (control) comprised of ten dogs treated with normal saline twice weekly for four weeks following OA. Group two comprised of five dogs treated with 10mg/kg of oral glucosamine daily for four weeks. Group three comprised of five dogs treated with 5mg/kg intramuscular injection of 5% solution of snail mucin twice weekly for four weeks. Blood was obtained from the cephalic vein before surgical arthrotomy, after surgical arthrotomy, immediately after radiographic confirmation of OA (Week 0) and at two weeks interval up to 4 weeks of treatment. Efficacy of the drugs was assessed by changes in plasma IL-6 and MMP-3, while safety was determined using the changes in packed cell volume (PCV), total white blood cell counts (WBC) and observable adverse reactions associated with the administration of the drugs. In this study, the PCV and WBC did not differ significantly (P> 0.05) from the control group. Plasma IL-6 and MMP-3 were significantly (P< 0.05) lower both in glucosamine-treated and snail mucin-treated dogs up to week 4 of treatment when compared with the control group. However, there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in IL-6 and MMP-3 between the two treatment groups. In addition, painful swelling at the site of injection was observed in dogs treated with snail mucin, while no adverse reaction was observed in dogs treated with oral glucosamine. It was therefore concluded that both oral glucosamine and IM injection of snail mucin comparably modified the progression of OA. However, owing to the adverse reaction noted with IM injection of snail mucin, further study is required to determine the most appropriate route of administration.

Se evaluaron los efectos de la glucosamina oral y la inyección intramuscular (IM) de mucina de caracol en la progresión de la osteoartritis (OA) experimental en perros. Fueron utilizados 20 perros mestizos adultos con un peso medio de 12,4±1,8 kg. La OA experimental se indujo quirúrgicamente mediante el modelo de ranura. Los animales se dividieron aleatoriamente en tres grupos después de la evidencia radiográfica de OA. El grupo 1 (control, 10 perros) fue tratado con una solución salina normal dos veces por semana durante cuatro semanas. El grupo 2 (5 perros) fue tratado con 10 mg/kg de glucosamina oral al día por cuatro semanas, y el grupo 3 (5 perros) fue tratado con 5 mg/kg IM de una solución de mucina de caracol al 5% dos veces por semana durante cuatro semanas. Se obtuvieron muestras de sangre desde la vena cefálica previo a la artrotomía quirúrgica, después de la artrotomía e inmediatamente después de la confirmación radiográfica de OA (semana 0), y en el intervalo de dos semanas hasta cuatro semanas de tratamiento. La eficacia de los fármacos se evaluó por los cambios plasmáticos de IL-6 y MMP-3, mientras que la seguridad, se determinó por los cambios en el volumen del hematocrito (VH), el recuento total de glóbulos blancos (RGB), y la observación de reacciones adversas asociadas a la administración de fármacos. El VH y RGB no difirieron significativamente (P>0,05) en el grupo control. Los niveles de IL-6 y MMP-3 plasmática fueron significativamente más bajas (P<0,05) en los perros tratados con glucosamina y mucina de caracol hasta 4 semanas, en comparación con el grupo control. Sin embargo, no hubo diferencias significativas (P>0,05) en la IL-6 y MMP-3 entre los dos grupos de tratamiento. Además, se observó un edema doloroso en el sitio de inyección de los perros tratados con mucina de caracol. En los perros tratados con glucosamina oral no se observó reacción adversa. Se concluye que tanto la glucosamina oral y la inyección IM de mucina de caracol modifican comparablemente la progresión de OA. Sin embargo, debido a la reacción adversa observada con la inyección IM de mucina caracol, se necesitan estudios adicionales para determinar la vía de administración más adecuada.