Skin benefits of moisturising body wash formulas for children with atopic dermatitis: A randomised controlled clinical study in China.

BACKGROUND: It acknowledged that skin care is an important part of atopic dermatitis therapy. However, clinical evidences are limited for the best bathing practices, especially the skin health performance of cleansing products on children's atopic dermatitis skin. METHODS: A randomised controlled clinical study was conducted in China among 4- to 18-year-old children with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis to evaluate the skin health effect of three cleansing systems (a mild synthetic bar, an ultra-mild body wash with lipids, and an ultra-mild body wash with lipids and zinc pyrithione) by measuring SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), consumption of topical corticosteroid and the characteristics of microbiome. RESULTS: Increased Staphylococcus aureus abundance and decreased microbial diversity were observed in atopic dermatitis lesion sites compared with healthy control sites. After 4 weeks of treatment, all three treatments showed clinically important improvement from baseline in SCORAD. Four-week corticosteroid consumption was significantly lower for the two body wash groups than the bar group. A significant decrease in S. aureus abundance and increase in microbial diversity were observed in the lesion sites for the two body wash formulas, while the microbial diversity was statistically insignificant for the mild cleansing bar group. However, there were no incremental benefits provided by the body wash formulas based on the assessment of SCORAD. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated the safety and efficacy of using the investigational body wash formulas with lipids in reducing the needs for corticosteroid and improving the healthy composition of skin microbiome vs. the mild synthetic bar soap.

Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach.

Development of this in vivo confocal Raman spectroscopic method enables the direct measurement of water, proteins, and lipids with depth resolution in human subjects. This information is very important for skin-related diseases and characterizing skin care product performance. This protocol illustrates a method for confocal Raman spectra collection and the subsequent analysis of the spectral dataset leveraging chemometrics. The goal of this method is to establish a standard protocol for data collection and provide general guidance for data analysis. Preprocessing (e.g., removal of outlier spectra) is a critical step when processing large datasets from clinical studies. As an example, we provide guidance based on prior knowledge of a dataset to identify the types of outliers and develop specific strategies to remove them. A principal component analysis is performed, and the loading spectra are compared with spectra from reference materials to select the number of components used in the final multivariate curve resolution (MCR) analysis. This approach is successful for extracting meaningful information from a large spectral dataset.

MCR Approach Revealing Protein, Water, and Lipid Depth Profile in Atopic Dermatitis Patients' Stratum Corneum via in Vivo Confocal Raman Spectroscopy.

Confocal Raman has been widely used for measuring the water concentration profile inside skin to calculate clinical end points, such as stratum corneum thickness. In this article, multivariate curve resolution was applied to resolve the pure components contained in high frequency (2500-4000 cm-1) in vivo confocal Raman data. Three components were identified by comparing with reference spectra of materials in skin. These three components are water, protein, and lipid. The score values associated with these three components were transformed to mass ratio by leveraging the response factors for protein and lipid in a calibration model utilizing the pure material spectra. The concentration profiles for protein and lipid as a function of depth across the stratum corneum are utilized as new clinical end points. Results from an in vivo study with individuals who experience atopic dermatitis symptoms successfully demonstrated a statistical difference between Raman spectra from nonlesion and lesion skin sites. Trends in the depth profiles of the skin components are consistent with previous literature reports.

Visible-Near Infrared Spectroscopic Assessment of Urogenital Tissue in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: A clinical study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a potential noninvasive measure of genital skin health in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. METHODS: A total of 45 female subjects (aged 21-70 years), all of whom gave fully informed consent to participate, were enrolled in the study and assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 15 premenopausal (Pre-M), 15 postmenopausal receiving hormone replacement therapy (Post-M HRT), and 15 postmenopausal receiving no form of hormone replacement therapy (Post-M non-HRT). Spectral measurements were taken at the vaginal mucosa, and spectral data were evaluated for the erythema index (EI), hemoglobin index (HI), bilirubin/ß-carotene, and melanin. The color index (CI; calculated as the ratio of absorbance at 480 nm/540 nm) was also determined. Results were compared with previously published results on biomarkers and physical characteristic of genital tissue measured on the same groups of women. RESULTS: Spectral measurements from the Post-M Non-HRT subjects indicated a significant reduction in HI compared with the Pre-M group (P = .0003) and to the Post-M HRT group (P < .0001). Similarly, EI was reduced in the Post-M Non-HRT (P < .0001 and P = .0041 for the Pre-M and Post-M HRT groups, respectively). In contrast, the Post-M Non-HRT subjects exhibited a significant increase in ß-carotene compared with the Pre-M subjects (P = .0098). Bilirubin and melanin were not significantly affected. The Post-M Non-HRT group exhibited a significant increase in CI, indicating a shift away from the hemoglobin absorption region (510-620 nm wavelength) and toward the bilirubin/ß-carotene absorption region (450-490 nm wavelength). This change was significant when compared with both the Pre-M group (P < .0001) and the Post-M HRT group (P = .0048). The changes in spectral measurements were consistent with previously reported changes in physical parameters (vaginal atrophy, increased pH, decreased skin temperature) and with decreased concentrations of the biomarkers histamine and histidine. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic spectral characteristics differ in postmenopausal vaginal tissue compared with tissue in premenopausal women, with decreased absorbance in the hemoglobin absorption region (510-620 nm wavelength) and an increased absorbance in the bilirubin/ß-carotene absorption region (450-490 nm wavelength). A change in absorbance in the visible and NIR wavelengths is a promising, additional measure of genital skin health related to menopause and vulvovaginal atrophy.

Multimodal Evidence of Mesostructured Calcium Fatty Acid Deposits in Human Hair and Their Role on Hair Properties.

We provide the first conclusive evidence for the presence of exogenous calcium fatty acid deposits, which not only form in-between the cuticle layers in the lipid-rich cell membrane complex, but also grow to dimensions large enough to cause the structure to bulge, thereby impacting the optical and mechanical properties of the hair fiber. The composition and phase of these deposits were probed using a multimodal analytical approach with spatially resolved techniques including synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence coupled with X-ray scattering, focused ion beam (FIB)-scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared and Raman imaging where the collective analysis is consistent with a meso-phase composed of calcium C16/C18 saturated fatty acids from natural sources such as sebum. X-ray microtomography and serial "slice and view" FIB/SEM both reveal the location and volumetric shape of the deposits.