Beyond Additivity: A mixture of glucose and NaCl can influence skin hydration more than the individual compounds.

The barrier function of the skin mainly relies on its outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC), which is a lipid-protein composite biomaterial. In addition, SC contains a mixture of small polar compounds, the natural moisturizing factor (NMF). Most of the NMF components are solid at ambient relative humidities (RHs). We herein raise the question of what the effects of adding a mixture of chemicals to the SC are as compared to adding the single components. We use mixtures of glucose and NaCl, both present in NMF and in skin formulations, and the effects on SC were studied using solid-state NMR, wide angle X-ray diffraction, and sorption microbalance. The deliquescence RHs of the glucose-NaCl mixtures are lower than the individual chemicals. The same trend is also seen when these chemicals are added to SC, as the dissolution occurs at lower RH for the mixture than for the single chemicals. Notably, the mixtures can also increase the mobility of SC lipids and proteins more than the individual compounds. These data illustrate a synergistic effect by adding a mixture rather than a single polar compound to the SC, which may also have implications for the complex mixture NMF inside SC in dry conditions.

Minimally Invasive Thoracoscopic Mitral Valve Replacement in Rheumatic Disease With Continuous Suture Technique.

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery has become routine in many institutions. Disadvantages of this approach include prolonged aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times. Mitral valve replacement with a continuous suture technique may reduce operative times. We present a case of a 51-year-old man suffering from severe rheumatic mitral disease to highlight our continuous suture technique for minimally invasive mitral valve replacement. We also report preliminary results from our series of 15 patients suffering various rheumatic mitral pathology treated with this technique.