Pilot study on novel skin care method by augmentation with Staphylococcus epidermidis, an autologous skin microbe--A blinded randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Staphylococcus epidermidis is an autologous bacterium that is beneficial to skin health. Our goal was to develop a novel, personalized basic cosmetic that exploits this characteristic. METHODS: We conducted a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial on augmentation with S. epidermidis as a pilot study, in which S. epidermidis was collected from the subject, cultured for proliferation, and then continuously applied to the subject's own face before sleep twice per week for four weeks in order to increase colonization levels. RESULTS: The results showed that this treatment increased the lipid content of the skin and suppressed water evaporation, thereby markedly improving skin moisture retention. Moreover, augmentation with S. epidermidis maintained a low acidic condition on the skin surface. The low risk of undesirable effects induced by augmentation with S. epidermidis was also confirmed by measuring erythema and melanin levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results may serve as a driving force to accelerate the development of novel, personalized basic cosmetics.

Beneficial effect of 3% milled-rice on blood glucose level and serum lipid concentrations in spontaneously non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats.

Three percent milled-rice was evaluated for beneficial effect on blood glucose level and serum lipid concentrations in an experiment with Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, used as model animals for spontaneously non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The same experiment was carried out using Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats, the control of the OLETF rats. The results obtained from the rats given a diet containing 3% milled-rice (3% MRD) ad libitum were compared with those from rats given polished rice. During the feeding period of 140 d, body weight of the OLETF rats receiving the 3% MRD was significantly lower than that of the rats fed on the diet containing polished rice (PRD) from the 48th to the 124th days. The body weight of the LETO rats during the both periods of 90 to 104 d and 114 to 140 d was lower than that of the rats receiving the PRD. Though food intakes of the rats receiving 3% MRD were significantly lower in the OLETF and LETO rats during the two periods of days 48 to 124 and days 1 to 140 than in the rats of the PRD group, the feed efficiency of the OLETF or LETO rats did not show significant difference between the 3% MRD and the PRD groups during the same experimental periods. The excretion rate of feces of the OLETF rats receiving the 3% MRD was significantly higher than that of the rats receiving the PRD, both on the 126th day and during the period of days 129 to 131. The fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in the OLETF rats receiving the 3% MRD than the rats receiving the PRD on the 84th day, the 105th day and the 127th day, and also lower in the LETO rats receiving the 3% MRD on the 84th day and the 105th day. The incremental areas under the curve of blood glucose concentrations (IAUC-Glc) for 120 min after oral administration of glucose on the 133rd day was lower in the OLETF rats receiving 3% MRD than that of the PRD. The ratio of IAUC-Glc in the 3% MRD to PRD group, after ingestion of diets for 1 h after fasting for 18 h on the 138th day, was 0.89 in the OLETF rats, and 0.74 in the LETO rats. Compared with the PRD group, the amounts of cholesterol and bile acid in the feces of the OLETF rats in the 3% MRD group were significantly higher on days 129-131, and the cholesterol excretion was significantly higher on the 84th day in the OLETF rats in the 3% MRD group. The liver weight, the level of total lipids in liver, and the concentrations of triglyceride and total cholesterol in liver and serum of the OLETF rats on the 140th day were significantly lower in the 3% MRD than those of the PRD group. These results indicate that 3% milled-rice has beneficial effects on blood glucose level and serum lipid concentrations in spontaneously non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats.

The application of a handheld personal digital assistant with camera and mobile phone card (Wellnavi) to the general population in a dietary survey.

This study was carried out to examine first, the validity of a new dietary assessment method, a handheld personal digital assistant with camera and mobile phone card (Wellnavi), in comparison with a weighed diet record as a reference method and second, the relation between obesity and underreporting in the Wellnavi method in 27 men and 48 women volunteers aged 30-67 y from the general population. On the validity, there were significant correlations (0.32-0.75) between the daily nutrient intakes measured by the Wellnavi method and the weighed diet record method in all the subjects except for some nutrients such as iron, magnesium and vitamin E. Results similar to those from the group of all the subjects were obtained in the men's group and the women's group. In all the subjects and the men's group and the women's group, the differences in the daily nutrient intakes between the two dietary assessment methods were statistically significant. However, good agreement of the differences between the two dietary assessment methods for many daily nutrient intakes was obtained in the nonobese men. The nutrient intakes estimated by the Wellnavi method in all the subjects and the men's group and the women's group were significantly lower than those values estimated by the weighed diet record method except for some nutrients such as sodium, iron and fat-soluble vitamins. With respect to the relation between obesity and underreporting, the obesity in women was not a factor of underreporting in the Wellnavi method, but the presence of this relation was undeniable in the obese men. The reason why the values of daily nutrient intakes in the Wellnavi method were lower than those estimated by the weighed diet record method seemed to be the low quality of the digital photo of the Wellnavi instrument. By improving the digital photo quality of this instrument, the Wellnavi method could become a useful new dietary assessment method to get accurate dietary information from people of a wide range of age and occupation, and a wide variety of physical situations of subjects from the general population.