Case report: Acne vulgaris treatment with 5-Aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy and adalimumab: a novel approach.

Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition that affects a large proportion of teenagers and young adults. Despite the availability of various treatment options, many patients experience inadequate relief or intolerable side effects. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a growing interest in the treatment of acne vulgaris, with 5-Aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) being one of the most commonly used photosensitizers. Adalimumab is a biologic medication used to treat inflammatory skin conditions such as Psoriasis and Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), which targets TNF-α. Combining different therapies, such as ALA-PDT and adalimumab, can often provide more effective and longer-lasting results. This report presents the case of a patient with severe and refractory acne vulgaris who was treated with a combination of ALA-PDT and adalimumab, resulting in significant improvement in the condition. The literature review highlights the significant comorbidity associated with acne, emphasizing the need for potential of TNF-α inhibitors for its effective treatments that address physical symptoms and ALA-PDT is known to treat scar hyperplasia, and to prevent or minimize the formation of post-acne hypertrophic scars. The combination of TNF inhibitors and ALA-PDT or adalimumab has shown promising results in treating inflammatory skin conditions, including severe and refractory acne vulgaris, as per recent studies.

Dehydration of Ions in Voltage-Gated Carbon Nanopores Observed by in Situ NMR.

Ion transport through nanochannels is of fundamental importance in voltage-gated protein ion channels and energy storage devices. Direct microscopic observations are critical for understanding the intricacy of ionic processes in nanoconfinement. Here we report an in situ nuclear magnetic resonance study of ion hydration in voltage-gated carbon nanopores. Nucleus-independent chemical shift was employed to monitor the ionic processes of NaF aqueous electrolyte in nanopores of carbon supercapacitors. The state of ion hydration was revealed by the chemical shift, which is sensitive to the hydration number. A large energy barrier was observed for ions to enter nanopores smaller than the hydrated ion size. Increasing the gating voltage above 0.4 V overcomes this barrier and brings F(-) into the nanopores without dehydration. Partial dehydration of F(-) occurs only at gating voltage above 0.7 V. No dehydration was observed for Na(+) cations, in agreement with their strong ion hydration.

Electroneutrality breakdown and specific ion effects in nanoconfined aqueous electrolytes observed by NMR.

Ion distribution in aqueous electrolytes near the interface plays a critical role in electrochemical, biological and colloidal systems, and is expected to be particularly significant inside nanoconfined regions. Electroneutrality of the total charge inside nanoconfined regions is commonly assumed a priori in solving ion distribution of aqueous electrolytes nanoconfined by uncharged hydrophobic surfaces with no direct experimental validation. Here, we use a quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance approach to investigate the properties of aqueous electrolytes nanoconfined in graphitic-like nanoporous carbon. Substantial electroneutrality breakdown in nanoconfined regions and very asymmetric responses of cations and anions to the charging of nanoconfining surfaces are observed. The electroneutrality breakdown is shown to depend strongly on the propensity of anions towards the water-carbon interface and such ion-specific response follows, generally, the anion ranking of the Hofmeister series. The experimental observations are further supported by numerical evaluation using the generalized Poisson-Boltzmann equation.