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Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 2021Petrolatum ointment, which is an oleaginous ointment, is generally produced through manufacturing processes such as melting, mixing, and cooling. In this type of...
Petrolatum ointment, which is an oleaginous ointment, is generally produced through manufacturing processes such as melting, mixing, and cooling. In this type of semisolid formulation, the manufacturing conditions of each process are empirically known to affect the quality of the resultant preparation; however, in many cases, the details of the factors are unclear. To clearly investigate the influence of the pharmaceutical properties of petrolatum ointments, we manufactured several ointments while changing the conditions of the mixing and cooling process after melting white petrolatum. As a result, the temperature at the termination was determined to influence the pharmaceutical properties of the final product. To investigate these phenomena, each petrolatum ointment sample was examined via digital microscopy and laser Raman analysis, and the distribution of the liquid-solid parts of samples was investigated. The internal structure of the ointment sample manufactured at a mixing-stop temperature of 40 °C, the needle crystals and the spherical aggregates surrounding them appropriately coexisted, while the structure exhibited a state wherein the two were linked in a semisolid phase. Meanwhile, for the ointment sample manufactured under the lowest mixing-stop temperature of 25 °C, the liquid part and the spherical aggregates were clearly separated, indicating that the liquid part was easily separated from ointments. In addition, the distribution of the hydrocarbons among the samples was measured via GC-MS; no significant difference in chemical structure was observed. In conclusion, the internal structure of the petrolatum ointment was changed by the manufacturing conditions, and this affected the pharmaceutical properties.
Topics: Drug Compounding; Hydrocarbons; Ointments; Petrolatum; Rheology; Temperature
PubMed: 33790080
DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c20-00860 -
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology... Jan 2023Mineral oils (food grade white oil or liquid paraffin) have historically been safely used in a number of sensitive end-uses, including pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food.... (Review)
Review
Mineral oils (food grade white oil or liquid paraffin) have historically been safely used in a number of sensitive end-uses, including pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food. Recent concern that certain mineral hydrocarbons (branched and cyclo-alkanes) may accumulate in human tissues has prevented European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) from deriving guidance values for food exposures. Analysis of human and animal tissue indicate that an unresolved cloud of mostly highly branched alkanes and alkylated cycloalkanes within the C20-C35 range is consistently present in all tissues. This critical review thoroughly assesses the retention of "mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons" (MOSH) in human and animal tissues and evaluates if the presence of MOSH is considered adverse and appropriate to use for risk assessment, generation of guidance values for food exposure and/or generation of derivation of health-based guidance values. An adversity framework was utilized to perform an in-depth weight of the evidence analysis, and it was concluded that mere presence of MOSH does not translate to hazard identification, and is not considered adverse. In light of this conclusion, it would not be appropriate to utilize this endpoint as the point of departure to calculate a health guidance value.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mineral Oil; Hydrocarbons; Cosmetics; Food Safety; Alkanes; Food Contamination
PubMed: 36402242
DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105284 -
JAMA Jan 2020Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of health care-associated infections in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Parents may expose neonates to S aureus... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
IMPORTANCE
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of health care-associated infections in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Parents may expose neonates to S aureus colonization, a well-established predisposing factor to invasive S aureus disease.
OBJECTIVE
To test whether treating parents with intranasal mupirocin and topical chlorhexidine compared with placebo would reduce transmission of S aureus from parents to neonates.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Double-blinded randomized clinical trial in 2 tertiary NICUs in Baltimore, Maryland. Neonates (n = 236) with S aureus-colonized parent(s) were enrolled. The study period was November 7, 2014, through December 13, 2018.
INTERVENTIONS
Parents were assigned to intranasal mupirocin and 2% chlorhexidine-impregnated cloths (active treatment, n = 117) or petrolatum intranasal ointment and nonmedicated soap cloths (placebo, n = 119) for 5 days.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary end point was concordant S aureus colonization by 90 days, defined as neonatal acquisition of an S aureus strain that was the same strain as a parental strain at time of screening. Secondary outcomes included neonatal acquisition of any S aureus strain and neonatal S aureus infections.
RESULTS
Among 236 randomized neonates, 208 were included in the analytic sample (55% male; 76% singleton births; mean birth weight, 1985 g [SD, 958 g]; 76% vaginal birth; mean parent age, 31 [SD, 7] years), of whom 18 were lost to follow-up. Among 190 neonates included in the analysis, 74 (38.9%) acquired S aureus colonization by 90 days, of which 42 (56.8%) had a strain concordant with a parental baseline strain. In the intervention and placebo groups, 13 of 89 neonates (14.6%) and 29 of 101 neonates (28.7%), respectively, acquired concordant S aureus colonization (risk difference, -14.1% [95% CI, -30.8% to -3.9%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.43 [95.2% CI, 0.16 to 0.79]). A total of 28 of 89 neonates (31.4%) in the intervention group and 46 of 101 (45.5%) in the control group acquired any S aureus strain (HR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.31 to 0.88]), and 1 neonate (1.1%) in the intervention group and 1 neonate (1.0%) in the control group developed an S aureus infection before colonization. Skin reactions in parents were common (4.8% intervention, 6.2% placebo).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this preliminary trial of parents colonized with S aureus, treatment with intranasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine-impregnated cloths compared with placebo significantly reduced neonatal colonization with an S aureus strain concordant with a parental baseline strain. However, further research is needed to replicate these findings and to assess their generalizability.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02223520.
Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Chlorhexidine; Disease Reservoirs; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Disinfection; Double-Blind Method; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Male; Mupirocin; Parents; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus aureus
PubMed: 31886828
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2019.20785 -
PloS One 2020Healthcare workers around the world are experiencing skin injury due to the extended use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. These...
BACKGROUND
Healthcare workers around the world are experiencing skin injury due to the extended use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. These injuries are the result of high shear stresses acting on the skin, caused by friction with the PPE. This study aims to provide a practical lubricating solution for frontline medical staff working a 4+ hours shift wearing PPE.
METHODS
A literature review into skin friction and skin lubrication was conducted to identify products and substances that can reduce friction. We evaluated the lubricating performance of commercially available products in vivo using a custom-built tribometer.
FINDINGS
Most lubricants provide a strong initial friction reduction, but only few products provide lubrication that lasts for four hours. The response of skin to friction is a complex interplay between the lubricating properties and durability of the film deposited on the surface and the response of skin to the lubricating substance, which include epidermal absorption, occlusion, and water retention.
INTERPRETATION
Talcum powder, a petrolatum-lanolin mixture, and a coconut oil-cocoa butter-beeswax mixture showed excellent long-lasting low friction. Moisturising the skin results in excessive friction, and the use of products that are aimed at 'moisturising without leaving a non-greasy feel' should be prevented. Most investigated dressings also demonstrate excellent performance.
Topics: Adult; Betacoronavirus; Biomechanical Phenomena; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Friction; Humans; Lubricants; Male; Medical Staff; Pandemics; Personal Protective Equipment; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Skin
PubMed: 32970710
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239363 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2023It is uncertain whether hydrocolloid dressings, a more costly intervention than offering standard care with petrolatum, is superior to prevent pressure ulcers among... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
It is uncertain whether hydrocolloid dressings, a more costly intervention than offering standard care with petrolatum, is superior to prevent pressure ulcers among hospitalized high-risk adults. Randomized, parallel-group, open-label, superiority trial with an active control group, blinded for investigators, event validators, and analysts (December 1, 2015 to December 12, 2017). Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years of age with intact skin judged as high-risk for skin ulcers (Braden scale), admitted to surgical or medical wards of two tertiary-level hospitals. Participants were randomized (1:1) to protection with hydrocolloid dressings or petrolatum. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of pressure ulcers (with post-injury photographs adjudicated by three judges) under intention-to-treat analysis. Based on prior cost analysis, and the available resources (assumed incidence of 6 ulcers/1000 patient-days in controls), inclusion of up to 1500 participants allowed to surpass a one-sided superiority threshold > 5% based on a target efficacy > 40% for dressings. We planned an economic analysis using a decision tree model based on the effectiveness of the study results from a perspective of the third payer of health care. After inclusion of 689 patients (69 events), the trial was stopped for futility after a planned interim analysis (conditional power < 0.1 for all scenarios if the trial was completed). Pressure ulcers had occurred in 34 (10.2%) patients in the intervention group [9.6 per 1000 patient-days] and 35 (9.9%) participants in the control group [7.9 per 1000 patient-days], HR = 1.07 [95% CI 0.67 to 1.71]. The estimated incremental cost for dressings (a dominated strategy) was USD 52.11 per patient. Using hydrocolloid dressings was found similar to petrolatum for preventing pressure ulcers among hospitalized high-risk patients. As it conveys additional costs, and in this study was unlikely to demonstrate enough superiority, this strategy did not overcome conventional skin care.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02565745 registered on December 1, 2015.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Bandages, Hydrocolloid; Pressure Ulcer; Patients; Petrolatum
PubMed: 38062132
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47483-0 -
Effect of Micropower Vacuum Dressing on Promoting Wound Healing in Patients with I-II Diabetic Foot.Evidence-based Complementary and... 2022Discuss the effectiveness and value of micropower vacuum dressing (MVD) in promoting the healing of I-II grades diabetic foot wounds.
OBJECTIVE
Discuss the effectiveness and value of micropower vacuum dressing (MVD) in promoting the healing of I-II grades diabetic foot wounds.
METHODS
Sixty patients diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcers and Wagner grades I-II were selected and randomly divided into the control group and experimental group, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was covered with conventional treatments and petrolatum gauze dressings, and the experimental group was treated with MVD on the basis of conventional reatments. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were observed, including healing rate, ulcer area reduction rate, ulcer healing time, dressing change times, ulcer recurrence rate, adverse events, and so on.
RESULTS
The healing rate (100%) of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group (56.7%); the wound reduction rate was higher than that of the control group ( < 0.05); the healing time, the number of dressing changes, and the 1-month recurrence rate were all low in the control group ( < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the experimental group (6.7%) was lower than that in the control group (46.7%) ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
MVD has significant effects in the treatment of I-II grades diabetic foot wounds and has few adverse reactions. It is an effective new method that can promote the growth of granulation tissue and epithelium and promote wound healing.
PubMed: 35571727
DOI: 10.1155/2022/2577601 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022Peptide-based cancer vaccines have been shown to boost immune systems to kill tumor cells in cancer patients. However, designing an effective T cell epitope...
Peptide-based cancer vaccines have been shown to boost immune systems to kill tumor cells in cancer patients. However, designing an effective T cell epitope peptide-based cancer vaccine still remains a challenge and is a major hurdle for the application of cancer vaccines. In this study, we constructed for the first time a library of peptide-based cancer vaccines and their clinical attributes, named CancerVaccine (https://peptidecancervaccine.weebly.com/). To investigate the association factors that influence the effectiveness of cancer vaccines, these peptide-based cancer vaccines were classified into high (HCR) and low (LCR) clinical responses based on their clinical efficacy. Our study highlights that modified peptides derived from artificially modified proteins are suitable as cancer vaccines, especially for melanoma. It may be possible to advance cancer vaccines by screening for HLA class II affinity peptides may be an effective therapeutic strategy. In addition, the treatment regimen has the potential to influence the clinical response of a cancer vaccine, and Montanide ISA-51 might be an effective adjuvant. Finally, we constructed a high sensitivity and specificity machine learning model to assist in designing peptide-based cancer vaccines capable of providing high clinical responses. Together, our findings illustrate that a high clinical response following peptide-based cancer vaccination is correlated with the right type of peptide, the appropriate adjuvant, and a matched HLA allele, as well as an appropriate treatment regimen. This study would allow for enhanced development of cancer vaccines.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Cancer Vaccines; Humans; Melanoma; Mineral Oil; Peptides; Vaccines, Subunit
PubMed: 35967400
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.931612 -
Biological Research Sep 2021Improving the nutritional condition of grapevine in spring to regulate bloom, fruit set, and yield is among the management goals of vineyards.
Effects of foliar spray of agricultural grade mineral oil in springtime, in combination with potassium and calcium sulfates on the phenological and biophysical indices of clusters, and foliar nutritional levels in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Sultana (Id. Thompson seedless, Sultanina).
BACKGROUND
Improving the nutritional condition of grapevine in spring to regulate bloom, fruit set, and yield is among the management goals of vineyards.
METHODS
In the present study, the early season spray of calcium sulfate (C; 0.00 and 2.00%), potassium sulfate (K; 0.00 and 3.00%), and agricultural grade mineral oil (V; 0.00 and 1.00%) on flower and fruit phenology, nutrient concentration, and cluster biophysical indices and yield of Sultana grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) were investigated for two consecutive years.
RESULTS
Based on the results, the spray of this nutrient combined with mineral oil significantly affected all the treatments except cluster length, berry length, and phosphorus concentration. The highest concentrations of potassium, calcium, and magnesium were obtained in the vines treated with VKC, and the highest concentrations of zinc and iron were obtained only in the vines treated with mineral oil. In treatments containing mineral oil, especially in combination with the second level of calcium and potassium (VKC), bloom time, berries pea-sized time, and harvest time were delayed by 3, 3, and 6 days compared with control vines. While in vines treated with a combination of the second level of potassium and calcium (VKC), bloom time, berries pea-sized time, and harvest time were advanced by 5, 4, and 1.50 days, respectively, compared with control vines. Regarding the biophysical indices of the cluster, it was found that the vines treated with VKC had higher cluster weight, berry weight, fruit, and raisins yield than other treatments. Also, the highest berry quality, including total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and total phenol content, were obtained in the vines treated with VKC. However, the lowest berry quality was observed in the vines treated with mineral oil.
CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, the combination of nutrients with mineral oil can alleviate the adverse effect of mineral oil solely on some phenological indices and berry quality-related traits in vineyards.
Topics: Calcium Sulfate; Fruit; Mineral Oil; Potassium; Vitis
PubMed: 34496968
DOI: 10.1186/s40659-021-00353-3 -
Cell Communication and Signaling : CCS Mar 2021The skin wound healing process is regulated by various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Recent reports have demonstrated that spermine/spermidine (SPD) promote...
BACKGROUND
The skin wound healing process is regulated by various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Recent reports have demonstrated that spermine/spermidine (SPD) promote wound healing through urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/uPA receptor (uPAR) signaling in vitro. Here, we investigated whether the systemic and topical administration of SPD would accelerate the skin wound-repair process in vivo.
METHODS
A skin wound repair model was established using C57BL/6 J mice. SPD was mixed with white petrolatum for topical administration. For systemic administration, SPD mixed with drinking water was orally administered. Changes in wound size over time were calculated using digital photography.
RESULTS
Systemic and topical SPD treatment significantly accelerated skin wound healing. The administration of SPD promoted the uPA/uPAR pathway in wound sites. Moreover, topical treatment with SPD enhanced the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in wound sites. Scratch and cell proliferation assays revealed that SPD administration accelerated scratch wound closure and cell proliferation in vitro.
CONCLUSION
These results indicate that treatment with SPD promotes skin wound healing through activation of the uPA/uPAR pathway and induction of the inflammatory response in wound sites. The administration of SPD might contribute to new effective treatments to accelerate skin wound healing. Video Abstract.
Topics: Administration, Topical; Animals; Cell Proliferation; Cytokines; Fibroblasts; Gene Expression Regulation; Inflammation Mediators; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Mice, Inbred C57BL; RNA, Messenger; Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; Signal Transduction; Skin; Spermidine; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; Wound Healing; Mice
PubMed: 33752688
DOI: 10.1186/s12964-021-00717-y -
Waste Management & Research : the... Jan 2023Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were broadly applied worldwide as electrical insulators in transformers and power capacitors, due to their high dielectric constant and...
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were broadly applied worldwide as electrical insulators in transformers and power capacitors, due to their high dielectric constant and non-flammability. They were often added to mineral oils (MOs) and used as dielectric fluids, which are nowadays classified as hazardous waste. Indeed, the Stockholm Convention aims to eliminate the use of equipment with PCB content greater than 0.005 wt-% (=50 ppm) by 2025. Accurate identification and quantification of small traces of PCBs contained in MO thus represent a great analytical challenge. To achieve this goal, a simple, cost-effective and fast chromatographic process was developed to separate PCBs from MO, allowing to obtain reliable data to determine the concentration of PCBs, reduced to 2-3 ppm. Experimental and analytical methods, such as thin layer chromatography, column chromatography as well as gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy, were applied to acquire a high level of qualitative and quantitative determination of PCBs in transformer MOs.
Topics: Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Mineral Oil; Electric Power Supplies
PubMed: 35876087
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X221105436