New Synthetic Endocannabinoid as Anti-Inflammaging Cosmetic Active: an In Vitro Study on a Reconstructed Skin Model

Endocannabinoids have been recently appointed as interesting cosmetic actives in regulating inflammaging, a state of chronic low-grade inflammation, known for being involved in many senescence\u2019s manifestations, included skin aging. The aim of this study was to assess the anti-inflammaging activity of a new synthetic endocannabinoid, Isopalmide\uae, on a reconstructed skin model, on which inflammaging has been reproduced through UVA radiation and light mechanical stress. We tested Isopalmide\uae both as a single active and conveyed in a cosmetic product, in comparison with Anandamide, a well-known natural endocannabinoid with anti-inflammatory action. The anti-inflammaging activity of topically applied products has been assessed, after 6 hours of treatment post-irradiation, through the transcriptional modification of genes involved in the NF-\u3baB pathway and the epigenetic pathway targeting miRs as potential biomarkers of inflammaging: miR-21, miR-126 and miR-146a. The results confirmed the anti-inflammatory action of Anandamide which inhibits NF-\u3baB, while Isopalmide\uae showed its anti-inflammaging activity through the establishment of an inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance by maintaining NF-\u3baB inactive in the cytoplasm and active in the nucleus. The anti-inflammaging activity was shown also by the cosmetic product containing Isopalmide

Children's Strategy Choices on Complex Subtraction Problems: Individual Differences and Developmental Changes

We examined how children's strategy choices in solving complex subtraction problems are related to grade and to variations in problem complexity. In two studies, third- and fifth-grade children (N≈160 each study) solved multi-digit subtraction problems (e.g., 34–18) and described their solution strategies. In the first experiment, strategy selection was investigated by means of a free-choice paradigm, whereas in the second study a discrete-choice approach was implemented. In both experiments, analyses of strategy repertoire indicated that third-grade children were more likely to report less-efficient strategies (i.e., counting) and relied more on the right-to-left solution algorithm compared to fifth-grade children who more often used efficient memory-based retrieval and conceptually-based left-to-right (i.e., decomposition) strategies. Nevertheless, all strategies were reported or selected by both older and younger children and strategy use varied with problem complexity and presentation format for both age groups. These results supported the overlapping waves model of strategy development and provide detailed information about patterns of strategy choice on complex subtraction problems

Going Beyond Mathematics Anxiety in Primary and Middle School Students: The Role of Ego‐Resiliency in Mathematics

Previous research examined the influence of math anxiety (MA) on performance in mathematics, but few studies compared the contribution of MA to other forms of anxiety, such as test and general anxiety (GA). Unlike MA, ego‐resiliency promotes the management of challenges, and has been positively associated with mathematics performance. In this study, we investigated the specific influence of MA, test‐ and GA, and ego‐resiliency on mathematics performance after controlling for intelligence. Children from grades 5 to 8 (N =  274) were assessed with self‐report tools measuring MA, test and GA, and ego‐resiliency, and completed intelligence and mathematical tasks. The results of structural equation models showed that MA had a main negative effect on mathematics performance, over and above the effect of test‐ and GA. Ego‐resiliency had a positive effect on mathematics performance, and was negatively associated with GA. Our findings are discussed in terms of the implications for intervention programs to reduce anxiety and sustain ego‐resiliency

Hair Strengthening Evaluation of Anisotropic Osmolite Solutions (Inositol + Arginine): Cross-Talk between Dermal Papilla Fibroblast and Keratinocytes of the Outer Root Sheath Using a µHair Follicle 3D Model

The hair follicle (HF) is a dynamic \u201cmini-organ\u201d which undergoes bi-continuous cycles of growth, destruction and rest. The molecular mechanisms underlying the HF cycle are complex yet not fully understood. Anyhow, it is clear that the epithelial\u2013mesenchymal interactions, and in particular the cross-talk between dermal papilla fibroblast (DPF) and the keratinocytes of the outer root sheath (ORSK) play a pivotal role. Aim of this study is the evaluation of the biological activity of anisotropic osmolyte solutions on the HF cycle. As reported in recent studies, dermal papilla cells deeply modify their gene expression profile when cultured as monolayers, but their transcriptional pattern can be partially restored when they are cultured as 3-dimensional spheroids. This draws our attention to the discovery that the spatial distribution of cells in the growth medium is fundamental in order to produce a verisimilar model. Therefore, we used the hanging drop technology to produce a scaffold-free micro-tissue model applied to a DPF-ORSK co-culture in order to create a \u3bcHF 3-dimensional model. As a result, this system was capable of evaluating the efficacy of the anisotropic osmolyte solutions on the progressive increase of the follicle turnover and \u2018health\u2019. Moreover, an in silico model was used in order to screen the most promising combination of osmolyte molecules. In vivo objective evaluations were finally carried out on volunteers having hair disorders

Children prioritize humans over animals less than adults do

Is the tendency to morally prioritize humans over animals weaker in children than adults? In two preregistered studies (total <i>N</i> = 622), 5- to 9-year-old children and adults were presented with moral dilemmas pitting varying numbers of humans against varying numbers of either dogs or pigs and were asked who should be saved. In both studies, children had a weaker tendency than adults to prioritize humans over animals. They often chose to save multiple dogs over one human, and many valued the life of a dog as much as the life of a human. Although they valued pigs less, the majority still prioritized 10 pigs over one human. By contrast, almost all adults chose to save one human over even 100 dogs or pigs. Our findings suggest that the common view that humans are far more morally important than animals appears late in development and is likely socially acquired

Attitudes toward pharmacological cognitive enhancement-a review

A primary means for the augmentation of cognitive brain functions is "pharmacological cognitive enhancement" (PCE). The term usually refers to the off-label use of medical substances to improve mental performance in healthy individuals. With the final aim to advance the normative debate taking place on that topic, several empirical studies have been conducted to assess the attitudes toward PCE in the public, i.e., in groups outside of the academic debate. In this review, we provide an overview of the 40 empirical studies published so far, reporting both their methodology and results. Overall, we find that several concerns about the use of PCE are prevalent in the public. These concerns largely match those discussed in the normative academic debate. We present our findings structured around the three most common concerns: medical safety, coercion, and fairness. Fairness is divided into three subthemes: equality of opportunity, honesty, and authenticity. Attitudes regarding some concerns are coherent across studies (e.g., coercion), whereas for others we find mixed results (e.g., authenticity). Moreover, we find differences in how specific groups-such as users, nonusers, students, parents, and health care providers-perceive PCE: a coherent finding is that nonusers display more concerns regarding medical safety and fairness than users. We discuss potential psychological explanations for these differences

Attitudes toward pharmacological cognitive enhancement—a review

A primary means for the augmentation of cognitive brain functions is “pharmacological cognitive enhancement” (PCE). The term usually refers to the off-label use of medical substances to improve mental performance in healthy individuals. With the final aim to advance the normative debate taking place on that topic, several empirical studies have been conducted to assess the attitudes toward PCE in the public, i.e., in groups outside of the academic debate. In this review, we provide an overview of the 40 empirical studies published so far, reporting both their methodology and results. Overall, we find that several concerns about the use of PCE are prevalent in the public. These concerns largely match those discussed in the normative academic debate. We present our findings structured around the three most common concerns: medical safety, coercion, and fairness. Fairness is divided into three subthemes: equality of opportunity, honesty, and authenticity. Attitudes regarding some concerns are coherent across studies (e.g., coercion), whereas for others we find mixed results (e.g., authenticity). Moreover, we find differences in how specific groups—such as users, nonusers, students, parents, and health care providers—perceive PCE: a coherent finding is that nonusers display more concerns regarding medical safety and fairness than users. We discuss potential psychological explanations for these differences

Zika, contraception and the non-identity problem

The 2016 outbreak of the Zika arbovirus was associated with large numbers of cases of the newlyrecognised Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). This novel teratogenic epidemic raises significant ethical and practical issues and highlights a number of challenges for social justice. Many of these arise from strategies used to avoid cases of CZS. While most of the interventions that have been used or proposed in response to Zika are familiar from other mosquito-borne diseases, contraception is one proposed strategy that is less familiar in epidemic control. There are some long-standing ethical and religious objections to the use of contraception. However, using contraception to reduce the burden of CZS has an additional ethical complication: interventions that impact the timing of conception alter which people will exist in the future. This socalled ‘non-identity problem’ potentially has significant social justice implications for evaluating contraception. Some philosophers have argued that the non-identity problem has crucial implications for the duties of health professionals and for intergenerational justice. If this is correct, that may affect our prioritisation of interventions to tackle Zika. In this paper, we combine ethical analysis of the non-identity problem with empirical data from a novel survey about the general public’s moral intuitions. The ethical analysis examines different perspectives on the non-identity problem, and their implications for using contraception in response to Zika. The empirical section reports the results of an online survey of 93 members of the US general public exploring their intuitions about the non-identity problem in the context of the Zika epidemic. Survey respondents indicated a general preference for a person-affecting intervention (mosquito control) over an impersonal intervention (contraception). However, their responses did not appear to be strongly influenced by the non-identity problem. Despite its potential philosophical significance, we conclude from both theoretical considerations and analysis of the attitudes of the community that the non-identity problem should not affect how we prioritise contraception relative to other interventions to avoid CZS. We should focus allocation of healthcare resources to whichever interventions are most cost-effective and practical in addressing the Zika epidemic

Zika, contraception and the non-identity problem

The 2016 outbreak of the Zika arbovirus was associated with large numbers of cases of the newlyrecognised Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). This novel teratogenic epidemic raises significant ethical and practical issues and highlights a number of challenges for social justice. Many of these arise from strategies used to avoid cases of CZS. While most of the interventions that have been used or proposed in response to Zika are familiar from other mosquito-borne diseases, contraception is one proposed strategy that is less familiar in epidemic control. There are some long-standing ethical and religious objections to the use of contraception. However, using contraception to reduce the burden of CZS has an additional ethical complication: interventions that impact the timing of conception alter which people will exist in the future. This socalled ‘non-identity problem’ potentially has significant social justice implications for evaluating contraception. Some philosophers have argued that the non-identity problem has crucial implications for the duties of health professionals and for intergenerational justice. If this is correct, that may affect our prioritisation of interventions to tackle Zika. In this paper, we combine ethical analysis of the non-identity problem with empirical data from a novel survey about the general public’s moral intuitions. The ethical analysis examines different perspectives on the non-identity problem, and their implications for using contraception in response to Zika. The empirical section reports the results of an online survey of 93 members of the US general public exploring their intuitions about the non-identity problem in the context of the Zika epidemic. Survey respondents indicated a general preference for a person-affecting intervention (mosquito control) over an impersonal intervention (contraception). However, their responses did not appear to be strongly influenced by the non-identity problem. Despite its potential philosophical significance, we conclude from both theoretical considerations and analysis of the attitudes of the community that the non-identity problem should not affect how we prioritise contraception relative to other interventions to avoid CZS. We should focus allocation of healthcare resources to whichever interventions are most cost-effective and practical in addressing the Zika epidemic

Zika, contraception and the non-identity problem

The 2016 outbreak of the Zika arbovirus was associated with large numbers of cases of the newlyrecognised Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). This novel teratogenic epidemic raises significant ethical and practical issues and highlights a number of challenges for social justice. Many of these arise from strategies used to avoid cases of CZS. While most of the interventions that have been used or proposed in response to Zika are familiar from other mosquito-borne diseases, contraception is one proposed strategy that is less familiar in epidemic control. There are some long-standing ethical and religious objections to the use of contraception. However, using contraception to reduce the burden of CZS has an additional ethical complication: interventions that impact the timing of conception alter which people will exist in the future. This socalled ‘non-identity problem’ potentially has significant social justice implications for evaluating contraception. Some philosophers have argued that the non-identity problem has crucial implications for the duties of health professionals and for intergenerational justice. If this is correct, that may affect our prioritisation of interventions to tackle Zika. In this paper, we combine ethical analysis of the non-identity problem with empirical data from a novel survey about the general public’s moral intuitions. The ethical analysis examines different perspectives on the non-identity problem, and their implications for using contraception in response to Zika. The empirical section reports the results of an online survey of 93 members of the US general public exploring their intuitions about the non-identity problem in the context of the Zika epidemic. Survey respondents indicated a general preference for a person-affecting intervention (mosquito control) over an impersonal intervention (contraception). However, their responses did not appear to be strongly influenced by the non-identity problem. Despite its potential philosophical significance, we conclude from both theoretical considerations and analysis of the attitudes of the community that the non-identity problem should not affect how we prioritise contraception relative to other interventions to avoid CZS. We should focus allocation of healthcare resources to whichever interventions are most cost-effective and practical in addressing the Zika epidemic