Development of an in vivo method to better understand the obese skin

The impact of obesity in the pathophysiology of human skin seems to be related to various dermatoses, basically resulting from the change in its normal physiology, including changes in the “barrier” and the “envelope" functions as well . However, the available information is still scarce due to the many complexities of the subject. This work aims to define an experimental methodology approach to objectively study the functional changes that characterize the obese skin. This transversal study included 28 healthy volunteers, female (mean age 23 ± 5 years old), after informed consent. Skin functional characterization was obtained in one single measurement by non-invasive techniques, under controlled conditions. Relevant variables were hydration (superficial and deep), barrier function and biomechanical behavior, measured at four different anatomical areas. Through the SPSS (v 20.0) a univariate statistical analysis was performed to calculate central tendency and dispersion measures. The Pearson's and the Spearman's tests were chosen for those variables that followed , or not, a normal distribution, respectively, assuming a confidence level of 95%. Results allow us to propose a methodology for the study of the skin applied to obese patients, including the choice of the anatomical areas and variables appropriate to the intended goal

Relationship between the dietary intake of water and skin hydration

Several studies about the importance of water in the hydration of the human skin suggest that higher water intake might have a positive impact on the skin. When measuring water consumption, it must be taken into account that the water comes from various sources. With this in mind, we evaluated the impact of an increased inflow of 2L of water per day, on two groups with different daily water intakes. Results suggest that there is an improvement in the epidermal and dermal hydration obtained by standard methods. The magnitude of this impact on skin hydration is greater in the group that regularly consumes less water. This suggests that an increase in water consumption has more beneficial effects on the skin health of those individuals that consume less water per day. These data are consistent with the published literature, which therefore justifies further research into this topic

Relationship between skin hydration and elasticity in normal weighted subjects and the influence of age

Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It is a protective organ and of all its known functions, the most significant is the capacity to adapt itself to the contours of the body. The current study aims to determine the extent to which hydration influences or is influenced by elasticity, by comparing the parameters of hydration and elasticity. A convenience sample of 42 volunteers was selected all of whom were female, healthy and with normal BMI according to WHO. The “barrier” function was characterized by the transepidermal water loss (Tewameter TM300); the superficial epidermal hydration was measured by Moisturemeter SC and Corneometer and the “envelope” function was assessed by the Cutometer MPA580 and by the reviscometer RV600. Measurements were taken on the face (zygomatic and frontal areas), in the breast and in the abdominal areas. The most significant results show that almost all hydration and elasticity parameters fluctuate with age, which corresponds to previous studies. Moreover, there is some interaction between hydration parameters and some elasticity descriptors that should be investigated in future studies

DINÂMICAS DE ASSIMILAÇÃO DE CONHECIMENTO NO AGRONEGÓCIO: O CASO DA FOOD CORPORATION

O estudo tem como objetivo analisar como ocorre a assimilação de conhecimento na Unidade Produtora de Marau-RS integrante da Food Corporation S.A. Quanto aos procedimentos metodológicos utilizados na pesquisa, foi realizado estudo qualitativo e exploratório, e os dados foram coletados por meio da aplicação de questionário à liderança formal da Unidade Produtora localizada em Marau-RS. Informa-se que o Setor escolhido foi o de Fabricação que é composto por 700 funcionários. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi composto por vinte e cinco perguntas abertas que contemplaram categorias de análise. A análise do conteúdo das respostas dos pesquisados foi a técnica selecionada para a análise dos dados que foram sistematizados em uma estrutura de análise formulada a partir da revisão da literatura da Capacidade Absortiva. Dentre os resultados significativos, pôde-se notar que os entrevistados possuíam algum tipo de conhecimento específico que foi potencializado com os novos assimilados em práticas operacionais cotidianas

The Influence of Some Contaminants in Food Quality

The concept of food quality has been following scientific and technological evolution. Currently, producers, users, consumers, as well as public authorities, have well defined their expectations regarding the quality requirements in the food sector. These projections are related to several parameters that are no longer seen only from a safety and nutritional point of view. Thus, the characteristics of food products must fulfill criteria that embrace their origin, esthetics, convenience, functionality, ethics, organoleptic and must result in benefit. The needs of consumers increasingly reflect public interests, which are supervised by public authorities that hold technical and scientific information that allows them to advocate normative regulations regarding defects, adulteration, and fraud, increasing awareness in the food quality field. Since food quality and safety are two increasingly interconnected domains, the different EU legislation and regulations impose procedures for the determination of contaminants. In this chapter, we will only cover three main topics, namely heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mycotoxins

Grape Pomace: A Potential Ingredient for the Human Diet

The industrial production of wine generates annually tons of waste that can and must be properly reused to reduce its polluting load ad increase the availability of passive ingredients to be used in human nutrition. Grape pomace, a by-product of winemaking, beyond being of nutritional value is a bioactive source with high potential value and benefits for human health. Having as main goal the preliminary perception of the potential use of this by-product, the aim of this study was the characterization of eight different grape pomaces. In this sense, ash content, relative ash, moisture, pH, microorganisms, metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn), and semi-metal (As) were reported. The parameter that limits the daily amount ingested of this product is its arsenic content, a non-essential element that belongs to the group of semi-metal. Considering the obtained results and in the light of the restrictions imposed through the legislation in regulations set by the European Commission, the inclusion of grape pomace in the industrial production of foodstuffs could be a step towards the future of human nutrition and health

Occurrence and potential risk of currently used pesticides in sediments of the Alqueva reservoir (Guadiana Basin)

The evaluation of sediments, concerning to pesticides, constitutes an important step for the understanding of the principal sources of contamination of the surface water. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate for the first time the occurrence, distribution and risk of pesticides in sediments of the Alqueva reservoir, the largest reservoir in the Europe. For this purpose, the occurrence of 22 pesticides and some of their degradation products was determined in surficial sediments of the Alqueva reservoir. To assess the potential risk on ecosystem, the measured concentrations of pesticides were compared with regulatory and toxicological benchmarks. Of the 22 pesticides analysed, only 8 were detected. Diuron was the pesticide detected in greater concentration, followed by terbuthylazine and chlortoluron. The sediments most polluted by pesticides were from Lucefécit, constituted totally by fine particles (<0.063 mm) and with high values of organic matter, and are located nearby large agricultural fields. The risk assessment allowed us to conclude that the sediments from the Alqueva reservoir presented low risk, concerning to pesticides, for the various communities that integrate the aquatic ecosystems. However, some of the compounds detected present a high potential for bioaccumulation that may lead to their bioamplification in the trophic chain, reaching concentrations higher than their acceptable daily intake, putting, in this way the populations at risk

Excessive weight favours skin physiology : up to a point : another expression of the obesity paradox

© 2017 S. Karger AG, BaselBackground/Aims: Recently classified as an epidemic by the WHO, obesity (as well as the state of being overweight) clearly affects significant populations across all ages. The relationship between obesity and some diseases (e.g. cardiovascular ones) is known, although many paradoxes remain to be explained. Very little information is available, however, regarding its impact on skin physiology and skin disease. This study aims to examine the influence of excessive weight on epidermal hydration and transepidermal water loss, key variables of skin water balance and skin biomechanics. Methods: A convenience sample of 89 healthy female volunteers was selected and divided into 4 groups, according to their BMI (body mass index), as normal (control), overweight, obese (I and II), and morbid. Skin physiology was quantitatively assessed in all individuals in 4 anatomical areas using non-invasive biometrical analysis by reference instrumentation. Descriptive and comparative statistics were applied, adopting a confidence level of 95%. Results: A nonlinear alteration for all variables was detected as a function of BMI. Conclusion: Results suggest that excessive weight might favour skin performance within certain limits, reflecting a particular adaptation of the skin to the weight gain and body contour.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dietary water seems to improve skin hydration without influencing hemodynamics

The various studies on the importance of water in the hydration of human skin have suggested that an increased dietary intake might positively impact the physiology of normal skin. We evaluated the consequences of increasing water intake through drinking in skin hydration in vivo. Eating habits were maintained, evaluated by a Food Frequency Questionnaire and based on total water consumption. In two groups with different total water consumption, we evaluated the impact of 2L/day water after 30 days,. This increase produced no hemodynamic changes or weight changes but an improvement in the epidermal hydration was suggested. The magnitude of the impact on skin hydration was higher in the group that regularly consumed less water, suggesting that the increase in water consumption has more beneficial effects on those individuals who habitually consume less water per day. These data are consistent with the published literature, justifying interest in looking further into this topic, in order to better understand the importance of dietary water in the context of cutaneous physiology, especially in the group of subjects with reduced consumption habits

Impact of overweight on the normal physiology of human in vivo skin

Obesity is an increasing public health issue, particularly in Portugal, where more than 50% of the population is obese. The pathophysiological consequences of being overweight have a severe cutaneous impact. However, there is still a lack of studies to link these alterations to BMI categories. This present work intends to identify the hydration and biomechanical behaviour changes related to weight augmentation. This transversal study was performed on a convenience sample of 57 volunteers, all females, aged between 20 and 46 (30±8) years old. Volunteers were divided in two groups – group I, with a BMI between 19,9 and 24,9 Kg/m2 and group II, between 25 and 29,9 Kg/m2. One single determination of the superficial hydration, transepidermal water loss and biomechanical behaviour of the skin, was obtained with non-invasive methods. The data showed that weight increase positively influences hydration levels and transepidermal water loss, and negatively influences the skin's biomechanical behaviour. Despite the relevance of these results, there is still a need for complementary studies, with a wider number of individuals, in order to better understand its nature and meaning