Optimisation of the Wax and Oil Phases in a Conventional Lipstick Using Mixture Design

Lipstick is essentially a mixture of oils, waxes and pastes. The type and ratio of ingredients in the lipstick base determine the type and intensity of interactions, which directly affect the quality of lipstick. Fundamentally, a lipstick must have sufficient stick strength to withstand the force during application, but it should also have appropriate ‘pay off’ characteristics. The traditional empirical approach may be inefficient in the development of lipsticks, because of the number of formulation variables and the two competing requirements. The results of this study have revealed the quantitative relationship between the hardness of a lipstick (expressed as its breaking and softening point) and its ‘glide’ performance. The use of the Mixture Design approach has made it possible to effectively select the samples with the best overall characteristics, on the basis of limited but focused experimental work

Using Mixture Design approach to understand interactions of natural oils and waxes in a lipstick base

The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of the Mixture Design approach to understanding the interactions between different raw materials of natural origin in the lipstick base, with the view of reaching an optimal formulation. The Mixture Design experimental approach (with a commercial software package) was used to assess the effects of different compositions of oil and wax phases on the final characteristics of the lipstick, i.e. break point, softening point and glide. An optimal lipstick formula obtained using this approach was then tested against a commercial benchmark (marketed as natural lipstick), in order to establish its practical relevance in the formulation work. The use of Mixture Design approach has proven to be very efficient in reducing the number of experiments required to determine the optimal ratio of each ingredient, as well as their mixtures. The accompanying software was able to calculate and predict the responses of experiments that were not carried out, providing an efficient way to detect interactions among ingredients and formulate products to required specification

Effect of brewer’s spent grain melanoidins on Maillard reaction products during storage of whey protein model systems

Maillard reaction readily takes place in dairy products because of the association between thermal treatments, extended storage and the matrix composition. Along with the impairment of protein digestion, the formation of glycation and α-dicarbonyl compounds is a concern for quality attributes of whey proteins when used as ingredients. In this paper, we outline the capacity of brewer’s spent grain melanoidins in reducing the accumulation of α-dicarbonyl compounds, thus controlling the formation of dietary advanced glycation end-products in accelerated shelf life at 35 °C. Results revealed that brewer’s spent grain melanoidins targeted methylglyoxal and glyoxal reactivity leading to the reduction of N-ε-carboxymethyllysine and methylglyoxal-hydroimidazolone up to 27 and 60%, respectively. We here describe that the presence of melanoidins is instrumental in limiting the undesired effects of α-dicarbonyl compounds on whey proteins

α-Dicarbonyl compounds trapping ability and antiglycative effect of high-molecular-weight brewer's spent grain melanoidins

Polyphenols participate in the Maillard reaction pathways scavenging α-dicarbonyl compounds (DCs) and contributing to the mitigation of carbonyl burden through dietary exposure/routes. The current study demonstrated the effectiveness of high-molecular-weight brewer's spent grain melanoidins (HMW-BSGM) in reacting with DCs in an in vitro model system. HMW-BSGM (4 mg/mL) quenched more than 95% of glyoxal and methylglyoxal, and more than 80% of 2,3-butanedione after a 7-day incubation at 37 °C. Among tested polyphenols, sinapic acid showed the highest trapping capacity with inhibition rates of 33.1, 49.1 and 49.3% for glyoxal, methylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione because of hydroxyalkylation reaction as revealed by liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry experiments. The formation of free fluorescent AGEs was substantially hindered (79.3%) by HMW-BSGM (4 mg/mL). These findings corroborate the hypothesis that the accumulation of polyphenols in melanoidins skeleton can hinder undesired effects and potentially harmful reactions involving α-dicarbonyl compounds

Effect of aneurysm size on procedure-related rupture in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with coil occlusion

Objective: Procedure-related rupture is one of the most feared complications in treating patients with cerebral aneurysm. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the effect of aneurysm size on procedure-related rupture. We also estimated its effect on peri-procedural thromboembolic events. Methods: This observational study was conducted using routinely-collected health data on patients admitted for subarachnoid hemorrhage and treated with aneurysm coil occlusion in the CHU de Québec — Enfant-Jésus hospital from January 1st, 2000 until sample size was reached. Patients were identified from the Discharge Abstract Database using the Canadian Classification of Health codes. Assessment of complications was blind to aneurysm size. Logistic regression models were performed to test associations between aneurysm size and procedure-related rupture or peri-procedural thromboembolic events, and between both procedure-related rupture and thromboembolic events and patients' outcomes. Results: This study included 532 aneurysms treated with coil occlusion in 505 patients. Procedure-related rupture occurred in 34 patients (6.7%) and thromboembolic events in 53 (10.5%) patients. Aneurysms of 2 to 3 mm inclusively were not more significantly associated with procedure-related rupture or thromboembolic events than those larger than 3 mm (OR 1.02, 95% CI: 0.9–1.16, p = 0.78 and OR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.96–1.17, p = 0.3, respectively). However, procedure-related rupture had a significant effect on patient mortality (OR 3.86, 95% CI: 1.42–10.53, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Very small aneurysm size should not preclude aneurysm coil occlusion. Every measure should be taken to prevent procedure-related rupture as it is strongly associated with higher mortality

Darwin -— an experimental astronomy mission to search for extrasolar planets

As a response to ESA call for mission concepts for its Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 plan, we propose a mission called Darwin. Its primary goal is the study of terrestrial extrasolar planets and the search for life on them. In this paper, we describe different characteristics of the instrument

Review and Recommendations for Experimentations in Earth Orbit and Beyond

The space environment is regularly used for experiments addressing astrobiology research goals. The specific conditions prevailing in Earth orbit and beyond, notably the radiative environment (photons and energetic particles) and the possibility to conduct long-duration measurements, have been the main motivations for developing experimental concepts to expose chemical or biological samples to outer space, or to use the reentry of a spacecraft on Earth to simulate the fall of a meteorite. This paper represents an overview of past and current research in astrobiology conducted in Earth orbit and beyond, with a special focus on ESA missions such as Biopan, STONE (on Russian FOTON capsules) and EXPOSE facilities (outside the International Space Station). The future of exposure platforms is discussed, notably how they can be improved for better science return, and how to incorporate the use of small satellites such as those built in cubesat format

Viscerotropic disease: case definition and guidelines for collection, analysis, and presentation of immunization safety data

Viscerotropic disease (VTD) is defined as acute multiple organ system dysfunction that occurs following vaccination. The severity of VTD ranges from relatively mild multisystem disease to severe multiple organ system failure and death. The term VTD was first used shortly after the initial published reports in 2001 of febrile multiple organ system failure following yellow fever (YF) vaccination. To date, VTD has been reported only in association with YF vaccine and has been thus referred to as YF vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease (YEL-AVD)