Solid Lipid Nanoparticles: Technological Developments and in Vivo Techniques to Evaluate Their Interaction with the Skin

This chapter provides informations about the non-invasive bioengineering techniques to study the SLN distribution and interaction on the ski

Ultrasound and 3D Skin Imaging: Methods to Evaluate Efficacy of Striae Distensae Treatment

Background. Over time, the striae rubra develop into striae alba that appear white, flat, and depressed. It is very important to determine the optimum striae management. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these therapies, objective measurement tools are necessary. Objective. The aim of this study is to evaluate if ultrasonography and PRIMOS can be used to obtain an objective assessment of stretch marks type and stage; furthermore, we aim to apply these techniques to evaluate the efficacy of a topical treatment. Methods. 20 volunteers were enrolled with a two-month study. A marketed cosmetic product was used as the active over one body area. The controlateral area with stretch marks was treated with a “placebo” formulation without active, as a control. The instrumental evaluation was carried out at the beginning of the trial (baseline values or t0), after 1 month (t1), and at the end of the study (t2). Results. PRIMOS was able to measure and document striae distensae maturation; furthermore, ultrasound imaging permitted to visualize and diagnose the striae. Statistical analysis of skin roughness demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of Rp value only in a treated group. In fact, the Rp value represented a maximum peak height in the area selected. These results demonstrated that after two months of treatment only the striae rubra can be treated successfully. Conclusions. This work demonstrated that the 22MHz ultrasound can diagnose stretch marks; PRIMOS device can detect and measure striae distensae type and maturation. Furthermore, the high-frequency ultrasound and the 3D image device, described in this work, can be successfully employed in order to evaluate the efficacy of a topical treatment

Packaging Evaluation Approach to Improve Cosmetic Product Safety

In the Regulation 1223/2009, evaluation of packaging has become mandatory to assure cosmetic product safety. In fact, the safety assessment of a cosmetic product can be successfully carried out only if the hazard deriving from the use of the designed packaging for the specific product is correctly evaluated. Despite the law requirement, there is too little information about the chemical-physical characteristics of finished packaging and the possible interactions between formulation and packaging; furthermore, different from food packaging, the cosmetic packaging is not regulated and, to date, appropriate guidelines are still missing. The aim of this work was to propose a practical approach to investigate commercial polymeric containers used in cosmetic field, especially through mechanical properties' evaluation, from a safety point of view. First of all, it is essential to obtain complete information about raw materials. Subsequently, using an appropriate full factorial experimental design, it is possible to investigate the variables, like polymeric density, treatment, or type of formulation involved in changes to packaging properties or in formulation-packaging interaction. The variation of these properties can greatly affect cosmetic safety. In particular, mechanical properties can be used as an indicator of pack performances and safety. As an example, containers made of two types of polyethylene with different density, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), are investigated. Regarding the substances potentially extractable from the packaging, in this work the headspace solid-phase microextraction method (HSSPME) was used because this technique was reported in the literature as suitable to detect extractables from the polymeric material here employed

Boron-loaded liposomes in the treatment of hepatic metastases: preliminary investigation by autoradiography analysis.

Boronophenylalanine (BPA)-loaded conventional and stabilized liposomes were prepared by the reversed phase evaporation method to treat liver metastases by boron neutron capture therapy. Conventional vesicles were composed of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, molar ratio 1:1. To obtain stealth liposomes, GM1 or PEG were included in the lipidic bilayer at a concentration of 6.67 or 5 mol%, respectively. Large unilamellar vesicles were formulated encapsulating BPA in the liposome aqueous compartment as a complex with fructose; BPA free base also was embedded into the lipidic bilayer. In vivo experiments were carried out after intravenous injection of liposome suspensions in BD-IX strain rats in which liver metastases had been induced. Alpha particle spectroscopy associated with histological analysis was performed to visualize boron spatial distribution in liver. Simultaneously, tissue boron concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy. Results showed that PEG-modified liposomes accumulated boron in therapeutic concentrations (30 micrograms boron/g tissue) in metastatic tissue. The PEG-liposomes could be further explored in enhancing boron delivery to tumor cells

Influence of volatiles (H 2 O and CO 2 ) on shoshonite phase equilibria

t. Experiments were performed at 500 MPa, 1080 °C and water activities (aH2O) from 0.0 to 1.0, in fluid-present and fluid-absent conditions, with the aim of constraining the effect of volatiles on phase equilibrium assemblages of a shoshonite from Vulcanello (Aeolian Islands, Italy). Experiments were run both under reducing and oxidizing conditions and results show that proportions, shapes and size of crystals vary as a function of the volatile composition (XH2O and XCO2) and volatile content. Clinopyroxene (Cpx) is the main crystallising phase and is compositionally analogous to Cpx crystals found in the natural rock. Plagioclase (Pl) is stable only for water activity lower than 0.1, whereas Fe–Ti oxides are present in all experimental runs, except for those where log f O2 was lower than −9, (∆NNO −0.11) irrespective of the presence of CO2. The addition of CO2 (2.8 wt%) in nominally dry experimental charges substantially reduces the crystallinity by ca. 1/3 compared to volatile free experiments. This result has important consequences upon the physical properties of the magma because it influences its viscosity and, as a consequence, velocity during its travel to the Earth surface

The personal norm of reciprocity

Reciprocity is here considered as an internalized social norm, and a questionnaire to measure individual differences in the internalized norm of reciprocity is presented. The questionnaire, Personal Norm of Reciprocity (PNR), measures three aspects of reciprocity: positive reciprocity, negative reciprocity, and beliefs in reciprocity. The PNR has been developed and tested in two cultures, British and Italian, for a total of 951 participants. A cross-cultural study provides evidence of good psychometric properties and generalizability of the PNR. Data provide evidence for criterion validity and show that positive and negative reciprocators behave in different ways as a function of the valence (positive or negative) of the other's past behaviour, the type of feasible reaction (reward versus punishment), and the fairness of their reaction. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd

Intelligenza artificiale e sicurezza: opportunità, rischi e raccomandazioni

L'IA (o intelligenza artificiale) è una disciplina in forte espansione negli ultimi anni e lo sarà sempre più nel prossimo futuro: tuttavia è dal 1956 che l’IA studia l’emulazione dell’intelligenza da parte delle macchine, intese come software e in certi casi hardware. L’IA è nata dall’idea di costruire macchine che - ispirandosi ai processi legati all’intelligenza umana - siano in grado di risolvere problemi complessi, per i quali solitamente si ritiene che sia necessario un qualche tipo di ragionamento intelligente. La principale area di ricerca e applicazione attuale dell’IA è il machine learning (algoritmi che imparano e si adattano in base ai dati che ricevono), che negli ultimi anni ha trovato ampie applicazioni grazie alle reti neurali (modelli matematici composti da neuroni artificiali) che a loro volta hanno consentito la nascita del deep learning (reti neurali di maggiore complessità). Appartengono al mondo dell’IA anche i sistemi esperti, la visione artificiale, il riconoscimento vocale, l’elaborazione del linguaggio naturale, la robotica avanzata e alcune soluzioni di cybersecurity. Quando si parla di IA c'è chi ne è entusiasta pensando alle opportunità, altri sono preoccupati poiché temono tecnologie futuristiche di un mondo in cui i robot sostituiranno l'uomo, gli toglieranno il lavoro e decideranno al suo posto. In realtà l'IA è ampiamente utilizzata già oggi in molti campi, ad esempio nei cellulari, negli oggetti smart (IoT), nelle industry 4.0, per le smart city, nei sistemi di sicurezza informatica, nei sistemi di guida autonoma (drive o parking assistant), nei chat bot di vari siti web; questi sono solo alcuni esempi basati tutti su algoritmi tipici dell’intelligenza artificiale. Grazie all'IA le aziende possono avere svariati vantaggi nel fornire servizi avanzati, personalizzati, prevedere trend, anticipare le scelte degli utenti, ecc. Ma non è tutto oro quel che luccica: ci sono talvolta problemi tecnici, interrogativi etici, rischi di sicurezza, norme e legislazioni non del tutto chiare. Le organizzazioni che già adottano soluzioni basate sull’IA, o quelle che intendono farlo, potrebbero beneficiare di questa pubblicazione per approfondirne le opportunità, i rischi e le relative contromisure. La Community for Security del Clusit si augura che questa pubblicazione possa fornire ai lettori un utile quadro d’insieme di una realtà, come l’intelligenza artificiale, che ci accompagnerà sempre più nella vita personale, sociale e lavorativa.AI (or artificial intelligence) is a booming discipline in recent years and will be increasingly so in the near future.However, it is since 1956 that AI has been studying the emulation of intelligence by machines, understood as software and in some cases hardware. AI arose from the idea of building machines that-inspired by processes related to human intelligence-are able to solve complex problems, for which it is usually believed that some kind of intelligent reasoning is required. The main current area of AI research and application is machine learning (algorithms that learn and adapt based on the data they receive), which has found wide applications in recent years thanks to neural networks (mathematical models composed of artificial neurons), which in turn have enabled the emergence of deep learning (neural networks of greater complexity). Also belonging to the AI world are expert systems, computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, advanced robotics and some cybersecurity solutions. When it comes to AI there are those who are enthusiastic about it thinking of the opportunities, others are concerned as they fear futuristic technologies of a world where robots will replace humans, take away their jobs and make decisions for them. In reality, AI is already widely used in many fields, for example, in cell phones, smart objects (IoT), industries 4.0, for smart cities, cybersecurity systems, autonomous driving systems (drive or parking assistant), chat bots on various websites; these are just a few examples all based on typical artificial intelligence algorithms. Thanks to AI, companies can have a variety of advantages in providing advanced, personalized services, predicting trends, anticipating user choices, etc. But not all that glitters is gold: there are sometimes technical problems, ethical questions, security risks, and standards and legislation that are not entirely clear. Organizations already adopting AI-based solutions, or those planning to do so, could benefit from this publication to learn more about the opportunities, risks, and related countermeasures. Clusit's Community for Security hopes that this publication will provide readers with a useful overview of a reality, such as artificial intelligence, that will increasingly accompany us in our personal, social and working lives