2 research outputs found
Photoprotective measures of selected sunscreens and their antioxidant adjuvantion effects in the Malaysian climate.
The Malaysian skincare industry is growing rapidly with a vast number of new
sunscreens being produced annually. Inadequate skincare regulations and lack of
enforcement have resulted in the overrating of sunscreens’ quality. The objectives
of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the local and international
sunscreens and to determine the effects of adding concentrated antioxidants into
them. Three local and three internationally manufactured sunscreens were tested for
the in vitro Ultraviolet A protection factor (UVAPF), Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and
photostability. The creams were spread onto roughened polymethylmethacrylate
plates where the absorbance was measured using a spectrophotometer before and
after two hours of sunlight irradiation. The procedure was repeated combining
available concentrated vitamin C and E creams. International sunscreens were
found to have more accurate SPF labels (p=0.009) while local sunscreens were
found to be more photostable (p=0.003). However, both sunscreens had inadequate
UVAPF (p=0.471). Vitamin C enhanced the SPF values (p= 0.04) of both groups of
sunscreens while vitamin E enhanced their photostability (p=0.000). Interestingly,
combining vitamins C and E rich creams with the sunscreens had no effect on the
SPF and UVAPF values as compared to the use of a single vitamin. More importantly,
the combination of vitamins decreased the photostability (p=0.002) of sunscreens
as compared to the addition of vitamin E alone. In conclusion, photoprotection is
best achieved when sunscreens are used together with creams containing either
vitamin C or E alone.
KHAMSIAH N1, LAI NS2, NURFARHANIM M2, NOR AIMI AR2, MOHD SYAZWAN CS2, GOON J
Antifungal susceptibility patterns among candida species isolated from blood at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre
Many challenges arise in candidaemia treatment which involves emergence of antifungal resistance. New species have been identified due to improved methods of detection and some are resistant to commonly prescribed antifungal agents such as fluconazole and amphotericin B. Therefore, the objective of the study was to observe any changes in the susceptibility patterns and distribution of Candida species. This cross sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in UKMMC, a tertiary teaching hospital. One hundred and fifty one data were collected from the department’s laboratory records from January 2008 to December 2010. The yeasts were identified using ID32C carbohydrate assimilation tests whilst the antifungal susceptibility test was performed using Sensititre® YeastOne® broth microdilution method. Antifungal agents tested included amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, 5-flucytosine and caspofungin. Out of 151 blood isolates, 47 (31.1%) were Candida albicans and 104 (68.9%) were non-albicans Candida species. Candida tropicalis has surpassed C. albicans as the most commonly isolated Candida species from blood. Overall susceptibility (as compared to 2005-2006 data in brackets) to caspofungin was 99.3% (n/a), 5-flucytosine 97.4% (98%), amphotericin B 94.7% (100%), voriconazole 92.7% (98%), fluconazole 86.8% (90%) and itraconazole 39.1% (40%). In conclusion, although the isolates were generally still susceptible to amphotericin B and fluconazole, resistance to these drugs is increasing