JRC Guidelines for 1 - Selecting and/or validating analytical methods for cosmetics 2 - Recommending standardization steps of analytical methods

The analysis of cosmetics constitutes a challenge mainly due to the large variety of ingredients and formulations, and to the complexity of cosmetic products, in particular due to huge matrix variability. In 2009, the European Commission issued a Regulation (Regulation (EC) N° 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council) establishing the requisites for cosmetic products and the responsibilities of the stakeholders. While the manufacturers' are responsible to ensure the safety of the products put on the market and for the selection of the most appropriate method to perform the production, the quality control, the storage and the shipment of their cosmetic products according to the ISO 22716 Standard, the Competent Authorities testing laboratories should ensure the analytical control of the products in the frame of the market surveillance. The Regulation (EC) N° 1223/2009 also establishes that "the sampling and analysis of cosmetic products shall be performed in a reliable and reproducible manner. In the absence of any applicable Community legislation, reliability and reproducibility shall be presumed if the method used is in accordance with the relevant harmonised standards, the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union". In this frame JRC-IRMM was requested by the CEN/TC 392 on cosmetics to provide advice and guidelines on an appropriate pattern for method validation to allow the analysis of cosmetic products in the frame of Art. 12 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council. This document therefore describes an original and pragmatic approach not only for method validation in this frame but also for further standardisation if deemed necessary. Finally the document was discussed and endorsed by the three main stakeholders active in the field of cosmetics analysis, namely the PEMSAC AM (Platform of European Market Surveillance Authorities for Cosmetics Analytical Methods group), set by the European Commission, the Official Cosmetics Control Laboratories (OCCL) Network, Council of Europe - EDQM and the CEN/TC 392 'Cosmetics'. All three groups are composed of Member States Competent Authorities for control; the manufacturers' representatives are observer members of the CEN/TC 392.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc

Клиент-серверное приложение для извлечения гидрометеорологических данных

This article describes a Web-based application for automated extracting of unstructured hydrometeorological data from sites on the Internet that provide such information. The software makes it easier to receive weather reports, including encoded in the KN-01, as well as to work with them

EURL-FA Control Proficiency test report: Determination of authorised coccidiostats in compound feed

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives (EURL-FA), hosted by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), a Directorate General of the European Commission, has been mandated by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) to organise a proficiency test (PT) among appointed National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) in the frame of its control activities (according to the Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 [1]). The aim of this PT was to assess the capacity of the NRLs to correctly determine selected authorised coccidiostats added to feed matrices at realistic authorised levels and at cross-contamination levels. Thirty-six European National and Official Control laboratories were invited and twenty-nine laboratories registered to the 2017 PT exercise. Twenty-five of the registered laboratories reported results for the analyses. The test items used in this exercise were produced by the JRC. Purchased commercial poultry compound feed, tested by the EURL-FA Control as being blank for the target analytes, was milled and ground and then spiked with the required coccidiostat standard solution or with the relevant authorised feed additive. The first item was spiked with a standard solution containing monensin, narasin and diclazuril, at cross-contamination level (MAT 1). The second test item (MAT 2) was spiked with an authorised feed additive Maxiban®, containing narasin (narasin AL) and nicarbazin, at additive level. MAT 1 and MAT 2 were subsequently homogenised and distributed in glass bottles. All bottles were labelled ensuring a random number encoding and dispatched to all registered participants on 27 June 2017. Laboratories were informed of the composition of the test material regarding the composition in coccidiostats for MAT 2 and had therefore only to quantify the content. For MAT 1 the laboratories had to screen for the presence of all 11 authorised coccidiostats and to quantify the detected ones. The assigned values (xpt) for the mass content of monensin, diclazuril and narasin in MAT 1 were calculated from the formulation as recommended by the IUPAC harmonized protocol [2]. The uncertainties for the assigned values (u(xpt)) were calculated according to the ISO Guide for the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) [3]. For narasin and nicarbazin in MAT 2, no assigned value was set since the criterion for sufficient homogeneity could not be met. Participants were invited to report their measurement uncertainties. This was done by twenty-three out of twenty-five reporting participants for monensin and narasin, seventeen for diclazuril, and twenty for narasin AL and nicarbazin. Laboratory results were rated using z and ζ (zeta) scores in accordance with ISO 13528:2015 [4]. The relative standard deviation for proficiency assessment (σpt) for each assigned value was calculated using the relevant Horwitz [5] or modified Horwitz equation [6]. The z scores obtained were considered satisfactory if their absolute values were equal to or below 2. The outcome of this PT exercise is mixed; the percentage of satisfactory results reported by the laboratories for MAT 1 is 88%, 80% and 57% for monensin, narasin and diclazuril respectively. For narasin AL and nicarbazin in MAT 2, no scoring was computed but the data reported by the laboratories were examined. In general, there was good agreement among the values of mass content of narasin and nicarbazin reported results. The laboratories also reported qualitative results as regards the presence of one or more of the other authorised coccidiostats. On the whole, the rate of false positive results was of 4% for robenidine, lasalocid, salinomycin and maduramicin; 5% for nicarbazin; 8% for decoquinate; and 0% for all the others. Two laboratories did not quantify diclazuril in MAT 1 while stating a limit of quantification of the method used lower than the assigned value, leading to a false negative rate of 9% for this analyte. One laboratory could not quantify diclazuril in MAT 1 due to the lack of sensitivity of the method used.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc

EURL-FA Control Proficiency Test Report: Determination of the mass fraction of the total cobalt in compound feed for rabbits

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Feed Additive Control (EURL-FA Control) organised a proficiency test (EURL-FAC 2017-2) for the determination of the mass fraction of total cobalt in compound feed, to support the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 131/2014 concerning the authorisation of various cobalt(II) compounds as feed additives. This proficiency test was open to National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and official feed control laboratories (OCLs). The material used as test item was a commercially available compound feed for rabbits (containing the coated granulated cobalt (II) carbonate, 3b304 ) which, after appropriate processing, was bottled, labelled and dispatched to participants on June 21, 2017. The homogeneity and stability of the test item were evaluated and the assigned values were derived from the results reported by the selected expert laboratories. Twenty one NRLs and two OCLs from 21 countries - representing EU Member States and Norway - registered to the exercise and reported results at the end of August 2017. Laboratory results were rated using z' and zeta scores in accordance with ISO 13528:2015. A relative standard deviation for proficiency assessment (σpt) of 16 % of the assigned value was set according to the modified Horwitz equation. Twenty (out of 23) laboratories reported satisfactory results (according to the z' score). This confirms the ability of most NRLs in monitoring maximum levels set by the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 131/2014 in this type of animal feed. The majority (74 %) of the participating laboratories provided realistic estimates of their measurement uncertainties.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc

The CD44 standard/ezrin complex regulates Fas-mediated apoptosis in Jurkat cells

The transmembrane receptor CD44 conveys important signals from the extracellular microenvironment to the cytoplasm, a phenomena known as "outside-in” signaling. CD44 exists as several isoforms that result from alternative splicing, which differ only in the extracellular domain but yet exhibit different activities. CD44 is a binding partner for the membrane-cytoskeleton cross-linker protein ezrin. In this study, we demonstrate that only CD44 standard (CD44s) colocalizes and interacts with the actin cross-linkers ezrin and moesin using well-characterized cell lines engineered to express different CD44 isoforms. Importantly, we also show that the association CD44s-ezrin-actin is an important modulator of Fas-mediated apoptosis. The results highlight a mechanism by which signals from the extracellular milieu regulate intracellular signaling activities involved in programmed cell deat

Lung Surfactant Accelerates Skin Wound Healing : A Translational Study with a Randomized Clinical Phase I Study

Lung surfactants are used for reducing alveolar surface tension in preterm infants to ease breathing. Phospholipid films with surfactant proteins regulate the activity of alveolar macrophages and reduce inflammation. Aberrant skin wound healing is characterized by persistent inflammation. The aim of the study was to investigate if lung surfactant can promote wound healing. Preclinical wound models, e.g. cell scratch assays and full-thickness excisional wounds in mice, and a randomized, phase I clinical trial in healthy human volunteers using a suction blister model were used to study the effect of the commercially available bovine lung surfactant on skin wound repair. Lung surfactant increased migration of keratinocytes in a concentration-dependent manner with no effect on fibroblasts. Significantly reduced expression levels were found for pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic genes in murine wounds. Because of these beneficial effects in preclinical experiments, a clinical phase I study was initiated to monitor safety and tolerability of surfactant when applied topically onto human wounds and normal skin. No adverse effects were observed. Subepidermal wounds healed significantly faster with surfactant compared to control. Our study provides lung surfactant as a strong candidate for innovative treatment of chronic skin wounds and as additive for treatment of burn wounds to reduce inflammation and prevent excessive scarring. © 2020, The Author(s)