1,133 research outputs found
Patch test reactivity to paraben mixes and their constituents
No full textParabens are commonly used preservatives in topical preparations, including cosmetics, in medicines, and in food. They are capable of inducing contact sensitisation, especially in patients with stasis dermatitis. Between 1990 and 1994, a mix containing 5 parabens (benzyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, methyl- and propylparaben, 3% each) was used for diagnostic patch testing. Of 23025 patients tested with this mix, 1.6% had positive test reactions. In break-down testing with single constituents (tested with 3%) mainly benzyl paraben, which was not tested (and not used) due to possible carcinogenic risk any more, and propyl paraben caused positive test reactions (in 10 of 184 and 13 of 616 patients, respectively). The sensitivity of the mix with regard to detecting contact allergy to one (or more) of the constituents was 88% and specifity 96%; however, the positive predictive value (PPV) was only 23%, i.e., about 3/4 "false-positive" reactions occurred. In a subsequent study of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group (DKG) 1286 patients were patch tested with the above mentioned mix, which had to be replaced, and 2 mixes (4 x 3% and 4 x 4%) containing the remaining parabens; positive reactions were observed in 2.1%, 1.2% and 1.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of the new mixes was lower (47% and 53%, resp.), however, the PPV (44% and 42%, resp.) was more acceptable. Between 1995 and 2000 altogether 51260 patients were patch tested with the standard series, including the 4 x 4% paraben-mix in the IVDK centres, with 1.5% positive reactions. Break-down testing was performed in 1270 of these. The diagnostic performance of the mix found here (sensitivity: 78%, PPV: 44%) was similar to that in the DKG-study. In conclusion, patch testing with parabens is still difficult, in particular, as several "paraben paradoxes" hamper the application of a valid gold standard (e.g., a repeated open application test [ROAT] on uninvolved skin) when judging patch test reactions. Despite these limitations in risk assessment, parabens can be regarded as relatively safe, although this benefit is somewhat limited by the necessity to add other-potentially more sensitising-biocides to achieve adequate protection against microbial decay in some products
Patch test reactivity to paraben mixes and their constituents
No full textParabens are commonly used preservatives in topical preparations, including cosmetics, in medicines, and in food. They are capable of inducing contact sensitisation, especially in patients with stasis dermatitis. Between 1990 and 1994, a mix containing 5 parabens (benzyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, methyl- and propylparaben, 3% each) was used for diagnostic patch testing. Of 23025 patients tested with this mix, 1.6% had positive test reactions. In break-down testing with single constituents (tested with 3%) mainly benzyl paraben, which was not tested (and not used) due to possible carcinogenic risk any more, and propyl paraben caused positive test reactions (in 10 of 184 and 13 of 616 patients, respectively). The sensitivity of the mix with regard to detecting contact allergy to one (or more) of the constituents was 88% and specifity 96%; however, the positive predictive value (PPV) was only 23%, i.e., about 3/4 "false-positive" reactions occurred. In a subsequent study of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group (DKG) 1286 patients were patch tested with the above mentioned mix, which had to be replaced, and 2 mixes (4 x 3% and 4 x 4%) containing the remaining parabens; positive reactions were observed in 2.1%, 1.2% and 1.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of the new mixes was lower (47% and 53%, resp.), however, the PPV (44% and 42%, resp.) was more acceptable. Between 1995 and 2000 altogether 51260 patients were patch tested with the standard series, including the 4 x 4% paraben-mix in the IVDK centres, with 1.5% positive reactions. Break-down testing was performed in 1270 of these. The diagnostic performance of the mix found here (sensitivity: 78%, PPV: 44%) was similar to that in the DKG-study. In conclusion, patch testing with parabens is still difficult, in particular, as several "paraben paradoxes" hamper the application of a valid gold standard (e.g., a repeated open application test [ROAT] on uninvolved skin) when judging patch test reactions. Despite these limitations in risk assessment, parabens can be regarded as relatively safe, although this benefit is somewhat limited by the necessity to add other-potentially more sensitising-biocides to achieve adequate protection against microbial decay in some products
Recovery of As-Yet-Uncultured Soil Acidobacteria on Dilute Solid Media
No full textA growing number of Acidobacteria strains have been isolated from environments worldwide, with most isolates derived from acidic samples and affiliated with subdivision 1. We recovered eighteen Acidobacteria strains from an alkaline soil, among which eleven belonged to the previously uncultured subdivision 6. Various media formulations were tested for their effects on Acidobacteria growth
Vanillin production from agro-industrial wastes
No full textAgro-industrial wastes are a low-cost and sustainable resource for the production of both bulk and specialty chemicals. A number of natural flavors can also be produced from them via microbial transformation. Vanillin is one of the most
important flavoring compounds in the food industry. Research regarding its biotechnological production from ferulic acid
AU3 recovered from agro-food industry byproducts and wastes has received a great impulse in the last years. Several byproducts from the cereal industry (maize, rice, and wheat) and the sugar beet pulp have been examined as a source of ferulic acid that has been extracted at high yield from all of them. Both crude hydrolysates, obtained from the mentioned plant source and purified ferulic acid, have been used as substrate sources for the biological production of ‘natural’ vanillin. The highest vanillin molar yields have been obtained with the use of fungi or actinomycetes as catalysts, although very promising results have been recently obtained with nonfilamentous microorganisms. On the whole, the production of vanillin from agro-food industry byproducts represents an opportunity to produce this flavor in a new, economically and environmentally sustainable way, which also allows for the valorization of waste matrixes
Guidelines of the German Dermatological Society (DDG) for conducting epidermal tests with contact allergens
No full text
Maschera. Protesi dell'anima
No full textSulla scorta del concetto classico di “Kalos Kai Agathos” per cui ciò che è brutto viene considerato cattivo e quindi mostruoso nella sua accezione negativa, la finzione della maschera finisce con l'essere più desiderabile rispetto alla realtà.Qualsiasi maschera dunque, dalla protesi ricostruttiva alla maschera rituale o teatrale, è un elemento di trasformazione prima di tutto psichica che fisica: sovrascrivendo un’altra identità all’originale essa diventa soglia sottile tra interiore ed esteriore, punto di contatto tra forma e contenuto
Agriculture and agro-Industrial wastes, byproducts, and wastewaters: origin, characteristics, and potential in bio-based-compounds production
No full textA survey of the origin, characteristics and possible re-uses of various agriculture and agro-industrial wastes and wastewaters is given. By-products and effluents often contain substances of high-added value that can be directly recovered or can represent a zero- or low-cost substrate for fermentation processes aimed at producing bio-fuels or bio-molecules of actual or potential commercial interest. At first, focus has been put on the general upgrading criteria and strategies. Then, a number of examples have been reported and examined concerning wastes and wastewaters such as residual agricultural and agro-industrial biomasses, relevant effluents (i.e., slaughterhouse, winery and starch industry wastewaters and whey) and by-products of the olive-oil extraction industry
Development of oxidative biosystems for the treatment of industrial coloured wastewaters
No full textDriplines Layout Designs Comparison of Moisture Distribution in Clayey Soils, Using Soil Analysis, Calibrated Time Domain Reflectometry Sensors, and Precision Agriculture Geostatistical Imaging for Environmental Irrigation Engineering
No full textThe present study implements novel innovative geostatistical imaging using precision agriculture (PA) under sugarbeet field conditions. Two driplines layout designs (d.l.d.) and soil water content (SWC)–irrigation treatments (A: d.l.d. = 1.00 m driplines spacing × 0.50 m emitters inline spacing; B: d.l.d. = 1.50 m driplines spacing × 0.50 m emitters inline spacing) were applied, with two subfactors of clay loam and clay soils (laboratory soil analysis) for modeling (evaluation of seven models) TDR multi-sensor network measurements. Different sensor calibration methods [method 1(M1) = according to factory; method 2 (M2) = according to Hook and Livingston] were applied for the geospatial two-dimensional (2D) imaging of accurate GIS maps of rootzone soil moisture profiles, soil apparent dielectric Ka profiles, and granular and hydraulic parameters profiles, in multiple soil layers (0–75 cm depth). The modeling results revealed that the best-fitted geostatistical model for soil apparent dielectric Ka was the Gaussian model, while spherical and exponential models were identified to be the most appropriate for kriging modelling, and spatial and temporal imaging was used for accurate profile SWC θvTDR (m3·m−3) M1 and M2 maps using TDR sensors. The resulting PA profile map images depict the spatio-temporal soil water and apparent dielectric Ka variability at very high resolutions on a centimeter scale. The best geostatistical validation measures for the PA profile SWC θvTDR maps obtained were MPE = −0.00248 (m3·m−3), RMSE = 0.0395 (m3·m−3), MSPE = −0.0288, RMSSE = 2.5424, ASE = 0.0433, Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency NSE = 0.6229, and MSDR = 0.9937. Based on the results, we recommend d.l.d. A and sensor calibration method 2 for the geospatial 2D imaging of PA GIS maps because these were found to be more accurate, with the lowest statistical and geostatistical errors, and the best validation measures for accurate profile SWC imaging were obtained for clay loam over clay soils. Visualizing sensors’ soil moisture results via geostatistical maps of rootzone profiles have practical implications that assist farmers and scientists in making informed, better and timely environmental irrigation engineering decisions, to save irrigation water, increase water use efficiency and crop production, optimize energy, reduce crop costs, and manage water resources sustainably
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