Flexible Microwave Biosensor for Skin Abnormality Detection Based on Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Point-of-care testing plays an important role in the detection of skin abnormalities. The detection of skin abnormalities requires sufficient depth and no harm. A flexible microwave biosensor based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons was designed to meet the requirements of skin abnormalities. The designed biosensor, which works at 13.3 GHz, is small and can be flexibly attached to the skin surface of any part of the human body for measurement. The health status of the skin can be evaluated by the resonant frequency and the magnitude of the reflection coefficient of the sensor. The sensor was tested on pork skin. The experiment results showed that the sensor can detect skin abnormalities such as skin burn, skin tumor, and others. Compared with other sensors, the sensor has sufficient penetration depth because of the strong penetration of microwave electromagnetic waves. It is the first flexible microwave biosensor used for skin, which involves point-of-care testing, and continuous monitoring of skin.

Novel Photoinduced Squalene Cyclic Peroxide Identified, Detected, and Quantified in Human Skin Surface Lipids

Skin surface lipids (SSLs) form the first barrier that protects the human organism from external stressors, disruption of the homeostasis of SSLs can result in severe skin abnormalities. One of the main causes of this disruption is oxidative stress that is primarily due to SSLs oxidation. Squalene (SQ), the most abundant lipid among SSLs, was shown to first undergo singlet molecular oxygen (1O2) oxidation to yield 6 SQ-monohydroperoxide (SQ-OOH) isomers as the primary oxidation products. However, due to the instability and lability of hydroperoxides, we found that when total SQ-OOH isomers are further photooxidized, they form a unique higher molecular weight secondary oxidation product. To generate the compound, we photooxidized total SQ-OOH isomers in the presence of ground state molecular oxygen (3O2), after its isolation and purification, we studied its structure using MS/MS, NMR, derivatization reactions, and chemical calculations. The compound was identified as 2-OOH-3-(1,2-dioxane)-SQ. Photooxidation of individual SQ-OOH isomers revealed that 6-OOH-SQ is the precursor of 2-OOH-3-(1,2-dioxane)-SQ and indicated the possibility of the formation of similar cyclic peroxides from each isomer following the same photoinduced chain reaction mechanism. An HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the analysis of 2-OOH-3-(1,2-dioxane)-SQ and its presence on the skin was confirmed in SSLs of six healthy individuals. Its quantity on the skin correlated directly to that of SQ and was not inversely proportional to its precursor, indicating the possibility of its accumulation on the skin surface and the constant regeneration of 6-OOH-SQ from SQ’s oxidation. In general, research on lipid cyclic peroxides in the human organism is very limited, and especially on the skin. This study shows for the first time the identification and presence of a novel SQ cyclic peroxide “2-OOH-3-(1,2-dioxane)-SQ” in SSLs, shedding light on the importance of further studying its effect and role on the skin.

Comparative analysis of congenital malformations of the fetus detected in the periods from 2010 to 2012 and from 2017 to 2019 (based on the materials of the maternity department of Rostov-on-Don)

Objective: to conduct a comparative analysis of the structure, number, and antenatal diagnosis of fetal malformations in two clinical groups. Materials and methods: a retrospective comparative analysis of the variations, frequency, and detectability of malformations and developmental abnormalities in newborns born in two groups was conducted for the periods from 2010 to 2012 (the first group) and from 2017 to 2019 (the second group). The study of these materials was conducted on the basis of the maternity department of the city hospital of Rostov-on-Don. Statistical processing of the obtained results was carried out using the programs Statistica 10 and Microsoft Excel 2013. Results: in the second group, the number of children with genital abnormalities increased. The number of children with skin abnormalities increased as well as the number of children with gastrointestinal malformations. There is a decrease in the number of abnormalities in the development of the musculoskeletal system and the circulatory system. The rate of cleavage of the lip and hard palate decreased. However, malformations of the fetus were not detected in all cases, although their detectability increased from 4.41% in 2010 – 2012 to 22.62% in 2017 – 2019, i.e. by 5.13 times. Conclusion. The search for modern, reliable, and non-invasive methods for diagnosing fetal malformations in early pregnancy is an important stage in the study of this issue. It is also important to train high-class ultrasound specialists as well as search for new biochemical markers of congenital genetic disorders.

The Use of Micro- and Nanocarriers for Resveratrol Delivery into and across the Skin in Different Skin Diseases—A Literature Review

In recent years, polyphenols have been extensively studied due to their antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been shown that anthocyanins, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols play an important role in the prevention of bacterial infections, as well as vascular or skin diseases. Particularly, resveratrol, as a multi-potent agent, may prevent or mitigate the effects of oxidative stress. As the largest organ of the human body, skin is an extremely desirable target for the possible delivery of active substances. The transdermal route of administration of active compounds shows many advantages, including avoidance of gastrointestinal irritation and the first-pass effect. Moreover, it is non-invasive and can be self-administered. However, this delivery is limited, mainly due to the need to overpassing the stratum corneum, the possible decomposition of the substances in contact with the skin surface or in the deeper layers thereof. In addition, using resveratrol for topical and transdermal delivery faces the problems of its low solubility and poor stability. To overcome this, novel systems of delivery are being developed for the effective transport of resveratrol across the skin. Carriers in the micro and nano size were demonstrated to be more efficient for safe and faster topical and transdermal delivery of active substances. The present review aimed to discuss the role of resveratrol in the treatment of skin abnormalities with a special emphasis on technologies enhancing transdermal delivery of resveratrol.

Glyoxalase System in the Progression of Skin Aging and Skin Malignancies

Dicarbonyl compounds, including methylglyoxal (MGO) and glyoxal (GO), are mainly formed as byproducts of glucose metabolism. The main glyoxalase system consists of glyoxalase I and II (Glo1 and Glo2) and is the main enzyme involved in the detoxification of dicarbonyl stress, which occurs as an accumulation of MGO or GO due to decreased activity or expression of Glo1. Dicarbonyl stress is a major cause of cellular and tissue dysfunction that causes various health issues, including diabetes, aging, and cancer. The skin is the largest organ in the body. In this review, we discuss the role of the glyoxalase system in the progression of skin aging, and more importantly, skin malignancies. We also discuss the future prospects of the glyoxalase system in other skin abnormalities such as psoriasis and vitiligo, including hyperpigmentation. Finally, in the present review, we suggest the role of glyoxalase in the progression of skin aging and glyoxalase system as a potential target for anticancer drug development for skin cancer.

Neurovascular, muscle, and skin changes on [18F]FDG PET/MRI in foot complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

Background: The goal of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive visualization of muscular, neurovascular, and skin changes secondary to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Methods: Seven adult patients with CRPS in the lower extremity and seven healthy adult controls participated in our [18F]FDG PET/MRI study. All participants received whole-body PET/MRI scans one hour after the injection of 10mCi [18F]FDG. Resulting PET/MRI images were reviewed by two radiologists. Metabolic and anatomic abnormalities identified, were grouped into muscular, neurovascular, and skin lesions. The [18F]FDG uptake of each lesion was compared with that of corresponding areas in controls using a Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: On PET images, muscular, neurovascular, and skin abnormalities were found in 5, 4 and 2 patients, respectively. However, on MRI images, no muscular abnormalities were detected. Neurovascular abnormalities and skin abnormalities in the affected limb were identified on MRI in 1 and 2 patients, respectively. The difference in [18F]FDG uptake between the patients and the controls was significant in muscle (p = 0.018) and neurovascular bundle (p = 0.0005).Conclusions: The increased uptake of [18F]FDG in the symptomatic areas likely reflects the increased metabolism due to the inflammatory response causing pain. Therefore, our approach combining metabolic ([18F]FDG PET) and anatomic (MRI) imaging may offer non-invasive monitoring of the distribution and progression of inflammatory changes associated with CRPS. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03195270. Registered 19 June 2017 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03195270

Treatment of Dystonia Using Trihexyphenidyl in Costello Syndrome

Costello syndrome (CS), a rare syndrome with multisystemic involvement inherited as a dominant trait, is characterized by developmental delay, coarse facial appearance, cardiac defects including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, skin abnormalities, brain complications, and a predisposition to certain malignancies. The musculoskeletal system is particularly affected in CS, with peculiar orthopedic anomalies that impact posture and gait. Dystonia has been recently documented to contribute to abnormal postures and musculoskeletal anomalies characterizing CS, suggesting the possible use of pharmacological treatments to treat these complications. We report the case of a child affected by CS displaying a particularly severe musculoskeletal involvement with dystonic posture especially in the arms and legs. The Movement Disorder-Childhood Rating Scale (MD-CRS) and a gait analysis were used to assess clinical patterns of hyperkinetic movement disorder and dystonia. The child was further treated with trihexyphenidyl for six months with a final dosage of 14 mg. MD-CRS and gait analysis assessments provided evidence for a significant improvement of posture and the related musculoskeletal problems with no side effects. Our preliminary study report provides first evidence that pharmacological anti-dystonia treatment significantly improves movement and posture disorders in patients with CS. Further studies enrolling larger cohorts of patients should be performed to validate these preliminary observations.