Objective
Product aesthetics and sensory performance can strongly influence a cosmetic product’s acceptance by consumers. However, classic sensory analysis is time‐consuming, expensive and does not ...provide information on the target group’s preference. In the previous phase of this project, we had untrained consumers evaluate six cosmetic emulsions based on their aesthetics using a check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) survey. In this project, our goals were to quantitatively characterize the rheology and textural properties of the six cosmetic emulsions containing green, bio‐derived emollients and identify statistical relationships between the consumers’ description of products and the instrumental measurements.
Methods
Six emulsions were prepared—three with olive oil and three with heptyl undecylenate as an emollient. Four sensory‐like attributes, namely firmness, work of shear, stickiness and adhesiveness, were tested using a texture analyser. Rheological characterization included continuous flow testing and oscillatory measurements. Droplet size and stability were also evaluated. Statistical relationships were quantified between measurements in this study and sensory survey results published previously.
Results
The textural and rheological results indicated that the emulsions were different—as designed. The texture and rheology measurements had analogous grouping outcomes to the consumers’ discrimination. Emulsions 1 and 2 were the firmest, hardest to spread, stickiest and had the highest viscosity, while Emulsions 5 and 6 were the least firm, easiest to spread, less sticky than Emulsions 1 and 2, and had the lowest viscosity. Emulsions 3 and 4 fell in between the other two groups. Using olive oil instead of heptyl undecylenate as an emollient increased firmness, spreading, stickiness, viscosity and droplet size of the emulsions in every case—when comparing emulsions within each pair. All six emulsions had a shear‐thinning behaviour. Viscosity and firmness directly correlated for the emulsions. Emulsions were visually stable at room temperature over the course of 6 months and viscosity remained relatively constant over this period also.
Conclusion
Certain sensory attributes can be reliably predicted with instrumental measurements. Identifying and quantifying sensory–texture–rheology relationships can contribute to achieving appropriate product characteristics tailored to suit market needs.
In this project, our goals were to quantitatively characterize the rheology and textural properties of the six cosmetic emulsions and identify statistical relationships between the consumers’ description of products (CATA survey) and the instrumental measurements. It was found that sensory analysis cannot be replaced with instrumental measurements; however, certain sensory attributes can be reliably predicted with instrumental analysis. Identifying and quantifying sensory‐texture‐rheology relationships can contribute to achieving appropriate product characteristics tailored to suit market needs.
Purpose
18F-2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) is a sensitive and quantitative technic for detecting inflammatory process. Glucose uptake is correlated with an increased anaerobic ...glycolysis seen in activated inflammatory cells such as monocytes, lymphocytes, and granulocytes. The aim of the study was to assess the inflammatory status at the presumed peak of the inflammatory phase in non-critically ill patients requiring admission for COVID-19.
Methods
Patients admitted with COVID-19 were prospectively enrolled. FDG PET/CT was performed from day 6 to day 14 of the onset of symptoms. Depending on FDG PET/CT findings, patients’ profiles were classified as “inflammatory” or “low inflammatory.” FDG PET/CT data were compared with chest CT evolution and short-term clinical outcome. All inflammatory sites were reported to screen potential extra-pulmonary tropism.
Results
Thirteen patients were included. Maximum standardized uptake values ranged from 4.7 to 16.3 in lungs. All patients demonstrated increased mediastinal lymph nodes glucose uptake. Three patients (23%) presented mild nasopharyngeal, two patients (15%) bone marrow, and five patients (38%) splenic mild increase in glucose uptake. No patient had significant digestive focal or segmental glucose uptake. There was no significant physiological myocardial glucose uptake in all patients except one. There was no correlation between PET lung inflammatory status and chest CT evolution or short-term clinical outcome.
Conclusion
Inflammatory process at the presumed peak of the inflammatory phase in COVID-19 patients is obvious in FDG PET/CT scans. Glucose uptake is heterogeneous and typically focused on lungs.
Trial registration
NCT04441489. Registered 22 June 2020 (retrospectively registered).
The serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin is an important regulator of calcium-activated intracellular responses in eukaryotic cells. In higher eukaryotes, calcium/calmodulin-mediated activation ...of calcineurin facilitates direct dephosphorylation and nuclear translocation of the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT). Recently, controversy has surrounded the role of calcineurin in mediating skeletal muscle cell hypertrophy. Here we examined the ability of calcineurin-deficient mice to undergo skeletal muscle hypertrophic growth following mechanical overload (MOV) stimulation or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) stimulation. Two distinct models of calcineurin deficiency were employed: calcineurin Aβ gene-targeted mice, which show a ≈50% reduction in total calcineurin, and calcineurin B1-LoxP-targeted mice crossed with a myosin light chain 1f cre knock-in allele, which show a greater than 80% loss of total calcineurin only in skeletal muscle. Calcineurin Aβ-/- and calcineurin B1-LoxP(fl/fl)-MLC-cre mice show essentially no defects in muscle growth in response to IGF-1 treatment or MOV stimulation, although calcineurin Aβ-/- mice show a basal defect in total fiber number in the plantaris and a mild secondary reduction in growth, consistent with a developmental defect in myogenesis. Both groups of gene-targeted mice show normal increases in Akt activation following MOV or IGF-1 stimulation. However, overload-mediated fiber-type switching was dramatically impaired in calcineurin B1-LoxP(fl/fl)-MLC-cre mice. NFAT-luciferase reporter transgenic mice failed to show a correlation between IGF-1- or MOV-induced hypertrophy and calcineurin-NFAT-dependent signaling in vivo. We conclude that calcineurin expression is important during myogenesis and fiber-type switching, but not for muscle growth in response to hypertrophic stimuli.
During the last decade interest in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) has grown enormously. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an electrochemical technique commonly used for investigation of ...charge carrier dynamics in these photovoltaic devices. We used EIS for characterization of our DSC; moreover, symmetric cells with counter–counter or photo–photo electrodes were realized and measured in order to simplify impedance cell analysis by separating the contribution of counter and photoelectrode, respectively. In particular, we provided very accurate illumination of the photoelectrode symmetric cell, aiming to approach the experimental conditions of a complete cell. By fitting of experimental data, we obtained values for the charge transfer resistance at the counterelectrode and the electron percolation time at the photoelectrode. Moreover, the simulation of a whole cell, combining the data from the fitting procedures above, was in good agreement with experimental data.
Recently, the complex Co(dtb)
3
n+
(dtb
=
4,4 di tert-butyl-2,2′ bipyridine) in methoxypropionitrile (MPN) solvent has been proposed as an alternative redox mediator in the thin-layer dye sensitized ...solar cells. The electrochemical properties of this new mediator as a function of temperature were investigated by mean of symmetric golden electrodes thin-layer cell, using three electro-analytical techniques: electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), slow scan cyclic voltammetry (SCCV) and chronoamperometry (CA). Our study pointed out that, at room temperature, both the electron transfer rate
k°
=
1.24 10
−4
cm
s
−1 as well as the diffusion coefficient
D
=
5.85
×
10
−7
cm
s
−1 are rather low. Raising the temperature has a beneficial effect, increasing more than 6 times the standard rate constant of electron transfer and more than 3 times the ionic diffusion coefficient at 80
°C. However, for all the studied temperatures, the slow mass transport of Co
(III)/Co
(II) species still remains the rate determining step. Viscosity measurements have demonstrated that the ionic mass transport in MPN follows the Stokes’ law and the Walden product is constant, in the temperature range investigated.
Variations in the viscosity and other physical properties of heavy oils are poorly understood. The viscosities measured for different heavy oils can vary by orders of magnitude even at the same API ...gravity, which is the standard metric for lighter oils. Heavy oils are viscoelastic materials, and the shear modulus and the viscosity are coupled. Understanding what controls heavy oil viscosity will provide insight into what controls heavy oil shear modulus. Therefore, using rheology, ultrasonic measurements and molecular beam mass spectroscopy (MBMS) the physical and chemical properties of seven heavy oils from around the globe are explored. The viscoelastic nature of the oils is quantified as a function of temperature. Overall, the heavy oil samples show little correlation between the viscosity or shear modulus and the API gravity, separate resin content or separate asphaltene content as measured from SARA analysis. However, the total resin plus asphaltene content collapses the viscosity and modulus values to provide empirical relations between these quantities. Also, a partial least squares regression analysis provides tight correlations for the chemical signatures from the MBMS. The rapid and quantitative nature of the MBMS make it an attractive substitute for the inconsistencies endemic to SARA analysis.
Ultrasound (US) is the main imaging technique in the assessment of testicular masses, as it has proved to be highly accurate in the visualization of these pathologies. Identification of a Leydig cell ...tumor is essential since the lesion is benign in 90% of cases. The aim of this multicenter study is to assess the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating Leydig cell tumors from seminoma using qualitative and quantitative features.
From February 2011 to December 2013, 31 patients (mean age: 34 years; range: 25 - 52) were recruited for this prospective study. Three of them were monorchid. Therefore, a total of 59 testicles were assessed. All patients underwent grayscale US, color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), CEUS and orchiectomy. The paired one-tailed Student's t-test was carried out to differentiate between Leydig cell tumors and seminomas.
31 lesions suspicious for malignancy were hypoechoic on grayscale US while they did not show a typical pattern on CDUS. CEUS qualitative analysis, based on contrast enhancement pattern, during the arterial and venous phases, did not allow discrimination of Leydig cell tumors from seminoma. Quantitative analysis of time-intensity curves (TICs) demonstrated that only three parameters presented statistical significance, i. e. wash-in rate (WiR) p = 0.014, peak enhancement (PE) p = 0.001 and time to peak (TTP) p = 0.003.
The vascular bed of a Leydig cell tumor is wider and the blood flow velocity is higher than that of a seminoma due to more regular neovascularization. In contrast, a seminoma presents large areas of necrosis due to irregular neovascularization. This explains the different PE and WiR values. Further studies involving larger patient populations are mandatory to confirm these encouraging preliminary results.
Abstract Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of a 3D-endorectal 1 mm-thick slices MRI acquisition for local staging of low, intermediate and high D’Amico risk prostate cancer (PCa). Materials and ...methods 178 consecutive patients underwent a multiparametric MRI protocol prior to radical prostatectomy (RP). T2W images were acquired with the 3D sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions (SPACE) sequence (5 mn acquisition time). Direct and indirect MRI signs of extracapsular extension (ECE) were evaluated to predict the pT stage. The likelihood of SVI (seminal vesicle invasion) was also assessed. Results Histology showed ECE and SVI in 38 (21%) and 12 (7%) cases, respectively. MRI sensitivity and specificity to detect ECE were 55 and 96% if direct signs of ECE were used and 84 and 89% ( p < 0.05), if both direct and indirect signs were combined. D’Amico criteria did not influence MRI performance. Sensitivity and specificity for SVI detection were 83% and 99%. Conclusions 3D data sets acquired with the SPACE sequence provides a high accuracy for local staging of prostate cancer. The use of indirect signs of ECE may be recommended in low D’Amico risk tumors to optimise patient selection for active surveillance or focal therapy.
To report the early results of the Intact lesion excision system (LES) regarding feasibility, tolerance and efficiency in obtaining soft-tissue tumour samples under ultrasound guidance.
The ...feasibility and tolerance of Intact LES procedures under ultrasound guidance were studied prospectively in 15 patients. The procedure was performed on an outpatient basis under local anaesthesia by a single interventional radiologist with 6 years of experience and lasted around 30 min.
The feasibility of the Intact LES for soft-tissue masses was good except when lesions were hard and calcified. Tolerance was good, with median pain experienced during the procedure evaluated at 4.5/10 (SD 2.2) and median post-procedural pain at day 1 evaluated at 1.8/10 (SD 2.5). No major complications were observed; however, for vascularised lesions, one case of acute wound bleeding and two post-procedural haematomas led to delayed pain.
Percutaneous biopsy of suspected soft-tissue sarcoma using the LES device under ultrasound guidance is well tolerated and feasible. After a first non-contributing core biopsy, and especially, in the case of lipomatous lesions, it is a valuable option to consider, as is surgical incision biopsy.
•Preoperative biopsy is important for optimal management of soft-tissue sarcoma.•Surgical biopsy is performed if image-guided core biopsy is non-contributive.•16-18-gauge biopsy analysis is at risk of underestimation.•Intact system combines Ultrasound-guided biopsy with “surgical” large sample.•Intact biopsy for soft tissue masses can safely replace surgical biopsy.
Different preparation methods of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are well described in the literature, most of them in aqueous medium. Aqueous dispersions of AgNP normally have a limited capacity to ...tolerate high nanosilver concentrations. However, AgNP production in non-aqueous medium is still scarce although its exploitation for example, as coating for hydrophobic surfaces, would be of a huge importance in many technological applications. In this work, we report the chemical preparation of highly concentrated non-aqueous AgNP dispersions obtained by reduction of silver cation, from two distinct salt sources (AgNO
3
and AgBF
4
), by 1-butanol in the presence of a biocompatible poly(ether-block-amide) copolymer, named PEBA. The highest concentration reached was around 5 mM, when it used AgBF
4
as silver source and 4 % (w/w) of a PEBA solution in 1-butanol. This AgNP concentration is notably higher than the values reported in aqueous medium. The AgNP formation was attested by UV–Vis spectroscopic analysis, which showed the characteristic strong plasmon band at 420 nm. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the formation of a crystalline fcc silver metallic phase with particle diameters ranging from 5 to 10 nm accordingly to transmission electron microscopy examination. It was also observed that the AgNP dimensions are dependent on the PEBA and silver salt concentrations. The AgNP dispersions presented a very high antimicrobial activity against
E. coli
and
S. aureus
microorganisms, even in low concentration, attested by the Kirby-Bauer method.
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