Search Results (3,951)

Background/Objectives: Vitis vinifera is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds that are known for their benefits on skin health, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective effects. Red wines have shown a positive impact on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer prevention; however, evidence regarding their effects on skin biology remains scarce. This study evaluated red wine concentrates obtained from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties, selected based on their previously demonstrated biological activities, to identify the samples with the highest potential for skin health applications by assessing their inhibitory activity against skin-related enzymes (tyrosinase, elastase, and collagenase), along with their effects on HaCaT cells, including cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activities. Methods: Enzyme inhibition studies were based on spectrophotometric methods; the MTT and CV assays were carried out to test the cytotoxicity, and the DCFH-DA assay was employed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the wine concentrates; wound healing potential was examined by the cell scratch assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using ELISA and qPCR analyses. PCA of the samples and their biological activity was performed as well. Results: Examined red wine concentrates exhibited significant enzyme inhibitory activity and showed no cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells up to the concentration of 50 μg/mL; the samples stimulated cell migration, inhibited intracellular ROS production in AAPH-stressed keratinocytes, and selectively modulated TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses, reducing IL-8 secretion while enhancing certain cytokine transcripts, underscoring the complexity of their bioactive effects. Conclusions: Red wine concentrates showed significant potential as skin-beneficial agents, demonstrating strong antiaging, marked cellular antioxidant effects and wound healing activity when applied at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Multivariate analysis revealed distinct bioactivity profiles among the wine concentrates. Full article

Flexible pressure sensors featuring high sensitivity, a broad detection range, and excellent stability are pivotal components for high-precision electronic skins and human health monitoring. To circumvent the limitations of existing sensors in maintaining high responsiveness across extensive pressure ranges, herein, a novel flexible capacitive pressure sensor is developed based on a 3D porous ionogel foam composite (IL/EG/PVA@MF) coupled with a planar electrode array. This device leverages the synergistic structural engineering of the 3D hyperelastic melamine foam (MF) skeleton and the pressure-regulated fringe-field distribution and iontronic interfacial polarization of the porous ionogel. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the sensor achieves a high normalized sensitivity of 62.45 kPa⁻¹ (2–10 kPa) and maintains reliable piecewise linear sensing performance across a broad working range of 0–50 kPa, accompanied by a rapid response time of within 8 ms. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits outstanding performance consistency after 6000 compression-release cycles at 50 kPa, verifying its good mechanical durability. In practical applications, the device can monitor diverse physiological signals with high fidelity, ranging from subtle radial artery pulses to large-scale joint movements and specific coughing patterns, underscoring its broad potential for integrated wearable systems and intelligent healthcare. Full article

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a relapsing course and a substantial multidimensional burden. Conventional clinical and patient-reported outcome measures mainly provide cross-sectional evaluations and may not fully capture the long-term impact of the disease. The concept of cumulative life course impairment (CLCI) has been proposed to describe the progressive and lifelong consequences of chronic dermatologic conditions. Methods: This narrative review is based on a non-systematic literature search conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase up to July 2026. Relevant studies addressing quality of life, mental health, comorbidities, and economic burden in AD were identified and narratively synthesized, with particular focus on evidence supporting the CLCI framework. Results: AD exerts a cumulative burden across multiple domains. Pruritus and sleep disturbance emerge as key drivers, contributing to a self-reinforcing cycle involving psychological distress and impaired daily functioning. Increased rates of anxiety and depression, along with social stigmatization, negatively affect interpersonal relationships, educational attainment, and work productivity. Comorbidities and the chronic relapsing nature of AD further amplify long-term impairment. Economic burden, including both direct and indirect costs, acts as both a consequence and a driver of cumulative disadvantage. Recurrent disease flares play a central role in sustaining and amplifying this trajectory over time. Conclusions: AD should be considered a life-course disease in which interacting biological, psychological, and social factors shape long-term outcomes. A CLCI-oriented approach may improve patient stratification and support earlier, multidisciplinary, and proactive management strategies aimed at reducing long-term burden and improving overall outcomes. Full article

Background: Skin cancer encompasses a diverse range of malignancies and remains a significant global health challenge. Accurate machine-learning-assisted diagnosis can substantially improve patient outcomes through early detection and timely clinical intervention. Federated Learning (FL) enables privacy-preserving collaborative model training across multiple healthcare institutions while ensuring that sensitive patient data remain decentralized. However, deploying advanced architectures such as Vision Transformers (ViTs) in clinical environments is challenging due to the high computational demands of self-attention mechanisms. Methods: This work proposes FedSwin-LHTP, an efficient federated learning framework for skin lesion classification that integrates a Swin Transformer backbone with a Lightweight Hessian-Inspired Token Pruning (LHTP) mechanism. LHTP estimates token importance using a second-order Taylor approximation around converged local model parameters to identify less informative patch tokens, enabling the early pruning of redundant representations without explicitly computing the Hessian matrix. Furthermore, the framework incorporates the FedProx optimization objective to mitigate client drift under heterogeneous non-IID data distributions. The proposed framework is evaluated on the HAM10000 and ISIC datasets under realistic non-IID federated settings. Results: Experimental results demonstrate stable convergence, effective knowledge aggregation, and robust diagnostic discrimination across distributed clients. By adaptively pruning approximately 60% of Stage-1 tokens, the proposed framework substantially reduces the computational burden of local transformer processing while maintaining high multiclass classification performance, achieving an accuracy of up to 96.1% on the evaluated datasets. Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of FedSwin-LHTP as a practical, privacy-preserving, and resource-efficient solution for collaborative healthcare intelligence. Full article

Background/Objectives: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that requires long-term management and continuous patient education regarding triggers, skincare practices, and treatment adherence. In recent years, patients have increasingly turned to online platforms and artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots for health-related information. Although ChatGPT has been evaluated in the context of rosacea, evidence regarding the performance of other AI chatbots remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy, reliability, quality, readability, and diagnostic relevance of AI-generated responses to common rosacea-related patient questions and to assess their potential role as sources of health-related information. Methods: Between 21 December 2025 and 22 February 2026, rosacea-related questions were collected from the publicly accessible Quora platform using a systematic screening process. Twenty clinically relevant and representative questions covering diagnosis, triggers, treatment options, skincare practices, and disease manifestations were selected. Each question was independently submitted to three AI chatbots (Claude Sonnet 4.5, ChatGPT-5.2, and DeepSeek-V3.2). Responses were evaluated by domain experts using the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) for reliability, the Global Quality Scale (GQS) for overall quality, the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) for readability, and a 5-point Likert scale for accuracy. Reference hallucinations were assessed through manual verification of cited sources. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Friedman test with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc analyses, and effect sizes were calculated using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (Kendall’s W). Results: Significant differences were observed among the AI chatbots across all evaluation domains (p < 0.05), with moderate to large effect sizes (Kendall’s W = 0.272–0.683). ChatGPT-5.2 and DeepSeek-V3.2 demonstrated significantly higher reliability and accuracy scores than Claude Sonnet 4.5. DeepSeek-V3.2 achieved the highest overall quality scores, whereas ChatGPT-5.2 produced the most readable responses. Reference analysis revealed variable hallucination rates among the evaluated models. Conclusions: Generative AI chatbots demonstrate considerable potential as sources of health-related information for rosacea-related queries. However, variability in performance and reference hallucination rates highlights the need for careful validation before their widespread use as complementary sources of patient health information. Full article

Athletic environments—ranging from natural grass pitches and synthetic crumb–rubber turf to indoor mats and hardwood courts—are increasingly recognized as dynamic built-environment microbiomes rather than inert platforms. These surfaces are continuously exposed to human skin contact, perspiration and environmental debris, and may act as reservoirs for both beneficial commensals and opportunistic pathogens. The present study characterized and compared the taxonomic diversity of bacterial communities across four distinct sports surfaces and tested whether surface material or intensity of human use is the stronger determinant of community structure. Environmental swabs were collected from natural grass pitches, synthetic crumb–rubber turf, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) karate mats and hardwood squash courts, before and after sporting activity. Bacterial communities were profiled by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, with taxonomic assignment against the SILVA reference database. Alpha diversity was quantified using the Shannon and Simpson indices, and community structure (beta diversity) was visualized by Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) on Bray–Curtis dissimilarities. Surface material was the strongest predictor of microbial composition. Natural grass exhibited high alpha diversity dominated by soil-dwelling Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, whereas synthetic surfaces showed reduced diversity but a markedly higher prevalence of human skin-associated taxa (Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium and Streptococcus). High-contact PVC mats underwent a significant relative enrichment in these skin-associated genera following active training. PCoA revealed clear spatial segregation by material. A multivariate PERMANOVA confirmed surface material as the primary driver of microbial structure, explaining 52.2% of the total variance (p < 0.001), whereas the intensity of human use (pre- vs. post-activity) explained only 2.8% of the variance (p = 0.035), with a non-significant interaction term (p = 0.178). These findings demonstrate that sports surfaces are living biological landscapes whose microbial fingerprint is strongly associated with specific surface types. This provides a molecular baseline for targeted hygiene interventions and future antimicrobial-material design tailored to specific athletic disciplines. Full article

Background/Objectives: Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is the most common work-related skin disease, accounting for roughly 90–95% of occupational dermatoses and falling predominantly on the hands. It is rarely dangerous yet imposes a substantial burden through impaired quality of life, lost productivity, and premature exit from affected trades. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified this burden among healthcare workers, in whom the pooled one-year prevalence of self-reported hand eczema reaches around 27%; meta-analytic data link the increased risk principally to frequent handwashing and wet work rather than to alcohol-based hand rub. Methods: This narrative review, which follows a non-systematic, thematically organised search strategy rather than PRISMA methodology, integrates current evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and management of OCD, with particular emphasis on the self-reinforcing cycle linking skin barrier disruption, microbiome dysbiosis, and antimicrobial-peptide dysregulation to inflammation. Results: We critically appraise the prevention evidence, foregrounding the low certainty of the existing trial base and the tension between the randomised trials of primary and secondary prevention, which have been null, and the encouraging but uncontrolled results of structured tertiary-prevention programmes. We summarise recent therapeutic advances, including topical delgocitinib, and situate the field within the World Health Organisation’s 2025 recognition of skin diseases as a global public health priority. Established evidence and hypotheses are kept separate throughout: we additionally advance, explicitly as a conjecture rather than as a demonstrated mechanism, a conceptual trans-kingdom dialogue model in which protease-generated LL-37 fragments may modulate staphylococcal quorum sensing, and each step of that model is labelled according to whether the supporting evidence is direct, extrapolated, or as yet untested. Conclusions: We argue that the prevention failure is less one of biology than of trial design and measurement, and outline the research needed to close the gap. Full article

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a non-climacteric fruit that reaches its optimal organoleptic and nutraceutical quality only when fully ripened on the tree. However, growers often harvest prematurely to avoid weather-related losses or to capture early-market premiums. This study evaluated the impact of harvest timing on the pomological and nutraceutical profiles of nine red-skinned sweet cherry cultivars (Black Star, Burlat, Cashmere, Ferrovia, Giorgia, Grace Star, Lapins, Regina, Sandra Rose) grown in the Puglia region of Southeastern Italy, a major Mediterranean production area. Fruits were collected at two maturity stages: light-red skin (Stage 1) and dark-red skin (Stage 2). Pomological parameters, i.e., fruit weight, equatorial diameter, CIELAB color parameters, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and nutraceutical metrics (total polyphenols, total anthocyanins, FRAP antioxidant activity) were measured. Delaying harvest significantly increased fruit weight (5.7–24.5%), equatorial diameter (up to 9.8%), and SSC (14.0% average, up to 26.4% in early ripening cultivars), while decreasing TA in most cultivars (non-significant in some). The SSC/TA ratio, a key driver of consumer preference, improved substantially across all genotypes. CIELAB parameters h° and C* decreased sharply, and L* generally decreased, reflecting intense anthocyanin accumulation. Total polyphenols increased by 20.7–68.8%, total anthocyanin content (TAC) by 203–1053% and FRAP antioxidant capacity by 20.7–111.7%. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant (p < 0.01), cultivar × stage, interactions for all parameters, confirming genotype-dependent ripening kinetics. Principal component analysis using all quality parameters clearly separated Stage 1 from Stage 2 fruits, with SSC, TAC, and FRAP as primary discriminators. These results demonstrate that delaying harvest until a uniform dark-red skin consistently enhanced fruit size, SSC, and health-promoting bioactive compounds across all evaluated genotypes. We provide cultivar-specific harvest calendars, colorimetric targets (hue angle ≤ 10° for optimal maturity), and a quantitative framework to help growers balance quality improvement against agronomic risks. Full article

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria are recognized as pathogens affecting aquatic animals and humans. Although Mycobacterium marinum is traditionally considered the principal etiological agent of fish mycobacteriosis and fish-tank granuloma in humans, the contribution of Mycobacterium chelonae in fish as well as in humans remains underestimated, particularly in Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN)-negative lesions. In this study, granulomatous lesions of marine fish species and human skin biopsies were investigated using histopathology and molecular diagnostics. Following histological evaluation, all samples were analysed by PCR amplification and sequencing of the hsp65 gene to identify the causative agent. Fish and human tissues showed similar chronic granulomatous lesions, with all cases negative for acid-fast bacilli by ZN staining. Molecular analysis consistently identified M. chelonae in both marine fish organs and human skin lesions exhibiting clinicopathological features traditionally attributed to M. marinum. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high genetic similarity between fish- and human-derived sequences, suggesting shared environmental reservoirs rather than host-specific lineages. These findings identify M. chelonae as an underrecognized cause of granulomatous disease in fish and humans and demonstrate the limitations of histochemical methods in these infections. Incorporating molecular diagnostics into routine investigations of granulomatous disease supports more accurate diagnosis across veterinary and human medicine and strengthens One Health surveillance of aquatic non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. Full article

Extreme heat events are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. However, evidence from disadvantaged urban settings in Africa remains scarce. This systematic review aimed to synthesize existing research on the health impacts of extreme heat in Africa’s disadvantaged urban communities. A systematic literature search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines across eleven databases (PubMed, Cochrane, VHL, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Research4Life, DOAJ, Emerald, Taylor & Francis, Annual Reviews, and IRIS), carried out over two search periods (December 2023–March 2024 and December 2024–February 2025). Eligible studies were published between 2010 and 2024 in English, French, or Portuguese, and examined direct or indirect heat-health effects in disadvantaged urban settings. Screening of 96,608 titles and 59 abstracts yielded 21 eligible studies. Geographically, the evidence was concentrated in South Africa (n = 7), Kenya (n = 6), and Tanzania (n = 4), with single studies from Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ghana. Heat-related morbidity was examined in 17 studies and mortality in four. Commonly reported conditions included dehydration, heat exhaustion, skin rashes, heatstroke, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Extreme heat was further associated with mortality from non-communicable diseases, pneumonia, and acute respiratory infections. Children, older adults, and the most economically deprived communities exhibited heightened vulnerability, driven by adverse socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The available evidence confirms substantial heat-health impacts on disadvantaged urban populations across Africa, while revealing a notable research gap in French- and Portuguese-language literature. These findings underscore the urgent need for expanded, geographically and linguistically diverse research to inform climate adaptation strategies and health protection policies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Breastfeeding is universally recognized as essential for neonatal health, offering benefits that extend into later life stages. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for increasing access to effective, low-cost interventions that promote successful breastfeeding, such as skin-to-skin contact (SSC), kangaroo mother care (KMC), and rooming-in. This study aimed to assess the local context regarding the use and dissemination of practices such as prenatal classes, immediate and post-delivery SSC, rooming-in, and the management of discharge and post-discharge care. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional survey across all 29 birth centers in two regions of Southern Italy. An online questionnaire was distributed to all neonatal units, and local data were compared with national, European, and global datasets. Results: Childbirth preparation classes were offered by 38% of centers. Fifteen centers routinely implemented SSC in the first two hours postpartum, while 12 centers used SSC for a shorter duration. Rooming-in was practiced in all centers, with 8 of 29 centers (27.6%) offering it on a full 24 h basis. A brief postpartum follow-up dedicated to breastfeeding support was provided in 12 of 29 centers (41.4%), and 6 centers offered a dedicated telephone breastfeeding consultation service. Conclusions: This survey confirmed the value of monitoring adherence to breastfeeding promotion practices at the regional level, within a broader national and global framework. Differences between units indicate the need for targeted interventions to implement all known, evidence-based methods for promoting breastfeeding initiation. Full article

Background: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of acute liver failure worldwide, yet epidemiological data from Central Asia remain scarce. Infodemiology—the study of online health information-seeking behavior—offers a novel approach to population-level health surveillance. Objective: Our aim was to investigate online information-seeking behavior related to DILI, hepatotoxic medications, and dietary supplements among the population of Kazakhstan using Google Trends data over a five-year period. Methods: A quantitative, retrospective, observational infodemiology study was conducted using Google Trends data from Kazakhstan (May 2021–May 2026). A total of 21 search terms were organized into five thematic sets: DILI symptoms, hepatotoxic medications, self-treatment and detoxification, liver-related symptoms, and general medication queries. Sets 1–4 were searched in Russian and Set 5 in Kazakh. Descriptive statistics, the Mann–Kendall trend test, and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis were performed using PAST software version 5. Results: A statistically significant trend was identified for 20 out of 21 search terms (p < 0.05). The majority of terms showed decreasing trends over the study period. In contrast, dietary supplements (BAD) demonstrated the strongest increasing trend (S = +1275, Z = +7.93, p < 0.001). Search interest for the general term “liver” was the highest of all 21 terms (mean RSV 84.30), while specific DILI symptoms such as dark urine (mean 1.28) and skin itching (mean 0.07) showed minimal search activity. Strong positive correlations were found between paracetamol and antibiotic searches (rs = 0.812, p < 0.001), consistent with self-medication patterns. Dietary supplements showed significant negative correlations with all detox-related terms (rs = −0.650, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the first infodemiology study on DILI in Central Asia. The significant increase in dietary supplement searches, combined with the low public awareness of specific DILI symptoms, highlights a critical public health concern. These findings underscore the need for enhanced regulation of dietary supplements, targeted public health education, and the integration of digital surveillance tools into pharmacovigilance systems in Kazakhstan. Full article

Human skin tone is an important consideration in pulse oximetry and evaluating skin health conditions. Various tools are available to measure skin tone, including visual scales, palette based estimations, and optical sensor based devices. The objective of this experimental study is to compare common skin tone measurement methods. We used Fitzpatrick Skin Type (self- and observer-reported), Pantone SkinTone Guide, Delfin SkinColorCatch, and Nix Spectro 2 devices to measure the forehead skin tone of 52 participants. We compared measurements in L*a*b color space and in individual typology angles (ITA). We observed statistically significant correlation between methods, including in specific color space components (L* and ITA). Between the device measurements, we observed discrepancies in ITA values. Such discrepancies, together with a lack of standard or ground truth method, show a need for further research into skin tone measurement. We suggest in the interim that research and clinical work adopt protocols that take current methodological limitations into consideration, for example through the parallel use of different methods if applicable. Further work is needed to develop validated, reliable and consistent skin tone measurement tools. Full article

Background/Objectives: Verbena officinalis has long been used in traditional medicine for treating skin disorders, yet its potential in advanced wound-dressing systems remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to characterize V. officinalis extracts obtained using different solvents, evaluate their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, cytotoxic, and wound-healing activities, and develop electrospun polycaprolactone–polyethylene glycol (PCL–PEG) nanofibers as a delivery platform for the most active extract. Methods: Extracts were chemically characterized by LC–MS and evaluated against clinical bacterial, yeast, and dermatophyte isolates associated with skin infections. Antibiofilm activity was assessed against Staphylococcus lugdunensis. The most active hydroalcoholic extract (EW7.5) was incorporated into PCL–PEG nanofibers (1–10%, w/w). Metabolite release was monitored by semi-quantitative LC–MS analysis. Cytotoxicity and wound-healing activity were evaluated using HaCaT keratinocytes, while in vivo efficacy was assessed in a full-thickness excisional wound model in Dark Agouti rats (five animals per group in two independent experiments). Results: EW7.5 exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity, with MIC values of 0.06 mg/mL against all tested bacterial and Candida strains and 0.06–0.5 mg/mL against dermatophytes. It inhibited S. lugdunensis biofilm formation by 79.43% at MIC/4 and reduced pre-formed biofilm biomass by 64.98% at 2 × MBC. EW7.5 and EW7.5-loaded nanofibers showed no cytotoxicity up to 400 μg/mL. In the scratch assay, the free extract achieved 42.34 ± 1.58% wound closure, while nanofibers containing 10% EW7.5 achieved 25.87 ± 2.52%, compared to 7.73 ± 0.07% for the control. In vivo, EW7.5-loaded membranes significantly accelerated wound closure and the 10% formulation significantly improved extracellular matrix deposition and vascular remodeling compared to the control membrane. Conclusions: EW7.5-loaded PCL–PEG nanofibers combine antimicrobial, antibiofilm, biocompatible, and wound-healing properties, supporting their potential as multifunctional wound dressings. Nevertheless, further studies with mechanistic investigations are required to fully establish their therapeutic applicability. Full article

Bioactive food ingredients that regulate the gut microbiota are promising dietary strategies for supporting systemic health, but their roles in skin photoaging remain insufficiently defined. Qiongyu Gao (QYG), a classical food–medicine homologous formula composed of Rehmanniae Radix, Panax ginseng, and Poria cocos, was evaluated as an oral functional food candidate for UV-induced skin photoaging. QYG was chemically characterized by HPLC and UPLC–QTOF–MS/MS. Young and aged mice were subjected to D-galactose plus UVA/UVB exposure and orally administered QYG, followed by skin transcriptomics, gut microbiota sequencing, serum metabolomics, and validation in UVB-injured primary dermal fibroblasts. QYG alleviated wrinkle formation, epidermal thickening, oxidative stress, inflammation, extracellular matrix degradation, collagen disorganization, and hyaluronic acid loss. Multi-omics analysis showed that QYG selectively remodeled gut microbiota, enriching Lactobacillus-, Bifidobacterium-, and Akkermansia-associated taxa, regulated serum metabolites related to energy and lipid metabolism, and enriched mitochondrial energy metabolism-related pathways in photoaged skin. In fibroblasts, QYG-containing serum restored mitochondrial membrane potential, reduced ROS accumulation and cellular senescence, and regulated AMPK/PGC-1α-associated markers. These findings support QYG as a promising food–medicine homologous functional food candidate for skin health maintenance through gut microbiota-associated systemic metabolic regulation. Full article