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In this study, a detailed phytochemical investigation of compounds in the twigs of the mistletoe Loranthus europaeus Jacq., which belongs to the Loranthaceae family, is presented. Specimens were collected from the mistletoe L. europaeus growing on oak trees in the mainland of Greece. The alliance of oaks and mistletoes became a symbol of knowledge and strength for many centuries. Although numerous compounds of aerial tissues of other mistletoes, e.g., Viscum album, have been published, few studies have been conducted to investigate the metabolic and physiological traits of the hemiparasitic, deciduous Loranthus europaeus. LC-HRMS-based analysis led to a detailed characterization of ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of the twigs of L. europaeus, which, to the best of our knowledge, exhibit enhanced antioxidant potential. Hence, twenty-four and twenty-six compounds were tentatively identified from the ethyl acetate and dichloromethane twigs' extracts, respectively; these compounds belong to fatty acids, flavonoids, and flavonoid glycosides. Also, chlorophyll, soluble sugar, starch, and lipid contents in the twigs of L. europaeus, which have not hitherto been published, were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of extracts of aerial tissues (i.e. flowers, leaves, stems, twigs and berries) of the mistletoe Loranthus europaeus that grow on oak trees in a natural forest, in the mainland of Greece. Total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of aerial issues of L. europaeus was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, the Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, the free radical DPPH scavenging and the Co(II)/EDTA induced luminol plateau chemiluminescence assay. Extracts of twigs and stems of L. europaeus exhibited higher antioxidant activity in comparison to that of fruits, leaves and flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with autoimmune urticaria (AIU) and positive autologous serum skin test (ASST) represent a more serious type of chronic urticaria that does not respond to treatment with antihistamines, but responds completely to systemic corticosteroids. Because of the chronic course of the disease, there is a risk of side-effects. Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an alternative treatment for patients with AIU. In order to determine the efficacy of CsA at the lowest possible dose in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria and positive ASST, 30 patients were included in a 5-month study with a follow-up one year after the end of treatment. All patients had positive ASST before treatment and autoantibodies were present in 73%. Twentythree patients completed the study and responded to low-dose CsA treatment. Three patients did not respond to a dose of 2.5 mg/kg CsA, and 4 patients dropped-out due to side-effects. After the first month of treatment, an improvement of 31% was noted, reaching 88% after the fifth month of treatment. The mean dose of CsA was 2.16 mg/kg for the first month and 0.55 mg/kg for the fifth month. Three to 6 months after the end of the study, the ASST was repeated and was negative in 78.3% of patients. At the one-year follow-up, 20 patients were symptom-free (87%) and 3 had relapsed (13%). CsA, even in low-doses, can bean effective and short-term treatment with minimum side-effects in patients with AIU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Although cutaneous warts are extremely common in children effective treatment does not exist. We combined imiquimod with a salicylic acid solution 15% (SA) on areas, with thick keratin, like palms and soles to increase its penetration through the epithelium.Methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was subjected to cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen every two weeks for a maximum of 3 months. The second group was subjected to treatment with imiquimod 5% daily for 6–10 h onto the warts for five consecutive days per week for a maximum of 3 months.Results: Eighty-six children were included, 35 girls and 51 boys, 49 in the cryotherapy group and 37 in the imiquimod and SA group. At the end of the third month no statistically significant difference could be noted between the imiquimod 5% and salicylic acid and cryotherapy groups (p = 0.154). Thirty (81.1%) children treated with imiquimod 5% and salicylic acid were free from their warts in comparison to 33 (67.3%) children treated with cryotherapy.Conclusions: Imiquimod 5% cream as a monotherapy or in combination with SA can be used safely in children with warts and is equally effective and more effective than cryotherapy in plantar warts.Limitations: Our study is not placebo controlled and spontaneous resolution cannot be ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sensitive skin is an area of considerable research interest. Although research has been performed in people who consider their skin to be sensitive, genital skin sensitivity has not been explored. Objective: Determine whether women with prior dermatologist-assessed vulvar erythema exhibited greater irritation to sanitary pads, and whether such women considered their skin to be sensitive, based on self-reported reactions to products used on the face or genitalia. Methods: A retrospective questionnaire was administered and post-hoc analysis performed on 2 subgroups of women who had participated in a prior randomized trial of sanitary pads: ie, those who presented either with or without preexisting vulvar erythema on clinical trial enrollment. Results: Women with preexisting vulvar erythema were more likely to report facial redness induced by cosmetics J compared with women without vulvar erythema. Despite the persistence of slightly higher erythema scores among women with preexisting vulvar erythema in a prospective sanitary pad trial, no correlation to self-reported genital sensitivity was found. Conclusions: Women with preexisting vulvar erythema were no more likely to perceive their skin as sensitive. However, they might be a more sensitive population based on the persistence of slight vulvar erythema in a prospective trial and a correlation with self-reported facial erythema with cosmetics. Because vulvar erythema was assessed objectively, its correlation with self-reported facial but not genital sensitivity may reflect the fact that facial changes are more noticeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the skin compatibility of two menstrual pad technologies in a single-center, parallel, randomized, examiner-blinded study involving adult women. This report presents the results of a subset of 10 participants who had a genital infection within 12 months prior to the start of the study. In a blinded fashion, participants were randomized to receive one of the two pads for use over two menstrual periods. Participants' skin erythema was graded 24–48 hours following cessation of menstrual flow and on day 14 of each menstrual cycle. Participants subjectively reported any sensory effects. Vulvar erythema scores for the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, perineum, buttocks, left medial thigh, and right medial thigh assessed after both menstrual cycles were not statistically different between groups or between the two different products. A low incidence of itching and burning occurred in both groups without statistical significance; none of the participants experienced a recurrent or new genital infection. These preliminary results show that participants with recent genital infections included in clinical studies do not exhibit greater vulvar erythema or sensory effects than participants without recent genital infection. The study showed that the safety profile of the products tested remained acceptable in women with recent genital infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]