The topical application of resorcinol can provoke a systemic allergic reaction

Simultaneous Detection of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers Using Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide-Carboxylated Carbon Nanotubes/Gold Nanoparticles Nanocomposite

An electrochemical sensor based on electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO), carboxylated carbon nanotubes (cMWCNT), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) (GCE/ErGO-cMWCNT/AuNPs) was developed for the simultaneous detection of dihidroxybenzen isomers (DHB) hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CC), and resorcinol (RS) using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The fabrication and optimization of the system were evaluated with Raman Spectroscopy, SEM, cyclic voltammetry, and DPV. Under optimized conditions, the GCE/ErGO-cMWCNT/AuNPs sensor exhibited a linear concentration range of 1.2–170 μM for HQ and CC, and 2.4–400 μM for RS with a detection limit of 0.39 μM, 0.54 μM, and 0.61 μM, respectively. When evaluated in tap water and skin-lightening cream, DHB multianalyte detection showed an average recovery rate of 107.11% and 102.56%, respectively. The performance was attributed to the synergistic effects of the 3D network formed by the strong π–π stacking interaction between ErGO and cMWCNT, combined with the active catalytic sites of AuNPs. Additionally, the cMWCNT provided improved electrocatalytic properties associated with the carboxyl groups that facilitate the adsorption of the DHB and the greater amount of active edge planes. The proposed GCE/ErGO-cMWCNT/AuNPs sensor showed a great potential for the simultaneous, precise, and easy-to-handle detection of DHB in complex samples with high sensitivity.

Acne scars: pathogenesis, classification and treatment

Acne has a prevalence of over 90% among adolescents and persists into adulthood in approximately 12%-14% of cases with psychological and social implications. Possible outcomes of the inflammatory acne lesions are acne scars which, although they can be treated in a number of ways, may have a negative psychological impact on social life and relationships. The main types of acne scars are atrophic and hypertrophic scars. The pathogenesis of acne scarring is still not fully understood, but several hypotheses have been proposed. There are numerous treatments: chemical peels, dermabrasion/microdermabrasion, laser treatment, punch techniques, dermal grafting, needling and combined therapies for atrophic scars: silicone gels, intralesional steroid therapy, cryotherapy, and surgery for hypertrophic and keloidal lesions. This paper summarizes acne scar pathogenesis, classification and treatment options.

Drug delivery across the skin

Since the introduction of the first through the skin (TTS) therapeutic in 1980, a total of 34 TTS products have been marketed and numerous drugs have been tested by more than 50 commercial organisations for their suitability for TTS delivery. Most of the agents which have been tested have had low molecular weights, due to the impermeability of the skin barrier. This barrier resides in the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum. It is mechanical, anatomical, as well as chemical in nature; laterally overlapping cell multi-layers are sealed by tightly packed, intercellular, lipid multi-lamellae. Chemical skin permeation enhancers increase the transport across the barrier by partly solubilising or extracting the skin lipids and by creating hydrophobic pores. This is often irritating and not always well-tolerated. The TTS approach allows drugs (< 400 kDa in size) to permeate through the resulting pores in the skin, with a short lag-time and subsequent steady-state period. Drug bioavailability for TTS delivery is typically below 50%, avoiding the first pass effect. Wider, hydrophilic channels can be generated by skin poration, with the aid of a small electrical current (> 0.4 mA/cm2) across the skin (iontophoresis) or therapeutic ultrasound (few W/cm2; sonoporation). High-voltage (> 150 V, electroporation) widens the pores even more and often irreversibly. These standard poration methods require experience and equipment and are therefore, not practical; at best, charged/small molecules (< or = 4000 kDa in size) can be delivered efficiently across the skin. In spite of the potential harm of gadget-driven skin poration, this method is used to deliver molecules which conventional TTS patches are unable to deliver, especially polypeptides. Lipid-based drug carriers (liposomes, niosomes, nanoparticle microemulsions, etc.) were proposed as alternative, low-risk delivery vehicles. Such suspensions provide an improved drug reservoir on the skin, but the aggregates remain confined to the surface. Conventional carrier suspensions increase skin hydration and/or behave as skin permeation enhancers. The recently developed carriers; Transferomes, comprise pharmaceutically-acceptable, established compounds and are thought to penetrate the skin barrier along the naturally occurring transcutaneous moisture gradient. Transfersomes are believed to penetrate the hydrophilic (virtual) channels in the skin and widen the former after non-occlusive administration. Both small and large hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules are deliverable across the stratum after conjugation with Transfersomes. Drug distribution after transdermal delivery probably proceeds via the lymph. This results in quasi-zero order kinetics with significant systemic drug levels reached after a lag-time of up to a few hours. The relative efficiency of TTS drug delivery with Transfersomes is typically above 50 %; with the added possibility of regional drug targeting.