Unilever (United States)

Mixtures of multiple surfactants that have superior performance to the individual components are highly sought-after commercially. Mixtures with a reduced Krafft point (TK) are particularly useful as they enable applications at lower temperatures. Such an example is the soap maker's eutectic: the mixture of sodium laurate (NaL) and sodium oleate (NaOl). A true eutectic implies that the two surfactants do not mix in the solid state but mix readily in the micellar solution above TK, leading to a sharp TK depression at a specific composition. However, the NaL/NaOl mixture shows a broad TK depression of >15 °C at a NaOl weight fraction (wO) of about 0.5. Our tie-line analysis shows that pure NaL and NaOl do not coexist in the solid phase on either side of the TK minimum. X-ray analysis of the isolated solids with varying wO reveals that a unique intermediate compound (I.C.) forms in the solid state with a NaL-to-NaOl mole ratio of about 4/3. Below the TK minimum, NaL and the I.C. coexist in the solids for wO < 0.5, whereas the I.C. and NaOl coexist in the solids for wO > 0.5. Each pair of solids exhibits eutectic or monotectic solubility behavior, and the congruent I.C. melting point is so close to that of the eutectic point(s) that a broad TK minimum ensues. Thermal analysis and modeling via the freezing-point depression approach support the above interpretation. The fact that surfactants with other headgroups but the same blend of chain lengths do not exhibit similar depressed TK is a topic for further study.

Mixtures of multiple surfactants that have superior performance to the individual components are highly sought-after commercially. Mixtures with a reduced Krafft point (TK) are particularly useful as they enable applications at lower temperatures. Such an example is the soap maker’s eutectic: the mixture of sodium laurate (NaL) and sodium oleate (NaOl). A true eutectic implies that the two surfactants do not mix in the solid state but mix readily in the micellar solution above TK, leading to a sharp TK depression at a specific composition. However, the NaL/NaOl mixture shows a broad TK depression of &gt; 15 °C at a NaOl weight fraction (wO) of about 0.5. Our tie-line analysis shows that pure NaL and NaOl do not coexist in the solid phase on either side of the TK minimum. X-ray analysis of the isolated solids with varying wO reveals that a unique intermediate compound (I.C.) forms in the solid state with a NaL-to-NaOl mole ratio of about 4/3. Below the TK minimum, NaL and the I.C. coexist in the solids for wO &lt; 0.5, whereas the I.C. and NaOl coexist in the solids for wO &gt; 0.5. Each pair of solids exhibits eutectic or monotectic solubility behavior, and the congruent I.C. melting point is so close to that of the eutectic point(s) that a broad TK minimum ensues. Thermal analysis and modeling via the freezing-point depression approach support the above interpretation. The fact that surfactants with other headgroups but the same blend of chain lengths do not exhibit similar depressed TK is a topic for further study.

Topical tretinoin is the mainstay of treatment for photoageing, despite the risk of skin irritation. Cosmetic combination anti-ageing formulations may offer similar efficacy to tretinoin, while improving on tolerability. We aim to demonstrate facial appearance benefits of a novel triple-active cosmetic formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide and to identify transcriptomic biomarkers underpinning these benefits. A cosmetic prototype formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide was evaluated exvivo and in a clinical study. For exvivo experiments, the cosmetic formulation was applied for 3 days to healthy surgical discard skin from female donors aged 31-51 years, with tissues harvested for gene expression and histologic analyses. In the clinical study, females aged 47-66 years with moderate-to-severe overall visual photodamage on the face applied either topical 0.02% tretinoin or the cosmetic formulation to the face for 16 weeks and to forearms for 1 week, with forearm biopsies taken for gene expression analyses. Visual grading for facial photodamage and VISIA-CR images was taken throughout the clinical study. Safety was visually assessed during site visits, and adverse event monitoring was conducted throughout. Gene expression analyses in both studies revealed modulation of pathways associated with skin rejuvenation, with several genes of interest identified due to being implicated in ageing and differentially expressed following the application of the cosmetic formulation. Reversal of a consensus skin ageing gene signature was observed with the cosmetic formulation and tretinoin in the exvivo and clinical studies. Both the cosmetic formulation and tretinoin clinically improved the overall appearance of photoageing, crow's feet, lines, wrinkles, and pores. Adverse event reporting showed that the cosmetic formulation caused less skin irritation than tretinoin. In a double-blind clinical study, the novel triple-active cosmetic combination formulation improved the visual appearance of photoageing similarly to prescription tretinoin. The cosmetic formulation and tretinoin reversed a consensus gene signature associated with ageing. Together with adverse event reporting, these results suggest that the cosmetic formulation may be a well-tolerated and efficacious alternative to tretinoin for improving the visual features of photoageing.

UV radiation exposure causes skin irritation, erythema, darkening and barrier disruption by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Glutathione, a master antioxidant, plays an important role in the antioxidant defence network of the skin. This study aimed to assess the invitro protective effects of the glutathione amino acid precursors blend (GAP) on transcriptomic and phenotypic endpoints against UVB-induced challenges. Normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs) were exposed to GAP, ascorbic acid (AA) and its derivatives. Viability was assessed using the CCK8 method. Melakutis®, a pigmented living skin equivalent (pLSE) model, underwent repeated 50 mJ/cm2 UVB irradiation with or without GAP treatment. Images of the model were captured with consistent camera parameters, and the model's light intensity was measured using a spectrophotometer. Melanin content was determined by measuring absorbance at 405 nm. Confirmation of melanin deposition and distribution was achieved through Fontana-Masson staining. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), and a machine learning approach was employed for transcriptomic aging clock analysis. In NHEMs, all tested compounds exhibited over 85% viability compared to the vehicle control, indicating no heightened risk of cytotoxicity. Notably, GAP demonstrated greater efficacy in inhibiting melanin production than AA derivatives at equivalent concentrations. In pLSE models, GAP notably enhanced model lightness, and reduced melanin content and deposition following the UVB challenge, whereas AA showed minimal impact. GAP effectively counteracted UVB-induced alterations in gene expression linked to pigmentation, inflammation and aging. Moreover, recurrent UVB exposure substantially elevated the biological age of pLSE models, a phenomenon mitigated by GAP treatment. In NHEMs, GAP exhibited enhanced effectiveness in inhibiting melanin production at identical tested doses in comparison to AA derivatives. Noteworthy protective effects of GAP against UVB irradiation were observed in the pLSE models, as evidenced by skin pigmentation measurements and transcriptomic changes.

Abstract Senescence classification is an acknowledged challenge within the field, as markers are cell-type and context dependent. Currently, multiple morphological and immunofluorescence markers are required for senescent cell identification. However, emerging scRNA-seq datasets have enabled increased understanding of the heterogeneity of senescence. Here we present SenPred, a machine-learning pipeline which can identify senescence based on single-cell transcriptomics. Using scRNA-seq of both 2D and 3D deeply senescent fibroblasts, the model predicts intra-experimental and inter-experimental fibroblast senescence to a high degree of accuracy (&gt;99% true positives). We position this as a proof-of-concept study, with the goal of building a holistic model to detect multiple senescent subtypes. Importantly, utilising scRNA-seq datasets from deeply senescent fibroblasts grown in 3D refines our ML model leading to improved detection of senescent cellsin vivo.This has allowed for detection of anin vivosenescent cell burden, which could have broader implications for the treatment of age-related morbidities.

Within freshwater ecosystems, the ecological influence of keystone primary consumers cannot be overstated. Daphnia magna emerges as a particularly prominent player among such species, significantly impacting a biotic community's higher trophic interactions and nutrient dynamics. Therefore, the Daphnia magna’s presence within these habitats and its intricate interrelationships with other organisms are of critical importance in maintaining homeostasis and fostering functional, biodiverse environments. Despite the importance of studying such interspecies interactions, the coexistence of Daphnia with its endoparasite Echinuriauncinata remains enigmatic and largely unexplored in scientific literature.&#x0D; In this study, a series of controlled observation setups were designed to facilitate a comprehensive exploration of the behavioural patterns and interactions between Daphnia and Echinuria. Such observational platforms incorporated concave slide glasses, test tubes, Fresh squared bottles, and digital imaging analysis, enabling precise and detailed descriptions of the organisms' behaviours under varying culturing conditions. Our findings reveal a shared affinity for the benthic habitat, driven by the presence of sinking food particles. Despite the absence of overt competitive interactions for food resources, Daphnia displayed pronounced defensive behaviours, adeptly evading potential attacks from Echinuria. Temperature exerted discernible effects on their initial activities, with transient heightened responsiveness observed at elevated thermal conditions. Our investigations ultimately led to a hypothesis proposing an unintentional infestation scenario, wherein Daphia may unwittingly harbour Echinuria eggs or larvae, likely due to their size resemblance to floating food particles. These empirical insights contribute to understanding predator-prey relationships and inadvertent infestations, augmenting our comprehension of freshwater ecosystem dynamics and preserving these vital aquatic environments.

Regulation on animal research, largely focused on vertebrates, has led to greater expenses for researchers and institutions. Invertebrate animals, however, are rarely included in regulatory oversight, making experimentation comparatively more flexible and inexpensive. Yet, invertebrates are largely overlooked in neurophysiological research, even though the simplicity of invertebrate nervous system models has its advantages. While somatosensory, visual, and auditory evoked potential may be used for pharmacological and toxicological assessment of drugs in both animals and humans, only minor research carried out on invertebrates generally due to the disregard upon comparison between physiological phases or chromosomes of both invertebrates and humans. This study aims to analyze the viability of Lumbricus terrestris, or the common earthworm, as a potential model for electrical somatosensory evoked potential propagation and for drug safety pharmacology assessment. Varying intensities of electrical stimulation potential from 45 ~ 137 mV and accumulative substance injections up to 300 ul were to be used to evaluate telemetric-recorded changes in the evoked potential of the earthworm, and to track the extent of its reproducibility. Alcohol and caffeine, as they are two of the most commonly consumed chemicals in beverages among adolescents, and much was already known about their neurological effects, making the earthworm model’s response to foreign substances evaluable. Numerical changes in latent period, peak point, trough point and wave width of the evoked potential elicited by each substance were analyzed using regression analysis. We found that our peak point and wave width evoked potential parameters were highly indicative of the earthworm’s capability as an evoked potential invertebrate model, especially because responses exhibited expected outcomes of the excitable and inhibitory effects of caffeine and alcohol with high reproducibility.

Accurately diagnosing a patient's disease stage is critical to deal with the varying symptoms and applying appropriate therapeutics at different stages. Therefore, we used and compared machine learning algorithms on synthetic data and classified disease stages. This study was performed on the Google Colab environment with Python's machine learning libraries (Sklearn). The simulated data resembled one that might be reasonably seen in real patients' data since it contained both temporal variation and various noise levels. Three types of machine learning algorithms were used: Nearest Neighbor, Decision Tree, and Neural Network. These algorithms could classify whether the current stage of disease progression was at its early, mid, or late stages under different noise levels and other time intervals. The neural network algorithm showed the best performance. Although this study used a synthetic data set, it demonstrated how machine learning could be applied in the medical field to enhance patient care.

Rationale: Environmental hormones (EH) disrupt the integrity of the endocrine system. Many chemical compounds act as endocrine disruptors, such as insecticides, herbicides, plasticizers. If these chemical compounds spread outside their area of intended use, they can stay in the environment and flow down into local bodies of water and wreak havoc upon ecosystems in the area. So, understanding the underlying relationship of the EHs with the physiology of an organism may be important for the design of chemical structures that could minimize the adverse effects for the future compounds.&#x0D; Methods: For this study, we chose 10 environmental hormones of BFR, DMT, LCH, DMA, TTS, MLT, ANN, CFT, GPS and GCH to examine the acute cardiac effects for 30 minute incubation in 1:10 serial dilution solutions. The heartbeat rates and their differences were evaluated at pre- and post-incubation, which was then converted into their heartbeat change% based on the pre-heartbeat rates. Then, the heartbeat change % for the individual EH was put on a regression analysis with molecular properties such as molecular weight, XlogP, topological polar surface area (TPSA), complexity, solubility and heavy atom count.&#x0D; Results: The leading coefficient of polynomial function showed relationship with those molecular properties with regression coefficient R2 from 0.1163 to 0.3182. The study should be significantly recognized in that the relationship of acute cardiac effects to the molecular properties were able to quantify as a unique attempt to elucidate. More study might be needed for in-depth clarification in the constants of the polynomial relationship.

Single-use plastics in packaging and service ware contribute the most to plastic pollution which leads to global accumulation of non-degradable wastes. A promising solution to this issue should be favorably banana plastic, a lightweight, durable, and biodegradable alternative to high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene plastic. In this study, the application of banana plastic as a packaging material was examined with modifications to the synthesis process for further efficiency and industrial viability.&#x0D; Banana plastic was synthesized by grinding banana peels and using the chemical processes of acidification for HCl hydrolysis, glycerin plasticization, and NaOH neutralization, followed by a 72 hour dry and modified heat treatment at 65°C in a dehumidifier. Sodium metabisulfite was used to control the degree of biodegradability of the banana plastic. Using Onshape and Flashforge 3D printing software, the optimal packaging mold with the least shrinkage and maximum printing efficiency was created and used for producing the packaging materials.&#x0D; Data suggested that a concentration of 0.1 M Na2S2O5 created the sustainable and durable packing materials. A percent weight decrease of 64.95% was recorded over 12 weeks in degradability monitoring at a 37°C incubator, demonstrating the compostable characters of the banana plastic. Because of the bioplastic’s unique chemical and physical qualities, banana plastic created with a concentration of 0.1 M Na2S2O5 could be a sustainable alternative to industrial packing materials.