Application of in vitro skin penetration measurements to confirm and refine the quantitative skin sensitization risk assessment of methylisothiazolinone

Use of quantitative risk assessment (QRA) for assessing the skin sensitization potential of chemicals present in consumer products requires an understanding of hazard and product exposure. In the absence of data, consumer exposure is based on relevant habits and practices and assumes 100% skin uptake of the applied dose. To confirm and refine the exposure, a novel design for in vitro skin exposure measurements was conducted with the preservative, methylisothiazolinone (MI), in beauty care (BC) and household care (HHC) products using realistic consumer exposure conditions. A difference between measured exposure levels (MELs) for MI in leave-on versus rinse-off BC products, and lower MELs for MI in HHC rinse-off compared to BC products was demonstrated. For repeated product applications, the measured exposure was lower than estimations based on summation of applied amounts. Compared to rinse-off products, leave-on applications resulted in higher MELs, correlating with the higher incidences of allergic contact dermatitis associated with those product types. Lower MELs for MI in rinse-off products indicate a lower likelihood to induce skin sensitization, also after multiple daily applications. These in vitro skin exposure measurements indicate conservatism of default exposure estimates applied in skin sensitization QRA and might be helpful in future risk assessments.     

Culinary Assessment of Self-Produced Microgreens as Basic Ingredients in Sweet and Savory Dishes

“Microgreens” is a marketing term used to describe young and tender edible seedlings. In this work, a new culinary concept was developed to stimulate the culinary use of self-produced microgreens as basic ingredients of sweet and savory dishes. The production of microgreens in a soilless growing system was considered as a preliminary part of the culinary process for the dishes’ preparation. In order to obtain customized microgreens for the culinary assessment, three different species were self-produced. As a result of the pilot consumer test, all species of microgreens resulted acceptable. A gastronomic session was also applied to develop some dishes using microgreens in the recipe. The culinary promotion of self-produced microgreens not only as garnishing greens may offer to the international gastronomy new ingredients and support the exploitation of local varieties and wild edible plants.     

Regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical information and the Internet: a European perspective

The Internet facilitates access to health information and can therefore support the effectiveness of healthcare provision and empower patients in healthcare decisions. In the field of pharmaceutical therapy the electronic provision of information can improve compliance and strengthen the general understanding of pharmaceutical risks and benefits. Current political developments in Europe encourage a stronger role of the pharmaceutical industry in this regard. In light of potential conflicts inherent to the private provision of information and given their public health mandate, regulatory bodies in the pharmaceutical sector may represent an important alternative source of information. The explorative analysis in this paper reviews the websites of European pharmaceutical regulatory agencies regarding the usability and provision of information from a Layman's perspective. It is found that while the majority of agencies do provide product-related information, the usability of websites from the lay perspective is subject to variation. The reluctant position of agencies can be attributed to sectoral path dependencies, the regulatory approach and a lack of regulatory resources.     

Seeking health information online: does limited healthcare access matter?

Consumers facing barriers to healthcare access may use online health information seeking and online communication with physicians, but the empirical relationship has not been sufficiently analyzed. Our study examines the association of barriers to healthcare access with consumers’ health-related information searching on the internet, use of health chat groups, and email communication with physicians, using data from 27 210 adults from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey. Individuals with financial barriers to healthcare access, difficulty getting timely appointments with doctors, and conflicts in scheduling during clinic hours are more likely to search for general health information online than those without these access barriers. Those unable to get timely appointments with physicians are more likely to participate in health chat groups and email physicians. The internet may offer a low-cost source of health information and could help meet the heightened demand for health-related information among those facing access barriers to care.     

大数据时代用户健康信息学的价值

在介绍用户健康信息学基本概念的基础上,对比健康信息用户、用户健康信息与传统医学信息用户、医学信息的不同点,概述用户健康信息学研究对象和研究内容,阐述大数据时代开展用户健康信息学研究和实践的现实意义。     

The influence of social networking sites on health behavior change: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Our aim was to evaluate the use and effectiveness of interventions using social networking sites (SNSs) to change health behaviors.Materials and methods Five databases were scanned using a predefined search strategy. Studies were included if they focused on patients/consumers, involved an SNS intervention, had an outcome related to health behavior change, and were prospective. Studies were screened by independent investigators, and assessed using Cochrane''s ‘risk of bias’ tool. Randomized controlled trials were pooled in a meta-analysis.Results The database search retrieved 4656 citations; 12 studies (7411 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Facebook was the most utilized SNS, followed by health-specific SNSs, and Twitter. Eight randomized controlled trials were combined in a meta-analysis. A positive effect of SNS interventions on health behavior outcomes was found (Hedges’ g 0.24; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.43). There was considerable heterogeneity (I² = 84.0%; T² = 0.058) and no evidence of publication bias.Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of SNS interventions in changing health-related behaviors. Most studies evaluated multi-component interventions, posing problems in isolating the specific effect of the SNS. Health behavior change theories were seldom mentioned in the included articles, but two particularly innovative studies used ‘network alteration’, showing a positive effect. Overall, SNS interventions appeared to be effective in promoting changes in health-related behaviors, and further research regarding the application of these promising tools is warranted.Conclusions Our study showed a positive effect of SNS interventions on health behavior-related outcomes, but there was considerable heterogeneity.Protocol registration The protocol for this systematic review is registered at http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO with the number CRD42013004140.     

Factors influencing community pharmacist decision to dispense generic or branded medicines; Eastern Province,Alahsa, Saudi Arabia

Background

Rising costs of medicines have increased the interest of policy makers in generic medicines. However, consumers’ and health care providers’ perception and attitude towards generic medicine act as a main barrier to the promotion of generic medicines.

Objective

To explore the factors community pharmacists consider while dispensing branded or generic medicines to consumers.

Method

A qualitative study was planned; twenty community pharmacists (ten hospital affiliated pharmacies and ten non-hospital affiliated pharmacies) were approached using a convenient sampling method. Interviews were recorded and later were coded into themes.

Result

Overall, it is seen that generic medicine stock was available for antibiotics, pain killers, cough syrups, antihistaminics and antacids. Pharmacists working in hospital affiliated pharmacies were more concerned about the quality of drug before dispensing it to the consumer and they believe that what is prescribed is best for them and substitution or switching is unnecessary while for pharmacists in the non-hospital affiliated pharmacies, appearance of the client was found to be the main factor influencing them to dispense generic (low cost) or branded (expensive) medicines.

Conclusion

Physical appearance of the consumer is revealed to be one of the main factors affecting the pharmacist decision to dispense generic or branded medicine. Pharmacists practising in hospital affiliated pharmacies were found to be influenced by physicians’ recommendation, and prefer to dispense good quality medicines.