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Biomedical subjects

G L Grove

Publications and source records attributed to G L Grove.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Skin replica analysis of photodamaged skin after therapy with tretinoin emollient cream.

Computerized image analysis of silicone replicas, a reproducible, objective technique for measuring skin topography, was used in addition to clinical measures in two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled studies of tretinoin emollient cream, a new formulation for treating photodamaged skin. Previously, the skin replica technique had been successfully used in a pilot study of tretinoin 0.05% cream by one investigator. In the present studies, subjects treated for 24 weeks with tretinoin emollient 0.05% cream consistently showed more improvement in skin topography than did vehicle-treated patients. A 0.01% concentration of tretinoin emollient cream also improved skin topography to a greater extent than the vehicle, while the lowest concentration tested (0.001%) showed little difference from vehicle. These results, reflecting a smoothening of the skin surface in tretinoin emollient cream-treated subjects, were consistent with clinical data showing greater improvement in fine wrinkling and roughness after tretinoin emollient cream therapy than after vehicle therapy. Findings from these multicenter studies confirm the value of the skin replica technique and help establish the efficacy of tretinoin emollient 0.05% cream for photodamaged skin.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Computerized image analysis of full-hand touch plates: a method for quantification of surface bacteria on hands and the effect of antimicrobial agents.

A method is described for quantification of the bacterial flora on the hand surface. Computer-assisted image analysis of bacterial growth of large full-hand touch plates provides a quantifiable measure of the bacterial flora on the hand surface. Image analysis pixel intensity values showed a significant correlation (P less than 0.0001) with colony forming unit values determined by the glove juice method. Image analysis of impressions from hands treated with various antimicrobial agents in detergent bases showed that 4% chlorhexidine gluconate produces a 96% reduction after a 30 s washing and 98% reduction after a 3 min washing while 7.5% povidone-iodine and 1% triclosan produce a 77% and 70% reduction after 3 min respectively, and 70% isopropanol produces a 98% reduction after a 30 s wash.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Sequential order of skin responses to surfactants during a soap chamber test.

Differences in the response of distinct layers of the skin to surfactants were probed using a modification of the Frosch and Kligman soap chamber test. Soap and other surfactant-containing cleansers were applied to the skin for 2 consecutive days. Transepidermal water loss showed that the stratum corneum is readily damaged even by a mild insult when no erythema is induced. A more severe treatment, such as 24-h exposure to a 5% soap solution, induced the maximal level of barrier damage but a submaximal level of erythema. Even 2 days of exposure to 5% soap does not elicit a maximal erythema response. These results suggest that the stratum corneum is more readily damaged than the dermis, which is not unexpected because the stratum corneum is the initial point of contact between surfactant and skin. Furthermore, this study indicates that for discriminating among mild products, when a small degree of irritation is induced, the most effective measure is stratum corneum damage assessed by evaporimetry. However, for evaluating more irritating products, erythema is probably the more discriminating evaluation technique.

Dermatitis, Contact↗
PubMed1989

Optical profilometry: an objective method for quantification of facial wrinkles.

Facial fine lines and wrinkles can be faithfully captured by silicone rubber impression materials. Computerized digital image processing of such specimens provides objective measurement of the skin's topography, which has a significant degree of correlation with clinical grading. Optical profilometry provides a dimension of objectivity that can complement clinical assessment in the study of agents that may be useful in the therapy of photodamaged skin.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of photodamaged facial skin with topical tretinoin.

A 6-month, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study was conducted with 0.05% tretinoin cream once daily in the treatment of photodamaged facial skin. Significant amelioration of many of the signs of photodamage were achieved with minimal side effects. Clinical grading showed significant improvement both in the assessments based on changes in clinical scores and in pre- and posttreatment comparisons of standardized photographs. Fine wrinkling, coarse wrinkling, sallowness, looseness, and hyperpigmentation were significantly improved with tretinoin therapy. Furthermore, a self-appraisal questionnaire indicated that tretinoin-treated patients, but not vehicle-treated patients, were able to perceive improvement in their facial appearance. An objective method based on digital image processing of silicone rubber casts obtained from the crow's-feet area also indicated that the skin surface topography was smoother and less wrinkled in the tretinoin-treated group compared with the vehicle-control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Comparison of disposable diapers with fluff absorbent and fluff plus absorbent polymers: effects on skin hydration, skin pH, and diaper dermatitis.

Diaper dermatitis results from the action of a number of physical and chemical factors on the skin. While its etiology is complex, there is agreement that prolonged contact between wet diapers and the skin leading to excessive hydration of the stratum corneum and reduced barrier function is a primary factor. Recent research also indicates that pH elevation resulting from ammonia production increases the probability of skin damage due to fecal enzyme activity. New diapers containing absorbent polymers blended with cellulose fluff in the absorbent core have been developed. The absorbent polymer binds fluids and controls pH in the diaper environment. To assess the effectiveness of these diapers, a clinical study was conducted with approximately 150 infants over 15 weeks, using fluff diapers and absorbent polymer diapers. The results clearly showed that the diapers with absorbent polymer provide a better skin environment than those with fluff only with respect to lower skin wetness and pH control (instrumental measurements). In addition, the clinicians' grades indicated a directional reduction in diaper rash severity.

Body Water↗
PubMed1989

Physiologic changes in older skin.

Clearly, like all other organ systems, the skin undergoes physiologic decline with advancing age. In the elderly, the stratum corneum may not be as capable of acting as a barrier. Once noxious substances penetrate, they are less likely to be rapidly cleared and often will not provoke integumental reactions or pain sensations that would serve as warning signals to the aged. Thus older individuals are not only more vulnerable to environmental insults but also fail to recognize that they are being adversely affected. As a result, these substances may accumulate following repeated exposure to the point that the threshold for clinical display is exceeded, whereas the threshold would never be reached in younger individuals. Thus it is not surprising that many of the common problems of the elderly are likely to represent subtle, chronic irritant dermatitis. Then, too, because cellular turnover and repair are much slower, the time to recover from such damaging insults is prolonged. In conclusion, I would like to stress that one of the most important observations to come out of our studies is that there exist cutaneous clues to an individual's physiologic age. It is generally appreciated that some elderly individuals seem to be much more youthful and other much older than their stated ages, suggesting that there may be a wide gap between chronologic and physiologic age. Indeed, one of the central concerns of gerontology is to develop methods by which physiologic aging can be monitored. We are certainly not the first to realize that the skin and its appendages may furnish useful markers of physiologic age. In fact, DuNuoy, who was the first to formalize the concept of physiologic age, did so on the basis of age-associated differences in cutaneous healing. By far the most comprehensive ongoing longitudinal study of human aging is that being conducted by the National Institute on Aging Gerontology Research Center at the Baltimore City Hospital. Although the integument was regretfully ignored, a saving grace of this study was the inclusion of a visual estimate of apparent age by the examining physician. This made it possible to determine whether individuals who looked older than their chronologic age were older physiologically. On 19 of the 24 tests, individuals in the subgroup who looked oldest for their age were physiologically older as well. Even more important was the finding that the subjects who had died since the start of the study were also apparently and physiologically older.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1988

DNA-cytophotometry of lymph node touch imprints in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Scanning DNA-cytophotometry was performed on touch imprints of 26 lymph nodes (LN) obtained from 25 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), stained by the Feulgen technique, and interpreted without knowledge of histopathologic diagnosis. Four patterns of DNA distribution were identified, but only histograms that demonstrated cells containing nuclei with more than 4C DNA content (hypertetraploidy) reliably distinguished LN involved with CTCL from LN with reactive changes; for example, dermatopathic lymphadenitis. An abnormal DNA histogram with evidence of hypertetraploidy was demonstrated in 9 of 12 LN showing histopathologic evidence of involvement compared with no abnormal histograms in 14 LN without histopathologic involvement. One LN that was diffusely involved with CTCL had a DNA distribution characteristic of a relatively high level of cell proliferation, but without definite hypertetraploidy. Cytogenetic studies on the blood of this patient, who had Sézary syndrome, demonstrated a clone of lymphocytes with a pseudodiploid karyotype without a related polyploid subline. The remaining two histopathologically involved LN had normal DNA histograms; these LN were only focally involved with CTCL. These observations indicate that DNA-cytophotometry correlates well with the histopathologic findings in LN diffusely involved with CTCL, but may be normal in LN with focal involvement or in those that contain cytogenetically abnormal cells with a near-diploid DNA content.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Age-associated changes in stratum corneum lipids and their relation to dryness.

Stratum corneum lipids (SCL) were collected on the right and left legs of 50 subjects of varying ages and skin dryness. The level of dryness and composition of the lipid was the same on both sides. While skin dryness continuously increased with age, the composition of SCL showed a constant profile from the 50s. Aging was mostly associated with a decrease in sterol esters and triglycerides. On the legs, the SCL do not seem to primarily govern the increased desquamative process which features xerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Quantification of visible light-induced melanogenesis in human skin.

Exposure of normal skin to visible light (400-700 nm) resulted in the induction of immediate pigment darkening (IPD), immediate erythema and a persistent (delayed) tanning reaction. The intensity of pigmentation and time course of the reaction were monitored by measuring chromaticity coordinates. Both IPD and immediate erythema faded over a 24-h period but, unlike erythema, the pigmentation did not totally disappear and the residual tanning response remained unchanged for the rest of the 10-day observation period. The threshold dose for IPD with visible light was between 40 and 80 J/cm2, while the threshold dose for "persistent" pigmentation was greater than or equal to 80 J/cm2.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Physiologic, microbiologic, and seasonal effects of handwashing on the skin of health care personnel.

The handwashing practices of 22 personnel on an oncology unit in an urban medical center were studied for 2 months. During 891 person-hours of observation, 986 handwashes were observed. Subjects washed a mean of 1.1 times an hour for a mean of 13.2 seconds. Reported and observed handwashing behavior was only moderately correlated (p = 0.05 for frequency, 0.30 for duration of handwashing). Physicians washed significantly less often (p less than 0.001), but more thoroughly (p less than 0.001), than did nurses. Nurses washed more often after minimal or no patient contact than did physicians (p less than 0.001). Individuals were very consistent in their handwashing technique. A total of 558 isolates were recovered from 158 hand cultures. The mean log count was 4.88, with no significant difference between physicians and nurses. Coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from hands of physicians and nurses were significantly more resistant to antimicrobial agents than those of personnel with minimal patient contact (p less than 0.01). Subjects had more skin damage in winter than in summer, as indicated by increased shedding of skin squames (p less than 0.05). We conclude that handwashing practices vary significantly by profession and that reporting of handwashing practices by personnel is inaccurate.

Drug Resistance, Microbial↗
PubMed1986

Topical tretinoin for photoaged skin.

Daily topical application of 0.05% tretinoin in a cream base was compared with its vehicle with regard to moderation of photoaging changes of the face and forearms. In comparison with the control tissue, tretinoin-treated tissue examined by light and electron microscopy showed the following effects: replacement of the atrophic epidermis by hyperplasia, elimination of dysplasia and atypia, eradication of microscopic actinic keratoses, uniform dispersion of melanin granules, new collagen formation in the papillary dermis, new vessel formation (angiogenesis), and exfoliation of retained horn in the follicles. Physiologic studies demonstrated: increased blood flow and dermal clearance, increased transepidermal water loss, and greater permeability and reactivity. It was concluded that topical tretinoin is capable of at least partly reversing the structural damages of excessive sunlight exposure and may be useful in decelerating the photoaging process.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1986

Physiologic and microbiologic changes in skin related to frequent handwashing.

Handwashing practices may be adversely influenced by the detrimental effects of handwashing on skin. A protocol was developed to assess the physiologic and microbiologic effects of frequent handwashing. Fifty-two female volunteers washed their hands 24 times per day for 5 days. Five agents were tested: water alone, non-medicated bar soap, a chlorhexidine-containing antiseptic, and two agents containing povidone-iodine (one currently available on the market and one being tested for possible marketing). Some damage to the outer membrane of skin, the stratum corneum, occurred in all groups. There were significant changes in the amount of evaporation water loss (p = .001) and in self assessments of skin condition (p = .005) from pre-to-post test for the entire group. Skin damage was also assessed by visualizing desquamating stratum corneum cells, which are shed in large aggregates when detergents injure skin. Significantly less such shedding occurred in subjects using water alone, bar soap, and the chlorhexidine formulation (p = .02). Greater antimicrobial activity of an agent was not correlated with increased skin trauma. We have quantitated, using objective physiologic parameter, the skin damage that occurs during even a short period of frequent handwashing. We recommend that further studies using the methods described be conducted to quantitate skin damage over longer periods of time, more closely resembling handwashing practices of health care personnel.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Physiologic changes in older skin.

Clearly, like all other organ systems, the skin undergoes physiologic decline with advancing age. In the elderly, the stratum corneum may not be as capable of acting as a barrier. Once noxious substances penetrate, they are less likely to be cleared rapidly and often will not provoke any integumental reactions or pain sensations that would serve as warning signals to the aged. Thus older individuals are not only more vulnerable to environmental insults but also fail to recognize that they are being adversely affected. As a result, these substances may accumulate following repeated exposure to the point that the threshold for clinical display is exceeded, whereas the threshold would never be reached in younger individuals. Thus it is not surprising that many of the common problems of the elderly are likely to represent subtle, chronic irritant dermatitis. Then, too, because cellular turnover and repair are much slower, the time to recover from such damaging insults is prolonged. In conclusion, I would like to stress that one of the most important observations to come out of our studies is that there exist cutaneous clues to an individual's physiologic age. It is generally appreciated that some elderly individuals seem to be much more youthful and others much older than their stated ages, suggesting that there may be a wide gap between chronologic and physiologic age. Indeed, one of the central concerns of gerontology is to develop methods by which physiologic aging can be monitored. We are certainly not the first to realize that the skin and its appendages may furnish useful markers of physiologic age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Techniques for assessing the vulnerability and repair capacity of human skin in vivo.

Techniques have been developed for studying age-associated changes in human skin, including its vulnerability to external insults and its capacity for healing. Possible application of these methods for studying the effects of repeated mechanical trauma to the skin of workers is discussed. The methods include procedures for inflicting standardized superficial wounds and nonintrusive techniques for measuring damage, rate of skin repair via measurement of transepidermal water loss, and characterization of altered surface features using image analyses. These approaches have the great advantage of allowing quantification.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Exfoliative cytological procedures as a nonintrusive method for dermatogerontological studies.

Exfoliative cytological procedures, based on the sticky slide and detergent scrub techniques, were used in the nonintrusive collection of horny cells from the skin surface of volunteers 20 to 30 yr of age and 65+ yr of age. These samples were analyzed with a variety of instruments, including a Magiscan image analyzer, a Vickers M-85 microspectrophotometer, and a Coulter electronic cell counter. The results indicate that age-associated changes in horny cells may be useful in monitoring objectively aging of skin and in assessing the impact of various environmental insults on aging.

Adult↗