BACKGROUND

Acne patients often use medications, either over the counter or prescribed by dermatologists, to manage their condition. Dermatologists frequently include sunscreens as part of these treatment plans alongside acne medications. This research aims to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sunscreen use among respondents who are confirmed acne patients and have been prescribed sunscre-en as part of their treatment regimen.

This research examines the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of acne patients regarding sunscreen use as part of their acne t reatment regimen, considering demographic factors. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the respondents will be compared across different age groups, genders, and employment statuses.

This study purposefully collected data from patients with active acne on the use of sunscreens alongside acne medications. The sample included males and females aged 18-27, 28-40, and 40+ residing in either the National Capital Region or the CALABARZON Region, with 105 respondents in each group. Data was gathered using a validated Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) questionnaire, consisting of 30 questions that had undergone reliability testing via Cronbach's alpha. Responses were recorded on a 3-point Likert scale to model the interaction of KAP variables. The research material was distributed through Google Forms in June 2024. Data analysis was conducted using R, specifically the psych package, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare groups, determining if significant differences existed among them. This test was incorporated within RStudio.

Findings indicated that respondents generally demonstrated a high level of understanding regarding the importance of sunscreen when used alongside acne treatments, particularly acknowledging its role in preventing acne scarring and reducing skin sensitivity caused by treatment products. Additionally, attitudes toward sunscreen use were largely positive, with respondents rejecting common misconceptions about sunscreen. However, actual sunscreen application practices were moderate, with adherence levels varying across the sample. Significant differences in sunscreen use were observed based on employment status, gender, and age.

Acne patients in this study had a high level of knowledge and a positive attitude on the use of sunscreen together with their acne medications. consistency in sunscreen application was moderate. unemployed respondents were more receptive to external influences regarding sunscreen use. Female respondents were more informed and proactive than male respondents. Younger respondents were more influenced by social networks. This research highlights the need for continued education on the benefits of sunscreen use to be able to achieve an effective acne vulgaris management.

RATIONALE

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in fair-skinned populations. Overall, strategies focus on modifiable risk factors such as reducing ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure through physical, topical or systemic protection. Currently, data on knowledge, attitude and practices of Filipino patients on UV index in relation to sun protection is unavailable.

The objective of this study is to improve sunscreen use among patients seen in a tertiary hospital in Manila, specifically after UV index education.

The study will be conducted among patients at the outpatient department of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Department of Dermatology, after UV index education. Patients who will be included are aged 18 to 65 years old, belonging to both sexes and able to understand English or Filipino. The exclusion criteria includes children, elderly greater than the age of 65, prisoners, mentally handicapped or those with incurable diseases.

3 weeks 

The outcome is the improvement in sunscreen use among patients seen in a tertiary hospital in Manila, specifically after UV index education.

Irradiation injuries anti-agents refer to drugs that can inhibit the initial stage of radiation injuries, or reduce the development of radiation injuries and promote the recovery of injuries when used early after irradiation exposure. According to the mechanism of action and the time of intervention, the irradiation injuries anti-agents are divided into four categories: radioprotectors, radiomitigators, radiation therapeutics for external radiation exposure, and anti-agents for internalized radionuclides. In this paper, the research progress of irradiation injuries anti-agents in recent years is reviewed.
Humans ; Radiation-Protective Agents/therapeutic use* ; Radiation Injuries/prevention & control*

Ionizing radiation causes the massive apoptosis of human tissue cells,leading to dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract and hematopoietic system.Thus,high-efficiency,low-toxicity radiation protection drugs are urgently needed.Toll-like receptor agonists have been developed based on the anti-apoptotic mechanism of tumor cells in recent years,which exert their radioprotective effects by activating downstream pathways,mainly nuclear factor-κB.Here we elucidate several agonists of Toll-like receptors involved in radiation protection,with an attempt to inform the research and development of new radiation protection agents.
Apoptosis ; Humans ; NF-kappa B ; Radiation Protection ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Radiation-Protective Agents/pharmacology* ; Toll-Like Receptors/agonists*

There is still a need for better protection against or mitigation of the effects of ionizing radiation following conventional radiotherapy or accidental exposure. The objective of our current study was to investigate the possible roles of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, ilomastat, in the protection of mice from total body radiation (TBI), and the underlying protective mechanisms. Ilomastat treatment increased the survival of mice after TBI. Ilomastat pretreatment promoted recovery of hematological and immunological cells in mice after 6 Gy γ-ray TBI. Our findings suggest the potential of ilomastat to protect against or mitigate the effects of radiation.
Acute Radiation Syndrome ; blood ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Animals ; Blood Cells ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Gamma Rays ; adverse effects ; Hydroxamic Acids ; therapeutic use ; Indoles ; therapeutic use ; Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Radiation Injuries, Experimental ; blood ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Spleen ; drug effects ; immunology ; radiation effects ; Survival Analysis ; Whole-Body Irradiation

Caesalpinia sappan L., belonging to the family Leguminosae, is a medicinal plant that is distributed in Southeast Asia. The dried heartwood of this plant is used as a traditional ingredient of food, red dyes, and folk medicines in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, tuberculosis, skin infections, and inflammation. Brazilin is the major active compound, which has exhibited various pharmacological effects, including anti-platelet activity, anti-hepatotoxicity, induction of immunological tolerance, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and expression of antioxidant enzymes of C. sappan L. extract and its major compound, brazilin, in human epidermal keratinocytes exposed to UVA irradiation. Our results indicated that C. sappan L. extract reduced UVA-induced HO production via GPX7 activation. Moreover, brazilin exhibited antioxidant effects that were similar to those of C. sappan L. via glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPX7), suggesting that C. sappan L. extract and its natural compound represent potential treatments for oxidative stress-induced photoaging of skin.
Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Benzopyrans ; pharmacology ; Caesalpinia ; chemistry ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; toxicity ; Keratinocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; enzymology ; radiation effects ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Peroxidases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Ultraviolet Rays

The incidence of skin cancer has continuously increased in Korea, probably due to sun exposure and increases in the aging population. Ultraviolet light, a well-known risk factor for skin cancer, can cause DNA damage, mutation, and immune suppression, followed by abnormal proliferation. To prevent photocarcinogenesis, the appropriate use of sunscreen should be emphasized. Using broad-spectrum sunscreens with sun protection factor values of 15 or higher and frequent reapplication are recommended. Controversy exists about whether vitamin D synthesis is inhibited by the use of sunscreen. However, considering that skin cancer most commonly develops on the head and neck area, applying it to the face and neck is reasonable in terms of balancing the risk-benefit ratio.
Aging ; DNA Damage ; Head ; Incidence ; Korea ; Neck ; Risk Factors ; Skin Neoplasms ; Skin ; Solar System ; Sun Protection Factor ; Sunscreening Agents ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Vitamin D

Depleted uranium (DU) has been widely applied in industrial and military activities, and is often obtained from producing fuel for nuclear reactors. DU may be released into the environment, polluting air, soil, and water, and is considered to exert both radiological and chemical toxicity. In humans and animals, DU can induce multiple health effects, such as renal tubular necrosis and bone malignancies. This review summarizes the known information on DU's routes of entry, mechanisms of toxicity, and health effects. In addition, we survey the chelating agents used in ameliorating DU toxicity.
Animals ; Chelating Agents ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Uranium ; metabolism ; toxicity

Objective: To investigate the improving effect of astaxanthin (AST) on the sperm quality of rats with ornidazole (ORN)-induced oligoasthenozoospermiaand its action mechanism. METHODS: Forty adult male SD rats were equally randomized into groups A (solvent control), B (low-dose ORN ［400 mg/（kg·d）］), C (high-dose ORN ［800 mg/（kg·d）］), D (low-dose ORN ［400 mg/（kg·d）］ + AST ［20 mg/（kg·d）］), and E (high-dose ORN ［800 mg/（kg·d）］ + AST ［20 mg/（kg·d）］), all treated intragastrically for3 weeks.After treatment, the epididymal tails ononeside was taken for determination of sperm concentration and activity, and the epididymideson the other side harvested for measurement of the activities of GSH-Px, GR, CAT and SOD and the MDA contentin the homogenate. RESULTS: Compared with group A, sperm motilityin the epididymal tail andGSH-Px and SOD activities in theepididymiswere markedly decreased while the MDAcontent significantlyincreased in group B (P<0.05), spermmotility and concentrationin the epididymal tail, testisindex, and the activities of GSH-Px, GR, CAT and SOD in the epididymis were remarkably reduced while theMDA contentsignificantly increased in group C(P<0.05). In comparison with group B, group D showed markedly increased sperm motility (［45.3±8.7］% vs ［66.3±8.9］%, P<0.05) in the epididymal tail and SOD activity in the epididymis (［116.7±25.3］ U/mg prot vs ［146.1±23.8］ U/mg prot, P<0.05), decreased MDA content(［1.68±0.45］ nmol/mg prot vs ［1.19±0.42］ nmol/mg prot, P<0.05).Compared with group C, group Eexhibited significant increases in the weight gained (［89.0±9.5］ vs ［99.9±4.1］ %, P<0.05) and sperm motility (［17.9±3.5］% vs ［27.3±5.3］ %, P<0.05) but a decrease in the content of MDA (［2.03±0.30］ nmol/mg prot vs ［1.52±0.41］ nmol/mg prot, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS AST can improve spermquality in rats with ORN-inducedoligoasthenozoospermia, which may be associated with its enhancing effect on the antioxidant capacity of the epididymis.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Asthenozoospermia ; prevention & control ; Epididymis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Oligospermia ; prevention & control ; Ornidazole ; Oxidative Stress ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Xanthophylls ; pharmacology

Radiotherapy is a treatment for cancer with undesired by-effects. In order to develop a new radiation protective agent that could reduce the by-effects, we tried to express and purify human cryptochrome 1 (hCRY1). The coding sequence of hCRY1 was inserted into prokaryotic expression plasmid pET28a(+), and this protein was purified from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) after IPTG induction, ultrasonication, inclusion body dissolution, gradient dialysis, nickel column purification and ultrafiltration. The yield of hCRY1 in 1 L E. coli culture (LB medium) was about 10-15 mg. The radiation protective efficiency of hCRY1 was monitored by detecting X-ray-induced H2A.X foci in HaCaT cells. The results of immunofluorescence show that hCRY1 significantly reduces X-ray stimulated DNA damage response. The apoptosis of HaCaT cell was also detected, and the repression of H2A.X foci formation was not due to hCRY1's cytotoxity. All these data suggest a potential application of recombinant hCRY1 as a protective agent for radiotherapy.
Cryptochromes ; biosynthesis ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Plasmids ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis