Two thousand eleven will be reported in future as a one of the most challenging year of our recent history. The chronicle of these days needs no explanation. In this year, all enterprises had to work harder in order to face an extremely difficult economical trend in an overall global scenario dominated by dark clouds. Nevertheless history teaches us that even the darkest period of crisis can be turned into a great opportunity: a time to look inside ourselves, a time to re-discover pos i t i v e values, a time to look for new ideas, a time for new creativity.

December 2011: this year will be remembered as one of the most hectic of recent times. A moment of great changes, maybe a transition into a new idea on how our world should be. As far as chemistry is concerned no doubt that detergency represents a key challenge since ever. This challenge has been accepted by all the players in this wide and strategic market, made of massive quantities of products, ingredients and turned into an opportunity. The “sustainability” statement, originally born as a kind of green fl ag is today a driving, complex concept, which involves every aspect of our daily life. This process, the progress of this concept, has been also possible thanks to the hard work, probably “mission” is the most appropriate term, of associations who have been devoting energies and resources to such a critical issue. So, today, we are glad to give voice to the American Cleaning Institute, to their work, vision, expectations. All this, with a special wish for their future activities from the staff of our journal

Ageing at the tissue level is characterised by an overall decline in an organ’s ability to maintain normal homeostatic processes and respond properly to injury or stress. Recently it has become increasingly clear that decreasing stem cell function frequently plays a significant role in this decline, and that changes in the stem cell’s microenvironment often potentiate the ageing process. By combining the latest insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying ageing with innovative stem cell-based in vitro models and multi-parametric analytical methods, it is now possible to establish comprehensive molecular age profiles of cells in the presence and absence of cosmetic actives. Such insights can strongly support anti-ageing claims, enabling powerful messages in a crowded marketplace, and increased consumer confidence in the product’s efficacy

In order to develop alcohol free antimicrobial agents with residual activity for hand cleaning, this in vitro study evaluates the action of 5-pyrrolidone-2-carbxylic acid (PCA) and copper sulphate pentahydrate (CS) and their synergy. PCA, CS and PCA + CS were tested against Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) that are the most common pathogens of skin. PCA and CS have a moderate antimicrobial effect, since the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of PCA is 3.125 mg/mL against SE to 6.250 mg/mL against SA in all of experiments while MIC and MBC of CS against SA and SE is 6.250 mg/mL. The MIC and the MBC of PCA + SC are significantly lower: The MIC and the MBC against SA in all experiments is 0.781 mg/mL PCA + 0.781 mg/mL CS and the same MIC and MBC are observed against SE. Results highlight effectiveness and antimicrobial synergy between PCA and CS at low and safe concentrations.

This paper intends to be a tentative summary of the state of knowledge on the quantifi cation of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation by reviewing the relevant literature. The authors have already published some studies on this topic using polysulphone (PS) dosimetry, providing a signifi cant contribution to the few studies on the quantifi cation of UV exposure for professional outdoor workers in Italy. The paper also highlights the importance of such studies in the Mediterranean area and the Italian territory, with high potential to receive intense solar UV doses through most of the year

The damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the skin and the importance of using photo protective sunscreen and other sun-protective measures for the prevention of UVR skin injury is well recognized. However, it is currently unknown if UVR is recognized by men as a modifiable risk factor for scalp cancer and if photo protection for the skin and the scalp are used to the same extent in a setting of high UVR exposure. To evaluate UVR scalp protection and knowledge about the role of UVR as a risk factor for scalp cancer in men, an anonymous questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of male beachgoers on Galveston Island, Texas. Of the 248 survey responses, subjects with mild hair loss were more likely and subjects with advanced hair loss were even more likely to use sunscreen on their scalp than those who did not have hair loss (21 and 38 percent, respectively, vs. 7 percent, p<0.0001). Those whose scalp was visible when looking in the mirror were more likely to use a hat than those subjects whose scalp was not visible in the mirror (43 vs. 25 percent, p=0.0035). Survey respondents demonstrated greater knowledge about UVR damage to the skin than UVR scalp damage (p<0.0001). The later finding supports the view that additional public education focused on UVR scalp protection is needed.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by stiffness and swelling of the joints. Roughly 2.1 million people in the United States are believed to suffer from RA, nearly half of them being women. There are innumerable forms of treatment available for RA. Microneedles could possibly act as a tool for the delivery of drugs specific to RA, which may replace conventional forms of treatment producing undesirable effects. Drugs, which may be promising, are gold salts, ketoprofen, methotrexate etc. Prospective benefits of using microneedle delivery for controlled release purposes include reduced pain perception, improved pharmacokinetic and bioavailability profiles and reduced toxicity. This review article throws light on the application of microneedle drug delivery as one of the more promising ways of treating RA in future. Emphasis should be laid on the research to be done in this area.

Adsorption results in an effective blocking of the active sites of metal dissolution and thus diminishes the overall corrosion rate. Gemini surfactants of varying polarity, hydrocarbon environment, ionic strength and spacer length have made vital corrosion inhibition tool. They form aggregates at the interface and undergo self-association in solution. Influence of this aggregation on metal surfaces has become an important prerequisite to understand the corrosion inhibition phenomenon. Maximum inhibition efficiency is observed around critical micelle concentration (CMC) which is up to two orders-of-magnitude lower than the corresponding conventional surfactants. Present review article discusses the practical application of Gemini surfactant as efficient corrosion inhibitors. Basic relationships between their chemical architecture, self-assembling in aqueous medium and its corrosion protection mechanism are discussed.

Silicones have been used safely in personal care products for many decades, offering a wide range of benefits. This family of ingredients has completely transformed our personal care products into the luxurious, affordable and performing grooming products we have come to expect today. Silicones are made from the silicon–oxygen backbone structure found in sand, chemically modified with carbon and hydrogen to enhance compatibility. Modern chemistry has worked wonders to bring us silicones, high-performance polymers that can take a variety of physical forms, from solids to water-thin liquids and semi-viscous pastes and oils. They are chosen for their ability to sustain conditions which would ordinarily defeat conventional material.(...)

Last year the publishers of this journal were kind enough to publish my short editorial piece entitled “The Golden Age of Formulation” (1). In it I argued that the science and technology of formulation had made advances that made it a worthy partner for more mature disciplines such as synthetic chemistry. Additionally I pointed out that market drivers were aligned to an extent that makes the present day a great time to be innovating in the fi eld of formulation. In this article I’d like to expand on that theme. What follows should be not be taken as a comprehensive scientifi c review article but more as an examination of themes and trends and as a digest of interesting and relevant examples of advances in formulation science and technology, especially as they impact on the markets for household and personal care products.