SummarySynopsisDandruff is characterized by a flaky, pruritic scalp and affects up to half the world’s population post-puberty. The aetiology of dandruff is multifactorial, influenced by Malassezia, sebum production and individual susceptibility. The commensal yeast Malassezia is a strong contributory factor to dandruff formation, but the presence of Malassezia on healthy scalps indicates that Malassezia alone is not a sufficient cause. A healthy stratum corneum (SC) forms a protective barrier to prevent water loss and maintain hydration of the scalp. It also protects against external insults such as microorganisms, including Malassezia, and toxic materials. Severe or chronic barrier damage can impair proper hydration, leading to atypical epidermal proliferation, keratinocyte differentiation and SC maturation, which may underlie some dandruff symptoms. The depleted and disorganized structural lipids of the dandruff SC are consistent with the weakened barrier indicated by elevated transepidermal water loss. Further evidence of a weakened barrier in dandruff includes subclinical inflammation and higher susceptibility to topical irritants. We are proposing that disruption of the SC of the scalp may facilitate dandruff generation, in part by affecting susceptibility to metabolites from Malassezia. Treatment of dandruff with cosmetic products to directly improve SC integrity while providing effective antifungal activity may thus be beneficial.RésuméLes pellicules se caractérisent par un cuir chevelu prurigineux, squameux, et affectent jusqu’à la moitié de la population post-pubertaire du monde. L’étiologie des pellicules est multifactorielle, influencée par Malassezia, par la production de sébum, et par la susceptibilité individuelle. La levure commensale Malassezia est un facteur fortement contributif à la formation de pellicules, mais la présence de Malassezia aussi sur les cuirs chevelus sains indique que Malassezia seule n’est pas une cause suffisante. Un stratum corneum (SC) sain forme une barrière protectrice pour empêcher la perte d’eau et maintenir l’hydratation du cuir chevelu. Il protège également contre les agressions externes tels les micro-organismes, y compris Malassezia, ou des substances toxiques. Des dommages aigus ou chroniques au niveau de la barrière peuvent nuire à une bonne hydratation, conduisant à des effets atypiques de la prolifération épidermique, de la différenciation des kératinocytes, et de la maturation du SC, ce qui peut expliquer une partie des symptômes des pellicules. L’appauvrissement et la désorganisation des lipides structurels d’un stratum corneum sujet aux pellicules sont compatibles avec la notion d’une barrière affaiblie telle qu’indiquée par une perte d’eau transépidermique élevée. Une preuve supplémentaire d’une barrière affaiblie dans les cas des pellicules est fournie par un niveau d’inflammation infraclinique et une plus grande susceptibilité aux irritants topiques. Nous proposons que la perturbation du SC du cuir chevelu facilite la production de pellicules, en partie en...

Abstractobjectives To evaluate how an intervention, which combined hand washing promotion aimed at 5-year-olds with provision of free soap, affected illnesses among the children and their families and children's school absenteeism.methods We monitored illnesses, including diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs), school absences and soap consumption for 41 weeks in 70 low-income communities in Mumbai, India (35 communities per arm).results Outcomes from 847 intervention households (containing 847 5-year-olds and 4863 subjects in total) and 833 control households (containing 833 5-year-olds and 4812 subjects) were modelled using negative binomial regression. Intervention group 5-year-olds had fewer episodes of diarrhoea (À25%, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = À37%, À2%), ARIs (À15%, 95% CI = À30%, À8%), school absences due to illnesses (À27%, 95% CI = À41%, À18%) and eye infections (À46%, 95% CI = À58%, À31%). Further, there were fewer episodes of diarrhoea and ARIs in the intervention group for 'whole families' (À31%, 95% CI = À37%, À5%; and À14%, 95% CI = À23%, À6%, respectively), 6-to 15-year-olds (À30%, 95% CI = À39%, À7%; and À15%, 95% CI = À24%, À6%) and under 5 s (À32%, 95% CI = À41%, À4%; and À20%, 95% CI = À29%, À8%).conclusions Direct-contact hand washing interventions aimed at younger school-aged children can affect the health of the whole family. These may be scalable through public-private partnerships and classroom-based campaigns. Further work is required to understand the conditions under which health benefits are transferred and the mechanisms for transference.keywords hand washing with soap, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infection, hygiene, school absence

Dandruff is a skin condition that affects the scalp of up to half the world’s population, it is characterised by an itchy, flaky scalp and is associated with colonisation of the skin by Malassezia spp. Management of this condition is typically via antifungal therapies, however the precise role of microbes in the aggravation of the condition are incompletely characterised. Here, a combination of 454 sequencing and qPCR techniques were used to compare the scalp microbiota of dandruff and non-dandruff affected Chinese subjects. Based on 454 sequencing of the scalp microbiome, the two most abundant bacterial genera found on the scalp surface were Cutibacterium (formerly Propionibacterium) and Staphylococcus, while Malassezia was the main fungal inhabitant. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of four scalp taxa (M. restricta, M. globosa, C. acnes and Staphylococcus spp.) believed to represent the bulk of the overall population was additionally carried out. Metataxonomic and qPCR analyses were performed on healthy and lesional buffer scrub samples to facilitate assessment of whether the scalp condition is associated with differential microbial communities on the sampled skin. Dandruff was associated with greater frequencies of M. restricta and Staphylococcus spp. compared with the healthy population (p<0.05). Analysis also revealed the presence of an unclassified fungal taxon that could represent a novel Malassezia species.

Alterations in the human microbiome have been observed in a variety of conditions such as asthma, gingivitis, dermatitis and cancer, and much remains to be learned about the links between the microbiome and human health. The fusion of artificial intelligence with rich microbiome datasets can offer an improved understanding of the microbiome’s role in human health. To gain actionable insights it is essential to consider both the predictive power and the transparency of the models by providing explanations for the predictions. We combine the collection of leg skin microbiome samples from two healthy cohorts of women with the application of an explainable artificial intelligence (EAI) approach that provides accurate predictions of phenotypes with explanations. The explanations are expressed in terms of variations in the relative abundance of key microbes that drive the predictions. We predict skin hydration, subject's age, pre/post-menopausal status and smoking status from the leg skin microbiome. The changes in microbial composition linked to skin hydration can accelerate the development of personalized treatments for healthy skin, while those associated with age may offer insights into the skin aging process. The leg microbiome signatures associated with smoking and menopausal status are consistent with previous findings from oral/respiratory tract microbiomes and vaginal/gut microbiomes respectively. This suggests that easily accessible microbiome samples could be used to investigate health-related phenotypes, offering potential for non-invasive diagnosis and condition monitoring. Our EAI approach sets the stage for new work focused on understanding the complex relationships between microbial communities and phenotypes. Our approach can be applied to predict any condition from microbiome samples and has the potential to accelerate the development of microbiome-based personalized therapeutics and non-invasive diagnostics.

Introduction. The importance of human saliva in aerosol-based transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is now widely recognized. However, little is known about the efficacy of virucidal mouthwash formulations against emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and in the presence of saliva. Hypothesis. Mouthwashes containing virucidal actives will have similar inactivation effects against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and will retain efficacy in the presence of human saliva. Aim. To examine in vitro efficacy of mouthwash formulations to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methodology. Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 variants by mouthwash formulations in the presence or absence of human saliva was assayed using ASTM International Standard E1052-20 methodology. Results. Appropriately formulated mouthwashes containing 0.07 % cetylpyridinium chloride but not 0.2 % chlorhexidine completely inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (USA-WA1/2020, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) up to the limit of detection in suspension assays. Tests using USA-WA1/2020 indicates that efficacy is maintained in the presence of human saliva. Conclusions. Together these data suggest cetylpyridinium chloride-based mouthwashes are effective at inactivating SARS-CoV-2 variants. This indicates potential to reduce viral load in the oral cavity and mitigate transmission via salivary aerosols.