Cost and quality in consumer sunscreen preferences.

BACKGROUND: Sunscreen use is an important modifiable behavior to protect against skin cancer, photoaging, and sunburn. Product costs and characteristics may influence accessibility and usage of sunscreen. This study aims to determine preferences for sunscreen attributes and willingness to pay (WTP) for an ideal sunscreen product. METHODS: Adult volunteers 18 years or older were contacted on ResearchMatch. Of 670 responses, 489 surveys were completed and 2 were excluded based on the inclusion criterion. Online survey responses were collected in REDCap from July-September 2019. The online survey queried sunscreen attribute preferences and then respondent preferences were compiled into individualized descriptions of ideal products. Respondents were then asked to make purchasing decisions on these products. WTP was determined by analyzing product attributes and purchasing decisions. Attribute preferences were reported as numerical ratings of Importance and Desirability. WTP was calculated by linear regression of purchasing decision data. Qualitative comments about sunscreen preferences were also collected. RESULTS: The study involved 487 participants aged 18-85 years (mean 43.6, SD 15.7) and 84.4% (N = 411) female. The most popular attributes included complete prevention of skin cancer and sunburn. WTP for an ideal product was $30.10 ± 2.11 for one month of use. CONCLUSIONS: Consumers provide high values in WTP for sunscreen. Dermatologists should consider cost and variability in attribute preferences when recommending sunscreens to patients. Further study is required to determine the effects, if any, of cost and attributes on adherence to sunscreen use in specific populations.

A replicator-specific binding protein essential for site-specific initiation of DNA replication in mammalian cells.

Mammalian chromosome replication starts from distinct sites; however, the principles governing initiation site selection are unclear because proteins essential for DNA replication do not exhibit sequence-specific DNA binding. Here we identify a replication-initiation determinant (RepID) protein that binds a subset of replication-initiation sites. A large fraction of RepID-binding sites share a common G-rich motif and exhibit elevated replication initiation. RepID is required for initiation of DNA replication from RepID-bound replication origins, including the origin at the human beta-globin (HBB) locus. At HBB, RepID is involved in an interaction between the replication origin (Rep-P) and the locus control region. RepID-depleted murine embryonic fibroblasts exhibit abnormal replication fork progression and fewer replication-initiation events. These observations are consistent with a model, suggesting that RepID facilitates replication initiation at a distinct group of human replication origins.