The association between atopic dermatitis and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in children: Influence of sun exposure, diet, and atopy features-A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked low serum vitamin D (VD) or 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with increased severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum VD (25(OH)D) levels and AD and AD severity, considering the influence of diet and sun exposure. METHODS: We performed a prospective cross-sectional study of healthy controls and children diagnosed with AD. Participants were recruited between January 2011 and December 2012, and the following parameters were assessed: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), AD severity, Fitzpatrick skin type, asthma and rhinitis history, dietary VD intake, daily potential sun-induced VD production, sunscreen use, 25(OH)D and IgE serum levels, and results of the ImmunoCAP Phadiatop Infant test. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 105 healthy controls and 134 AD patients. Serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in moderate and severe AD than in mild AD, although this association was only significant for patients with light Fitzpatrick skin type (mean(SD) 36.7 (11.9) ng/mL; moderate 28.8 [11.5] ng/mL; and severe 27.6 [12.1] ng/mL, P = .045). Logistic regression analysis revealed a positive association between severe AD and both positive ImmunoCAP Phadiatop test and BMI. CONCLUSION: Our data support an association between VD deficiency and AD severity only in patients with light complexion.

Body mass index and serum lipid profile: Association with atopic dermatitis in a paediatric population.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The association between atopic dermatitis, body weight and serum lipid levels is not well known, and very few studies have examined this relationship in children. METHODS: Children (n = 239) under 14 years old participated in this prospective cross-sectional study. The following variables were recorded: age, gender, weight, height, atopic dermatitis severity, serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. RESULTS: Mean body mass index was slightly higher in atopic dermatitis patients than healthy controls and significantly higher in atopic dermatitis patients aged 0-2 years (atopic dermatitis, 16.7 ± 4.6; controls, 15.7 ± 1.3; P = 0.04) and 12-14 years (atopic dermatitis, 24.9 ± 5.3; controls, 20.6 ± 3.4; P = 0.03). Among atopic dermatitis patients, body mass index was significantly higher in those with severe atopic dermatitis in the 9-12 (P = 0.03) and 12-14 (P = 0.01) years groups. Mean serum lipid levels were higher in patients with severe atopic dermatitis than in the atopic dermatitis group as a whole. These differences reached statistical significance for total cholesterol (P = 0.04) and triglycerides (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight, obesity and dyslipidemia is greater in children with atopic dermatitis than in age-matched healthy counterparts.

Comparison between non-invasive methods used on paintings by Goya and his contemporaries: hyperspectral imaging vs. point-by-point spectroscopic analysis.

The development of non-invasive techniques for the characterization of pigments is crucial in order to preserve the integrity of the artwork. In this sense, the usefulness of hyperspectral imaging was demonstrated. It allows pigment characterization of the whole painting. However, it also sometimes requires the complementation of other point-by-point techniques. In the present article, the advantages of hyperspectral imaging over point-by-point spectroscopic analysis were evaluated. For that purpose, three paintings were analysed by hyperspectral imaging, handheld X-ray fluorescence and handheld Raman spectroscopy in order to determine the best non-invasive technique for pigment identifications. Thanks to this work, the main pigments used in Aragonese artworks, and especially in Goya's paintings, were identified and mapped by imaging reflection spectroscopy. All the analysed pigments corresponded to those used at the time of Goya. Regarding the techniques used, the information obtained by the hyperspectral imaging and point-by-point analysis has been, in general, different and complementary. Given this fact, selecting only one technique is not recommended, and the present work demonstrates the usefulness of the combination of all the techniques used as the best non-invasive methodology for the pigments' characterization. Moreover, the proposed methodology is a relatively quick procedure that allows a larger number of Goya's paintings in the museum to be surveyed, increasing the possibility of obtaining significant results and providing a chance for extensive comparisons, which are relevant from the point of view of art history issues.

Microcharacterization of a natural blue pigment used in wall paintings during the Romanesque period in northern Spain.

In Romanesque wall paintings in Aragon (Spain), the pigment used for creating blue was a very characteristic mineral, aerinite, which came from local ores in the southern Pyrenees. Optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction, and reflectance spectroscopy were used to make a detailed microcharacterization of this rare blue pigment in order to improve the knowledge of its composition and possible variability, from samples of medieval paintings and some mineral ores. New analytical data on the chemical composition of the blue pigment are reported here, together with the characterization of its microstructure, and the heterogeneity of the natural pigment made by the features of the ore itself. X-ray diffraction pattern and color parameters of the mineral ores are also included. The data obtained by SEM-EDX will assist identification of this pigment by electron microscopy. The natural variability in composition observed in the samples may be used to explain formation of the extracted mineral and to compare several ore sources. Connection of the ore composition with the pigments used in Romanesque wall paintings will help both provenance and attribution studies.

Chemical investigation on black pigments in the carved decoration of sixteenth century alabaster tombs from Zaragoza (Spain).

An analytical protocol based on optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses, analytical pyrolysis in the presence of hexamethyldisilazane followed by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis (Py-silylation-GC/MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after alkaline hydrolysis, solvent extraction and trimethylsilylation was used to study the origin and nature of black pigments from the carved inscriptions of several panels of two alabaster tombs dated from the mid-sixteenth century. Optical microscopy and SEM observation showed the presence of an amorphous very dark-brown substance, from translucent to opaque. EDX analyses revealed that the samples were mainly made up of C and O, thus highlighting the organic nature of the material used in the inscriptions. Py-silylation-GC/MS and GC/MS analyses provided detailed molecular compositions, highlighting the presence of a wide range of compound classes including diterpenoid acids, tricyclic abietanes, mid- and long-chain monocarboxylic fatty acids, n-alkanols and nalkanes. The pyrograms, the chromatographic profiles and the presence of characteristic biomarkers indicated that a mixture of pine pitch and beeswax had been used to make the black inscriptions.