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Nanotechnology Could Be Next Wrinkle Fighter
Article Date: 21 Jan 2007 - 5:00 PST
The next big idea in preventing wrinkles is very, very small. Nano small.
A Michigan State University chemical engineer has discovered that nanoparticles can stop thin polymer films from buckling and wrinkling. It's a new solution to a critical problem as thin films become more important in new technology such as electronic monitors.
The cosmetic arsenal to fight human wrinkles embraces technologies that seems crossed with science fiction - from microdermabrasians to lasers to Botox injections - and nanoparticles are poised to join the war by warding off dreaded buckles in human skin.
Ilsoon Lee, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, along with Ph.D. student Troy Hendricks, published an online article in the American Chemical Society's Nano Letters in December 2006 that outlines the potential of using infinitesimally small nanoparticles - 50nm - between films to smooth out the tiny buckles that are the origin of wrinkles.
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While the article addresses breakthroughs in the buckling of polymer films as they were compressed or heated during the manufacturing process, Ilsoon said the principles show promise to apply to human skin.
The research is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
On all fronts, it's all about nailing a wrinkle before it starts.
"Everything starts at a really small scale, so if we can prevent the buckling at the very beginning - at the nano level - we can eliminate large scale wrinkles," Ilsoon said. "Wrinkles can initiate from the small scale, and when it grows we cannot remove it."
Nanoparticles already have entered the cosmetic marketplace because they can penetrate deeper into the skin, transporting vitamins and other compounds to plump and smooth tissue. But Ilsoon envisions thin films that can be injected beneath the thinning outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, that over time stiffens and buckles with aging, and the thicker dermis beneath it, which remains more pliable over time. Think of a raisin.
Ilsoon explained that nanoparticles spread in a thin film can break up the compressive forces on a plane and redirect them. Once the force is reduced below the critical buckling strain, the film will not buckle. No buckles, no wrinkles. The nanoparticles in the film can be stress busters without affecting the neighboring layers.
"The wrinkle-free films will automatically absorb or deflect the stress and stay flat, just as they are after formation," he said.
Nanoparticle films wouldn't be a face-lift itself, but Ilsoon sees the possibility in a film that could be added during a cosmetic procedure - such as an eyelift - to stabilize the improvements and prevent further wrinkling. He also sees applications in medical procedures - such as artificial skins for surgery.
The ideas are in the early stages with health and safety concerns to be worked through. Already Ilsoon's lab, with collaborators, is testing polymer films, by applying various cells and proteins to see if there are toxic reactions.
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Contact: Ilsoon Lee
Michigan State University
The Greatest Wrinkle Remover And One Of The World's Most Potent Biological Weapons: Botulism Toxin's Insidious Route Into Nerve Cells
Botulinum neurotoxin A can be either the greatest wrinkle remover or one of the world's most potent biological weapons. To perform either job, however, the toxin must first find a way to enter cells.
But understanding how the toxin -- one of seven neurotoxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum -- enters nerve cells has proved elusive for scientists. Despite a decade-long search for the receptor by labs around the world, researchers had come up empty handed.
Now, a research team led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researcher Edwin R. Chapman reports that it has identified the cellular receptor for botulinum neurotoxin A. The group's work was published in the March 16, 2006, edition of ScienceXpress, which provides electronic publication of selected Science papers in advance of print. The finding offers important new insights that suggest how the toxin shuts down nerve cells with deadly efficiency.
In the clinic, the toxin, which is also known as botox, is used to treat forehead wrinkles, migraine headaches, urinary retention, eye muscle disorders, and excessive sweating. The same toxin also has more nefarious uses, and is considered a potential bioterror threat because it can kill people by paralyzing motor nerves in diaphragm muscles, causing breathing to stop. Lack of knowledge about the identity of the cell surface receptor that botulism toxin A uses to invade nerve cells has hindered the development of new antidotes to the toxin.
"People thought that since these were the most potent toxins known to humans, it would be easy to find the receptors," said Chapman, whose HHMI laboratory is at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, only a handful of proteins had been identified that appeared to interact with the toxin. But none of these proteins turned out to be the receptor, he said.
According to Chapman, researchers had long known how botulinum neurotoxin A attacks the nerve cell's internal molecular machinery. But the identity of the neuronal surface protein that the toxin recognized and used to gain entry into the cell was unknown.
"We decided to study the entry route used by these toxins first," said Chapman. Using cultured neurons and mouse diaphragms as model systems, postdoctoral fellow Min Dong and Felix Yeh in Chapman's laboratory, revealed that the neurotoxin enters neurons when empty synaptic vesicles are being recycled from the cell surface to the cell's interior. Synaptic vesicles are sac-like cargo carriers in neurons that haul neurotransmitters from the cell's interior to the synapses, which are the junctions between neurons. At the synapse, neurotransmitters are released, triggering nerve impulse in neighboring neurons.
"Our uptake experiments with all the toxins showing that many of them are taken up through synaptic vesicles made our life simple, because almost all synaptic vesicle proteins had already been identified by our colleagues. Furthermore, there are only a handful of synaptic vesicle proteins that contain domains that are exposed on the cell surface," said Chapman.
Thus, when Dong and Yeh screened the major vesicle proteins for binding to the neurotoxin, they found a high level of specific binding to one called SV2. Furthermore, the researchers found they could block the toxin's action in neurons by adding the piece of the SV2 protein that they had discovered was the SV2 protein's binding site to the toxin.
The researchers then proceeded to study the interaction between the toxin and SV2 in cell cultures, tissues and in whole mice. Co-author Roger Janz of the University of Texas-Houston Medical School supplied the Wisconsin researchers with knockout mice that lacked certain versions of SV2. The Wisconsin group found that the neurons that lack SV2 do not take up botox, but they do take up the toxin when SV2 is expressed. These findings demonstrated that SV2 is the functional receptor for Botox, Chapman said.
Other key mouse experiments were done in the laboratory of co-authors Eric Johnson and William Tepp in the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin. They found that mice engineered to lack versions of the SV2 protein showed significantly longer survival times than did normal mice when exposed to the toxin.
The identification of SV2 as the neurotoxin A receptor raises the possibility of designing protective drugs that would interfere with the toxin's action, said Chapman. He said his laboratory will aid such efforts by concentrating on developing a more detailed understanding of the molecular interaction between the toxin and its receptor.
Chapman said that this finding and others' studies on the botulinum neurotoxins have revealed why they are models of lethal efficiency. "The cool thing is that the neurotoxin receptor is on actively recycling synaptic vesicles, so the toxin targets only active neurons and shuts them down," he said. "There is no wasted toxin, because once a nerve terminal is shut down, it doesn't take up any more toxin. That leaves more toxin around to enter nerve terminals that have yet to be inhibited. That's pretty clever."
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Contact: Jim Keeley
keeleyj@hhmi.org
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
New Wrinkle Reduction Technology Yields Dramatic Results with Minimal Downtime
Rhytec, Inc Introduces Portrait(R) Skin Regeneration at American Academy of Dermatology Meeting February 17-21, 2005 in New Orleans -
Portrait(R) Skin Regeneration is the first and only clinically proven technology delivering true skin regeneration, resulting in reduced wrinkles and improved skin tone and texture with minimal downtime.
Portrait(R) offers the benefits and results consistent with more aggressive laser treatments but with the convenience and safety of non-laser treatments. During the quick in-office procedure, the unique action of the Portrait(R) technology transfers energy to the skin surface without direct contact or charring. Clinical studies show a continuing regenerative process producing sustainable improvements for up to a year following treatment.
There is minimal discomfort or redness and no scarring or pigmentation change, as shown in clinical study treatments to date.
The clinically proven technology works below the surface to initiate skin regeneration while preserving the skin's outer layers immediately following treatment as a natural, protective dressing. Portrait(R) modifies the skin's architecture so that a new collagen matrix is generated.
Portrait(R) PSR3 is FDA-cleared for single-pass, low energy, repeat treatments and single-pass high energy treatment of facial rhytides and for the treatment of superficial skin lesions.
Rhytec, Inc. launches the new Portrait(R) PSR3 Technology for True Skin Regeneration at the 2005 American Academy of Dermatology Meeting in New Orleans, February 17 - 21.
About Rhytec
Rhytec develops innovative technologies based on sound scientific and clinical research for the dermatological, plastic and cosmetic surgery markets. Founded by Dr. Mark Goble in 2004, Rhytec is a spin-off of Gyrus Group PLC, an innovator in energy-based systems for the surgical market. Rhytec works with leading dermatologists to develop new technologies that enhance the skin's appearance and function in order to improve the quality of life for patients seeking treatment. Rhytec, Inc. is based in Waltham, MA (US), Berkshire (UK), and Cardiff (UK). It is privately held.
Contact: Ken Grant, VP Marketing & Business Development
Rhytec, Inc. 888-474-9832
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Barbed sutures, wrinkle fillers give patients more innovative, non-surgical options
Patients without time for a facelift or intimidated by surgery now have more minimally invasive options that produce effective results. Barbed sutures, ultrasonic body contouring and soft tissue fillers, three emerging trends in the plastic surgery industry, offer patients faster results without the downtime of surgery, according to a program held today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2004 conference in Philadelphia.
"Plastic surgery patients want shorter, minimally invasive procedures that produce results and have limited downtime," said Leroy Young, MD, chair of the ASPS Committee on Emerging Trends. "As plastic surgeons, we are always searching for cutting-edge technology to meet the demand of our patients. Barbed sutures, ultrasonic technology and wrinkle fillers fit the bill."
Barbed sutures are a bit like barbed wire that have little cuts in the side of the suture, allowing the barb to catch when it is passed through tissue. The catch allows the plastic surgeon to pull on the suture once it is in place and tighten the tissue. This surgical development is expected to increase the number of people having facial rejuvenation, according to Dr. Young, because the sutures themselves are minimally invasive, require almost no downtime and are low risk.
Ultrasonic body contouring uses ultrasound to disrupt, destroy and disperse targeted fat cells, giving patients the benefits of liposuction without the pain and recovery time.
Last year, more than 7 million minimally invasive procedures were performed, up 43 percent from the previous year. Almost 11 percent used a soft tissue filler to fight wrinkles, furrows and folds. With the addition of Restylane�, Hylaform�, and SculptraTM, plastic surgeons expect patient demand for wrinkle fillers to skyrocket.
These trends, as well as other technologies, will be discussed during the ASPS "Emerging Trends - Hot Topics in Plastic Surgery" program, 7:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Approximately 20 new technologies and devices in plastic surgery will be presented.
Studies and courses on other emerging, minimally invasive procedures are being presented at Plastic Surgery 2004, including the FraxelTM SR Laser, ThermaCoolTM System and mesotherapy (mesoplasty).
Fraxel SR Laser, the next generation in laser light treatment which received FDA approval in July 2004, helps remove age spots better than previous lasers as well as lessens wrinkles, according to information presented at Plastic Surgery 2004. Unlike other lasers, this laser uses light to heat and remove microscopic pinpoints of skin, promoting a more effective result and faster recovery. This new laser treatment may replace deep chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing, which often leave the skin raw and take more than a week to heal.
ThermaCool offers patients facial rejuvenation without invasive surgery. A non-laser, radiofrequency device that heats the lower layers of the skin, ThermaCool may tighten the skin and improve skin texture. In addition, it may dramatically improve the skin of patients with acute cystic acne. According to a study presented at Plastic Surgery 2004, patients who had ThermaCool saw a notable difference after one treatment, experienced skin tightening and improved skin texture.
Mesotherapy is a potential alternative for removing localized fat without liposuction. The treatment, a combination of chemical and herbal remedies injected directly into the body, allegedly helps increase circulation to the targeted area, break down fat and prevent fat from forming. According to a study presented at Plastic Surgery 2004, patients who had mesotherapy lost 4.2 centimeters around the waist and 2.5 centimeters around the thighs.
These minimally invasive options will be presented during Plastic Surgery 2004 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia:
-- "Advances in Cosmetic Laser Surgery," today, noon.
-- "ThermaCool TC: For Skin Tightening, Active Acne and Scars," Sunday, Oct. 10, 8:20 a.m.
-- "Mesoplasty: A New Approach to Non-surgical Liposculpture," Sunday, Oct. 10, 7:50 a.m.
"Patients should be aware of their options and risks when undergoing any of these procedures. Some of them haven't been studied enough in clinical trials to show their efficacy and safety," said ASPS President Rod Rohrich, MD. "Ultimately, the question remains - who are good candidates for these procedures and what are the long-term effects?"
For referrals to plastic surgeons certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and to learn more about reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery, call the ASPS at 888-4-PLASTIC (888-475-2784) or visit http://www.plasticsurgery.org.
ASPS is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world and the foremost authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. With nearly 5,000 members, more than any other plastic surgery organization, ASPS is the definitive voice of the plastic surgery specialty. Viewed throughout the world as the pinnacle of information for new techniques, advances and plastic surgery trends, the society represents 94 percent of all the board-certified plastic surgeons in the U.S. Ninety-four percent of all ASPS members perform cosmetic plastic surgery and 89 percent of all ASPS members perform reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS, founded in 1931, represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Many of the above subjects presented at Plastic Surgery 2004 are procedures or technologies currently under investigation and are presented for research and educational purposes. Some need more scientific study to determine efficacy and success rate. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation do not endorse the procedures or technologies presented in the program and recommend that any reporting of the presented information be done responsibly with full disclosure of their unproven nature.
Note: Reporters can register to attend Plastic Surgery 2004 and arrange interviews with presenters by logging on to http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news_room/Annual-Meeting-Media-Information.cfm or by contacting ASPS Public Relations at 847-228-9900 or in Philadelphia, October 9-13 at 215-418-5310.
Contact: Brian Hugins
bsh@plasticsurgery.org
847-228-9900
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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Source for News : URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com and Reuters
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