Clustering-based topical Web crawling using CFu-tree guided by link-context

Topical Web crawling is an established technique for domain-specific information retrieval. However, almost all the conventional topical Web crawlers focus on building crawlers using different classifiers, which needs a lot of labeled training data that is very difficult to label manually. This paper presents a novel approach called clustering-based topical Web crawling which is utilized to retrieve information on a specific domain based on link-context and does not require any labeled training data. In order to collect domain-specific content units, a novel hierarchical clustering method called bottom-up approach is used to illustrate the process of clustering where a new data structure, a linked list in combination with CFu-tree, is implemented to store cluster label, feature vector and content unit. During clustering, four metrics are presented. First, comparison variation （CV） is defined to judge whether the closest pair of clusters can be merged. Second, cluster impurity （CIP） evaluates the cluster error. Then, the precision and recall of clustering are also presented to evaluate the accuracy and comprehensive degree of the whole clustering process. Link-context extraction technique is used to expand the feature vector of anchor text which improves the clustering accuracy greatly. Experimental results show that the performance of our proposed method overcomes conventional focused Web crawlers both in Harvest rate and Target recall.     

Metronidazole-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers to improve skin deposition and retention in the treatment of rosacea

The objective of the present investigation was to improve the skin deposition and retention of metronidazole (MTZ) in rosacea therapy by incorporating it into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The main challenge in this endeavor was the partial hydrophilicity of MTZ, which mandated careful selection of excipients, including solid and liquid lipids, surfactants, and their ratios in combination. NLCs were produced by the phase inversion temperature method and finally converted into a gel for topical application. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for their particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, solid-state characteristics, surface morphology, in vitro drug release, and permeation through excised skin. The gel was additionally characterized for its pH, drug content, viscosity, and spreadability. The prepared nanoparticles were spherical in shape and of size less than 300?nm. Incorporation of judiciously chosen excipients made possible a relatively high entrapment efficiency of almost 40%. The drug release was found to be biphasic, with an initial burst release followed by sustained release up to 8?hours. In comparison to the plain drug gel, which had a tissue deposition of 11.23%, the NLC gel showed a much superior and desirable deposition of 26.41%. The lipophilic nature of the carrier, its size, and property of occlusion enabled greater amounts of drug to enter and be retained in the skin, simultaneously minimizing permeation through the skin, i.e. systemic exposure. The results of the study suggest that NLCs of anti-rosacea drugs have the potential to be used in the therapy of rosacea.     

Application of Coffee Silverskin in cosmetic formulations: physical/antioxidant stability studies and cytotoxicity effects

Context: Currently, there is an increasing interest of cosmetic industry on natural extracts. The inclusion of antioxidants in topical formulations can contribute to minimize oxidative stress in the skin, which has been associated with aging. Also, questions of sustainability are leading to the study of new cosmetic ingredients obtained from food by-products. Coffee Silverskin (CS) is a food by-product with established antioxidant activity that has not yet been incorporated into a topical formulation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical and microbiological stabilities and antioxidant activity of a hand cream formulation containing 2.5% (w/w) of CS extract upon production and after 6 months of shelf-life and in vitro safety/cytotoxicity on skin cell lines after production.

Materials and methods: The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated with MTS and LDH assays, at different concentrations, in HaCaT and HFF-1 cells. Formulations were stored at 25?°C/65% RH and 40?°C/75% RH. Physical, microbiological, and antioxidant stabilities were evaluated by centrifugation, viscosity, total colony count, DPPH and total phenolic content (TPC).

Results: The hand cream containing 2.5% (w/w) of CS extract showed stable physical characteristics independently of the storage conditions. The DPPH activity and TPC of the CS formulation were significantly higher compared with those of the base formulation. However, during storage, the antioxidant activity decreases slightly. Microbiological quality was also confirmed. No cytotoxic effects were observed.

Conclusion: It is possible to suggest that this formulation is stable under extreme conditions and safe for topical use.     

面向领域标签辅助的服务聚类方法

Web服务数量的激增对服务发现提出了更高的要求,服务聚类是促进服务发现的一种重要技术.但是,现有服务聚类方法只对单一类型的服务文档进行聚类,缺乏考虑服务的领域特性和服务标签的应用.针对这些问题,本文首先使用本体辅助的支持向量机和面向领域的服务特征降维技术建立服务的特征内容向量,然后使用一种标签辅助的主题服务聚类方法T-LDA建立融合标签信息之后的隐含主题表示,并利用归一化方法消除通用主题的影响,综合上述方法建立一个面向领域标签辅助的Web服务聚类方法DTWSC.实验结果表明,该框架能够提高针对不同类型的服务文档的聚类效果.与LDA、K-Means等方法相比,该方法在聚类纯度、熵和F-Measure指标上均具有更好的效果.     

Topical formulation of a new plant extract complex with refirming properties. Clinical and non-invasive evaluation in a double-blind trial

We tested an OTC formulation versus placebo in a double-blind trial to evaluate its ability to improve elasticity and firmness of the skin. The clinical non-invasive evaluation in 20 volunteers shows: 1. No adverse reactions such as itching or irritation 2. Efficacy and cosmetic acceptibility of the test cream 3. An increase in electrical capacitance (moisture content) even though without statistical significance. This result is not surprising because the patients had healthy skin and were relatively young (aged 20-25) 4. A very significant improvement in the biomechanical properties (extensibility and firmness) of the skin. This increase was statistically significant (P < 0.02) The main components of the cream (boswellic acids, Sylibin and Centella asiatica extracts) were formulated as complexes with lyso-phospholipids and soya bean non-saponifiable lipids.     

Toxicokinetics of 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) in the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)

2,4-Dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA), the major hydroxamic acid present in corn, and its tritiated derivative, were prepared synthetically for use in the determination of the toxicokinetics of this insect deterrent in the European corn borer (ECB),Ostrinia nubilalis. In growth studies with DIMBOA (0, 0.05, 0.2, and 0.5 mg/g diet), the mean time to pupation and adult emergence were significantly lengthened by an increase in concentration. Pupal and adult weights, for both female and male, decreased with an increase in concentration. Increased larval and pupal mortality occurred at the highest concentration of DIMBOA. DIMBOA, at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 mg/g diet, resulted in a decrease in the number of egg masses produced per female, and at 0.5 mg/g diet, in a decrease in the number of eggs per egg mass. Larvae fed from the neonate stage on a diet containing 0.2 mg [³H]- + [¹H]DIMBOA/g diet showed an increase in the content of label from fourth to fifth instar, but levels declined at pupation and emergence. A large amount of the labeled compounds was excreted by the insect in the pupal case. In dose-related studies, both uptake and excretion increased with an increase in concentration of DIMBOA (0.05, 0.2, 0.4 mg/g diet), while a body burden (concentration in the tissues/concentration in the frass) of approximately 0.25 was maintained for all concentrations. At the highest dose of DIMBOA (0.4 mg/g), the ECB increased consumption, possibly to compensate for the toxic effects of the compound. In topical application studies, elimination of the labeled compound in the frass was rapid, reaching 65% by 4 hr and 88% by 48 hr. Accumulation of label in tissues other than hemolymph was low. The results show that the ECB does possess adaptive mechanisms to deal with the effects of this host-derived compound.     

Comment on “Topical Delivery of Avastin to the Posterior Segment of the Eye In Vivo Using Annexin A5‐Associated Liposomes”: Topical Liposomal Bevacizumab Results in Negligible Retinal Concentrations

The previously published report suggests that liposomes, functionalized with annexin‐5, can deliver bevacizumab to the retina after topical administration as eyedrops. Topical delivery of bevacizumab would be an attractive alternative to the current treatment that involves monthly intravitreal injections to the eye. In this Comment, the retinal concentrations of topically applied liposomal bevacizumab are compared to the levels reached after intravitreal injections. The comparison reveals that the topical liposomal delivery results in retinal bevacizumab concentrations that are about 3–5 orders of magnitude below the lowest bevacizumab concentrations during clinical treatment with intravitreal injections. Major improvement is needed before topical bevacizumab delivery can be considered clinically feasible.     

Multidrug Idebenone/Naproxen Co-loaded Aspasomes for Significant in vivo Anti-inflammatory Activity

The use of proper nanocarriers for dermal and transdermal delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs recently gained several attentions in the scientific community because they pass intact and accumulate payloads in the deepest layers of skin tissue. Ascorbyl palmitate-based vesicles (aspasomes) can be considered a promising nanocarrier for dermal and transdermal delivery due to their skin whitening properties and suitable delivery of payloads through the skin. The aim of this study was the synthesis of multidrug Idebenone/naproxen co-loaded aspasomes for the development of an effective anti-inflammatory nanomedicine. Aspasomes had suitable physicochemical properties and were safe in vivo if topically applied on human healthy volunteers. Idebenone/naproxen co-loaded aspasomes demonstrated an increased therapeutic efficacy of payloads compared to the commercially available Naprosyn® gel, with a rapid decrease of chemical-induced erythema on human volunteers. These promising results strongly suggested a potential application of Idebenone/naproxen multidrug aspasomes for the development of an effective skin anti-inflammatory therapy.     

Flexible Nanosomes (SECosomes) Enable Efficient siRNA Delivery in Cultured Primary Skin Cells and in the Viable Epidermis of Ex Vivo Human Skin

The extent to which nanoscale‐engineered systems cross intact human skin and can exert pharmacological effects in viable epidermis is controversial. This research seeks to develop a new lipid‐based nanosome that enables the effective delivery of siRNA into human skin. The major finding is that an ultraflexible siRNA‐containing nanosome—prepared using DOTAP, cholesterol, sodium cholate, and 30% ethanol—penetrates into the epidermis of freshly excised intact human skin and is able to enter into the keratinocytes. The nanosomes, called surfactant‐ethanol‐cholesterol‐osomes (SECosomes), show excellent size, surface charge, morphology, deformability, transfection efficiency, stability, and skin penetration capacity after complexation with siRNA. Importantly, these nanosomes have ideal characteristics for siRNA encapsulation, in that the siRNA is stable for at least 4 weeks, they enable highly efficient transfection of in vitro cultured cells, and are shown to transport siRNA delivery through intact human skin where changes in the keratinocyte cell state are demonstrated. It is concluded that increasing flexibility in nanosomes greatly enhances their ability to cross the intact human epidermal membrane and to unload their payload into targeted epidermal cells.