Commercial Nail Research Articles

Greenish discoloration due to gel nail extensions mimicking Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection: Is beauty really worth the risk: A case report

Over the past decades, the commercialization of nail cosmetics has increased. From nail polishes to artificial nails, different methods of nail beautification have emerged. Knowledge of the safety and efficacy of nail products is very important as nail products such as nail polish, nail polish removers, and artificial nails have several adverse effects. Harmful substances such as toluene sulfonamide-formaldehyde resin and methacrylates have been identified in commercial nail products, leading to several adverse effects, such as allergic contact dermatitis. Here, we report a case of a healthy young female, who developed greenish discoloration of nails following the removal of gel nail extensions, which need to be differentiated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and other causes such as fungal infection, subungual hematoma, and malignant melanoma, as early diagnosis may help in initiating the specific treatment, hence saving time and the need for unnecessary laboratory investigations.

Minimum Spanning Tree‐Based Clustering for Chemical Evaluation of Commercial Nail Polish Samples Using Spectroanalytical Data

ABSTRACTThis study discusses potential toxic elements detection in conventional nail polish, including Cr and Pb. The noteworthy results highlight well‐established potential risks of elevated Cr and Pb concentrations. These elements are not allowed in the European Union. Implementing the minimum spanning tree (MST) approach and the isolation forest algorithm effectively clustered samples. Forty‐five samples were analyzed, and four clusters were identified. Two presented six samples with high concentrations of Fe (Cluster 1 with four samples) and Cr and Pb (Cluster 2 with two samples). The other 39 samples presented low concentrations of the determined elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Pb). Cadmium, Zn, and Mn were not detected in any of the analyzed samples. Furthermore, integrating energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (ED‐XRF) and laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) enabled fast direct analysis of nail polish samples, streamlining a swift and reliable data acquisition process. This research underscores the importance of ongoing vigilance and monitoring of potential health hazards associated with nail polish formulations, especially in regions with regulatory restrictions on certain elements.

Antibiotic cement-coated rigid locked nails in infected femoral and tibial nonunion. Reoperation rates of commercial versus custom-made nails

IntroductionThe objective of this study is to assess bone union, infection control, and reoperation rates in a series of patients with infected femoral or tibial nonunion treated with antibiotic-cement-coated rigid nails and to compare the results obtained with custom-made nails versus commercial nails. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed a series of consecutive patients with infected nonunion of the femur or the tibia treated with antibiotic-cement-coated rigid nails between January 2010 and 2020. We assessed patients’ distinctive characteristics, initial injury, type of nail used (custom-made nail with vancomycin or commercial nail with gentamicin), success rate (bone union + infection control), reoperation rate, and failure rate. Comparative analyses were conducted between reoperated and non-reoperated patients regarding the type of nail used. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess the risk variables that impacted reoperation rates. ResultsWe included 54 patients with 22 (40.74%) infected femoral nonunions and 32 (59.25%) tibial nonunions, who were treated with 38 (70.37%) custom-made antibiotic-cement coated nails and 16 (29.62%) commercial nails. Bone union and infection control were achieved in 51 (94.44%) cases. The reoperation rate was 40.74% (n = 22), and the failure rate was 5.55% (n = 3). The use of custom-made nails was associated with a higher risk of reoperation (Odds Ratio 4.71; 95% Confidence Interval 1.10 - 20.17; p = 0.036). ConclusionAntibiotic-cement-coated nails reached a 94.44% success rate. Nails manufactured in the OR coated with vancomycin cement were associated with a higher risk of reoperation than commercial nails loaded with gentamicin cement. Level of evidenceIII comparative, observational, non-randomized.

The rheologically-complex fluid beauty of nail lacquer formulations.

Nail lacquer formulations are multi-ingredient complex fluids with additives that affect color, smell, texture, evaporation rate, viscosity, stability, leveling behavior, consumer's sensory experience, and dried coating's decorative and wear performance. Optimizing and characterizing the formulation rheology is critical for achieving longer shelf-life, better control over the nail painting process and adhesion, continuous manufacturing of large product volumes, and increasing overall consumer satisfaction. Dispensing, bottle filling, brush application, and dripping, as well as perceived tackiness of nail polishes, all involve capillarity-driven pinching flows associated with strong extensional deformation fields. However, a significant lack of characterization of pinching dynamics and extensional rheology response of multicomponent formulations, especially particle suspensions in viscoelastic solutions, motivates this study. Here, we characterize the shear rheology response of twelve commercial nail lacquer formulations using torsional rheometry and characterize pinching dynamics and extensional rheology response using dripping-onto-substrate (DoS) rheometry protocols we developed. We visualize and analyze brush loading, nail coating, dripping from brush, sagging, and lacquer application on a nail to outline the challenges posed by free-surface flows and non-Newtonian rheology. We find that the radius evolution over time obtained using DoS rheometry displays power law exponents distinct from those exhibited in shear thinning. Both shear and extensional viscosity decrease with deformation rate. However, the extensional viscosity appears to be rate-independent at the highest rates and displays nearly an order of magnitude larger values than the high shear rate viscosity. We envision that the findings and protocols described here will help and motivate industrial scientists to design better multicomponent formulations through a better characterization and understanding of the influence of ingredients like particles and polymers on rheology, processing, and applications.

Commercially available antibiotic-laden PMMA-covered locking nails for the treatment of fracture-related infections - A retrospective case analysis of 10 cases.

Introduction: Fracture-related infections (FRIs) are a devastating complication. FRIs are challenging and should be addressed with a multidisciplinary approach. An FRI should be addressed surgically by non-viable bone debridement, local antibiotic deposition, minimization of dead space and fracture stabilization. Antibiotic-laden PMMA-covered nails are a viable option to face these complications. To demonstrate the safety and utility of commercially available antibiotic-laden PMMA-covered nails, we performed a review of the cases operated in our institution and a cost analysis to compare the cost of a commercial nail to other available alternatives.Material and methods: We designed a retrospective study of consecutive cases to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of antibiotic-laden PMMA-covered commercial nails and designed a cost analysis of commercial coated nails compared to other custom-made alternatives.Results: We treated seven tibias and three femurs. Nine patients fully fit the criteria for FRI. There was one case of reintervention because of persistent drainage. All fractures healed, and in the first year post-intervention, there were no signs or symptoms of infection. There were no complications related to the commercially available nail that was used. There is a small increase in the direct quantifiable cost in commercially available nails, but non-quantifiable cost should be assessed individually.Conclusions: Commercially available antibiotic-laden PMMA-covered nails are a safe and useful treatment option for complicated cases of lower limb long bone reconstruction. The low complication rate and the straightforward technique compensate for the direct cost increase in most situations.

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by acrylates in nail cosmetic products: Case reports and review of the literatures

Abstract Acrylates are esters of acrylic acid, which are potent sensitizers that can cause occupational allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in dental personnel. More recently, an increasing number of cases of both occupational and non-occupational ACD in beauty industry are observed. Here we present three cases of ACD to acrylate and its derivatives in both nail beauticians and do-it-yourself gel nail users due to exposure to nail cosmetics presenting with chronic hand eczema with severe pulpitis and even nail dystrophy with patch-test-confirmed diagnosis. Chemical analysis of commercial nail cosmetic products has been done in one of the patients and successfully identified 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate as the contact allergen.

All-Solid-State, PVC Membrane, and Carbon Paste Ion-Selective Electrodes for Determination of Donepezil Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulation.

All-solid-state, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane, and carbon paste potentiometric ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) were proposed for the determination of donepezil hydrochloride (DON) in the drug substance and a pharmaceutical formulation. The potentiometric response toward DON was based on the existence of donepezil-tetraphenyl borate (DON-TPB) in a PVC membrane or a carbon paste in the presence of dioctylphthalate. In contrast, the solid-state electrode was prepared by direct incorporation of DON-TPB into a commercial nail varnish without external additives. The electrodes exhibited Nernstian slopes of 55.0, 57.0, and 53.0 mV/decade over the concentration ranges of 1 × 10-5 to 1 × 10-3, 1 × 10-4 to 10-2, and 1 × 10-4 to 5 × 10-3 for the solid-state, PVC membrane, and carbon paste electrodes, respectively. The response of the electrodes is independent of pH in the range of 2-≤8. The electrodes showed good selectivity for DON with respect to a number of inorganic cations and amino acids. The electrodes were used for the determination of DON in pure solution and in pharmaceutical tablets with high accuracy (±2%) and precision (RSD ≤2%). The solid-state electrode is simple, economical, and rapid when compared to the PVC membrane and carbon paste electrodes.

Safety and Efficacy of Nail Products

Over the past several decades, the commercialization of nail cosmetics has increased. From nail polishes to artificial nails, different methods of nail beautification have become popularized. However, the impact of these products remains largely unknown. Governments have passed legislation in attempts to regulate nail cosmetics, but these regulations may not be adequate and are difficult to enforce. Knowledge of the safety and efficacy of nail products remains limited due to the relative dearth of literature published on the topic. This review serves to summarize and interpret the data available regarding common nail products and their safety and efficacy. Nail products such as nail polish, nail polish removers, and artificial nails have shown to have some adverse effects through case reports and studies. Harmful substances such as toluenesulfonamide-formaldehyde resin and methacrylates have been identified in commercial nail products, leading to several adverse effects, but in particular, allergic contact dermatitis. Exposure to substances such as acetonitrile found in removers may have more toxic and caustic effects, especially if ingested. In addition, for nail technicians there are negative effects linked with occupational exposure. Compounds used in nail products may become aerosolized and lead to asthma, eye and throat irritation, and even neurocognitive changes.

Simultaneous determination of cosmetics ingredients in nail products by fast gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) method has been developed and validated to quantitatively determine cosmetic ingredients, such as toluene, N-methylpyrrolidone, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (benzophenone-1, BP-1), and diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, in nail products. In this procedure, test portions were extracted with acetone, followed by vortexing, sonication, centrifugation, and filtration. During the extraction procedure, BP-1 was derivatized making it amenable to GC–MS analysis, using N,O-​bis(trimethylsilyl)​trifluoroacetamide. The four ingredients were quantified by GC–MS/MS in an electron ionization mode. Four corresponding stable isotopically labeled analogues were selected as internal standards, which were added at the beginning of the sample preparation to correct for recoveries and matrix effects. The validated method was used to screen 34 commercial nail products for these four cosmetic ingredients. The most common ingredients detected in the nail products were toluene and BP-1. Toluene was detected in 26 products and ranged from 1.36 to 173,000μg/g. BP-1 ranged from 18.3 to 2,370μg/g in 10 products.

Evaluation of topical antifungal products in an in vitro onychomycosis model.

Many topical commercial products are currently available for the treatment of onychomycosis. However, limited data are available concerning their antifungal activity. Using an in vitro onychomycosis model, the daily application of seven nail formulations was compared to the antifungal reference drug amorolfine (Loceryl(®) ) and evaluated for inhibitory activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes using an agar diffusion test. Of all commercial nail formulations, only Excilor(®) and Nailner(®) demonstrated inhibitory activity, which was much lower compared to the daily application of Loceryl(®) . However, Excilor(®) showed similar efficacy compared to the conventional weekly application of Loceryl(®) . These results suggest a role for organic acids in the antifungal effect of Excilor(®) (acetic acid, ethyl lactate) and Nailner(®) (lactic acid, citric acid, ethyl lactate) as all tested formulations without organic acids were inactive.

Characterization of indoor air contaminants in a randomly selected set of commercial nail salons in Salt Lake County, Utah, USA

Air samples were collected in 12 randomly selected commercial nail salons in Salt Lake County, Utah. Measurements of salon physical/chemical parameters (room volume, CO2 levels) were obtained. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were collected using summa air canisters and sorbent media tubes for an 8-h period. Multivariate analyses were used to identify relationships between salon physical/chemical characteristics and the VOCs found in the air samples. The ACGIH® additive mixing formula was also applied to determine if there were potential overexposures to the combined airborne concentrations of chemicals monitored. Methyl methacrylate was detected in 58% of the establishments despite having been banned for use in nail products by the state of Utah. Formaldehyde was found above the NIOSH REL® (0.016 ppm) in 58% of the establishments. Given the assortment of VOCs to which nail salon workers are potentially exposed, a combination of engineering as well as personal protective equipment is recommended.

Sensitive and Simple Flow Injection Analysis of Formaldehyde Using an Activated Barrel Plating Nickel Electrode

A flow injection analysis coupled with electrochemical detection at an activated barrel plating nickel electrode (Ni-BPE) was developed as a sensitive, simple, and low-cost formaldehyde sensor. The mechanism of Ni-BPE toward the electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde in alkaline medium at ambient temperature was proposed to be based on the electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde by Ni(III)O(OH) species. Under the optimized conditions (flow rate = 1.2 mL/min; detection potential = +0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl), a good linearity in the window of 0.037 to 10 microg/mL formaldehyde was observed, and the LOD of 0.23 microg/L was calculated. The RSDs of intraday (n = 10) and interday (n = 6) replicate measurements of 0.185-5 microg/mL formaldehyde ranged from 1.45 to 3.60%, indicating good reproducibility of the proposed method. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of formaldehyde in commercial nail polish samples and a drinking water sample.

Quantitative Analysis of Nail Polish Remover Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Revisited

Substantial modifications are presented for a previously described experiment using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to quantitatively determine analytes in commercial nail polish remover. The revised experiment is intended for a second- or third-year laboratory course in analytical chemistry and can be conducted for larger laboratory section enrollments. The experiment employs the standard addition method, places a strong emphasis on careful treatment of NMR data, and introduces elements of group learning where students critically interpret a relatively large set of data. NMR spectra are obtained from aqueous solution samples without any deuterium present for a lock signal, a technical feature of the experiment that might be of general interest to the undergraduate chemistry teaching community.

Determination of trace amounts of formaldehyde in acetone

A method to quantify sub-ppm levels of formaldehyde in acetone has been developed and it is reported here. In this method, the different reactivities and stabilities of sulfite with formaldehyde and acetone are used to separate the two carbonyl compounds. Sulfite reacts with formaldehyde to form hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS), the non-volatile and stable nature of which allows its separation from bulk acetone solvent. The resulting HMS is then converted back to formaldehyde under basic conditions, and formaldehyde is derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and quantified in its DNP hydrazone form using high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection. The method detection limit at the 99% confidence level was 0.051 mg L −1. A batch of samples can be processed within 4 h. The method has been applied to quantify the amount of formaldehyde in an analytical-grade acetone and in a commercial nail polish remover and the level of formaldehyde was found to be 0.175 and 0.184 mg L −1, respectively.

Acetone and Ethyl Acetate in Commercial Nail Polish Removers: A Quantitative NMR Experiment Using an Internal Standard

The qualitative and quantitative analysis of commercial nail polish removers is performed on a 60 MHz NMR spectrometer. After taking NMR spectra of the polish removers, students can make peak assignments for the known components of acetone and ethyl acetate. Using these spectra, students are also able to identify the unknown alcohol present in the remover as ethanol. Quantitative analysis of either the acetone or ethyl acetate in the nail polish removers is accomplished by comparing the analyte peak intensities with that of an internal standard. The system in which deuterated acetone is used as a solvent and methylene chloride as an internal standard gave precise results for both commercial removers and for standards prepared from pure acetone or an ethyl acetate/ethanol mixture. As recovery from the standards was approximately 96 - 98% of what was anticipated, the analysis of the commercial products is also believed to be accurate.

Gas-Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Solvents in Commercial Nail Lacquer Preparations

A gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) method has been developed for the determination of 5 solvents (butanol, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, 2-propanol, and toluene) and camphor in commerical nail lacquer preparations. Resins and pigments are first precipitated from the solvents by dilution with isooctane. n-Propyl acetate is then added as an internal standard to the isooctane solution of solvents and the mixture is analyzed by temperature-programmed GLC. Analyses at 3 concentration levels (4, 20, and 40%) with 4 determinations at each level gave good recoveries.