Excessive Sunlight Exposure Research Articles

Dual response multi-function smart window: An integrated system of thermochromic hydrogel and thermoelectric power generation module for simultaneous temperature regulation and power generation

Thermochromic smart windows have the capability to intelligently adjust color and light transmission based on ambient temperature and light levels, attracting considerable attention due to their potential to enhance building energy efficiency and residential comfort. However, excessive sunlight exposure can lead to increased heat generation, potentially affecting the service life of the window. In this work, we present the development of an efficient intelligent solar thermal utilization window, incorporating heat collection, temperature regulation, and power generation functionalities. The smart window achieves light modulation by adjusting the glycerol content in the thermochromic hydrogel. In addition, the thermoelectric material is arranged in series and parallel to the smart window functioning as the power generation module. The developed smart window shows excellent sunlight modulation capability (91.2 % visible light transmittance and 99.2 % sunlight shielding rate). Meanwhile, the response temperature of the window can be adjusted from 34.5 °C to 29 °C. The thermoelectric hydrogel can generate continuous and stable current (∼75 µA) with a temperature difference of 40 ℃. The practical application proves that the generated power by the temperature difference can fully meet the switching needs of small electrical appliances. This transformation framework between photothermal-electricity conversion deserves attention in the design of future smart windows.

Efficacy of sunscreen gel infused with giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) head extract

Excessive sunlight exposure can lead to various minor skin disorders, including sunburn and the development of chronic skin malignancies. One effective preventive measure against these adverse effects is the use of sunscreen. Sunscreen can be derived from natural sources, such as the astaxanthin compound in giant tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon). This study aimed to formulate a sunscreen gel from giant tiger prawn head extract that meets good physical gel standards. Additionally, the study sought to determine the sun protection factor (SPF), erythema transmission level (%TE), and pigmentation transmission level (%TP) through in-vitro testing. The extraction process involved using coconut oil as a solvent using the maceration method. The resultant extract was then evaluated for SPF, %TE, and %TP values and subsequently formulated into gel variants with extract concentrations ranging from 1% to 10%. The findings of this investigation revealed that the giant tiger prawn head extract exhibited SPF, %TE, and %TP values of 8.0±0.11, 18.8±0.25%, and 21.7±0.73%, respectively, categorizing it as providing maximum protection, facilitating fast tanning, and acting as a sunblock. The gel formula containing 8% giant tiger prawn head extract demonstrated the highest sunscreen potential. In conclusion, this study highlights the promising potential of giant tiger prawn head extract as a natural sunscreen ingredient and identifies the optimal gel formula for effective sun protection.

Comparative analysis of metabolic differences between sunburn and sunscald disorder on 'Packham’s triumph’ pear

Sunburn and sunscald are common apple and pear peel disorders. Although both disorders are caused by excessive sunlight exposure, sunburn occurs in the orchard, whereas sunscald develops progressively during storage periods. Despite having been well characterized and studied in apples, these disorders are still poorly understood in pears. Here we performed comparative metabolomic analyses on pears with different levels of sunburn and sunscald incidences to understand metabolic changes associated with sun damage. Fruit from different orchards were classified according to their sunburn severity (light, moderate, and severe) at commercial harvest and later, sunscald level (light, moderate, and severe) after cold storage for 6 months. Peel samples were collected from both damaged and healthy sections of each class for metabolic profiling. From a total of 379 primary and secondary metabolites, 260 and 278 were found to have different accumulation levels between sunburned and sunscalded peel, respectively, compared to healthy tissues. Sunburn severity was positively correlated with the level of photosystem-related metabolites, while sunscald was with diacylglycerides, α-amyrin acyl esters, and pentacyclic triterpenoic acids. The content of some volatiles and fatty acids were elevated in both disorders. Our results provide biochemical information to distinguish these physiological disorders on pears, which may occur more frequently in the future due to increasing seasonal temperatures in many pear growing regions in the world due to climate change.

Diverse chemical modifications of the chlorogenic acid composition of Viscum combreticola Engl.: A premise for the state of readiness against excessive sunlight exposure.

Mistletoe plants that are positioned on the canopy of their hosts are more susceptible to UV radiation exposure. These aerial plants are resistant to damage by UV radiation due the presence of epidermal constituents such as the cuticle, cork layer, trichomes and antioxidant secondary metabolites. In response to the photo-oxidative stress associated with UV exposure, plants generally deploy photo-protective responsive mechanisms that involve the biosynthesis of UV absorbing phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acids (CGAs). The hydroxycinnamic acid moieties of these CGAs are predominantly in the trans configuration, naturally. However, excessive sunlight exposure of plants containing these compounds can result in geometrical isomerisation, characterized by the formation of cis isomers. Therefore, in this study, the effect of UV light radiation on the CGA composition of Viscum combreticola Engl. (Santalacaeae) plants using an in vitro model was unravelled through UHPLC-q-TOF-MS-based metabolic profiling. Interestingly, the findings of this study revealed that this plant has a diverse chemical composition of CGAs that is characterized by epimerization, monoacylation, homodiacylation and heterodiacylation of the quinic acid (QA), thereby, contributing to the state of readiness in these plants against sunlight or UV exposure. In addition to the commonly reported cinnamoyl containing heterodiacylated CGAs, hydroxybenzoyl containing heterodiacylated CGAs were also reported in this study. Moreover, cis isomers (24 in total) of some CGAs were identified in the non-irradiated samples and the formation of these compounds has been reported to help plants in the mitigation of photo-oxidative stress. An additional 28 cis isomers of CGAs and HCA derivatives were observed in the UV-irradiated samples, hence, further increasing the complexity of the metabolome of this plant, with a total of 108 compounds identified in this study. The presence of epimers, positional and geometrical isomers of these compounds could be a biochemical strategy to maximize the chemical arsenal of this plant to withstand the photo-oxidative stress posed by UV radiation from the sunlight. Due to purported pharmacological properties associated with the identified compounds these parasitic plants can be a rich source of prospective therapeutic compounds that can be employed as drug discovery leads. Moreover, UV radiation might be essential in future to produce potent drugs since plants naturally produce these compounds in low quantities.

The application value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography in cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Oral carcinomas is a concerning condition around the world. Globally, it is the 11th most common form of cancer. Over 90% of oral carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas. Smoking, tobacco intake, smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco), excessive sunlight exposure, alcohol, betel nut consumption, human papillomavirus, and reverse end smoking are the most common causes of oral carcinomas. Oral carcinomas are prone to neck lymph mode metastasis, which has an impact on the prognosis of patients and the five-year survival rate. Thus, precise lymph node metastasis and staging of oral carcinomas are critical. With the development of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, an increasing number of studies have found that Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) has high diagnostic value for tumors.Methods and analyses:The reviewers will conduct a thorough search for related literature in 6 online databases, including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, WanFang database, Web of Science, Chinese biomedical literature database, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The authors will obtain full text of studies deemed to be eligible to extract and synthesize data. The present systematic review will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Project (PRISMA-P) of the 2015 System Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol.Results:The present systematic analysis will pool the results of individual studies to assess the value of CECT in cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas.Conclusion:The results in the proposed research will determine whether CECT is an efficient diagnostic method for cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas.Ethics and dissemination:This study will utilize secondary data from pre-published studies. Therefore, an ethical clearance is not required. The research outcomes shall be disseminated in conference reports and peer-reviewed publications.OSF registration number:Oct 13, 2021.osf.io/k5nr9. (https://osf.io/k5nr9/).

Post-acne hyperpigmentation: Evaluation of risk factors and the use of artificial neural network as a predictive classifier.

Acne is common among young individuals. People with dark skin have a higher risk for developing pigmentary complications. Inflammation is an important factor in post-acne hyperpigmentation however other factors are also involved in developing this complication however these factors are not well studied. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors involved in post-acne hyperpigmentation. Clinical data related to acne, acne- related hyperpigmentation were collected. Data was analyzed for risk factors associated with acne pigmentation. Artificial neural network was used as predictive disease classifier for the outcome of pigmentation. Majority of patients in this study (339 patients) had dark skin phototypes (3 and 4). Post- acne hyperpigmentation was seen in more than 80% of patients. Females, darker skin color, severe acne, facial sites, and excessive sunlight exposure, squeezing or scratching lesions are important risk factors for post-acne hyperpigmentation. Post-acne hyperpigmentation is multifactorial. Several factors implicated in PAH are modifiable by adequate patient education (lesion trauma, excessive sunlight exposure). The use of ANN was helpful in predicting appearance of post-acne hyperpigmentation based on identified risk factors.

Response of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma to immunotherapy: case report

The most common cancer in the United States is non-melanoma skin cancer. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer after basal cell carcinoma. It develops in the middle and outer layers of the skin. Its precursor is actinic keratosis, which can progress to squamous cell carcinoma in situ, invasive cSCC, and finally metastatic cSCC. About 20% of non-melanoma skin cancers are squamous cell and the remaining 80% are basal cell. Unlike basal cell, squamous cell carcinoma has the propensity to metastasize. This commonly occurs with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) thicker than 2 millimeters. The risk of metastasis and local recurrence increases with 6 mm thickness and desmoplasia. The risk factors are excessive sun or ultraviolet light (tanning beds) exposure, immunosuppression (either having a weakened immune system or taking immunosuppressive therapy) and fair skin. Therefore, it most commonly affects skin in the head and neck area such as scalp, ears, lips, face, neck or the back of the hands. The treatment for local cutaneous squamous cell cancer is mainly surgery; excisional surgery, Moh's surgery, cryosurgery, curettage and electrodessication, laser surgery or radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy or topical agents such as fluorouracil or imiquimod. However, cSCC that is locally advanced, such as involvement of regional lymph nodes, or has metastasized to distant organs or tissue, is not amenable to surgery or radiation alone. Immunotherapy with cemiplimab, a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor, is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved therapeutic option for locally advanced and metastatic cSCC for patients who are not candidates for or whose disease is not susceptible to curative surgery or radiation therapy. Cemiplimab is a humanized recombinant immunoglobulin monoclonal antibody that binds to and blocks PD-1 receptor found on T cells inhibiting T-cell proliferation and cytokine production. We present a case of locally advanced cSCC with regional lymph nodes metastases, which achieved clinical remission, utilizing a unique approach of therapy combining a checkpoint inhibitor, Cemiplimab and radiotherapy.

A photochromic nylon webbing for ultra-violet light sensing

Webbing structures are essential to the safety of engineering systems that routinely endure excessive sunlight exposure. Particularly damaging is the ultra-violet (UV) component of sunlight that may degrade polymer chains, thereby compromising mechanical strength. Despite considerable progress in structural health monitoring, UV damage sensors for webbing structures are still lacking. To fill this gap, we propose a simple and fast fabrication process for a nylon webbing structure that exhibits photochromic responses to UV irradiation. The photochromic webbing structure is fabricated by coating a nylon strap with a photochromic polymer. The photochromic webbing structure demonstrates high sensitivity to a wide range of UV irradiation energy. In addition, the webbing structure maintains photochromism even after photodegradation due to extreme UV irradiation (equivalent to 72 h of sunlight exposure). Our analysis indicates that a photochromic dye concentration of 1.00% is optimal for UV sensing. The proposed photochromic webbing could facilitate health monitoring of industrial, aeronautical, and aerospace structures.

Method application and analyses of visual and thermal-energy performance prediction in offices buildings with internal shading devices

In the design stage, many methods to analyse and improve the building performance prediction have been developed by the climate-based building simulation approach. This research aimed to propose a method to analyse the visual and thermal-energy performance of offices buildings with adjustable shading devices. The considered visual criteria were daylight glare probability, daylighting availability and excessive sunlight exposure. Window's solar heat gain and the cooling energy demand were the thermal-energy criteria. A modular building was submitted to the method application. The shading devices effects were compared and the relationships between the hourly variables were analysed. One location (Florianopolis, Brazil) and four façade directions were tested. At the controlled conditions, the occupant was considered in the most vulnerable position and view direction regarding daylight glare, chosen from three positions and five view directions tested at the uncontrolled condition. According to the proposed method, were applied eight shading devices control: two static conditions and three dynamic frequencies guided by two triggers. Three shading devices considering two proprieties sets presented the effects comparison and the better performance, such as the use of the clear roller shades operated by the daily daylight glare control. High correlation and determination coefficients (r e r2) and better defined-trends, were indicated firstly between illuminance and solar radiation and secondly between the daylight glare probability and the window's solar heat gain. The dynamic controls showed coefficients lower than the static conditions, demonstrating a correspondence reduction between the shading devices effects.

Medical Students' Perception of Risk Factors for Cancer.

To evaluate the perception of risk factors for cancer among medical students and how it varies among students in different years of their medical education. Cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. The American Institute for Cancer Research Cancer Risk Awareness Survey questionnaire was administered to medical students at the Centro Universitário Saúde ABC. Students were divided into those in their 1st to 3rd year and those in their 4th to 6th year of medical education. Qualitative variables were described by frequency and percentage, and quantitative variables were described by mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range. The scores of the groups on the questionnaire were compared using Student's t test. The 95% confidence interval was calculated, and p values < 0.05 were considered significant. We included 196 students, with approximately 30 to 35 students in each year of medical education. The median age was 22 (18 to 31), with 74% being female. Among risk factors for cancer, smoking (100%), cancer-causing genes (99.48%), and excessive sunlight exposure (99.48%) were the most cited by students. We observed a significant difference in the number of correct answers, favoring students in their 4th to the 6th year over those in their 1st to the 3rd year (mean = 16.46 vs. mean = 13.73, p< 0.001). Perception about risk factors for cancer is greater in the later years of medical education.

Aqueous extract of Phragmites communis rhizomes attenuates phototoxicity in skin cells

Excessive sunlight exposure leads to photodamaged skin, resulting in wrinkles, roughness, relaxation, and pigmentation. We examined photoprotective effects of aqueous extracts of dried Phragmites communis rhizome (PCWE) on ultraviolet B radiation (UVB)-mediated photodamage in skin cells. Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), melanocytes (B16F10 cells), and keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were treated with PCWE (25–200 μg/mL), with or without UVB (30 mJ/cm2). Cell viability, cell senescence, and mRNA levels of genes involved in skin homeostasis were assessed. Anti-melanogenic effects of PCWE on B16F10 cells were evaluated. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA levels and β-hexosaminidase release were evaluated in macrophage RAW264.7 and basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells, respectively. No significant cytotoxicity was observed in tested cells up to 200 μg/mL PCWE. In HDFs and HaCaT cells, PCWE pretreatment afforded significant, concentration-dependent photoprotection. PCWE downregulated baseline matrix metalloprotease-1 expression and elastase activity in HDFs; in HaCaT cells, telomerase reverse transcriptase and hyaluronan synthase-2 expressions were upregulated. PCWE suppressed α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-mediated increase in melanin production and tyrosinase activity. PCWE suppressed COX-2 induction (in RAW264.7) and β-hexosaminidase release (in RBL-2H3). PCWE exhibits good potential to attenuate photodamage in skin cells.

Clinical and molecular characterization of virus-positive and virus-negative Merkel cell carcinoma

BackgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin caused by either the integration of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and expression of viral T antigens or by ultraviolet-induced damage to the tumor genome from excessive sunlight exposure. An increasing number of deep sequencing studies of MCC have identified significant differences between the number and types of point mutations, copy number alterations, and structural variants between virus-positive and virus-negative tumors. However, it has been challenging to reliably distinguish between virus positive and UV damaged MCC.MethodsIn this study, we assembled a cohort of 71 MCC patients and performed deep sequencing with OncoPanel, a clinically implemented, next-generation sequencing assay targeting over 400 cancer-associated genes. To improve the accuracy and sensitivity for virus detection compared to traditional PCR and IHC methods, we developed a hybrid capture baitset against the entire MCPyV genome and software to detect integration sites and structure.ResultsSequencing from this approach revealed distinct integration junctions in the tumor genome and generated assemblies that strongly support a model of microhomology-initiated hybrid, virus-host, circular DNA intermediate that promotes focal amplification of host and viral DNA. Using the clear delineation between virus-positive and virus-negative tumors from this method, we identified recurrent somatic alterations common across MCC and alterations specific to each class of tumor, associated with differences in overall survival. Finally, comparing the molecular and clinical data from these patients revealed a surprising association of immunosuppression with virus-negative MCC and significantly shortened overall survival.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the value of high-confidence virus detection for identifying molecular mechanisms of UV and viral oncogenesis in MCC. Furthermore, integrating these data with clinical data revealed features that could impact patient outcome and improve our understanding of MCC risk factors.

BikeWay: A Multi-Sensory Fuzzy-Based Quality Metric for Bike Paths and Tracks in Urban Areas

Large cities are increasingly investing in efficient mobility and sustainable transportation as an alternative to expensive and pollutant traditional vehicles. In parallel, people are also seeking cleaner and healthier options for short and last-mile distances. In order to cope with this trend, which has boosted the adoption of bikes in urban areas, a major concern of the governments has been to build bike paths and tracks that allow cyclists to move safely and through shorter distances. However, such initiatives may result in bicycles infrastructure built alongside traditional vehicular roads or on inadequate regions. Therefore, there should be a flexible way to assess the quality of bike paths and tracks, combining variables that indicate adverse conditions for the health and safety of cyclists, such as statistical risk of accidents, air and noise pollution, excessive sunlight exposure, dangerous UV radiation, among others. This article then proposes a new comprehensive quality metric that combines sensed environmental data and historical reported incidents related to bike paths and tracks, which may be employed for traditional physical signaling or to support computer-assisted solutions for cycling monitoring and alerting. Such new metric exploits fuzzy logic to model a group of variables to ultimately provide a unified safety and health quality level, referred as BikeWay. Doing so, we expect to allow dynamic and historical perceptions of how healthy and safe the bike paths and tracks are for cyclists in modern cities.

The potential role of sensors in equine melanoma prevention

SummaryIt is common knowledge that avoiding excessive ultraviolet light exposure is key to good sun safety practices in humans and horses. Photoprotection and avoiding excessive ultraviolet light exposure can reduce the risk of actinic damage, skin cancers and premature ageing. Accurate, cheap and self‐contained ultraviolet light sensor devices can measure parameters such as light intensity that in turn can be used to quantify the potential of light to cause harm. Knowledge of local light intensity is important because it can actively guide good sun safety practices. Other devices, called melanometers, can measure an individual’s skin sensitivity to ultraviolet light, quantify their tendency to sunburn and determine the degree of photoprotection required by that individual whilst outdoors. This article highlights the potential of the aforementioned devices and good sun safety practices to reduce the incidence and burden of skin cancers caused by excessive sunlight exposure in horses and other companion animals.

Recent Developments in the Reduction of Oxidative Stress through Antioxidant Polymeric Formulations.

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are produced endogenously in our body, or introduced through external factors, such as pollution, cigarette smoke, and excessive sunlight exposure. In normal conditions, there is a physiological balance between pro-oxidant species and antioxidant molecules that are able to counteract the detrimental effect of the former. Nevertheless, when this homeostasis is disrupted, the resulting oxidative stress can lead to several pathological conditions, from inflammation to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we report on the recent developments of different polymeric formulations that are able to reduce the oxidative stress, from natural extracts, to films and hydrogels, and finally to nanoparticles (NPs).

Optical fiber light scattering outdoor tests for interior daylighting

In building construction, most traditional building materials block the passage of natural light through the building envelope into its interior space. Therefore, there is an energy demand for artificial lighting of interior spaces during daytime hours in almost all building types. Currently, some interior spaces in a building may have excessive sunlight exposure and as a result, external shading elements for daylight control are required. Optical fibers (OFs) are mainly used for data transmission, but previous studies have demonstrated their capability for capturing and channeling sunlight into interior spaces in an anidolic manner. The present research introduces different OF tip shapes aligned together with solar concentrators of different geometries. The objective of the study is to assess and improve the basic properties of sunlight capturing, channeling and scattering using OFs. The results demonstrate the viability of using OFs as a passive daylight system and as an advancement in the energy efficient building envelopes design.

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Non-Photochemical Quenching in response to local seasonal climates in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Field‐grown plants have variable exposure to sunlight as a result of shifting cloud‐cover, seasonal changes, canopy shading, and other environmental factors. As a result, they need to have developed a method for dissipating excess energy obtained from periodic excessive sunlight exposure. Non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) dissipates excess energy as heat, however, the physical and molecular genetic mechanics of NPQ variation are not understood. In this study, we investigated the genetic loci involved in NPQ by first growing different Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in local and seasonal climate conditions, then measured their NPQ kinetics through development by chlorophyll fluorescence. We used genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) to identify 15 significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) for a range of photosynthetic traits, including a QTL co‐located with known NPQ gene PSBS (AT1G44575). We found there were large alternative regulatory segments between the PSBS promoter regions of the functional haplotypes and a significant difference in PsbS protein concentration. These findings parallel studies in rice showing recurrent regulatory evolution of this gene. The variation in the PSBS promoter and the changes underlying other QTLs could give insight to allow manipulations of NPQ in crops to improve their photosynthetic efficiency and yield.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma in the HIV-1/AIDS Patient.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive, primary neuroendocrine cancer of the skin. The majority of MCC cases are associated with the recently discovered Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), while the remaining are caused by ultraviolet (UV) light-induced mutations from excessive sunlight exposure. The risk of developing MCC is much higher in the white population relative to all other races. Approximately 10% of all patients with MCC have some form of immunosuppression including HIV-1/AIDS, chronic inflammatory conditions, solid organ transplantation, or hematological malignancies. The age of onset of MCC is lower and the mortality is higher in immunosuppressed individuals than in immune-competent patients. It is plausible that HIV-1/AIDS predisposes to virus-positive MCC, but it should be noted that HIV-1/AIDS increases the risk for developing of UV-induced skin cancers such as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma and therefore may also increase the risk for virus-negative MCC. Surgical management is considered standard of care for localized Merkel cell carcinoma with current recommendations advising a wide local excision of the lesion. Most international guidelines support the use of local adjuvant radiotherapy coupled with tumor staging to improve the frequency of cure. For advanced, metastatic, and recurrent MCC, checkpoint blockade inhibitors targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have shown remarkable activity including durable long-term. MCC in patients living with HIV-1/AIDS are treated with similar modalities as HIV-1 uninfected individuals with MCC.

VENOUS ECTASIA OF THE VERMILION BORDER: COPPER VAPOR LASER TREATMENT

We present the experience of application of "Yakhroma-Med" copper vapor laser system for the treatment of venouse ectasia (VE) of the vermilion border. The yellow wavelength of the generated laser radiation reaches 578 nm falls at the peak of hemoglobin absorption. The treatment was conducted in 58 patients with VE rising above the skin for no more than 1 mm. 100% clinical result. With a hemangioma size of up to 1 cm, treatment efficiency was 87% after the first procedure and complete resolution in 13% of the patients after the second procedure. At a size of more than 1 cm, the efficiency was 71% after the first procedure and 29% after the second. A 100% clinical result was obtained. The therapeutic effect persisted throughout the year in all 58 patients. It has been established that microcirculation disorders processes and further development of VE are affected by a variety of exogenous factors: about a half (48.3%) of the patients were deliberately subjected to excessive sunlight exposure, more than a quarter lived in regions with adverse climatic factors (wind, cold, abnormally low humidity, etc.) (27.6%), or regularly received hyperthermic procedures (steam bath, sauna, etc.) (25.9%). A burn (thermal, chemical) is found in the medical history of one in every five women (20.7%). 17.2% of the patients indulged in excessive consumption of condimental, spicy and hot food.

High Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Farming and Nonfarming Populations in South Dakota: Associations With Parathyroid Hormone, Body Fat, and Bone Density.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of lifestyle (farming vs nonfarming), age, season, and percent body fat on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH). Serum 25-OHD concentrations were lower in winter than in summer and in older than in younger individuals. Dietary intake of vitamin D was associated with greater serum 25-OHD concentrations. A significant inverse relationship between PTH and 25-OHD was observed in older but not younger individuals. Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density was inversely associated with serum PTH, but not 25-OHD concentrations. Modern farm practices do not necessitate excessive sunlight exposure and that may help explain the lack of differences between farming and nonfarming populations.