Science of Sunscreens.

Microbial sunscreens

Basking in the sun on an Australian beach, I began to feel a burning sensation from excessive UV irradiation and decided not to wait for the ozone layer to return. As first aid I scraped some algae and cyanobacteria from the blistering rocks and smeared them on my exposed skin. Why? Because these organisms contain sunscreen compounds to protect themselves from harmful doses of UV-B (280–315 nm)...

Genomics update Microbial sunscreens

Computational exploration of natural sunscreens.

The photoprotective role of a family of compounds found in very different organisms is assessed by means of CASPT2//CASSCF computations. The potential use of these compounds in commercial applications in order to effectively dissipate light energy is explored.

Sunscreens - which and what for?

It is well established that sun exposure is the main cause for the development of skin cancer. Chronic continuous UV radiation is believed to induce malignant melanoma, whereas intermittent high-dose UV exposure contributes to the occurrence of actinic keratosis as precursor lesions of squamous cell carcinoma as well as basal cell carcinoma. Not only photocarcinogenesis but also the mechanisms ...

Sunscreens in organ transplant patients.

Sunscreens in organ transplant patients Claas Ulrich1, Annette Degen2, Manisha J. Patel3 and Eggert Stockfleth1 1Department of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Center Charité, Universitätsmedizin Charité, Berlin, 2Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Hannover Medical University, Germany and 3Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA Nephrol Dial Tr...