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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The soap chamber test. A new method for assessing the irritancy of soaps.

The chamber test for assessing the irritancy of soaps entails five weekday exposures to 8% solutions with readings of scaling, redness, and fissuring on the following Monday. Eighteen well-known toilet soaps were evaluated. Great differences were noted. Most had an appreciable irritancy potential. These results contrast with a number of studies which failed to show differences among soaps or which concluded that soaps were innocuous.

Erythema

Effects of calcium soaps of long-chain fatty acids on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics and ruminal metabolism of steers.

Two trials were conducted to determine the effects of calcium soaps of long-chain fatty acids (calcium soap) on feedlot performance, diet digestibility, carcass characteristics and ruminal metabolism of steers fed diets (85% concentrate:15% corn silage) containing 0, 2, 4 or 6% calcium soap. In Trial 1, increasing calcium soap decreased (P less than .05) DM, CP and gross energy intake but increased total fatty acid intake. Feed to gain ratio tended to improve with increased calcium soap; gross energy conversion was not affected (P greater than .05) by diet. Average daily gain and hot carcass weight decreased (P less than .05) with addition of calcium soap; other carcass characteristics were not affected (P greater than .05). Apparent digestibilities of DM, N, energy and ash were not affected (P greater than .05) by calcium soap. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility increased linearly (P less than .08) with increasing calcium soap, whereas digestibility of total fatty acids was affected quadratically (P less than .05); fatty acid digestibility was similar among 0, 2 and 4% calcium soap diets but decreased for the 6% calcium soap diet. In Trial 2, increased calcium soap did not affect (P greater than .05) ruminal VFA concentrations, pH or in sacco NDF disappearance of orchardgrass following 12, 24 and 48 h of incubation. Calcium soap increased (P less than .07) ruminal concentrations of calcium soap fatty acids at 1, 2, 4 and 8 h postfeeding. Calcium soap did not improve performance of feedlot cattle fed high-concentrate diets. Further, calcium soap did not affect ruminal fermentation and did not dissociate significantly even when ruminal pH was below 6 for extended periods of time.

Animal Feed

Significance of Ca-soap formation for calcium absorption in the rat.

The significance of calcium soap formation in the inhibition of calcium absorption has been studied in rats. 47Ca labelled soaps of fatty acids were introduced into the duodenum and the absorption of calcium measured after four hours in a whole body counter. The absorption of calcium was inversely correlated with the chain length of the fatty acid varying from 1% for Ca-stearate to 60% for Ca-hexanoate. Increasing the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid was accompanied by increased calcium absorption. The availability of calcium for absorption from the soaps was correlated with their solubility in 1% aqueous Na-tauroglycocholate. The percentages of calcium as soap in the small intestine and the faeces after intragastric administration of calcium and fats were similar, which suggests that the faecal content of calcium soaps is an index of intestinal soap formation. Soap formation was negligible when CaCl2 was given with tristearate, triolaeate, or tridecanoate and no depression of calcium absorption was observed. Calcium absorption was markedly impaired by the addition of phosphates at a Ca/P ratio of 1:1 irrespective of the presence of neutral fats. Stearic acid resulted in significant soap formation and reduced calcium absorption. The degree of Ca-soap formation and the inhibition of calcium absorption were well correlated. The results suggest that, although calcium soap formation may markedly depress calcium absorption in the rat, no significant soap formation takes place when fats are given in the form of triglycerides.

Animals

Handwashing and antiseptic-containing soaps in hospital.

Two aspects of handwashing in hospital were considered. A study was carried out to examine the contamination of bar soap and containers, and the use of antiseptic soaps in reducing the resident flora of the skin. Swabs were collected from soap dishes on six wards and from a bacteriology laboratory on four consecutive days. The unmedicated bar soap was replaced by bar soap containing 2.5% povidone-iodine, and further swabs were collected over a period of seven days. Ninety-two isolates from 48 samples were obtained when unmedicated bar soap was used, and nine isolates from 42 samples when povidone-iodine (Betadine) soap was substituted. The number of organisms recovered when povidone-iodine soap was used was much reduced, and Pseudomonas spp were recovered in low numbers on only one occasion. Six laboratory workers took part in a study to compare bar soap with other agents-povidone-iodine soap, povidone-iodine surgical scrub, povidone-iodine alcoholic solution, chlorhexidine surgical scrub, and alcoholic chlorhexidine. Samples were collected after standard washes and after surgical gloves had been worn for 90 minutes. The effect of multiple washes was assessed by samples collected after six washes with the agent under study (three per day) followed by 90 minutes wearing surgical gloves. The average percentage reduction in normal flora obtained indicated that alcoholic chlorhexidine was superior to the other agents.

Anti-Infective Agents, Local

Ecological effects of a deodorant and a plain soap upon human skin bacteria.

The effects of a commercial trichlorocarbanilide-containing deodorant soap and a commercial plain soap upon the cutaneous flora of individuals were compared. Using a cross-over design, 21 volunteers (10 women and 11 men) washed their forearms at least once a day with one soap for 3 weeks and then switched soaps for another 4 weeks use. By analysis of variance no significant difference in total colony counts was noted among individuals in their use of the two soaps. With the exception of individual variation, neither sequence of use, sex, nor any combination was influential. However, in 20 of 21 subjects an alteration in the composition of skin flora was observed. The deodorant soap, which in six cases increased total flora, tended to reduce or eliminate diphtheroids in 12 to 17 carriers (71%). Fewer kinds of bacteria were also noted. More Staphylococcus epidermidis was seen with the plain soap, but washing with the deodorant soap seemed to favour Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Micrococcus luteus. The impact of this alteration and the use of total counts to measure effectiveness of deodorant soaps were brought into question.

Adult

Skin xerosis. Clinical report on the effect of a moisturizing soap bar.

Two double-blind and supervised clinical studies were conducted to determine the direct effect of a moisturizing soap bar on skin xerosis (dry skin). One study compared the moisturizing soap bar with a commercially available soap bar and used young adult subjects who resided in an area of high relative humidity. The second study compared the moisturizing soap bar with a placebo soap bar and used elderly subjects who resided in an area of low relative humidity. In both instnaces, washing twice daily with the moisturizing soap bar provided a lower level of skin flaking than the particular soap bar with which it was compared.

Adolescent

Effect of feeding calcium soaps of fatty acids on production and reproductive responses in high producing lactating cows.

The effect of feeding Ca soaps of fatty acids for 120 d from parturition on productive and reproductive performance of dairy cows was examined, together with changes in blood lipids and progesterone. Cows fed Ca soaps received 1.5 Mcal NE1 d more than controls fed isonitrogenous and equi-forage rations. Cows fed Ca soaps produced more milk and fat for 60 d, and more FCM for 90 d after calving. In these cows, BW decreased more, and reached a minimum later than controls. Plasma free fatty acids were higher until 50 d postpartum, when phospholipid, and later triglyceride, concentrations were elevated. Cows fed soaps commenced ovarian cyclicity later than controls as shown by frequency distribution of the time required to reach cyclic plasma progesterone concentrations, 2 ng/ml progesterone in plasma, or behavioral estrus. However, once cyclicity commenced, more fat-fed cows had normal cycle length (18 to 26 d) than controls. Progesterone concentrations were higher in Ca soap-fed cows in the luteal phase before AI and were higher 9 and 24 d after AI in percent that conceived. Conception rate was higher in cows fed Ca soaps for 2nd to 4th AI, a higher proportion of cows were pregnant at 150 d after calving and number of open days was reduced. Feeding Ca soaps of fatty acids resulted in higher production at the expense of body reserves close to calving, and subsequently enhanced lipid concentrations in plasma. Higher progesterone production was accompanied by increased pregnancy rate and reduced open days.

Animal Feed

Prevention of dryness and eczema of the hands of hospital staff by emulsion cleansing instead of washing with soap.

The acceptability of two handwashing/cleansing methods, cleansing with emulsion or washing with liquid soap and water, were compared in a randomized, prospective long-term study. Thirty-eight members of hospital staff who had a history of hand skin dryness or eczema and a need for frequent handwashing used either liquid soap or emulsion for handwashing or cleansing. The clinical assessment of skin condition was done blindly by the same dermatologist at the onset of the study, and after 2 and 4 months with a predetermined scoring system. The median skin dryness index of persons in the liquid soap group increased significantly from an initial 1.4 to 3.6 during the 4-month winter study period (P less than 0.001), while the corresponding figure in the emulsion group decreased during the same time from 1.9 to 1.1 (P = 0.053). The difference in dryness between the groups was significant after 2 months (P = 0.04) and after 4 months (P less than 0.001). After 4 months, six people in the emulsion group had no dryness of the hands compared to only one in the liquid soap group. Similar trends were noticed in the occurrence of eczema. The median eczema index decreased significantly in the emulsion group from 0.4 to 0.1 during the study. In the liquid soap group, the increase in the median eczema index was from 0.4 to 0.7 (difference not significant). On an individual level, the eczema became worse in only one subject in the emulsion group, but in seven in the liquid soap group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Failure of bland soap handwash to prevent hand transfer of patient bacteria to urethral catheters.

OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to compare the efficacies of bland soap handwash and isopropyl alcohol hand rinse in preventing transfer of aerobic gram-negative bacilli to urinary catheters via transient hand colonization acquired from direct patient contact. Glove juice recovery of gram-negative bacteria was considered transient colonization; catheter recovery was considered transfer colonization. DESIGN: The contact source for gram-negative bacteria was a single "high burden" groin skin carrier (greater than or equal to 10(4)/ml cup scrub fluid). Using a two-period cross-over design, 6 healthcare workers had 2 15-second contacts for each hand followed by either soap handwash or alcohol hand rinse (12 experiments with each treatment). Between 4 to 5 minutes after contact, each hand manipulated a catheter; the catheter was then cultured and the hand was glove juice tested. RESULTS: Soap handwash failed to prevent gram-negative bacteria transfer to the catheter in 11 of 12 (92%) experiments; alcohol hand rinse in 2 of 12 (17%) (p less than .001). Soap handwash failed to prevent transient colonization in 12 of 12 (100%) experiments; alcohol in 5 of 12 (42%) (risk ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.2-4.7). Single gram-negative bacteria species carried at source levels greater than or equal to 5.5 x 10(3)/ml (heavy contamination) established transient colonization in 23 of 30 (77%) exposures following soap handwash; single gram-negative bacteria species carried at levels less than or equal to 3.5 x 10(3)/ml established colonization in 1 of 22 (5%) similar exposures (p less than .001). CONCLUSIONS: Bland soap handwash was generally ineffective in preventing hand transfer of gram-negative bacteria to catheters following brief contact with a heavy-contamination patient source; alcohol hand rinse was generally effective.

Adult

Dissociation of calcium soaps of long-chain fatty acids in rumen fluid.

Dissociation of 5% solutions of calcium soaps of soya, tallow, stearic acid, and palm fatty acid distillate was studied by titration with 1 N HCl. Release of calcium ions was directly correlated with decrease in pH value. Estimated pKa values were 5.6, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.5 for calcium soaps of soya, palm fatty acid distillate, tallow, and stearic acid, respectively. Dissociation of 5% solutions in acetate buffer at pH values of 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 was measured in terms of release of soluble calcium. Dissociation was maximum at pH 5.0, minimum at pH 6.5, and dependent on unsaturation of fatty acids in the soaps. Soluble calcium in the acetate-buffered rumen fluid was higher than predicted from pKa of calcium soaps, due to formation of soluble calcium acetate; however, the relative patterns were similar to their pKa values. Unsaturated soaps are less satisfactory for maintaining normal rumen function, because dissociation is relatively higher. Calcium soaps of palm fatty acid distillate were satisfactorily stable to pH 5.5.

Animals

[Effect of soap and detergents on the restitution of acidity and lipids of the skin surface].

A comparative evaluation of the effects of soaps and detergents on pH behaviour and lipids level on the skin surface and duration of their restitution was carried out. The studies were conducted in two groups. The first group of 32 persons used 1% solution of "BHP" soap, whereas the other one, composed of 31 persons, 0,5% solution of detergentpowder "POLLENA". PH measurements of skin were performed using pH--meter of Radelkis firm with a combined glass and calomel electrode. Lipids on the skin surface were determined by the Hodgson--Jones and Wheatly's gravimetric method. The evaluation of soap and detergent's effects on skin was based on the mean output and direct pH values of the skin surface, accidental and residual level of lipids, and comparison of the duration of these parameters restitution. The soap was found to alkalyse stronger than the detergent, and duration of pH restitution is longer after using the soap, whereas the detergent degreases the skin more intensively than the soap. Also restitution of lipid's jacket is slower after using the detergent.

Detergents

Effects of an antibacterial soap on the ecology of aerobic bacterial flora of human skin.

The effects of ad lib use of an antibacterial soap containing 1.0% trichlorocarbanilide and 0.5% trifluoromethyldichlorocarbanilide on the bacterial flora of six skin sites of 132 subjects were measured by comparison with the flora of 93 control subjects who avoided the use of topical antibacterials. Each subject was examined once. The test soap produced significant reductions in geometric mean counts of the total aerobic flora on the back, chest, forearm, calf, and foot; counts were also reduced in the axilla, but not to a significant extent. The overall reduction by the test soap on all sites was 62% (P less than 0.001). Neither age nor sex influenced the effect of the soap on the flora. The antibacterial soap also reduced the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on the skin, mostly by virtually eliminating it from areas other than the axilla. Partial inhibition of the gram-positive flora was not accompanied by an increase in gram-negative species. The latter were found principally in the axilla; Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter aerogenes were the species most frequently found.

Adult

Allergic contact dermatitis from formaldehyde in a liquid soap.

A case is reported of a 74-year-old white man who developed generalized allergic contact dermatitis from formaldehyde present in a liquid soap. The patient had a 2+ positive patch test reaction to formaldehyde, which was present as a preservative in the soap at 0.1% concentration. His dermatitis cleared when he switched to a nonformaldehyde-containing bar soap. The cause of the contact dermatitis was covert to both physician and patient before patch testing. Since registration with the Food and Drug Administration of formaldehyde-containing soaps is voluntary, it is likely that there are more soaps on the market than the six registered as of June 1988.

Aged

Sequential order of skin responses to surfactants during a soap chamber test.

Differences in the response of distinct layers of the skin to surfactants were probed using a modification of the Frosch and Kligman soap chamber test. Soap and other surfactant-containing cleansers were applied to the skin for 2 consecutive days. Transepidermal water loss showed that the stratum corneum is readily damaged even by a mild insult when no erythema is induced. A more severe treatment, such as 24-h exposure to a 5% soap solution, induced the maximal level of barrier damage but a submaximal level of erythema. Even 2 days of exposure to 5% soap does not elicit a maximal erythema response. These results suggest that the stratum corneum is more readily damaged than the dermis, which is not unexpected because the stratum corneum is the initial point of contact between surfactant and skin. Furthermore, this study indicates that for discriminating among mild products, when a small degree of irritation is induced, the most effective measure is stratum corneum damage assessed by evaporimetry. However, for evaluating more irritating products, erythema is probably the more discriminating evaluation technique.

Dermatitis, Contact

Gels in soap stabilized emulsions.

In some soap stabilized liquid paraffin emulsions a correlation has been found between emulsion type and the contact angle of the soap gel (the stabilizing agent) at the o/w interface. Two unrelated series of emulsions have been prepared, one series being stabilized by magnesium oleate gels and the other series by ammonium oleate gels. The soap gels were prepared by double decomposition and suppression of ionization respectively. Unlike the magnesium oleate system no inversion to w/o emulsions occurred with the ammonium oleate series. This dissimilarity is predicted from differences in the contact angles of the soap gels at the o/w interface.

Chemical Phenomena

[Urinary mercury excretion in professional users of an antiseptic soap containing 0,04% phenylmercury borate].

Concentrations of mercury and of creatinine were measured under blind conditions in 84 samples of urine from 48 regularly using a liquid soap containing 0.04% phenylmercuric borate plus 3% hexachlorophene for hand disinfection ("users"), and in 138 urine samples of 80 subjects disinfecting their hands with a soap containing only hexachlorophene ("controls"). The concentration of mercury in the urine of users was 27+/-3 mug/1 (mean +/- SE), and in controls 8+/-1 mug/1; calculated total 24 h urinary mercury excretions were 27+/-2 mug/24 h users and 9+/-1 mug/24 h in controls. Women excreted slightly more mercury than men both in the user group and the control group. In both controls and users from whom a second urine sample was obtained after a 2-week interval the concentration of mercury was consistently lower in the second sample. No correlation was found between urinary excretion of mercury and frequency of handwashings or reported intake of mercury-containing food. No difference was found in the numbers of different types of urinary cells or urine pH as between users and controls. It is concluded 1) that regular hand disinfection with a liquid soap containing 0.04% phenylmercuric borate enhanced urinary excretion of mercury indicating an increase in total daily absorption of 30-100 mug Hg/24 h, 2) that the absorption of mercury from the phenylmercuric borate-containing soap occurred partly by transfer from the hands to the oral cavity, 3) that, though nontoxic in themselves, the additional amounts of mercury absorbed through the use of mercury contained in skin disinfectants are potentially dangerous due to as yet unknown interactions with other toxic or pathogenic factors.

Borates

Effect of alcohol sulfate, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and natural soap on the development of fertilized eggs of the mouse in vitro.

Eggs from B6 x C3F1 female mice, which were fertilized in vitro with sperm from C3 x 101F1 male mice, were treated with synthetic surfactants, alcohol sulfate (AS) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), and natural soap for 1 h at the pronucleus stage, and then cultivated for 5 days. Eggs treated with AS or LAS at concentrations of less than 0.025% developed to the blastocyst stage as well as the untreated ones. At concentrations of AS or LAS higher than 0.03% no egg developed beyond the 1-cell stage. There appeared to be a threshold concentration between 0.025% and 0.03% of AS or LAS on the development of the mouse egg. However, natural soap had no effect on the development of the mouse egg up to 0.05%. When AS or LAS was applied to the culture medium throughout the cultivation of fertilized eggs for 5 days, there also appeared to be a threshold concentration between 0.01% and 0.025%, but not in the case of natural soap. The results provide additional support to our previous observations that AS and LAS can interrupt mouse pregnancy by killing fertilized eggs.

Alcohols

Hygienic hand disinfection: a comparative study with chlorhexidine detergents and soap.

The efficacy of two chlorhexidine hand-wash detergents and liquid soap was compared in a laboratory trial using artificial contamination of fingers with Micrococcus and Serratia. Agents were assessed for both a rapid and sustained effect after a single contact, and for a cumulative persistent effect after multiple contact over four days. Disinfectant activities were compared by statistical analysis of log reduction factors and log count time gradients (decimal reduction times). The latter analysis attempted to accommodate significant subject variation in response to both agent and organism. All handwashing methods significantly reduced contamination levels. Both chlorhexidine formulations were significantly better than soap in their activity against Micrococcus, but were not more effective than soap in removing contamination with Serratia. Both chlorhexidine preparations showed significant skin persistence and were generally acceptable to subjects after prolonged use. Some effect of the formulation of the hand-wash on chlorhexidine activity was demonstrated.

Chlorhexidine