***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND / AIMS Two main systems have been utilized for measuring transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) : open chamber and closed chamber . Yet , further validation and st and ardization studies may be necessary to reveal the sensitivity , precision , and robustness of these instruments . METHODS Three instruments are compared for their applicability to assess TEWL :  unventilated chamber , open chamber and condenser chamber . The comparative study was performed on human forearm skin ( n=6 ) , in the normal condition ( baseline ) , and after ( 1 ) 10 tape strippings on both arms , ( 2 ) moisturizer cream ( Eucerin ) and petrolatum application  for 1 h , and ( 3 ) 1 % sodium lauryl sulfate ( SLS ) aqueous solution and distilled water ( as control ) application for 20 min . RESULTS The condenser-chamber system , was the only device among these three that could show the effect of tape stripping on TEWL values as compared with baseline ( P<0.001 ) . The effect of moisturization , in terms of % change of TEWL values after application of cream and petrolatum , did not show significant difference between devices ( P>0.05 ) . However , only the values obtained from condenser-chamber device revealed a highly significant change as compared with baseline ( P<0.001 ) . Condenser-chamber system could also discriminate between the effect of moisturizer and petrolatum on TEWL values ( P<0.05 ) . The change of TEWL values after SLS application was shown to be significant by unventilated and condenser-chamber systems ( P<0.05 ) . However , none of the devices differentiated between the effect of water and 1 % SLS solution applied for 20 min . The values obtained from all three instruments correlate well with each other ( P<0.001 ) . CONCLUSION Our results highlight the differences between two closed-chamber TEWL measurement instruments , which are design ed based on different measurement principles . This may provide insights to find the best practice to improve the quality , precision and sensitivity of the measurements Stratum corneum lipids play a predominant role in maintaining the water barrier of the skin . In order to underst and the biological variation in the levels and composition of ceramides , ceramide 1 subtypes , cholesterol and fatty acids , stratum corneum lipids collected from tape strippings from three body sites ( face , h and , leg ) of female Caucasians of different age groups were analysed . In addition , we studied the influence of seasonal variation on the lipid composition of stratum corneum from the same body sites . The main lipid species were quantified using high-performance thin-layer chromatography and individual fatty acids using gas chromatography . Our findings demonstrated significantly decreased levels of all major lipid species , in particular ceramides , with increasing age . Similarly , the stratum corneum lipid levels of all the body sites examined were dramatically depleted in winter compared with spring and summer . The relative levels of ceramide 1 linoleate were also depleted in winter and in aged skin whereas ceramide 1 oleate levels increased . The other fatty acid levels remained fairly constant with both season and age , apart from lignoceric and heptadecanoic acid which showed a decrease in winter compared with summer . The decrease in the mass levels of intercellular lipids and the altered ratios of fatty acids esterified to ceramide 1 , are likely to contribute to the increased susceptibility of aged skin to perturbation of barrier function and xerosis , particularly during the winter months BACKGROUND The measurement of transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) is used to monitor changes in the stratum corneum 's permeability to water vapor . This measurement is widely used in the cosmetics industry and in dermatology research . However , only limited work has been undertaken to assess the comparability of results from different TEWL meters over an extended range of measurements . METHODS This study compared the results of TEWL measurements between two commonly used open-chamber and closed-chamber TEWL devices .  Five hundred and forty measurements were taken in 17 participants on the dorsum and palm of both h and s on two different days and the order of the devices was r and omized . RESULTS The results showed that the open TEWL meter 's capacity for measuring high values of TEWL was restricted , and that the closed-chamber TEWL meter was less sensitive to differences in the lower range of measurements . CONCLUSION Both devices have their strengths for different applications , but their results can not be directly compared . We were unable to find a statistical model that would allow us to transform the measurements made on one device for a comparison with the results generated by the other device Overwhelming evidence shows the quality of reporting of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is not optimal . Without transparent reporting , readers can not judge the reliability and validity of trial findings nor extract information for systematic review s. Recent method ological analyses indicate that inadequate reporting and design are associated with biased estimates of treatment effects . Such systematic error is seriously damaging to RCTs , which are considered the gold st and ard for evaluating interventions because of their ability to minimise or avoid bias . A group of scientists and editors developed the CONSORT ( Consoli date d St and ards of Reporting Trials ) statement to improve the quality of reporting of RCTs . It was first published in 1996 and up date d in 2001 . The statement consists of a checklist and flow diagram that authors can use for reporting an RCT . Many leading medical journals and major international editorial groups have endorsed the CONSORT statement . The statement facilitates critical appraisal and interpretation of RCTs . During the 2001 CONSORT revision , it became clear that explanation and elaboration of the principles underlying the CONSORT statement would help investigators and others to write or appraise trial reports . A CONSORT explanation and elaboration article was published in 2001 alongside the 2001 version of the CONSORT statement . After an expert meeting in January 2007 , the CONSORT statement has been further revised and is published as the CONSORT 2010 Statement . This up date improves the wording and clarity of the previous checklist and incorporates recommendations related to topics that have only recently received recognition , such as selective outcome reporting bias . This explanatory and elaboration document-intended to enhance the use , underst and ing , and dissemination of the CONSORT statement-has also been extensively revised . It presents the meaning and rationale for each new and up date d checklist item providing examples of good reporting and , where possible , references to relevant empirical studies . Several examples of flow diagrams are included . The CONSORT 2010 Statement , this revised explanatory and elaboration document , and the associated website ( www.consort-statement.org ) should be helpful re sources to improve reporting of r and omised trials BACKGROUND / AIM Transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) is one of the most important biophysical parameters for evaluating the efficiency of the human skin water barrier . Different approaches exist to measure TEWL . The most commonly used methodology consists of the open chamber diffusion technique in which the water vapor pressure gradient is measured in g/h m2 according to Fick 's law . A typical apparatus is the Tewameter . Recently , a portable device -- the VapoMeter -- became available with a humidity sensor in a closed chamber . METHODS In the present work , the closed chamber VapoMeter is compared with the open chamber Tewameter for its applicability to assess TEWL . A comparative study --including parallel in vivo measurements with both devices -- was carried out on human forearm skin . RESULTS It could be concluded that both instruments are reliable tools . A good correlation between recordings ( r=0.503 - 0.966 ) was found with a consistent feature of measuring higher TEWL values for the Tewameter than for the VapoMeter . Probe pressure , probe temperature and relative humidity were revealed to be important parameters inducing significant differences in data outcome . CONCLUSIONS From skin barrier damage experiments it became clear that the Tewameter is able to detect significantly smaller differences than the VapoMeter . In addition , the closed chamber device is currently not sensitive enough to discriminate for the effects induced by diurnal rhythm and fluctuations as a function of time . On the other h and , the small and h and y VapoMeter allows more flexibility in measuring protocol s and in in-use performance OBJECTIVE The goal of the described study was complex assessment of age-specific morphofunctional features of skin of different anatomic localization using optical coherence tomography ( OCT ) . METHODS Forty-three healthy volunteers aging from 4 to 74 years were enrolled in the study . Optical and functional skin parameters were studied in 18 areas of the human body . All the studied areas were classified as open and closed , depending on external impact . Structural parameters of skin were determined by means of the OCT device equipped with a removable , flexible probe with microscanner ( registration certificate no. 022a2035/2213 - 05 ) design ed and fabricated at the IAP RAS ( Nizhny Novgorod , Russia ) with longitudinal and transverse resolution of about 20 μm . RESULTS Age-specific morphofunctional features of skin most evident in areas exposed to external action were found . Statistically significant difference in elasticity ( -0.57 , P = 0.00012 ) in areas closed to external action ( further referred to as closed areas ) and in useful signal depth , hydration and elasticity in areas exposed to external action ( further referred to as open areas ) was assessed for different age groups . Analysis of the dependence of parameters on age showed statistically significant correlations between age and thickness of cellular layers of the epidermis ( -0.33 , P = 0.035 ) , pigmentation level ( -0.22 , P = 0.044 ) and elasticity in closed areas and highly significant correlations between age and hydration and elasticity in open areas . CONCLUSION The current work is concerned with investigation of age-specific morpho-functional parameters of skin of different localizations The measurement of transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) is an important noninvasive method in order to assess the barrier function of the stratum corneum . As a consequence , TEWL has been found to be a very useful technique for study ing skin irritation induced by various physical and chemical effects . Exposure of the skin to chemicals ( detergents ) and physical conditions ( occlusion and stripping ) generally results in an increase of TEWL . Until recently the only commercially available TEWL instrument was the Evaporimeter developed by ServoMed ( Sweden ) . The instrument is based on the open chamber system with two humidity and temperature sensors which measure the water evaporation gradient at the surface of the skin . Recently a new commercially available instrument based on the same physical principle of measurement was developed by Courage and Khazaka ( Tewameter , FRG ) . Our aim in this study has been to compare the measuring capacities of both instruments . The accuracy , sensitivity , variability and reproducibility of both instruments were compared in vivo under identical conditions on normal skin and skin damaged by external conditions . The influence of external and environmental factors such as air and probe temperature , relative humidity , air turbulence and pressure of application was evaluated for both instruments . Finally , the two instruments were compared in practice when following the increase in TEWL of the skin after stripping , occlusion and exposure to irritant household detergents . A very good correlation ( r = + 0.97 ) was found between the results of the two instruments over a wide range of TEWL values According to the European Society of Contact Dermatitis ( ESCD ) guidelines on the sodium lauryl sulfate ( SLS ) exposure test ‘ the flexor side of forearm skin with cubital fossa and wrist excluded is the preferred study site ’ . In this study we analysed the exact anatomic region within the suggested test area in respect to the outcome of the SLS exposure test . 3 test areas at the volar forearm were chosen : ‘ distal ’ with a 5‐cm distance to the wrist , exact ‘ midvolar ’ and ‘ proximal ’ with a 5‐cm distance to the cubital fossa . 25 healthy volunteers were irritated for 24 hr with 1 % SLS . Transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) measurements were taken before and 1 and 24 hr after removal of Finn Chambers ® . Median baseline TEWL showed no significant differences in the 3 test sites . However , postexposure TEWL proximal was significantly ( P < 0.01 ) higher than midvolar and distal . The distal volar forearm showed the lowest TEWL 24 h after the irritation . The differences were in comparison to midvolar ( P < 0.01 ) and proximal ( P < 0.001 ) significant . The results show that it is essential to point out the exact position of the test area at the volar forearm in study reports and to r and omize the irritation areas at the volar forearm if different treatments are to be compared BACKGROUND / AIM The measurement of transepidermal water loss ( TEWL ) is frequently used to evaluate the barrier function of the stratum corneum ( SC ) of diseased skin in vivo , as well as normal skin damaged by external injurious agents . For this purpose , most people use biophysical instruments , based on an open chamber system , measuring the water vapor pressure gradient produced above the skin surface by vapor passing through the SC barrier . Recently , we tested a new portable device ( Model H4300 NIKKISO-YSI CO . , LTD . , Tokyo , Japan ) based on a closed chamber system . Its measuring principle is based on a computed TEWL estimation , from the progressive increase in relative humidity inside a closed chamber , due to continuous water evaporation from the skin surface on which the chamber is placed . METHODS We conducted an in vivo comparative study between the new portable device and a conventional method , using the DermaLab ( Cortex Technology , Hadsund , Denmark ) , on both healthy and diseased skin surfaces , under well-controlled , st and ardized , experimental conditions ( 21 degrees C and 50 % relative humidity ) . RESULTS We found that the sensitivity of the new device was similar to that of the DermaLab . For example , the poor SC 
    Output:
    
TEWL in individuals being 65 years and above was consistently lower compared to the group of 18- to 64-year-old individuals .