Fuzzy Hair Research Articles

"Fuzzy hair" promotes cell sheet detachment from thermoresponsive brushes already above their volume phase transition temperature.

Thermoresponsive poly(glycidyl ether) (PGE) brushes have shown to be viable substrates for the culture and temperature-triggered detachment of confluent cell sheets. Surface-tethered PGEs with a cloud point temperature (TCP) around ~30°C exhibit phase transitions well-centered within the physiological range (20-37°C), which makes them ideal candidates for cell sheet fabrication. However, PGEs with TCPs at ~20°C also afford the detachment of various types of cell sheets, even at room temperature (20-23°C), i.e., above the polymers' TCPs. In this study, we investigate the phase transition of PGE brushes tethered to polystyrene (PS) culture substrates with varying grafting density and TCP to arrive at a mechanistic understanding of their functionality in cell sheet fabrication. Using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring, we demonstrate that brushes fabricated from PGEs with TCPs at ~20°C display volume phase transition temperatures (VPTTs) well below room temperature. Although the investigated coatings obviously do not exhibit marked thermal switching in terms of brush hydration and layer thickness, their physical properties at the brush-water interface, as ascertained by QCM-D and AFM measurements, undergo subtle changes upon cooling from 37°C to room temperature which is sufficient to promote cell sheet detachment. Thus, it appears that discreet rehydration of the outmost brush layer, resembling "fuzzy hair" at the brush-water interface, renders the surfaces less protein- and cell-adhesive at room temperature. This minor structural change of the interface allows for the reliable detachment of human dermal fibroblast sheets already at 20°C well above the VPTT of the brushes.

A importância do exame tricológico no diagnóstico da alopecia areata

In this article we discuss the propedeutic aspects of alopecia areata, especially those found by dermatoscopy, an invaluable tool for diagnosis of the condition. Dermatoscopy facilitates the early detection of the characteristic changes in alopecia areata hair such as exclamation-point hairs, cadaverous hair, fuzzy hair, vellus type hair and yellow spots.

INCREASING ANTITUMOR EFFECTS OF CHEMORADIOTHERAPY BY DRUG EFFLUX INHIBITION WITH ENCAPSULATED ANTI-RLIP-76

Microencapsulated anti-RLIP76 was tested in vivo using C 3 He / J mice to determine the increasing of antitumor effects by chemotherapeutic agent efflux inhibition during chemoradiotherapy. Microcapsules were produced by spraying a mixture of 3.0% hyaluronic acid, 2.0% alginate, 3.0% H 2 O 2, and 0.3 mmol carboplatin onto a mixture of 0.3 mol FeCl 2 and 0.15 mol CaCl 2. Microcapsules were subcutaneously injected into MM46 tumors previously inoculated into the left hind legs of C 3 He / J mice. Subsequent radiotherapy consisted of tumor irradiation with 10 Gy or 20 Gy 60 Co . The antitumor effects of microcapsules were tested by measuring tumor size and monitoring tumor growth. Three types of adverse effects were considered: fuzzy hair, loss of body weight, and mortality. Carboplatin levels were monitored using particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and a micro-PIXE camera. Anti-RLIP76 inhibited the efflux of carboplatin from tumor tissue, which led to an increase in the concentration of carboplatin. Higher carboplatin concentration significantly increased the combined antitumor effect of radiation and chemotherapy. A significant decrease in adverse effects was also observed with microencapsulated anti-RLIP76.

IMPROVED RADIOSENSITIVE MICROCAPSULES USING H2O2

The radiation-induced releasing of the liquid-core of the microcapsules was improved using H 2 O 2, which produced O 2 generation of H 2 O 2 after irradiation. Further, we tested whether these microcapsules enhanced the antitumor effects and decreased the adverse effects in vivo in C3He / J mice. The capsules were produced by spraying a mixture of 3.0% hyaluronic acid, 2.0% alginate, 3.0% H 2 O 2, and 0.3 mmol of carboplatin on a mixture of 0.3 mol FeCl 2 and 0.15 mol CaCl 2. The microcapsules were subcutaneously injected into MM46 tumors that had been inoculated in the left hind legs of C3He / J mice. The radiotherapy comprised tumor irradiation with 10 Gy or 20 Gy 60 Co . The antitumor effect of the microcapsules was tested by measuring tumor size and monitoring tumor growth. Three types of adverse effects were considered: fuzzy hair, loss of body weight, and death. The size of the capsule size was 23 ± 2.4 µ m ɸ and that of the liquid core, 20.2 ± 2.2 µ m ɸ. The injected microcapsules localized drugs around the tumor. The production of O 2 by radiation increased the release of carboplatin from the microcapsules. The antitumor effects of radiation, carboplatin, and released oxygen were synergistic. Localization of the carboplatin decreased its adverse effects. However, the H 2 O 2 caused ulceration of the skin in the treated area. The use of our microcapsules enhanced the antitumor effects and decreased the adverse effects of carboplatin. However, the skin-ulceration caused by H 2 O 2 must be considered before these microcapsules can be used clinically.

Seeing Molecules In Context

If you ask children to describe a scientist, they often talk about someone who has white fuzzy hair, wears glasses and a lab coat, and knows lots of science facts. Children are not alone in that last perception-that experts in science or any other field simply know more facts than novices. It's an idea that has received considerable indirect support in recent years, as a number of books have professed to tell all you really need to know about science, history, or other topics. By and large, these books offer a clearly presented collection of important facts or events and perhaps some elaboration. But the facts seem to have little connection to one another, and the books rarely consider causality. Such books view learners as empty vessels who simply absorb given information. But educational research shows that if learning is to be meaningful, it must be constructed by the individual. That person must make sense ...

A Study of the Quantitative Measurement of Human Head Hair Fibres

The form and colour of human head hair have been of considerable interest to anthropologists and geneticists for many years. The form has been definitively associated with ethnic classifications of mankind, the Negroid groups having curly or fuzzy hair, the Mongoloid straight and the Mediterranean wavy or straight. Colour also has some association with ethnic groups. Although the majority of people have black or dark brown hair, the percentage of individuals with light brown or red hair varies in different populations. In some groups, subjects with light brown or red hair are very rare, but the Celtic peoples have a greater percentage of red haired subjects, and the Scandinavians a greater percentage of fair haired subjects, than have other populations. Fibre diameter and, to a lesser extent, medullary diameter are of commercial importance in wool fibres and, together with other properties, are often measured in textile industries and in genetic selection experiments in sheep breeding. The characteristics of human hair have not been as carefully studied and most descriptions are of a qualitative nature. One of the earliest attempts to quantify diameters was made by Wynkoop (I929) who studied 483 hairs from 82 individuals ranging in age from three hours to 9I years. Trotter & Dawson (I934) investigated the shape and the weight of hair from French-Canadians and American whites. Steggerda (I940), Steggerda & Seibert (I94i) and Seibert & Steggerda (I944) measured fibres from American Indians, Negroes and Dutch. This paper presents the results of an investigation of head hair from New Guinea natives and adult Australian Caucasians of both sexes, and from a small number of adult male Japanese. A difference in the mean fibre diameters was found between the ethnic groups and between males and females in New Guinea. The medulke of the fibres were also examined. The percentage of fibres with a medullary cavity was noted and the type of medulla, either continuous (unbroken) or discontinuous (broken), was recorded.