Hair Research Articles

A comprehensive study on the impact of human hair fiber and millet husk ash on concrete properties: response surface modeling and optimization

Revolutionizing construction, the concrete blend seamlessly integrates human hair (HH) fibers and millet husk ash (MHA) as a sustainable alternative. By repurposing human hair for enhanced tensile strength and utilizing millet husk ash to replace sand, these materials not only reduce waste but also create a durable, eco-friendly solution. This groundbreaking methodology not only adheres to established structural criteria but also advances the concepts of the circular economy, representing a significant advancement towards environmentally sustainable and resilient building practices. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the fresh and mechanical characteristics of concrete blended with 10–40% MHA as a sand substitute and 0.5–2% HH fibers by applying response surface methodology modeling and optimization. A comprehensive study involved preparing 225 concrete specimens using a mix ratio of 1:1.5:3 with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.52, followed by a 28 day curing period. It was found that a blend of 30% MHA and 1% HH fibers gave the best compressive and splitting tensile strengths at 28 days, which were 33.88 MPa and 3.47 MPa, respectively. Additionally, the incorporation of increased proportions of MHA and HH fibers led to reductions in both the dry density and workability of the concrete. In addition, utilizing analysis of variance (ANOVA), response prediction models were created and verified with a significance level of 95%. The models' R2 values ranged from 72 to 99%. The study validated multi-objective optimization, showing 1% HH fiber and 30% MHA in concrete enhances strength, reduces waste, and promotes environmental sustainability, making it recommended for construction.

სოციალიზაციის გამოწვევები, ფსიქიკური ჯანმრთელობა და ემოციური კეთილდღეობა დასწავლის სირთულის მქონე მოსწავლეებში

The emotional well-being of a child with a learning disability can alter when there is no emotional support available. This can lead one to become depressed and/or consider suicide. In North America, adolescent suicide has become a major public health problem. Currently, suicide is the third primary cause of adolescent death in both Canada and the United States. Suicide rates in the United States increased 142% between 1960 and 1981 for both boys and girls in the 15 to 19-year old age group. There are a number of factors that put a person's life in jeopardy, such as life events, trauma, and learning disabilities. Adolescents with learning disabilities are uncertain about their future and their personal goals. Depression may manifest when opportunities seem limited while trying to reach their personal and educational goals. They are often haunted by the stigma of having a learning disability. Youths are inclined to develop emotional difficulties and are likely to inflict self-harm. Emotional disorders are common among people with learning disabilities than those who are non-learning disabled. Individuals with learning disabilities are more likely to develop self- harming disorders as a result to being labeled with a learning disability. The definition of self-harm is defined as a non-accidental injury, which produces bleeding of momentary or permanent tissue damage over a repeated amount of time. Self-harming is found to be a physical and emotional outlet to relieve the stressors of school and home life. Another part of self-harm is head banging, cutting, biting, scratching, and hair pulling.

Risk Factors and Hazards of Recipient-Area Perifollicular Erythema After Hair Transplantation: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Recipient-area perifollicular erythema (RPE) may delay graft growth after hair transplantation. However, there is currently a lack of observational clinical studies of RPE. To study the clinical features and risk factors associated with RPE while analyzing its correlation with graft growth. We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study between June 2020 and January 2023. A total of 1090 participants were included, 178 (16.33%) showed mild RPE, 56 (5.14%) showed moderate RPE, and 10 (0.92%) showed severe RPE. Patients with RPE had severe hair shaft shedding (P<0.001) and a lower survival rate (P<0.001) of grafts. Logistic regression analysis showed that folliculitis is a significant risk factor for mild RPE (OR 6.061, 95% CI 3.343-10.991, P<0.001) and moderate RPE (OR 3.397, 95% CI 1.299-8.882, P=0.013). Besides, untimely first postoperative hair washing was associated with the development of moderate RPE (OR 0.724, 95% CI 0.553-0.947, P=0.018) and severe RPE (OR 1.553, 95% CI 1.156-2.086, P=0.003). RPE is a postoperative complication closely related to high hair shaft shedding proportion and low graft survival rate. Both postoperative folliculitis and untimely first postoperative hair washing may induce the occurrence of RPE. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals increased regeneration in diseased human inner ear balance organs

Mammalian inner ear hair cell loss leads to permanent hearing and balance dysfunction. In contrast to the cochlea, vestibular hair cells of the murine utricle have some regenerative capacity. Whether human utricular hair cells regenerate in vivo remains unknown. Here we procured live, mature utricles from organ donors and vestibular schwannoma patients, and present a validated single-cell transcriptomic atlas at unprecedented resolution. We describe markers of 13 sensory and non-sensory cell types, with partial overlap and correlation between transcriptomes of human and mouse hair cells and supporting cells. We further uncover transcriptomes unique to hair cell precursors, which are unexpectedly 14-fold more abundant in vestibular schwannoma utricles, demonstrating the existence of ongoing regeneration in humans. Lastly, supporting cell-to-hair cell trajectory analysis revealed 5 distinct patterns of dynamic gene expression and associated pathways, including Wnt and IGF-1 signaling. Our dataset constitutes a foundational resource, accessible via a web-based interface, serving to advance knowledge of the normal and diseased human inner ear.

Uranium content in drinking water limescale and children’s hair in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia

ABSTRACT Analysis of limescales, collected from the walls of kitchenware used to boil drinking water, were used as a surrogate for analysis of uranium in drinking water. Geological features of the territory mainly explained the spatial distribution of uranium concentrations in the samples. Furthermore, uranium was analysed in human hair samples from inhabitants of the region. The median concentration of U in drinking water limescale was 5.4 μg/g (range 0.01 to 61.0 μg/g), and in children’s hair was 0.035 μg/g (range 0.001–0.179 μg/g). A significant correlation (R2 = 0.946) was detected between U in drinking water limescale and U concentration in human hair. Concentrations of uranium in limescales and human hair indicated that the current levels of exposure are in the range of values reported worldwide and are not particularly elevated.

Testing for protonitazene in human hair using LC-MS/MS.

Protonitazene is a synthetic benzoimidazole opioid of the nitazenes class, developed in the 1950s as an effective analgesic, but never released on the market due to severe side effects and possible dependence. Despite its increasing use as a new psychoactive substance starting in 2019, its detection in human hair of intoxicated and deceased consumers has never been reported. We present the development and validation of a specific procedure to identify protonitazene in hair by LC-MS-MS. Drugs were incubated overnight at 40°C in 1 mL borate buffer, pH 9.5 with 20 mg pulverized hair and 1 ng/mg fentanyl-d5 used as internal standard. Drugs were then extracted with a mixture of organic solvents. The chromatographic separation was performed using a HSS C18 column with a 15 min gradient elution. Linearity was verified from 1 to 100 pg/mg. The limit of detection was estimated at 0.1 pg/mg. No interference was noted from a large panel of natural and synthetic opioids, fentanyl derivatives or other new synthetic opioids. Protonitazene was identified at 70 and at > 7600 pg/mg in the whole head hair specimens of two male subjects deceased from acute drug overdose in jail. Protonitazene was also identified at 14 and 54 pg/mg in two living co-prisoners. As nitazenes represent a growing threat to public health in various parts of the world, this method was developed in response to the challenges posed by the identification of this class of substances.

Sustainable biomaterials for tissue engineering: electrospun polycaprolactone fibers enriched with freshwater snail calcium carbonate and waste human hair keratin

AbstractThis study focuses on developing a sustainable and biocompatible polycaprolactone (PCL)‐based scaffold for bone tissue engineering through electrospinning, utilizing calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from Pomacea canaliculata shells and keratin from human hair, known for stimulating bone regeneration. The isolated CaCO3 has been identified to demonstrate two polymorphs, vaterite and calcite, as determined by X‐ray diffraction. The isolation of keratin from human hair was confirmed through sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, revealing the presence of α‐keratin structures around 45–50 kDa and β‐keratin structures around 55–60 kDa. According to scanning electron microscope observations, the addition of keratin to PCL fibers reduced their diameter from 457 ± 345 to 371 ± 103 nm. Further addition of calcium carbonate led to a mean diameter of 258 ± 76 nm. The melting temperature of PCL fibers containing keratin and CaCO3 was determined to be 76.17 °C via differential scanning calorimetry, while thermogravimetric analysis, conducted at temperatures up to 600 °C, revealed a remaining ash content of 9.59%. Calcium phosphate accumulation was observed to initiate on PCL fibers containing keratin and CaCO3 following a 7‐day exposure to simulated body fluid. The fibers exhibit cytocompatibility, showing no toxicity while supporting the growth and proliferation of Saos‐2 osteosarcoma cells. The results suggest that the innovative incorporation of keratin and CaCO3 into PCL nanofibers could serve as a bioactive matrix compared to pure PCL matrices, thereby offering enhanced potential for bone tissue engineering applications. © 2024 The Author(s). Polymer International published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Estimation of the time of zolpidem intake and differentiation between consumption and external contamination using MALDI-MSI for investigations on single hair samples

Estimation of drug ingestion time (event time) and distinguishing between drug ingestion and external contamination are important for interpreting hair analysis results in forensics practice. Here, we present a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) method for in situ analysis of intact hair. We applied a longitudinal cutting method for a single hair to analysis authentic hair samples from a victim of a drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) case and zolpidem-soaked hair. MALDI-MSI showed that zolpidem-positive segments distributed at 4−6 mm or 6−8 mm from the root in three single hairs of a DFSA victim collected 25 days after the event, at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 5.7 pg mm−1, in agreement with the results from segmental analysis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The estimation of drug intake time was about 20–30 days before sampling, which was consistent with the known time of drug intake. This MALDI-MS method allows imaging analysis of trace substances in a single hair and can realize the intuitive reflection of drug taking time. In addition, zolpidem applied by soaking was mainly distributed on both sides of the longitudinal hair shaft, whereas ingested zolpidem was found only in the middle of the hair shaft of the DFSA victim. The MALDI-MS images of unwashed and washed hair suggested that the amount of externally applied drug was decreased by washing, it was still present on surface layer (cuticle) sides although. Visualization using MALDI-MSI could therefore distinguish between drug ingestion and contamination by reflecting the distribution and deposition site of the drug in hair.

The biomechanics of splitting hairs.

Splitting of hair, creating 'split ends', is a very common problem which has been extensively documented. However, the mechanics underlying the splitting phenomenon are poorly understood. This is partly owing to the lack of a test in which splitting can be generated and quantified under laboratory conditions. We developed three new tests, known as 'loop tensile', 'moving loop' and 'moving loop fatigue', aiming to simulate the mechanical environment of tangles of hair strands during combing. We tested straight strands of human hair, comparing low-quality hair (from a subject who experienced split ends) with hair from a control (non-splitting) subject. Significant differences were found, especially in the moving loop fatigue test where the low-quality hair failed in fewer cycles. Splitting occurred in both types of hair, but with the crucial difference that in the low-quality hair, splits originated inside the hair strand and propagated longitudinally over considerable distances, while in the control hair, splits originated at the strand surface and remained short. Bleaching of the control hair changed its behaviour, making it similar to that of the low-quality hair. Some simple calculations emphasized the role of longitudinal shear stress and shear stress intensity in generating microcracks which could then propagate within the moving loop, paving the way for a future theoretical model of the splitting mechanism.

Trichology to predict efficacy of scalp cooling: New pathologic insights besides encouraging clinical results.

12093 Background: Chemotherapy continues to be an essential element of tumour-specific systemic therapy. The associated hair loss impacts patients ‘quality of life in addition. Sensor-controlled scalp cooling has proven itself as a method of preventing alopecia. This study evaluates the grade of hair preservation as well as predictive factors, including (ultra)structural changes of the hair follicle during treatment, offering potential for enhanced therapeutic strategies. Methods: Scalp cooling, was evaluated in 81 patients (79 women, 2 men, median age 56 years) undergoing breast carcinoma treatment (4x EC 90/600 mg/m² BSA followed by 12x PAC w). Key outcomes included hair preservation (Hair Mass Index = HMI), avoidance of visible hair loss (HMI ≥ 50), and prevention of severe hair loss (all measured by Cross Section Trichometer). Parameters such as hair density (HMI), trichologic parameters like hair shaft and bulb diameter, anagen rate, shaft surface damage and melanosomes changes were measured through (ultrastructural) microscopy. Results: Over the half (53%) of patients avoided successfully noticeable hair loss (HMI post ≥ 50). Most important predictors of successful hair preservation in different analyses included lower post-therapeutic shaft surface damage (via scanning electron microscopy) (β = -.30, p = .034), larger pre-treatment shaft diameter (via light microscopy) (OR = 1.11, p = .011), and stable melanosome density (via transmission electron microscopy) (β = .35, p = .013). Higher anagen ratio (β = .30, p = 0.009) and larger hair shaft diameter (β = .29, p=0,023) plays a crucial role in hair prevention, considering only light-microspcopic parameters. Comorbidity (OR = 0.12, p = .024) and alopecia causing medication (e.g. antihypertensiva) (β = -.31, p = .017) led to increased hair loss. Patients with fewer hair loss over the course reported higher quality of life (r = .25, p = .042) and lower psychological burden (r = -.42, p &lt; .001). Data indicate that optimal pre-therapeutic hair density (HMI =/&gt; 69), coupled with the absence of comorbidities and alopecia-inducing medications, substantially enhances the efficacy of scalp cooling, elevating the probability of preventing severe hair loss (HMI ≥ 50) by nearly sevenfold (OR = 6.98, CI95% [1.01;48.33]. Conclusions: Scalp cooling proves effective in preventing visible hair loss in 53% of patients, with mini-organ (hair follicle) characteristics influencing outcomes. It does not only prevent hair loss but also enhances quality of life, underscoring the need for personalized approaches in managing chemotherapy-induced alopecia. The study confirms the method's safety and effectiveness without increasing scalp metastasis risk.

Prenatal exposure to benzophenone-type UV filters and the associations with neonatal birth outcomes and maternal health in south China

Benzophenone (BP)-type UV filters are commonly added to sunscreens and cosmetics to protect against UV radiation for human skin and hair. As a result, BPs are ubiquitous in the environment and human body, and their endocrine-disrupting characteristics have been a hot topic of discussion. However, our knowledge regarding the detrimental effects of prenatal exposure to BPs on pregnant women and their offspring remains limited. To fill this gap, we determined five BP derivatives in 600 serum samples obtained from pregnant women. All the target analytes, except 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1), have achieved a 100 % detection rate. The most prevalent compound was 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-3), with a median concentration of 0.545 ng/mL. Significant and positive correlations were observed among BP derivatives, indicating both endogenous metabolism and common external sources. Utilizing Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile-based g-computation (QGC) models, we found relationships between BP exposure and reduced neonatal birth weight (BW) and birth chest circumference (BC) during the third trimester. Notably, the adverse effect of BPs on birth size was sex-specific. Moreover, triglyceride (TG) was identified as a potential mediator of the effect of BPs on blood pressure, and co-exposure to BPs was linked to disruptions in thyroid hormone levels and glucose regulation. Further research is warranted to unravel the toxicity of BPs and their detrimental effects on pregnant women and fetuses.

Происхождение и лексико-семантическая характеристика цветообозначения ерән ‘рыжий’ в башкирском языке

The article examines the origin, historical development and semantics of the word yeran ‘red’ in the Bashkir language. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Bashkir linguistics, this color designation is subjected to a comprehensive etymological, comparative historical, and lexico-semantic analysis. During the scientific analysis, it was revealed that the yeran ‘red’ lexeme is characterized by an ancient origin: scientists have restored its proto-Turkic (*jẹgre-n ‘red (about the color of a horse); deer, gazelle, antelope’), proto-Altai (*negre ‘type of deer’) forms. It is established that the first fixation of the word falls on the ancient Turkic period. The word is found in almost all Turkic languages in the meaning of ‘red color of a horse or other animals’, in Kipchak – in the designation of red hair, mustache, beard, in some Turkic languages – as the names of animals ‘roe deer, gazelle, antelope’ (‘roe deer’, ‘gazelle’, ‘antelope’). It is assumed that jagren ‘chestnut’ in the Turkic languages originally meant the color of the horse’s skin, over time the semantics of the word expanded – it began to be applied to the color of human hair, then gradually to all objects of reddish color, reddish hue. In Bashkir, eran, like the reflexes *jẹgre-n in many Turkic languages, functions in the meanings of ‘red (about the suit, about the hair, mustache, beard)’. Related lexemes are found in other Altaic languages: in Korean and Tungusic-Manchurian languages, they are used in the meanings of ‘roe deer’, ‘vazhenka (female reindeer)’. In the Mongolian and Tungusic-Manchu languages, the meaning of the word ‘red horse color’ is a Turkic loan. The Turkic word entered the Russian language as well: Igreny ‘light red (about horse color)’.

Estimation of Some Major and Trace Elements in Human Hair in the Vicinity of Ashaka Cement Factory, Gombe State, Nigeria

This study aimed to estimate some major and trace elements in human hair samples obtained from humans living in the vicinity of Ashaka Cement Factory, Gombe State to identify the proportion of some major and trace elements in human hair samples. The samples collected from humans were kept in air-tight polyethene bags immediately. Then, they were washed with detergent to remove external dust and socked in distilled water for 10 minutes and transferred it into Acetone to remove stubborn dirt. The samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) after several processes of determination and the graphical solution was plotted using MATLAB software package 2018a. The result of the analysis shows that 0.0091 ± 0.184, 0.169 ± 0.15, 0.16 ± 0.0102, 0.0014 ± 0.0025 mg/kg for Ca, Fe, Mg, Na and 0.085 ± 0.38, 0.0049 ± 0.0046, 0.0091 ± 0.0029, 0.099 ± 0.0069 mg/kg for Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd in human hair samples obtained in the vicinity of Ashaka cement factory. The findings of the study is greatly importance to the entire society, especially those in the area of Ashaka cement factory and it also informs people about the positive and negative effects of trace elements on human life. Based on this result, it is recommended amongst other things that, there should be a need for a study on the assessment of the elements content of cement dust using a variety of analytical approaches since; some of the elements such as Al, Si, Ni, and Hg were not detected in the sample obtained in the study using atomic absorption spectrometry.

A CASE OF HAIR THREAD TOURNIQUET SYNDROME OF THE TOE IN A MALE NEWBORN

Hair-thread Tourniquet Syndrome (HTTS), despite being widely reported, is often not well recognized. It is a rare surgical emergency. This syndrome involves the external, mechanical, circumferential constriction of an appendage by human hair, typically a digit, leading to a condition similar to compartment syndrome. If not treated promptly, it can lead to prolonged ischemia, potentially causing tissue necrosis or autoamputation of the affected digit. Herein, we report a four-day-old newborn from a low socioeconomic background was admitted with fever and feeding refusal. Clinical examination revealed a swollen and red big 4thtoe with a hair-thread tourniquet. No signs of toe ischemia were noted. A diagnosis of maternal-fetal infection with a meningeal focus was made, along with toe tourniquet syndrome. Radiography showed no bone lesion. The patient was treated with antibiotics and a healing cream.

Additive-free Absorbable Keratin Sponge With Procoagulant Activity for Noncompressible Hemostasis.

The development of a natural, additive-free, absorbable sponge with procoagulant activity for noncompressible hemostasis remains a challenging task. In this study, we extracted high molecular weight keratin (HK) from human hair and transformed it into a hemostatic sponge with a well-interconnected pore structure using a foaming technique, freeze-drying, and oxidation cross-linking. By controlling the cross-linking degree, the resulting sponge demonstrated excellent liquid absorption ability, shape recovery characteristics, and robust mechanical properties. The HK10 sponge exhibited rapid liquid absorption, expanding up to 600% within 5 s. Moreover, the HK sponge showed superior platelet activation and blood cell adhesion capabilities. In SD rat liver defect models, the sponges demonstrated excellent hemostatic performance by sealing the wound and expediting coagulation, reducing the hemostatic time from 825 to 297 s. Furthermore, HK sponges have excellent biosafety, positioning them as a promising absorbable sponge with the potential for the treatment of noncompressible hemostasis.

The Potency of Adenostemma platyphyllum as Antimelanogenic Agent: In-vitro and In-silico Studies

Melanin is a crucial amino acid in determining human skin and hair pigmentation. Excessive melanin production can lead to hyperpigmentation and darkening of the skin. This study aims to assess the capability of Adenostemma platyphyllum as a tyrosinase enzyme inhibitor. It predicts its anti-melanogenic activity through molecular docking with proteins involved in the melanogenesis process. The in-vitro approach was conducted by determining the tyrosinase enzyme inhibition capacity, while the in-silico approach involved ligand binding to target proteins from melanogenesis pathways. The highest tyrosinase inhibition capacity was observed in the ethanol extract, with values of 9.74 Kojic Acid Equivalent (KAE)/g extract (L-tyrosine) and 17.91 (KAE)/g extract (L-DOPA). Molecular docking analysis showed that the binding of eriodictyol 7-O-sophoroside (ΔG = -9.7 kcal/mol) has the best energy affinity for the PKC-β protein, genistein (ΔG = -7.5 kcal/mol) for the tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TYRP1) protein, eriodictyol 7-O-sophoroside (ΔG = -10.2 kcal/mol) for the cGMP protein, vincosamide (ΔG = -7.2 kcal/mol) for the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) protein, and dicaffeoylquinic acid (ΔG = -7.4 kcal/mol) for the β-catenin protein. Based on a comparison of in-vitro and in-silico studies, melanogenesis inhibition is more potent in the PKC-β and cGMP pathways than direct tyrosinase inhibition because they exhibit lower binding energy.

A nanonewton force sensor using a U-shape tapered microfiber interferometer.

Nanomechanical measurements, especially the detection of weak contact forces, play a vital role in many fields, such as material science, micromanipulation, and mechanobiology. However, it remains a challenging task to realize the measurement of ultraweak force levels as low as nanonewtons with a simple sensing configuration. In this work, an ultrasensitive all-fiber nanonewton force sensor structure based on a single-mode-tapered U-shape multimode-single-mode fiber probe is proposed and experimentally demonstrated with a limit of detection of ~5.4 nanonewtons. The use of the sensor is demonstrated by force measurement on a human hair sample to determine the spring constant of the hair. The results agree well with measurements using an atomic force microscope for the spring constant of the hair. Compared with other force sensors based on optical fiber in the literature, the proposed all-fiber force sensor provides a substantial advancement in the minimum detectable force possible, with the advantages of a simple configuration, ease of fabrication, and low cost.

Personalized hairstyle and hair color editing based on multi-feature fusion

In the metaverse era, virtual design of hairstyle becomes very popular for personalized aesthetics. As hair design tasks can be decomposed into hair attribute editing and generation, the development of generative adversarial networks (GANs) has significantly prompted its development. The majority of the existing algorithms focus on transferring the overall hair region from one face to another, which ignore fine control over the color and geometric features. Furthermore, these algorithms may result in unnatural generation results. In this paper, we propose a hair modification framework that learns hairstyle information from a reference face mask and color information from a guidance face image. Firstly, the features of the input face image and reference images are extracted through a group of encoders, and then divided into feature vectors of coarse, medium, and fine levels. Secondly, multi-level feature vectors are fused in the latent space using attention-based modulation modules. Finally, the fused feature vector is passed through a StyleGAN generator to generate face images with specified hairstyle and hair color. Experimental results show that the proposed method can finely simulate the hairstyle transition between long and short hair under the constraint of the reference mask, and can produce realistic fusion effects in the hair-covered regions, such as ears, neck, and forehead. Various hair dyeing effects that adapt to personalized characteristics are demonstrated, as facial features including skin color and hair texture are preserved when transferring the hair color.

Hair growth-promoting effects of Enz_MoriL on human dermal papilla cells through modulation of the Wnt/β-Catenin and JAK-STAT signaling pathways.

Enz_MoriL is a naturally occurring substance extracted from the leaves of Morus alba L. through enzymatic conversion. Historically, M. alba L. has been recognized for its potential to promote hair regrowth. However, the precise mechanism by which Enz_MoriL affects human hair follicle dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular basis of Enz_MoriL's effect on hair growth in hDPCs. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was used to examine the effects of Enz_MoriL on hDPCs during the anagen and catagen phases, as well as under conditions mimicking alopecia areata (AA). Enz_MoriL demonstrated the ability to promote cell proliferation in both anagen and catagen stages. It increased the levels of active β-catenin in the catagen stage induced by IFN-γ, leading to its nuclear translocation. This effect was achieved by increasing the phosphorylation of GSK3β and decreasing the expression of DKK-1. This stimulation induced proliferation in hDPCs and upregulated the expression of the Wnt family members 3a, 5a, and 7a at the transcript level. Additionally, Enz_MoriL suppressed JAK1 and STAT3 phosphorylation, contrasting with IFN-γ, which induced them in the catagen stage. In conclusion, Enz_MoriL directly induced signals for anagen re-entry into hDPCs by affecting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and enhancing the production of growth factors. Furthermore, Enz_MoriL attenuated and reversed the interferon-induced AA-like environment by blocking the JAK-STAT pathway in hDPCs.

Contribution of Social Media in Shaping Self-Perceptions: A Case of Black Women

Purpose: This study aimed to explore how social media representations of Black women’s hair shapes their sense of identity, self-concept and hair care practices. Methodology: A qualitative cross-sectional approach was employed, with a sample size of five Black women in South Africa between the ages of 20 to 29 years old. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with research participants that were purposively selected from social media platforms Twitter and Instagram. The use of these platforms to select participants also offered convenience to the researcher as these participants were readily available because they are already active in social media. Thematic analysis was used in data analysis while the Social Identity Theory (SIT) was utilised as the theoretical framework to interpret the findings. Findings: Four themes were used to cluster the findings, namely self-categorization, social identification, perceived positive social identity and self-esteem restoration. The findings highlighted the role of social media in perpetuating the stereotypes which is traced to the slavery; and then highlight how the social media is used to reverse the systematic oppression of the Black women based on their hair. They also revealed that positive representations of Black hair on social media creates an attitude of self-acceptance and empowerment among Black women. Similarly, social media provides a space for Black women to connect, discuss their hair and share hair care tips, fostering a sense of belonging within the community. However, this study identified a gap in representation, as there tends to be an overrepresentation of one specific hair texture, leaving some Black women with limited or no representation, mainly those wearing dreadlocks. Unique Contribution to the theory, practice, and policy: The research makes a unique contribution by highlighting the importance of diverse representation in South African advertisements and social media marketing for hair products, as Black women’s hair textures and journeys are not a monolith. The findings concomitantly highlight the role of social media celebrities and/or social media influencers in the social media regarding the matter under investigation from the perspective of South African women. The study also noted the need for awareness and education about the cultural and historical significance of Black hair to reduce cultural appropriation. The findings further highlight the human rights element regarding the discrimination faced by Black women due to their hair texture, this knowledge may contribute to creating inclusivity in both society and social media spaces.