Healthy Hair Research Articles

Patients' feedback on the Changi General Hospital tinnitus counselling protocol.

Many tinnitus service providers advocate counselling as an initial and important approach for the management of tinnitus. Our tinnitus counselling clinic (TCC) developed a counselling protocol to deliver information and educate patients on self-help strategies. We aimed to obtain feedback on the components of the initial session and the self-help choices made by patients who returned for follow-up. All patients who were attending the TCC completed a Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire during their first and follow-up sessions. At follow-up, patients were asked to rate how helpful each counselling component was and their choice of self-help strategy for tinnitus. 203 patients attended the follow-up session, representing 60.1% of patients initially counselled. THI scores improved, with 45.8% more patients categorised as having no handicap at follow-up compared to the initial 26.1%. Two most helpful counselling components (rated on a 5-point scale) were explanation of self-help strategies (mean score 4.40 ± 0.68) and illustration of healthy and damaged hair cells (mean score 4.30 ± 0.74). The most popular choice for self-help was using a sound strategy plus change in thinking (41.9%, n = 85). A few (32.5%, n = 66) patients were able to change their perception of tinnitus without any sound enrichment, while 17 (8.4%) patients relied solely on sound strategy. Most (97.5%) patients found the initial counselling session helpful. However, 92 (45.3%) patients were still seeking a cure for their tinnitus. Most patients found the counselling helpful at follow-up. Counselling offered them the opportunity to actively manage their tinnitus.

Thin film occlusion of an intra‐abdominal vein in cats

To evaluate the occlusion of an intra-abdominal vessel as a model of an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt by thin film banding in a controlled setting and to document histologically the perivascular region's response to thin film banding after 8 weeks. Experimental study. Six purpose-bred healthy domestic short hair cats. Thin film bands were placed around the external iliac vein, with a sham procedure on the contralateral vessel. Closure rates were monitored via computed tomographic angiography (CTA) every 2 weeks for a total of 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the vessels were resected, if possible, and submitted for histopathologic evaluation. All cats tolerated the procedure without surgical complications. Eight weeks after surgery, closure was evaluated as complete in one cat, marked in two cats, moderate in one cat, and mild in two cats according to CTA. Histological examination (in three cats) was consistent with chronic, multifocal, granulomatous inflammation with moderate fibrosis and collagen degeneration. Venous occlusion was inconsistent and often incomplete 8 weeks after thin film banding of the external iliac vein despite the presence of moderate to abundant perivascular fibrous tissue. Vascular occlusion by thin film banding in cats is mainly incomplete after 2 months. This study supports the theory that high level of residual shunting may be expected in some cats after thin film banding.

Magnetotrichography: Measuring the dc magnetic field produced by hair follicles

We here describe the dc magnetic field over the human head produced by healthy hair follicles when the scalp is lightly pressed. This phenomenon was briefly reported decades earlier, where a double-planar SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) gradiometer at a single location was used. We here perform a larger study, using the dcMEG containing 102 double-planar gradiometers covering the whole scalp. The field is displayed as an on-line arrow map over the head, showing the approximate flow of direct current (dc) in the scalp. Standard sets of five arrow maps per subject were measured, where the subject successively pressed parts of their head against the inside of the helmet. These maps were made for 15 normal subjects (5 females), and 2 with alopecia (non-functioning follicles). The directions of “pressed” generating arrows always followed the natural tilt of the follicles, verifying the follicles as generators, with a time constant of about one second. The maximum generator dipole strength was about 24 µA-cm. Scalp electric potentials corresponding to the magnetic signals were masked by much larger electrodermal potentials. Therefore, this magnetic method, called magnetotrichography, is unique in measuring this follicular electrical activity, with possible applications in studying baldness and hair diseases.

Age, lifestyle and self‐perceptions of hair: Is there an association with hair diameter and tensile properties?

To determine the association of age, lifestyle habits and the self-perception of hair condition with the objectively measured physical properties of hair in Caucasian females with brown hair. Hair biophysical properties, lifestyle habits data and self-perceptions of hair condition were collected on 110 Caucasian females with brown hair ranging in age from 17 to 78. Hair diameter (cross-sectional area) and tensile properties (elastic modulus, break strength and break extension) were measured at the root end of individual fibres (n=100/subject) from the crown and frontal regions using objective instrumental methods. Other measures included body mass index (BMI) and Savin female pattern hair loss grades based on judging of standardized front, top and side view head images. Lifestyle habits and practices and self-perceived hair condition were obtained via a standardized self-assessment questionnaire. Hair fibre diameter and break extension decreased significantly with age. Hair fibre elastic modulus and Savin hair loss scores increased significantly with age. No age-related change in hair fibre break stress was observed. A history of smoking or being overweight was significantly associated with having lower hair fibre cross-sectional area but was not associated with any of the measured tensile properties. Subjects who perceived their hair as fine, thinning or weak had significantly lower cross-sectional areas than subjects who did not. Subjects who perceived their hair to be healthy or strong had significantly higher cross-sectional areas than subjects who did not. The biophysical properties of hair change significantly with age. A history of smoking or being overweight was significantly associated with having smaller hair cross-sectional area but was not associated with differences in hair tensile properties. The self-perception of having strong or healthy hair seems more associated with having a larger cross-sectional area than any real differences in hair strength.Abstrait.

Effect of Propolis-treated Hair Conditoner on Damaged Hair

This study investigated the effects of hair conditioner containing the beehive protectant propolis on damaged hair. The results found the following: First, according to the analysis of healthy hair and the amino acids of propolis, the propolis amino acids matched the hair amino acids in 15 ingredients. Second, according to the comparative analysis of hair thickness and weight after applying the hair conditioners by propolis content, significant results were found in all experimental groups but the Control Group. The biggest increase was found in the 3% propolis-treated Experimental Group III. Third, according to the comparative analysis of hair sebum and moisture, significant results were observed in all experimental groups. In particular, the largest increase in moisture was found in Experimental Group III. Fourth, in terms of changes in hair surface color, b* were the lowest while a* was the highest in Experimental Group III. Fifth, the surface observations by SEM showed that, taking a look at the SEM of Damaged Hair, the porosity and damaged cuticle was covered by the protein contained in the propolis. Therefore, it may be said that propolis would be useful as an active ingredient.

CDK4/6 inhibition mitigates stem cell damage in a novel model for taxane‐induced alopecia

Taxanes are a leading cause of severe and often permanent chemotherapy‐induced alopecia. As the underlying pathobiology of taxane chemotherapy‐induced alopecia remains poorly understood, we investigated how paclitaxel and docetaxel damage human scalp hair follicles in a clinically relevant ex vivo organ culture model. Paclitaxel and docetaxel induced massive mitotic defects and apoptosis in transit amplifying hair matrix keratinocytes and within epithelial stem/progenitor cell‐rich outer root sheath compartments, including within Keratin 15+ cell populations, thus implicating direct damage to stem/progenitor cells as an explanation for the severity and permanence of taxane chemotherapy‐induced alopecia. Moreover, by administering the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib, we show that transit amplifying and stem/progenitor cells can be protected from paclitaxel cytotoxicity through G1 arrest, without premature catagen induction and additional hair follicle damage. Thus, the current study elucidates the pathobiology of taxane chemotherapy‐induced alopecia, highlights the paramount importance of epithelial stem/progenitor cell‐protective therapy in taxane‐based oncotherapy, and provides preclinical proof‐of‐principle in a healthy human (mini‐) organ that G1 arrest therapy can limit taxane‐induced tissue damage.

Medulla loss of scalp hair in breast cancer patients determined by near-infrared microscopy.

.Inexpensive near-infrared microscopy (NIRM) was developed as a convenient technique to detect the medulla loss of scalp hair while reducing analytical time with easy sample preparation, leading to a field screening tool for breast cancer. NIRM has been evaluated as an alternative to synchrotron-based nanoscopy and to the relatively expensive method of conventional infrared microscopy to determine the degree and pattern of medulla loss of scalp hairs of patients with breast cancer and benign diseases, as well as normal healthy individuals. NIR imaging showed a strong, scattering-based hyperintense contrast of the medulla compared to the fully attenuated cortex in medullated healthy hair. Complete medulla loss (CML) per hair strand was more extensively () () detected in the hair of all cancer patients than in the hair of either healthy individuals (less than ) or those with benign disease (), suggesting a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis. The medulla structure was retained mostly in the hair of age-matched healthy individuals, but discontinuous medulla loss was observed concomitantly with less CML in fibroadenoma patients. Potentially, compact NIRM modules can be integrated into a mobile platform as point-of-care technology for breast cancer screening.

Scalp & Hair Perception and Care Patterns of College Women Majoring in beauty and Other Fields

In modern times, scalp and hair damage has risen due to various causes such as stress, environmental pollution and dietary habits. As a result, people have shown more interest in having a healthy scalp and hair, and at the same time, their perception of scalp and hair care has increased. So far, hair cosmetology has concentrated on hairstyling such as coloring, bleaching, perm and haircut. With an emergence of the need for scalp & hair care for healthy hair and hairstyles, however, there has been a paradigm shift from hairstyling to hair care. This study performed a questionnaire survey on the perception of scalp and hair and the care patterns for these among college women majoring in cosmetology and other fields and analyzed differences to help them have a better understanding of customers’ scalp and hair and enhance customer satisfaction by suggesting effective scalp & hair care methods. According to the survey, scalp and hair perception was high in both those majoring in cosmetology and non-cosmetology-major students. However, the latter was less aware of the fact that scalp and hair can be damaged if hair is braided too tightly or too often, and that median scalp massage is helpful in scalp & hair care. In addition, scalp & hair care was high in college women majoring in cosmetology with a statistically significant difference. Based on the above results, it is necessary to help people gain a correct understanding of scalp and hair and suggest proper scalp and hair care methods.

Biochemical analysis on selected fruits ofAnnonaspecies

The family Annonaceae comprises about 80 genera and 850 species occurring in the tropics, but with relics of earlier distributions remaining in some temperate regions. The large, edible, pulpy fruits typically called “annona” include species of Annona, custard apple (A. squamosa), soursop/graviola (A. muricata) and bullock's heart (A. reticulata) which are known to have excellent health and medicinal benefits which deserve to be further explored. They contain antioxidants, possess anti cardio-vascular, anti-obese, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-microbial activity and have a positive effect on blood haemoglobin. It is also efficacious to control blood pressure, normalize digestive function, cure constipation, treat diarrhoea and dysentery. High potassium and magnesium levels in these fruits help to protect against heart disease. These fruits also contain vitamin A, which is beneficial for a healthy skin, hair and eyes. High magnesium content helps balance the water in the body, remove acid from the joints and reduce the symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis. The potassium contained in it, helps fight muscle weakness and fatigue. In the light of the above facts, a biochemical study was made to assess their proximate principle and mineral content to pave the way for better utilization, to meet nutritional security and to aid in disease prevention.

Safety, tolerability, and PK of topical calcitriol formulation for treatment of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) in patients receiving taxane-based regimen: Final results.

11608 Background: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) following taxane-based treatment regimen is due to direct toxicity of these agents on rapidly dividing cells within hair follicles. Currently no oral or topical agents have been approved for prevention of CIA. In murine studies, topical calcitriol reduced CIA, likely due to arrest of cell cycle in healthy hair follicles, and reduction in the sensitivity of follicular epithelium to chemotherapy. Methods: A 3+3 dose-escalation strategy was used in this Phase 1 study with 3-6 patients at six dose levels (5/10/20/40/60/80 μg/mL) were assessed for safety and tolerability of BPM31543. Patients with a diagnosis of breast cancer, gynecologic cancer or sarcomas receiving a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen applied 1mL of the formulation to the scalp BID, ≥ 5 days prior to starting chemotherapy for at least 3 months or until treatment completed. Safety and efficacy assessments included AE monitoring, PK analysis, blinded photographic assessments and patient self-assessment. Results: 22/23 (95.7%) female patients receiving treatment and included in the safety population experienced at least one TEAE. The most frequently experienced TEAEs were alopecia (14 pts; 60.9%), fatigue (11 pts; 47.8%), nausea (9 pts; 39.1%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (7 pts; 30.4%), and maculopapular rash and vitamin D increased each in six patients (26.1%). Of these, elevated vitamin D and rash were possibly or probably related to treatment. Fatigue, nausea, and neuropathy were likely due to chemotherapy. In 18 patients included in the post-dose versus pre-treatment comparison, there was no dose-dependency on systemic levels of calcitriol. Hair loss < 50% from baseline was observed in 8 patients at week 7 that was maintained at week 15 in 2 patients. Conclusions: Study results showed BPM31543 applied topically twice daily to the scalp in patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy was safe and well-tolerated. No DLT was observed up to 80 µg/mL dose and no MTD level was reached. There was a signal of potential efficacy detected at each dose level. A seamless Phase 2/3 trial strategy for clinical development is planned. Clinical trial information: NCT01588522.

Maintaining Healthy Hair and Scalp to Improve Growth: Are Sulfate Surfactants Harmful?

I feel it is important for the hair transplant surgeon to understand the real science behind sulfates and the claims made by the all-organic, natural, sulfate-free shampoos with no science to support their claims. I am a board-certified dermatologist and have learned not to attribute to malice what

Systems Approach to Human Hair Fibers: Interdependence Between Physical, Mechanical, Biochemical and Geometric Properties of Natural Healthy Hair.

Contextual interpretation of hair fiber data is often blind to the effects of the dynamic complexity between different fiber properties. This intrinsic complexity requires systems thinking to decipher hair fiber accurately. Hair research, studied by various disciplines, follows a reductionist research approach, where elements of interest are studied from a local context with a certain amount of detachment from other elements or contexts. Following a systems approach, the authors are currently developing a cross-disciplinary taxonomy to provide a holistic view of fiber constituents and their interactions within large-scale dynamics. Based on the development process, this paper presents a review that explores the associated features, interrelationships and interactive complexities between physical, mechanical, biochemical and geometric features of natural, healthy hair fibers. Through the review, the importance of an appropriate taxonomy for interpreting hair fiber data across different disciplines is revealed. The review also demonstrates how seemingly unrelated fiber constituents are indeed interdependent and that these interdependencies may affect the behavior of the fiber. Finally, the review highlights how a non-integrative approach may have a negative impact on the reliability of hair data interpretation.

Lanostane-type triterpenes from the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushrooms) as proproliferative agents on human follicle dermal papilla cells.

Chaga mushrooms, the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus, have been used in Mongolia as a traditional hair shampoo to maintain healthy hair. Bioassay-guided fractionations of the extract of Chaga mushrooms using a proliferation assay on human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) gave five lanostane-type triterpenes (1-5), whose structures were identified by spectroscopic evidence. Among these, lanosterol (1), inotodiol (3), lanost-8,24-diene-3β,21-diol (4), and trametenolic acid (5) demonstrated proproliferative effects on HFDPCs more potent than minoxidil, an anti-alopecia agent, used as the positive control. The lanostane-type triterpenes (1, 3, 4, and 5) appeared to be potential candidates of new agents possibly used for hair-care with a stimulative effect on hair growth.

Computational Cosmetic Quality Assessment of Human Hair in Low Magnifications

We take advantage of human hair-specific geometry to visualize sparse submicron and micron-sized cuticle peelings with imaging dark-field scattering at highly oblique tip-side illumination. The paper shows that the statistics of these features can directly estimate hair quality is much lower magnifications (down to 20×) with less powerful objectives when the features themselves are significantly below the system resolution. Our technique for quality categorization of black, blond, and grey human scalp hair samples is successful in detecting healthy and damaged hair in all cases by a large margin (factor of 5 contrast in proposed metric). As demonstrated, the proposed metric even has a strong correlation with the type of damage such as ironing, discoloration, and UV (ultraviolet) exposure. Therefore, this technique has a strong potential for lower cost, portable, and automatic hair diagnostic apparatuses.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplantation in Combination with Platelet Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Scarring Alopecia: A Case Series

Objective: To study the effect of addition of platelet rich plasma (PRP) to the hair transplantation for scarring alopecia. Methods: An evaluation of the patients with detailed history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations was done. Routine baseline investigations and skin biopsy were done in order to rule out any activity of the underlying disease process. Freshly prepared Platelet rich plasma (PRP) using YCELL BIO kit was injected in freshly done slits over recipient area. Results: A total of 4 cases were studied- A 26 years old male with cleft lip surgical scar with absent hair growth on the middle third of the upper lip, a 22 year old male with a 5 year old post traumatic depressed scar over the junction of medial and lateral third of the right eyebrow, a 17 year old boy with a post burn scar over his left upper lip and adjoining lower cheek area and a 55 years old post menopausal female, an already diagnosed and treated case of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). Hair transplantation was performed with follicular unit extraction (FUE). Freshly prepared PRP was injected intradermally after creating the slits. In all the cases, there was a good survival rate of the healthy hair follicles, accompanied by improvement in the texture of the surrounding skin. Conclusions: Platelet rich plasma, being a cocktail of growth factors, can bring vitality to the tissue and improve its vascularity, thus making it more receptive to the transplant. Additionally, with the improved vascularity of the recipient bed and activated fibroblasts, there is accelerated hair growth and better cosmetic outcomes of the scar.

“Hey Curlfriends!”: Hair Care and Self-Care Messaging on YouTube by Black Women Natural Hair Vloggers

Black women with tightly coiled hair are faced with the unique health challenge of abstaining from exercise or other self-care behaviors to maintain hairstyles that are often expensive, time consuming, and conform with Eurocentric standards of beauty. However, recent YouTube natural hair vlogs have emerged to provide a counter-narrative on “do it yourself” hair care practices for highly textured hair. Through a thematic content analysis of the top 20 viewed natural hair YouTube vlogs, findings suggest that Black women vloggers demonstrate product selection through detangling, shampooing, moisturizing, and styling their tightly coiled hair on camera, using their own lived experiences, as both peer and expert to viewers. These vloggers took the role of digital storytellers to describe their personal experiences with self-care in the forms of exercise, eating healthy food, drinking water, medication use, and stress management while maintaining healthy and stylish natural hair. Black female natural hair vloggers disrupt the myths about tightly coiled natural hair and are credible conduits for the distribution of health information aimed at reaching large masses of Black women through sisterhood supported wellness.

CHALLENGES IN FORMULATING HERBAL COSMETICS

The herbal cosmetics are prepared by phytochemicals that occur in a variety of botanical sources, that influences the physiology of skin and provide nutrients that are necessary for the healthy skin or hair. These products are utilized for daily purposes, which include herbal shampoo, herbal conditioner, herbal face wash, herbal soap, etc. These products are classified as a different category by regulatory agencies. However, guidelines of these certifying agencies have no harmonization, and many cosmetic industries prepare and package these formulations in an irrationalway. Many cosmetic products have natural products in their formulation that perform a specific biological function, but these products should be evaluated on their toxicological and efficacy aspects. The contribution of developing countries is very poor in global herbal business because of lack of standardization measures and quality control. The lack of safety and efficacy data on herbal cosmetics renders it difficult to meet the criteria needed for supporting its use worldwide. This review article discusses challenges related to regulatory status, quality control, standardization, certification, drug processing and the opportunities for herbal cosmetics in local as well as the global scenario. The search criteria used in the present review were the keywords mentioned in the manuscript and articles from major scientific resources were cited. The articles from 1952 to 2018 were specifically referred, but few references from 19 century were also cited to support the prevalence of scientific principles in the development of herbal cosmetics in the ancient era.

SnapshotDx Quiz: December 2018

SnapshotDx Quiz: December 2018

Mimic Cochlear Implant Surgery-Induced Cochlear Infection Fails to Further Damage Auditory Pathway in Deafened Guinea Pigs.

BackgroundKanamycin and subsequent furosemide administration was applied to the healthy guinea pigs to induce deafness.Material/MethodsOf the deafened guinea pigs, 10 were further infused with anti-infection procedures (Group B) and the other 10 animals did not undergo anti-infection procedures (Group C). In Group B, the deafened animals were able to restore cochlear and middle ear functions following the anti-infection procedure. In Group C, all animals developed cochlear and middle ear infections.ResultsCompared to the healthy guinea pigs, hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) of deafened animals (in Group B and Group C) were severely damaged. SGN density of deafened animals was significantly lower than that of healthy control animals in all ear turns except the basal turn. There was no significant difference between Group B and Group C in SGN density. The average optical density value of neurofilaments of deafened animals was also significantly decreased after the ototoxic drug administration. Notably, the density of the neurons in the cochlear nucleus region (CNR) of the brainstem were not significantly different between the healthy control guinea pigs and deafened animals.ConclusionsMimic cochlear implant surgery-induced cochlear infection caused no significant damage to the auditory pathway in ototoxic drug-induced deafened guinea pigs.

Effects of Repeated Electrical Iron Waving on Physical and Morphological Changes in Healthy Hair - Focusing on Treatment Temperature

Effects of Repeated Electrical Iron Waving on Physical and Morphological Changes in Healthy Hair - Focusing on Treatment Temperature