Effects of Witch Hazel Oil on Damaged Hair

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of applying witch hazel oil on damaged hair.Methods: Adding 2, 4, and 6 g of witch hazel oil, applied to a sample of hairs bleached at level eight, produced formulations intended to enhance hair quality. This sample was compared with a cohort of damaged hair. Lightness (L*) value was measured using a color meter to identify changes in the brightness of the hair sample. In addition, tensile strength, absorbance using methylene blue, and glossiness were measured to verify improvement in damaged hair.Results: The mean L* values of the hairs in the sample were higher when compared with those of healthy hair. However, this effect declined with increased oil dosage. Moreover, no statistically significant difference was observed between damaged hair and the sample. After applying the oil, the mean values for tensile strength in the sample increased in comparison with those of the hair in the damaged hair cohort. However, significant differences were noted for hairs 8L(2), 8L(4), and 8L(6) from the sample. The mean values for absorbance decreased in all the hairs sampled, with significant differences noted for hairs 8L(2), 8L(4), and 8L(6) from the sample. Another measure is glossiness, the mean values of which increased for hairs 8L(2), 8L(4), and 8L(6) from the sample with significant differences.Conclusion: Significant differences in the mean values for tensile strength, absorbance, and glossiness were observed in hairs from the sample treated with varying doses of witch hazel oil, which indicates that the oil can improve the quality of damaged hair. However, we recommend that further studies be conducted to determine improvements in damaged hair using a variety of oils and natural extracts.

Deeply-Dyed Nanobead System Based Lateral Flow Assay for Rapid Point-of-Care Drug Testing

Point-of-care test (POCT), which allows for rapid and sensitive screening of drugs abuse, is essential and can significantly reduce the clinical, economic and social impact of the opioid crisis worldwide. However, the traditional gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassay strip is not sensitive enough for detection of trace drugs in hair sample. Herein, we aimed to develop a more specific system using a composite polymer-based nanobead that is deeply dyed with phthalocyanine or similar oil soluble dyes, and termed as deeply dyed nanobead (DDNB). The prepared composite nanobeads displayed a clear core-shell structure and the core/shell ratios were readily controlled by polymer/dye feeding ratios. The absorbance stable nanobeads capped with carboxyl groups were covalently conjugated with antibodies, and were employed for preparation of lateral flow immunoassay strips for sensitive detection of drugs in hair with naked eye. The developed platform allows the detection of drugs such as morphine and methamphetamine in hair samples within 13 min (including hair sample processing ∼5 min). The cut-off value of DDNB strip for methamphetamine detection with naked eye is down to concentration of 8.0 ng/mL, which is about 3.1 times more sensitive than the traditional gold nanoparticles based lateral flow immunoassay. Moreover, the colorful DDNB system has the potential for multiplexing detection of analytes at point-of-care settings and with low cost.

DISTRIBUTION AND GENETIC ANALYSIS OF WILD-LIVING EURASIAN BEAVERS IN CENTRAL ITALY

The presence of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber L. has been recently confirmed with two separated populations in Tuscany (Central Italy) and probably represents the result of an unofficial release. In late spring and summer 2021, seven reliable records of Eurasian beaver have been collected in Umbria and other neighbouring regions, implying that the distribution of this large rodent is even wider than previously reported. In this short work, we updated the distribution of this protected species in Central Italy, by collecting and mapping all the confirmed occurrences. Beavers were proved to be present throughout the Tiber (Tevere) river basin in both provinces of Umbria, and another individual has been road-killed in the Marche region, near the border with Tuscany. Other single signs of presence occurred in Emilia Romagna and Latium. The only hair sample we were able to collect confirmed it as the Eurasian beaver species. No reliable evidence is available on the number of free-ranging beavers in Central Italy, and systematic monitoring is needed. Before any management and conservation action, further data are required concerning distribution range, potential origin, social perception, and the effects on the ecosystems.

Comprehensive Assessment of Local Population Chemical Exposome by Combination of Organic Pollutant- and Metal-Multi-Residue Analysis in Hair

Awareness of the adverse effects of exposure to pollutant mixtures, possibly much more severe than individual chemicals, has drawn attention towards the necessity of using multi-residue methods to obtain the most possible comprehensive information on exposome. Among the different biological matrices used for exposure assessment, hair enables to detect the largest number of chemicals, including many classes such as persistent pollutants, hydrophilic metabolites and metals. Most biomonitoring studies are however focused on a limited number of pollutants and only give a partial information on exposure. Combining several multi-residue methods, the present study aimed at assessing the exposure of a population to an extensive variety of chemicals by hair analysis. One hair sample was collected from each participant (55 children and 134 adults). Samples were analysed with three different multi-residue methods, targeting, respectively, 152 organic pollutants (pesticides, PCBs, bisphenols, PBDEs), 62 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metabolites, nicotine and cotinine and 36 metals. From 33 to 70 organic chemicals were detected in each child’s hair sample, and from 34 up to 74 in adults. From 7 to 26 PAH were detected per child, and 7 to 21 in adults. Twenty-three to 27 metals were detected per child and 21 to 28 per adult. The highest median concentration were observed for zinc (143 μg /mg in children; 164 μg /mg in adults), bisphenol A (95.9 pg/mg in children; 64.7 pg/mg in adults) and nicotine (66.4 pg/mg in children; 51.9 pg/mg in adults). The present study provides the most comprehensive exposure assessment ever and highlights the simultaneous exposure to multiple classes of pollutants in the general population. The results support the use of multi-residue methods for future studies on exposure-associated effects, to document exposome and better consider the effect of chemical mixtures.

HOME vs. LAB hair samples for the determination of long-term steroid concentrations: a comparison between hair samples collected by laypersons and trained research staff

Hair segment analysis is a valuable tool for the assessment of cumulative long-term steroid secretion. Preliminary findings suggest comparable cortisol concentrations in hair collected by instructed laypersons and research staff. However, it remains unclear whether hair sample quality and hair steroids other than cortisol are affected by level of experience (laypersons vs. research staff), home collection circumstances (instructions, familiarity to participant, performance confidence), and characteristics of the layperson (conscientiousness). Sixty participants (23.6 ± 3.9 years; 43 females) provided hair samples twice: first collected by laypersons (HOME) according to provided instructions (written vs. written/video-based instructions) and second by trained research staff (LAB) on the same day or the day after the HOME collection. Hair steroid concentrations (cortisol, cortisone, DHEA, progesterone) were determined using LC–MS/MS. Hair sample quality was evaluated using nine predefined criteria. Laypersons completed questionnaires for the assessment of potential factors of hair outcome measures (hair steroid concentrations, hair sample quality). Hair steroids from HOME and LAB samples were positively correlated (rs between 0.76 and 0.89) and did not significantly differ, with the exception of cortisone. The quality of hair samples was significantly higher for LAB than for HOME samples. Neither HOME collection circumstances nor layperson-related characteristics had an impact on hair outcome measures. However, a low self-reported performance confidence predicted a high absolute difference between HOME and LAB DHEA. In summary, our findings suggest higher quality of hair samples collected by trained research staff compared to instructed laypersons. However, these differences might be negligible, considering the high correlation between HOME and LAB hair steroid concentrations, with the characteristics of the layperson or collection circumstances having a minor impact on hair steroids and hair sample quality. These findings provide further support for the notion that well-instructed laypersons can be enabled to collect hair samples.

Composition of chemical elements in the biosubstrate (hair) of children of the Karaganda region

In the article we studied chemical elements in the hair of children as a form of environmental monitoring of metals in a given area, since one of the objective indicators of the ecological and hygienic well-being of a territory is the status of trace elements as the most sensitive part of the population, especially children. Many foreign scientific studies have shown that a hair sample is a good indicator of a negative technogenic impact on humans, and it is known that the unfavorable state of children characterizes the ecogeochemical features of the area, so we took into account the accumulation of trace elements in the hair. The study showed an increase in lead and cadmium and a decrease in zinc, copper and chromium.

Detection of 6-monoacetylemorphine in hair sample of heroin addicts using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and significance of rehabilitation program

Background The analysis of hair samples for the detection of drugs has become one of the convincing strategies in the field of forensic toxicology. A large number of cases concerning heroin abuse or its byproducts have been documented under the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997, over the past decade. The present study was carried out with an aim to evaluate the primary metabolite of heroin, i.e., 6-monoacetylemorphine (6-MAM), in hair samples of addicts and subjects undergoing rehabilitation, thereafter accessing the success rate of the rehabilitation program at the de-addiction center. Results Hair samples were randomly collected from 20 regular heroin addicts and 20 heroin addicts from their past, from the rehabilitation center, of different age groups. Samples were cleaned, digested, and extracted using an alkaline digestion mediator methyl tertiary butyl ether, followed by quantification of 6-MAM via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The mean concentration of 6-MAM in regular heroin addicts detected was 7.80 ng/mg and 2.34 ng/mg in samples of subjects undergoing rehabilitation at the de-addiction center, respectively. Conclusion Traces of 6-MAM in the hair sample of heroin addicts can be efficiently detected days after the last intake of heroin. In addition to that, our findings also give an idea for future evaluating the approximate timeframe for detection of 6-MAM and/or other metabolites of heroin in the hair sample. However, in the future, by carefully analyzing the hair samples that can be taken from rehabilitation centers from target subjects at different time intervals, the exact duration of traceable quantity of 6-MAM can be determined in the hair sample. Finally, it can be concluded that there is a significant success rate of the rehabilitation program at de-addiction centers in connection with dragging the 6-MAM level from the body.

Hair Cortisol Concentrations Are Associated with Dental Anxiety during Pregnancy

Dental anxiety (DA) and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are associated with psychological symptoms and vary during pregnancy. We aimed to examine the association between HCC and DA at two points of pregnancy. Participants were pregnant mothers (n = 533) drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study donating a hair sample at gestational week (gwk) 24 (n = 442) and/or at delivery (n = 176) and completed questionnaires on DA. Two groups, HCC1 and HCC2, treated as separate in the analyses, were formed according to the hair sample donation time i.e., gwk24 and delivery. 85 subjects were included in both groups. MDAS, EPDS, and SCL-90 were used to measure DA, depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, at gwk14 for the HCC1 group and gwk34 for the HCC2 group. The association between DA and HCC was studied with a binary logistic regression model, adjusted for anxiety and depressive symptoms, age, BMI, and smoking status. Individuals with high DA had lower HCC levels at gwk24 (OR = 0.548; 95% CI = 0.35–0.86; p = 0.009), but the association was not statistically significant at the delivery (OR = 0.611; 95% CI = 0.28–1.33; p = 0.216). The independent association between HCC and DA in pregnant women suggests that long-term cortisol levels could play a role in the endogenous etiology of DA. Further studies are however, needed.

‘A Way to Know’ Your Stress: Acceptability and Meaning of Hair Sample Collection for Cortisol Analysis From African-American and Latina Women in a Digital Storytelling Study

Obtaining biological samples for research purposes from members of marginalized communities demands careful social and ethical consideration. This paper aims to discuss how feasibility and acceptability translate into methodological and ethical considerations for collecting hair samples in a study comprised of young, pregnant Latinx and African-American women participating in a digital storytelling intervention (DST). Transcripts from two focus groups with Healthy Families home visitor staff (N =10) and follow-up interviews with DST participants (N = 8) were analyzed through qualitative content analysis for hair sampling acceptability. Responses regarding the feasibility of obtaining a hair sample were generally positive amongst Healthy Families home visitor staff participating in the two focus groups, though responses overall were more favorable with the pregnant women participants who were interviewed post-DST intervention. Home visitors emphasized clear communication to participants around the reasoning for obtaining biological samples. Social and ethical considerations for communication of biomarker data to participants, as well as the intersection of lay knowledge of stress and participants' perspectives on providing a hair sample for cortisol analysis, is discussed.