Hair Shaft Examination: A Practical Tool to Diagnose Griscelli Syndrome

Griscelli syndrome (GS) is a rare disease that is characterized by silvery hair and fair skin. It is included in congenital grey hair syndromes, a rare group of autosomal recessive disorders characterized by silvery grey hair and severe multisystem disorders, such as immune system impairment, defects in immunological function, ocular and skeletal alterations, and nervous system defects. Herein, we report a rare case of GS type 1 and highlight the importance of a dermatological and hair examination to make an early diagnosis of these life-threatening diseases.

Global Repigmentation Strategy of Grey Hair Follicles by Targeting Oxidative Stress and Stem Cells Protection

One of the most visible signs of hair ageing is greying of the hair, also known as canities. This hair disorder is mainly caused by oxidative stress. In preliminary work, we designed various models mimicking the impact of oxidative stress on hair pigmentation, showing an accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and a decrease in the presence of melanocytes and melanoblasts, resulting in a decrease in hair pigmentation. A proteomic study on skin scalp explants was performed to identify the dysregulated biological pathways related to canities. We developed a smart active ingredient which has been tested on these biological pathways. We demonstrated that these negative effects were rectified in the presence of the ingredient, showing a reduction of ROS, protection of melanocyte reservoirs and reactivation of hair pigmentation. Finally, a clinical study was carried out on a panel of 44 male volunteers with grey hair. After 4 months, we evidenced a reduction in the proportion of grey hair and in the number of grey hairs/cm2 relative to Day 0. In conclusion, we clearly evidenced that oxidative stress is a key factor in triggering a cascade of events leading to a loss of hair pigmentation. We developed this active ingredient which is capable of restoring all the disrupted mechanisms and of providing hair repigmentation within only 4 months.

“Review on premature white and grey hair in children.”

Skin and hair colour contribute significantly to our overall visual appearance of person. The description of kesha and palitya is scattered in all the treatises of ayurveda. In ayurveda premature greying of hair is called as akalapalitya. The incidence of premature ageing along with akala palitya is on increase. These days the quality of hair products has degraded over the years. This review has been undertaken to the various causes of greying hair in children.

para-Aminobenzoic Acid-A Substrate of Immense Significance

PABA (p-aminobenzoic acid) is an important substrate for the synthesis of various biological scaffolds. Its pharmacological significance is apparent form the drugs like folic acid and benzocaine, which are used for certain biological disorders. Although, it is not a vitamin but still it is referred as a member of vitamin B. The deficiency of PABA leads to several disorders like erratic white areas of skin, grey hair, fatigue, depression and irritability. Besides its medicinal importance, PABA has been used in the synthesis of various biologically active heterocyclic nuclei like benzimidazoles, azitidinones, thiazolidinones, pyrazoline, etc. This review will describe the applications of PABA in the synthesis of these biologically active nuclei and hence emphasizing its importance as a versatile substrate.