Incubatory environment of the scalp impacts pre-emergent hair to affect post-emergent hair cuticle integrity.

Objectives: To determine whether the oxidative stress transmitted to newly grown hair from an unhealthy scalp has physical consequences to the cuticular condition and function.

Methods: A uniquely designed 24-week clinical study included 8 weeks of pretreatment with a cosmetic shampoo and 16 weeks of treatment with either a potentiated zinc pyrithione (ZPT) antidandruff shampoo or a placebo cosmetic shampoo. This clinical design allowed the growth and acquisition of hair samples under conditions of varying but known scalp health as a result of treating a dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis (D/SD) population.

A comprehensive pathophysiology of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis - towards a more precise definition of scalp health.

Despite an increasing knowledge of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (D/SD), the pathophysiological understanding is still incomplete but suggests a role of Malassezia yeasts in triggering inflammatory and hyper-proliferative epidermal responses. The objective of this report is to review published literature from in vivo studies of D/SD populations to provide a more complete description of overall scalp health. New biomolecular capabilities establish a depth of pathophysiological understanding not previously achievable with traditional means of investigation.

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on tampons and menses components.

Culturing has detected vaginal Staphylococcus aureus in 10%-20% of women. Because growth mode can affect virulence expression, this study examined S. aureus-biofilm occurrence in 44 paired-tampon and vaginal-wash-specimens from 18 prescreened women, using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).

Anaerobic biodegradation of aliphatic polyesters: poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyoctanoate) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone).

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyoctanoate), PHBO, represents a class of PHA copolymers that contain both short-chain-length and medium-chain-length repeat units. Radiolabeled and cold PHBO, containing 90 mol % 3-hydroxybutyrate and 10 mol % 3-hydroxyoctanoate were chemically synthesized using a new difunctional alkoxyzinc initiator. (14)C-PHBO was incubated with samples of anaerobic digester sludge, septage, freshwater sediment, and marine sediment under conditions resembling those in situ.