OMH Capsule: Hair Loss Can Impact Your Mental Health

Osaka University researchers discovered that worms can be coated with hydrogel sheaths that contain useful cargo such as anti-cancer medications.

Scientists Make Custom Suits For Worms To Kill Cancer

Researchers from Japan have equipped microscopic worms with a custom-made suit. Yes, you heard that right.

Osaka University researchers have revealed that tiny free-range worms called nematodes can be coated in hydrogel-based “sheaths” that can be further modified to carry functional cargo.

Nematodes are free-living, microscopic worms that live in the environment, and in some cases can invade the human body.

Anisakis simplex, a nematode that usually lives in marine environments but can colonize humans when ingested, has demonstrated an unusual liking for cancer cells.

Wildan Mubarok, the first author of the study said that "A. simplex has been reported to sense cancer, potentially by detecting cancer “odour.” 

The researchers developed a system for applying hydrogel sheaths to nematodes by dipping them in a series of solutions.

The sheaths could be loaded with anti-cancer agents that the nematodes could transport and deliver to kill cancer cells.

New Way To Reverse Skin Ageing Discovered By Scientists

After two decades of research, scientists at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus have found a way of rejuvenating human skin.

The study was conducted on laboratory mice and has been published in the journal Science Advances.

The study authors used a piece of aged human skin on young mice and proved that it is possible to make skin and other organs young again by changing the molecular structure through all the layers of skin. 

The scientists noted that instead of viewing aging as a fatal disease, changing the view of aging as a “druggable and reprogrammable target, and developing effective molecular strategies to prevent or even reverse it surely constitutes one of the most fundamental missions of biomedical research.”

The study found that not only was the outer layer of human skin rejuvenated but also all layers of skin could become young again.

Hair Loss Can Impact Your Mental Health

Premature hair fall has a huge psychological effect on an individual. Studies have found that substantial hair fall could lead to a lack of self-esteem and a host of other mental health issues ranging from stress and anxiety to suicidal tendencies in extreme cases.
In short, what is not on the head can actually impact what's inside the head.

According to a study published in the journal of Dermatological Reviews,

Alopecia or hair loss can potentially have a psychological impact in the form of stress, anxiety, depression, loss of confidence, low esteem, suicidal thoughts, and social phobia due to affecting their physical appearance.

Approximately, 50% of men and women irrespective of their age are affected by alopecia.

To understand the effects of hair loss in people, around 800 patients above 18 years old responded to the questionnaire, out of which 442 were male and 358 were female.
Based on the data, it was noticed that in the age group of 18-30 years, 30% of males and 27% of females reported hair fall problems which impacted their social life.
They felt depressed, stayed at home, and avoided socialising.