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In recent years, the number of artisanal gold miners in Mongolia is drastically increasing. They use mercury to extract gold from ore and release it to the environment and this fact has been an issue of concern in the nation. In order to monitor the degree of exposure to mercury, artisanal miners' hairs from a typical mining site, Boroo, were analyzed by PIXE at Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center, Japan. The result indicated that mercury content in the hairs is very low in spite of the miners' practice to work in mercury fume for smelting. However the result showed high level of arsenic, up to 3.2 ppm, although miners' do not use arsenic in the smelting process.

A database of PIXE data, which have been accumulated at NMCC, has been constructed. In order to fill up the database, data are newly obtained as many as possible for the kind of samples whose number is small. In addition, the data for different measuring conditions are obtained for several samples. As the number of γ-ray spectrum obtained with a HPGe detector for the purpose of analyzing light elements such as fluorine, is overwhelmingly small in comparison with that of usual PIXE spectra, γ-ray spectrum and elemental concentration of fluorine are obtained as many as possible for food, environmental and hair samples. In addition, the data taken with an in-air PIXE system have been obtained for various samples. As a result, the database involving contents over various research fields is constructed, and it is expected to be useful for researches who make use of analytical techniques. It is expected that this work will give a start to many researchers to participate in the database and to make calibration with each other in order to establish reliable analytical techniques. Moreover, the final goal of the database is to establish the control concentration values for typical samples. As the first step of establishing the control values, average elemental concentration and its standard deviations in hair samples taken from 405 healthy Japanese are obtained and tabulated according to their sex and age.

Standard-free method for untreated hair samples in in-air PIXE has been developed. It is confirmed that the method gives us good sensitivity and accuracy within several minutes' measurement if more than twenty hairs are attached onto the target. Even in the case where the number of hairs is less than eight, which is regular for usual in-vacuum PIXE, 10-15 minutes measurement is found to be sufficient to achieve almost satisfactory sensitivity and accuracy for elements from Cl to Pb. As the present method allows us to carry out analyses without labor in target preparation, it is expected to be quite helpful in the studies on human exposure to toxic elements. Its availability will more and more increase when the method is combined with the method of simultaneous measurement of in-vacuum and in-air PIXE we have just developed.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology is working for the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP) of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), under the cooperation of Iwate Medical University Cyclotron Center and Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center of Japan Radioisotope Association. In order to demonstrate how the PIXE is useful to monitor lead in human body, hair samples were collected from local communities and analyzed by the PIXE at the University together with the control of office workers. The analysis showed a clear anomaly of lead for factory workers. It is recommended that the PIXE be added as one of the instruments to assist UNEP's lead and other heavy metal studies.

Development of a number of diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer has been related with abnormalities of certain trace elements in some tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of trace elements in breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy controls. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was employed to measure the hair trace element concentrations in 30 cancer patients and 30 healthy controls. A 2.2 MeV proton beam was employed to excite the biological samples. The concentrations of Fe and Cu ($p<0.05$) in the hair of cancer patients were found to be higher compared to those of healthy controls, while the concentration of Zn ($p<0.05$) was found to be lower. No significant difference was observed for sulfur concentration between the two groups. Also, no meaningful difference was observed in the concentrations of K, Ca, Ti as well as ratios of Cu/Zn and Cu/Fe in the hair of the two groups ($p<0.05$). These abnormalities could potentially be used as a means of breast cancer screening in women.

We developed a standard-free method for untreated hairs and the method has been applied to quantitative analysis of more than 30,000 hairs taken from the people concerned in order to evaluate exposure to some toxic elements and intakes of essential elements. Besides these analyses, we have measured nearly 2000 hairs collected from healthy people in Japan over the past 20 years. It was found that concentrations of some elements, such as vanadium, chromium, manganese, copper and mercury, keep increasing up to the present. Such tendencies were particularly notable for female, while not clearly observed for male. Concentrations of some essential elements, such as calcium, magnesium and zinc, show no obvious long-term variations. On the other hand, iron and selenium show slightly decreasing tendencies. With regard to toxic elements, it was found that arsenic, chromium and mercury are tending to increase year by year.

A standard-free method for untreated hairs has been applied to quantitative analysis of the hairs taken from 1256 healthy people living in the Iwate prefecture, Japan. It was found that there are clear sex-specific differences in the concentration of some elements. Concentrations of many essential elements, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and bromine, are clearly higher for female. In particular, calcium concentration is 2.6 times higher for female in comparison with that for male. Contrarily, concentrations of some toxic elements such as chromium, arsenic and mercury are higher for male. On the other hand, concentrations of many elements vary with age. Those of calcium, magnesium and zinc start to increase in the middle of teens and reach maximum in the middle of twenties for female. Mercury concentration increases as the ages advance, while those of chromium, arsenic and lead show no clear changes with age.

We investigated the relationships between the element concentrations in blood and hair to clarify the sex-specific differences in elemental movement from blood to hair, as we confirmed the presence of large sex-specific differences in the concentrations of certain elements in hair in our previous study. First, we compared the elemental concentrations in serum/plasma taken from healthy people ($n=148$ females, 142 males) and found that there were significant differences (up to 20%) between females and males in levels of phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, bromine, and lead. We then examined the sex-specific differences in the elemental transfer factors from blood to hair by analyzing plasma and hair samples that had been simultaneously collected from the same people (20 females, 21 males). Calcium and selenium showed significant differences in transfer factors from plasma to hair. Particularly, large sex-specific differences in the calcium concentration were explained by the difference in the transfer factors from blood to hair. We also examined the sex-specific differences among teenaged subjects alone ($n=47$ females, 9 males; average age was approximately 17 years old) and noted no significant difference in the transfer factors between sexes. Taken together, these findings indicate that the transfer factors themselves are influenced by the excretion of sex hormones.

After the conclusion of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the use of mercury (Hg) has been prohibited worldwide, except in some developing countries. The Republic of the Philippines is one of the 128 signatories of the Convention. There are many artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations in the Philippines that still use Hg to amalgamate gold. In order to know the direct effect of exposure to Hg on women’s hair, we performed the proton-induced X-ray emission analysis of Hg concentrations in the hair samples collected from women at risk of Hg contamination, in both ASGM and non-ASGM areas in Camarines Norte, Philippines. At the same time of the hair sampling, we also conducted interviews with the women about their lives. From the analysis results, we found that the range of Hg concentrations in the hair samples was at a safe level, with no significant difference between the ASGM and non-ASGM areas. An analysis of the effect of diet on Hg concentrations in the hair samples showed a tendency toward higher Hg concentrations in women who ate more fish. Our results through hair analysis did not show a direct effect of exposure to atmospheric Hg, but further survey of local people should be necessary to reduce the risk of Hg contamination in women even after the use of Hg in ASGM eventually comes to an end.

The penetration abilities of surfactants need to be known by companies manufacturing hair-care products. In this work three complementary techniques were used simultaneously - PIXE, NRA and RBS - to measure the penetration of a surfactant, which had been deuterated, into permed hair fibres. Using a scanning micro-beam of 2MeV ³He ions 2-dimensional concentration maps were obtained which showed whether the surfactant penetrated the fibre or just stayed on the surface. This is the first report of the use of three simultaneous scattering techniques with a scanning micro-beam.

The influential "no-hair" conjecture suggests that black holes may be characterized by only three conserved parameters: mass, charge and angular momentum. However, counterexamples in which the conjecture fails are well-known in the literature. In this essay we study such Einstein-matter theories in which hairy black-hole configurations have been discovered. In particular, we analyze the spatial behavior of the matter fields which reside outside the black-hole horizon. We prove a theorem which reveals the central role played by the null circular geodesic (the "photonsphere") of such hairy black holes. According to this theorem, the asymptotic decline of the hair outside the horizon cannot start before the black-hole photonsphere is crossed. We therefore conclude that hairy black holes must have long hair which extends beyond the photonsphere.

INDONESIA – Quintiles expands patient access for clinical trials to Indonesia.

JAPAN – Legacy Healthcare announces breakthrough clinical results in hair re-growth.

SINGAPORE – iNova Pharmaceuticals relocates Regional HQ to Singapore as part of Asia-centric reorganization.

AUSTRALIA – Silencing the bird flu gene: scientists prep live hen trials.

AUSTRALIA – Helsinn grants Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA) rights to Anamorelin, treat cachexia-anorexia.

NORTH AMERICA – To survive, genes pick up new skills.

NORTH AMERICA – Phase III study evaluates two investigational hormone-releasing IUDs for prevention of pregnancy for up to three years.

NORTH AMERICA – Agilent Technologies introduces SureDesign.

NORTH AMERICA – Progress made towards production of biosimilar products in tobacco plants.

NORTH AMERICA – FDA approves Aerospan for asthma.

EUROPE – New technology offers improved chances for couples undergoing IVF.

EUROPE – Phase IIa Laquinimod trial results show positive data for potential use in active Crohn's Disease.

EUROPE – Pfizer donates vials of Factor IX to the World Federation of Hemophilia.

EUROPE – nViso gets research grant to study 3D facial imaging technology for healthcare applications.

EUROPE – New evidence-based 3D cell culture web portal launched by Reinnervate Ltd.

EUROPE – The social side of vaccine effectiveness.

In the paper, the results of experimental investigations on the differences of wool structure of healthy mice and mice with malignant tumor(s) are represented. It is shown that destruction of wool structure happens during pathology development. Quantity of cells of external wool layer and their thickness decrease when the tumor capsule enlarges. Difference is seen even when the tumor is small. The obtained results can be used to improve optical techniques of biomedical diagnostics of cancer diseases.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) indicates elevated glucose concentration in blood. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces inadequate insulin whereas in type 2 diabetes, the body is incapable to utilize the insulin present. Insulin is required to transport glucose into the cells. The insulin resistance by the cells causes the glucose level in the blood to increase. At present, the clinical methods available to diagnose DM are invasive. The diagnosis of DM is done by either pricking the fingertip or drawing blood from the vein followed by the quantification of blood glucose in terms of $mg/dL$. Continuous monitoring is limited as skin is punctured or venous blood is extracted. Spectroscopic analysis of hair, nail, saliva and urine possess the potential to differentiate the hyperglycaemic from the healthy subjects facilitating non-intrusive diagnosis of diabetes. The variation in the incident wavelength following the interaction with the sample is measured by a spectrometer. Based on the energy of the excitation source, the molecular structures present in the sample will either vibrate or absorb and emit photons that produce a spectrum. The samples were collected from both the groups of subjects and pre-processed prior to further examination. The samples were then characterized using the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The spectral output was pre-processed, filtered and analyzed so as to discriminate between the diabetic and healthy subjects. Although the spectral band of nail and hair samples appears to be identical, a difference in the amplitude was observed between both diabetic and normal subjects at 1450, 1520, 1632, 2925 cm${}^{-1}$. The area under curve (AUC) in the range of 3600 to 3100 cm-1 is a prominent marker in the discrimination. The peak wavelength and AUC were utilized as a biomarker to discriminate the diabetic and normal individuals.

Now growing at a rate of over 5% per annum, the $3 billion ‘alternative health therapies’ business is now positioned in the top ten growth industries in Australia. With poor regulation of both therapeutic goods and the unregistered therapists who promote them, cancer patients may well be putting their health at risk when they place their faith in many so-called ‘natural’ or ‘traditional’ treatments. With a focus on what complementary therapists refer to as ‘energy medicine’ and ‘nutritional medicine’, this chapter explores the risks and benefits of some of the more popular alternative health-care choices. While investigating their histories, it outlines what influences cancer patients to try these unproven therapies, and the conflict and contrast in information relating to the claims made for them and the conclusions of evidence-based research. Although there are a number of complementary therapies that are of benefit to some patients, both during and after their cancer treatments, ‘natural’ does not always equal ‘safe’, may be expensive and may even compromise their health. More patients now want a greater say in their choices of treatment, and selecting complementary therapies that may help is another of the many challenges faced in trying to make informed choices, as we navigate along our individual roads on our journeys to recovery.