Spectroscopy as a tool to evaluate hair damage and protection.

OBJECTIVE: Methods that can be used to analyse hair damage and to support a claim of hair protection are important for the cosmetic industry. There are many approaches available, but they are usually laborious and expensive. The researchers propose a simple fluorescence method that is based upon the emissive properties of damaged hair. METHODS: Hair fluorescence was observed when using both fluorimetry and microscopic procedures. The method was developed by comparing native hair with hair that was damaged by UVA and visible light. RESULTS: Spectroscopic properties (absorption and emission) of hair in the visible range are presented. The changes in the emissive properties of hair during irradiation were characterized and they were correlated with photobleaching, which is due to the generation of singlet oxygen. Emissions were also obtained in the hair shafts that had been previously treated with chamomile extract and this treatment was able to avoid hair bleaching. CONCLUSION: The emissive properties of hair in the visible range can be used as a tool for the evaluation of hair damage and protection. This method can be useful as a tool in order to claim substantiation.

Classification and putative origins of Brazilian porcine circovirus 2 inferred through phylogenetic and phylogeographical approaches.

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is the major causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and is associated with different syndromes affecting pigs. The PCV2 genome has three main open reading frames (ORFs) among which the ORF2 encodes the capsid protein. In this study, the ORF2 nucleotide sequences of 30 Brazilian isolates were analyzed. The sequences were compared to other GenBank sequences using phylogenic and phylogeographic approaches. Our results show high sequence variability in Brazil, since, in this work, the Brazilian isolates were classified into subgroup 1AB, 2D and 2, which reveals that the virus was introduced in Brazil more than once. On the other hand, most of Brazilian isolates seem to be derived from only one introduction. According to the data from the Pig Breeders' Association, the multiple introductions of the virus probably occurred through the import of animals with the asymptomatic form of the virus or through the import of contaminated semen. The results point to the necessity of implementing programs aimed at selecting sows in order to avoid the import of animals infected by Group 1 PCV2.