Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

A research team in Japan used stem cell cultivation to create hair follicles from scratch. These follicles were then im- planted into the hairless mice where they grew hairs. The stem cells were taken from a balding man and the next step is to implant the created fol- licles into a human head in order to win the battle against balding, experienced by more than seven million men in the UK. Thetechniquemayalsoallow men to re-grow hair in their orig- inal colour, even if they’ve al- ready started to go grey. The researchers from Tokyo University believe a cure for baldness could be engineered within three years. It will be an expensive treatment, however, and they believe it could be more useful in reconstructive situa- tions where traditional hair transplant operations aren’t pos- sible. And there’s more research to be done, as the team do not yet know if it would be possible to recreateanentireheadofhair.In this study, the hairs had to be im- planted one at a time, which is fine on a mouse but a rather dif- ferent proposition on an entire bald head! DT DENTALTRIBUNE Middle East & Africa Edition Dental Cafe 11 Brilliant light, the new A-dec LED light combines For information on what to look for in quality dental lighting, visit a-dec.com/LED to learn more. Chairs Lights Cabinets Maintenance AD Baldness cure secret revealed by mice gered by a host of different fac- tors – from bereavement to di- vorce, illness, job worries, moneyissuesoracombinationof things that lead to a “downward spiral”. There are some genetic fac- tors, too, and hormonal changes, such as giving birth, can lead to increased instances of depres- sion. Treatments vary from simple exercise and talking therapies for milder depression, to antide- pressants or a combination of the above if symptoms are more se- vere. There are also some simple self-help tips to follow that can stop depression from getting worse. They include: • Don’t bottle things up – tell people close to you how you feel • Don’t despair – most people with depression recover • Try to distract yourself with simple things such as watch- ingTVorlisteningtotheradio – especially if sleeping is a problem • Eat regularly and healthily even if your appetite is lack- ing • Trytotakeregularexercisein the open air, even if just a brisk walk • Don’tdrinktoomuchalcohol, which can make problems worse • Avoid making major deci- sions while depressed – for example quitting a job, mov- ing house or finishing a rela- tionship. Seek treatment first • Tellyourdoctorifyoufeelyou are getting worse, and partic- ularly if suicidal thoughts are troubling you DT Page 10DT