WEIRD STUFF

Lab-grown hair to tackle baldness

Scientists have developed hair follicles in the lab that can follow the the body's natural hair growth cycle. The development means that people may no longer suffer with bald patches thanks to this lab-grown hair breakthrough.

In a new clinical trial, researchers were able to grow follicles that not only produced hair, but also behaved like natural follicles -- growing, shedding and regrowing hair over time.

Previous attempts have struggled to recreate the full hair cycle.

While scientists have previously produced hair-like structures in the lab, they typically failed to attach properly to skin or follow the natural pattern of growth and loss.

The new study, published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, found the key may lie in a previously unidentified cell type.

Early tests in mice have already shown promising results, with lab-grown "hair seeds" were implanted into the animals' skin, where they successfully integrated with the surrounding tissue.

The follicles then behaved like normal ones, regenerating hair in sync with the rodents' natural fur cycles.

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E-cigarettes linked to high blood pressure

Regular vaping could raise the risk of high blood pressure -- a key driver of deadly heart attacks.

While National Health Service (NHS) chiefs maintain vaping is safer than smoking, experts have long warned it is not risk-free.

E-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins and scientists say their long-term effects remain largely unknown.

Now researchers fear vaping alone could raise blood pressure -- even without smoking.

Scientists at the University of Exeter analysed health data from 6,262 people aged between 12 and 80 as part of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Among them, 1,190 participants admitted using nicotine within the previous five days through smoking, vaping, or both.

Smoking remained the most common habit, with 790 participants reporting recent tobacco use.

Researchers measured each participant's blood pressure and heart rate three times using an upper-arm cuff to obtain an average reading.

Results showed smokers and vapers had significantly higher blood pressure than non-smokers and were 46 per cent more likely to suffer hypertension.

Those who exclusively vaped had a 15 per cent higher risk of elevated blood pressure and were five per cent more likely to develop hypertension than non-smokers.

However, researchers cautioned the finding was not statistically significant due to the relatively small number of exclusive vapers in the study.

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Weight-loss meds may protect the heart

Fat jabs could slash the risk of life-threatening complications following a heart attack.

A new study suggests that semaglutide -- a powerful ingredient in injections Wegovy and Ozempic -- could also help protect the heart after a cardiac emergency.

Researchers from the University of Bristol and University College London found the GLP-1 medications may prevent dangerous tissue damage that often occurs after a heart attack.

Up to half of patients suffer a complication known as "no-reflow", where blood struggles to reach parts of the heart muscle even after doctors clear the main blocked artery.

This can seriously affect the heart's ability to pump blood and increases the risk of death or hospitalisation for heart failure within a year.

In experiments on mice, semaglutide improved blood flow to the heart following a heart attack.

The drug works by activating potassium channels in the lining of blood vessels, which relaxes specialised cells called pericytes that normally constrict those vessels.

When these cells relax, the blood vessels open up, allowing blood to reach vulnerable heart tissue and reducing the risk of permanent damage.