Vinegar test Vinegar test Vinegar test is a cervical cancer testing method that uses acetic acid, a major component of vinegar. It has been found to be useful as an effective and inexpensive screening test. It has the potential, say researchers from the University of Zimbabwe and Johns Hopkins University, to improve the chances of preventing cancer in developing world. The technique, termed VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid)/Cryo, was endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2010. Vinegar is brushed on a woman’s cervix and precancerous spots turn white. These can be instantly frozen off with a metallic probe cooled with
Azelaic acid Azelaic acid Azelaic acid is an organic compound with the formula HOOC(CH)COOH. This saturated dicarboxylic acid exists as a white powder. It is found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a precursor to diverse industrial products including polymers and plasticizers, as well as being a component of a number of hair and skin conditioners. Azelaic acid is industrially produced by the ozonolysis of oleic acid. The side product is nonanoic acid. It is produced naturally by "Malassezia furfur" (also known as "Pityrosporum ovale"), a yeast that lives on normal skin. The bacterial degradation of nonanoic acid gives azelaic acid.