Manufacturing fresh human blood vessels is important - for example, one could replace the ravaged veins of dialysis patients - but technically has thus far proved a nightmare. There are a variety of different approaches that biomedical engineers have tried, but one technique might just be the grossest - and most innovative.
For engineers, machine weaving is old hat; it’s a technique that dates back to before the Industrial Revolution. Cytograft Tissue Engineering have replaced thread on the loom with strips of cultured connective tissue, and - voila! - they claim to have a promising approach to the blood vessel problem. The synthetic vessels are not biodegradable, but instead become populated and accepted by the host cells. And best of all, early tests show they stand up to repeated puncture.
(Source: technologyreview.com)
What’s in a Twinkie?
Great infographic from Newsweek, which accompanies the article This Is Why We’re Fat! by Gary Taubes. It’s a provocative article challenging the conventional wisdom on how we should fight the obesity epidemic. Click through the image to embiggen.
Mmmm. Just the look of that sodium acid pyrophosphate gets my mouth watering.
"A new study from Social Studies of Science… reveals that when men chair committees that select scientific awards recipients, males win the awards more than 95% of the time. This new study also reports that while in the past two decades women have begun to win more awards for their scientific achievements, compared to men, they win more service and teaching awards and fewer prestigious scholarly awards than would be expected based on their representation in the nomination pool."
“Women’s scientific achievements often overlooked and undervalued”
This is a problem. The authors of the study don’t argue that there’s a sexist conspiracy to prevent the ascent of women, and I wouldn’t either. But the findings mean that we have to take into account the bias that undoubtedly exists in our society, and which scientists aren’t immune from.
(via sciencecenter)(via sciencecenter)
![smarterplanet:
Another reason to buy gold: nanoparticles help to kill brain tumors — Engadget
Stanford scientists have used lab-made gold nanoparticles to highlight malignant tissue in the brain, making it easier for surgeons to cut out tumors while leaving healthy bits in tact. Measuring just five millionths of an inch in diameter, these tiny glistening orbs are injected into the patient and then left to bleed out through leaky blood vessels in parts of the brain that have been damaged by the disease. They then get stuck in the bad tissue itself, marking it out for the scalpel when viewed with the right type of imaging. It’s not totally new — we’ve actually seen gold nanotech deployed against the Big C in stem cellsbefore, but better to be useful than avant-garde.
[Brain image via Shutterstock]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ojgwq3Wm1qzs4rbo1_500.jpg)
Another reason to buy gold: nanoparticles help to kill brain tumors — Engadget
Stanford scientists have used lab-made gold nanoparticles to highlight malignant tissue in the brain, making it easier for surgeons to cut out tumors while leaving healthy bits in tact. Measuring just five millionths of an inch in diameter, these tiny glistening orbs are injected into the patient and then left to bleed out through leaky blood vessels in parts of the brain that have been damaged by the disease. They then get stuck in the bad tissue itself, marking it out for the scalpel when viewed with the right type of imaging. It’s not totally new — we’ve actually seen gold nanotech deployed against the Big C in stem cellsbefore, but better to be useful than avant-garde.
[Brain image via Shutterstock]
3D Printed Designer Drugs
Scientists are pioneering the use of 3D printers to create drugs and other chemicals at the University of Glasgow.
Researchers have used a £1,250 system to create a range of organic compounds and inorganic clusters – some of which are used to create cancer treatments.
Longer term, the scientists say the process could be used to make customised medicines.
“We are showing that you can take chemical constituents, pass them through a printer and create what is effectively a chemical synthesiser in which the reaction occurs allowing you to get out something different at the end,” researcher Mark Symes told the BBC.
“It’s almost like a layer cake – you print the last reactionary agent first and then build other chemical layers above, finally adding a liquid at the top. The liquid goes to layer one making a new molecule which goes to the next layer creating another and so on until at the bottom you get your prescription drug out.”
via hypna:
Children who live in walkable areas, with a child-friendly park nearby and access to healthy food have 59% lower odds of being obese. More on This Big City.
via thisbigcity:
Augmented reality promises astronauts instant medical knowhow | Physorg.com
The Computer Assisted Medical Diagnosis and Surgery System, CAMDASS, is a wearable augmented reality prototype. Augmented reality merges actual and virtual reality by precisely combining computer-generated graphics with the wearer’s view. CAMDASS is focused for now on ultrasound examinations but in principle could guide other procedures. Credits: ESA/Space Applications Service NV
A new augmented reality unit developed by ESA can provide just-in-time medical expertise to astronauts. All they need to do is put on a head-mounted display for 3D guidance in diagnosing problems or even performing surgery.
Kaiser Permanente Patients Can Now View Their Records on Mobile Devices | MakeUseOf
Last week, Kaiser Permanente released a new app for Android and iPhone devices that will allow its patients to access their own medication information and records through a mobile-optimized website. Kaiser has the largest electronic medical record system in the world, with 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients.
