1.TRANSPLANTABLE
ORGANS:
Thousands of people die every year due
to lack of organs of transplantation. Many more are subjected to accidents with
large fractures and injuries or surgical removal of tissues and organs due to
cancer.
(a) JUST IMAGINE:
We
are now being able to walk into a hospital and have a full organ printed with
all the cells, blood vessels and proteins in the right place, simply by
pressing the “print” button in computer screen.
(b) GREAT CHALLENGE:
Each
cell in the body is just a hair’s width. Cells will die out without adequate
blood supply because blood supply oxygen necessary for cells to grow. Growing a
network of blood vessels and capillaries is the biggest issue.
(c) RESEARCHERS ACHIEVEMENT:
Using
a high-tech ‘Bio-Printer’, the researchers fabricated a multitude of
interconnected tiny fibres to serve as artificial blood vessels. Then they
covered the 3D printed structure with a cell-rich protein based material, which
was solidified by applying light to it. Lastly they removed the bio-printed
fibres to leave behind a network of tiny channels coated with human endothelial
cells, which self organized to form stable blood capillaries in less than a
week.
True
regeneration of complex and functional organs is what doctors really want and patients
really need.
2.SURGERIES ON UNBORN
BABIES:
A group of Mexican specialists in the
fetal medicine have successfully performed over 200 surgeries on unborn babies,
inside the womb of the mother. They ensure that this clinical method increases
the quality of life and decreases chances of babies born with bad condition.
(a) NEED ARISES:
The teetotal transfusion in twin fetuses implies that they are fighting each other
for blood in their body, so an imbalance arises. High-tech equipment
(ultrasound) to locate anastomosis, i.e., connections between two structures of
both unborn babies, thereby having increased survival to 70 percent in both
unborn babies and 90 percent chances in survival of at least one.
(b) ACCORDING TO SPECIALIST:
It
has positive effects such as accumulation of knowledge and experience to
practice and investigate medicine in unborn babies. Thus unborn baby began to
be considered as a patient. The specialist physician said that in order to
increase the medical possibilities of foetal medicine, foetal medicine experts
Mexico Groups have developed several lines of research on neurological foetal life prediction.
3.E-CIGARETTES:
Physicians are increasingly
recommending electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as cessation devices for
their patients, but according to a new survey more research needs to be done on
their safety. They are recommending e-cigarettes to their patients to help quit
smoking.
(a) UNAPPROVED:
Yet,
e-cigarettes are not approved by the FDA for smoking cessation. It is clear
that physicians should refrain from recommending e-cigarettes until known about
their safety. But the physician believed e-cigarettes were safer than smoking
standard cigarettes. In a survey it is found that 13 percent are unaware that
e-cigarettes are not approved by the FDA.
(b) ATTITUDE:
Two thirds
(67 percent) of the surveyed physicians indicated e-cigarettes are a helpful
aid for smoking cessation and 35 percent recommended them to their patients.
4.A PILL FOR OBESITY (WHITE FAT TO BROWN FAT):
Stem
cell scientist have just converted white fat into brown fat. They have created
a system using human stem cells to screen for compounds that have the potential
to turn white, or "bad," fat cells into brown, or "good,"
fat cells and have already identified two compounds that can accomplish that in
human cells. According to them the person taking them could become immune
compromised by targeting the same molecule and that the molecule plays a role
in the inflammatory process.
(a) WHY FAT?
When the body takes in excess energy, it is stored
as lipids in white fat cells. When there are too many calories coming in and
not enough burned, adult stem cells in the body produce more white fat cells,
adding to a person's burden of fat.
(b) FUNCTION OF BROWN FAT:
White fat cells store energy as lipids and play a
role in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and related conditions, including heart
disease, while brown fat has been shown in mice to lower triglyceride levels,
reduce the insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes, and burn white
fat.
5.BRAIN’S EXTENSIVE
CAPACITY:
Researchers tested memory of rats
(similar to human) by letting them to run around, they found that there are
around 11 rooms. The rooms were alike, but the rats still manage to create a
separate, independent memory.
The researchers also found that these
unique representations or firing patterns were stored in the rat’s memory. They
also investigated whether these memories overlapped across some rooms, but all
of the memories were completely independent.
6.UNNAMED GLASS TO SEE
CANCER:
High-tech glasses may help surgeons
visualize cancer cells, which glow blue when viewed through the eyewear. The
wearable technology, so new it's yet unnamed.
CANCER CELLS:
Cancer cells are notoriously difficult to see, even
under high-powered magnification. The glasses are designed to make it easier
for surgeons to distinguish cancer cells from healthy cells, helping to ensure
that no stray tumor cells are left behind during surgery. The
glasses could reduce the need for additional surgical procedures and subsequent
stress on patients, as well as time and expense.
TURE FACT:
The good news/bad news is that science
is slow. Just establishing proof of concept takes an enormous amount of time. A
decade of hard basic scientific work is paying off.
