Clipmarks | wildcat's 'medicine' clips

Stem Cells 2.0: Scientists Make Revolutionary Advance

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:07:19 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

A while back scientists were making revolutionary breakthroughs in stem cell research. Unfortunately they fell foul of interpretations of thousand year old texts in foreign languages, and a government with the scientific understanding of a squashed grape said "Sorry, our kind and loving God requires that people continue to suffer from Parkinson's, anemia, and various other horrible ailments." Luckily, scientists are awesome and did the obvious thing - make ANOTHER revolutionary breakthrough to get around the problem.

The previous problem with stem cells was that they came from aborted or otherwise unviable fetuses. Note that these fetuses had been terminated anyway, and the only issue now was whether it was more moral to chuck the goo in a bin and burn it, or use it to help cure the sick. The ethical answer, apparently, isn't what you think.

This issue can now be sidestepped with the creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) from any kind of tissue

Tags: stem cells, breakthrough, medicine

IBM-Swiss scientists to create artifical human brain by 2015

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:13:30 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: memebox.com

Director Henry Markram of the IBM-Swiss Blue Brain project believes that his team of up to 125 researchers is on target to create the world’s first artificial brain by as early as 2015.

In June 2005, IBM and the Swiss Brain Mind Institute announced a plan to create a digital 3D replica of the human brain. Named after the IBM Blue Gene supercomputer, the Blue Brain Project has started modeling, in precise detail, the cellular infrastructure of the cerebral neocortex.

Although Markram expects his creation may eventually learn to speak, he is not holding his breath waiting for consciousness to rise from its brain. What he is after is something far more useful than a talking machine. By creating a better understanding of how human brains perform, doctors will learn more about why our brains fail.

Disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and dementia are the price we pay for having complicated brains.

Tags: artificial, brain, human, health, medicine, computing

The Petabyte Age: Because More Isn't Just More — More Is Different

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:05:03 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.wired.com

Sensors everywhere. Infinite storage. Clouds of processors. Our ability to capture, warehouse, and understand massive amounts of data is changing science, medicine, business, and technology. As our collection of facts and figures grows, so will the opportunity to find answers to fundamental questions. Because in the era of big data, more isn't just more. More is different.

Feeding the Masses:
Data In, Crop Predictions Out

Chasing the Quark:
Sometimes You Need to Throw Information Away

Watching the Skies:
Space Is Big — But Not Too Big to Map

Scanning Our Skeletons:
Bone Images Show Wear and Tear

Spotting the Hot Zones:
Now We Can Monitor Epidemics Hour by Hour

Sorting the World:
Google Invents New Way to Manage Data

Visualizing Big Data:
Bar Charts for Words

Tags: petabyte, data

The Start of a Real Life Medikit?

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:59:20 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Nano-Medigel Instant Body Repair - The Start of a Real Life Medikit?

Instant repairs to the human body has been a science-fiction dream for nanotech since the idea was first put forward. Researchers at MIT have taken the first step towards that amazing goal with a material that can stop bleeding in seconds.

The clear liquid acts almost like a "healing potion", instantly staunching blood flow and thereby stabilizing potentially fatally wounded patients. The material is a cunningly constructed peptide (a short polymer chain made of alpha-amino acids) consisting of a comb-like structure with a central spine (which hates water) and a large number of projecting teeth (which love water). On contact with the wet, salty kind of environment you get inside the human body these schizophrenic peptides instantly twist themselves into a bunched, compact ribbons.

No removing stitches, no after-op care.

Tags: medicine, medikit, nanotech, healing

Personal Nanotech, end of poverty,end of war

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:27:54 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: it's coming slowly,yet coming it is

Clip Source: memebox.com

Imagine a world with billions of desktop-size, nonpolluting, cheap machines that can manufacture almost anything – clothing, furniture, electronics, cars, even food. Today, such devices do not exist, but in the future, a small Star Trek-like replicator called a “personal nanofactory” (PN) will sit on your kitchen counter enabling you to create nearly anything your heart desires at little or no cost.

These incredible machines receive raw atoms from supplied chemicals or from something as inexpensive as dirt, air or water. Then, using Internet-delivered software, they instruct atoms to assemble into the final product; a sweater, refrigerator, health medicine, tonight’s dinner; even a duplicate PN.

In their latest book, Revolutionary Wealth, Alvin and Heidi Toffler argue convincingly that we are on the verge of a post-scarcity world that will slash poverty and “unlock countless opportunities and new life trajectories”.

Tags: nanotech, personal, end misery?

The World’s First GM Human Embryo Could Dramatically Alter the Future

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:24:48 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

“The advance of genetic engineering makes it quite conceivable that we will begin to design our own evolutionary progress.”

~Isaac Asimov, famous thinker and sci-fi writer

Cornell University researchers in New York revealed that they had produced what is believed to be the world’s first genetically altered human embryo—an ironic twist considering all the criticism the US has heaped on South Korea over the past several years for going “too far” with its genetic research programs. The Cornell team, led by Nikica Zaninovic, used a virus to add a green fluorescent protein gene, to a human embryo left over from an in vitro fertilization procedure. The research was presented at a meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine last year, but details have emerged only after new controversy has emerged over the ethics and science of genetically modifying humans.

Tags: genetics, human, embryo, engineering

Not all fat created equal

Wed, 07 May 2008 09:25:24 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

It has long been known that type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity, particularly fat inside the belly. Now, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have found that fat from other areas of the body can actually reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity.

In a study published in the May issue of Cell Metabolism, a team lead by C. Ronald Kahn, M.D. found that subcutaneous fat -- fat found below the skin, usually in the hips and thighs -- is associated with reduced insulin levels and improved insulin sensitivity.

“This points to a new opportunity to find substances made by subcutaneous fat that may actually be good for glucose metabolism,’’ said Dr. Kahn, Head of the Joslin Research Section on Obesity and Hormone Action and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “If we can identify how subcutaneous fat does this, we will have a big clue as to where to look for these substances.”

Tags: fat, diabetes, glucose metabolism

Why Medicine Should Care Less About 'Sick,' More About 'Normal'

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:21:01 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.wired.com

If you had died 50 years ago, your body would have stood a pretty good chance of serving science. In the 1960s, autopsy rates at US hospitals exceeded 50 percent. Pathologists weren't necessarily looking for what killed people — they were taking advantage of the fact that a body was available and ready for inspection. There was still much to learn about normal human biology, the thinking went, so every corpse was an educational opportunity.

These days, autopsy rates have fallen below 10 percent, a decline that's symptomatic of a larger deficiency. Medicine has become all about finding a problem — a tumor, a heart attack, a failing kidney — and deploying advanced treatment technologies. In the process, we seem to have given up on measuring and tracking what constitutes normal. That's an alarming — and potentially dangerous — trend.

What's normal matters because we're entering a new era of health care

one in which we look not for causes of illness but for risks

Tags: health, medicine, normal, sick

Too many choices -- good or bad -- can be mentally exhausting

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:02:15 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

Each day, we are bombarded with options -- at the local coffee shop, at work, in stores or on the TV at home. Do you want a double-shot soy latte, a caramel macchiato or simply a tall house coffee for your morning pick-me-up" Having choices is typically thought of as a good thing. Maybe not, say researchers who found we are more fatigued and less productive when faced with a plethora of choices.

Researchers from several universities have determined that even though humans’ ability to weigh choices is remarkably advantageous, it can also come with some serious liabilities. People faced with numerous choices, whether good or bad, find it difficult to stay focused enough to complete projects, handle daily tasks or even take their medicine.

Researchers found that the participants who earlier had made choices had more trouble staying focused and finishing the disagreeable but goal-focused tasks compared to the participants who initially did not have to make choices.

Tags: choices, options, too many?

Tai Chi exercises improve type 2 diabetes control

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:02:34 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

Tai Chi exercises can improve the control of type 2 diabetes, suggests a small study, published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Tai Chi Chuan is a traditional Chinese martial art, which combines deep diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation with gentle movement.

The research team assessed the impact of a 12 week programme of Tai Chi exercises on the T helper cell activity of 30 patients with type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy people of the same age.

T cells are a key component of the body’s immune system, producing powerful chemicals, including interleukins, which alter the immune response.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with chronic inflammation, caused by excessive glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).

After the 12 week programme glycated haemoglobin (when excess blood sugar combines with the oxygen transporter in red blood cells) levels fell significantly from 7.59% to 7.16 in the diabetic patients.

Tags: health, tai chi, diabetes

Once bitten ...

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:07:16 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The science of nanotechnology is already revolutionising the worlds of medicine and construction. Soon it could be doing the same for our food - but after the backlash against GM foods, says Steve Boggan, will the consumers swallow it?

How do you fancy tucking into a bowl of ice cream that has no more fat than a carrot? Or eating a burger that will lower your cholesterol? If you are allergic to peanuts, perhaps you'd like to fix your food so that any nut traces pass harmlessly through your body. Welcome to the world of nanofoods, where almost anything is possible: where food can be manipulated at an atomic or molecular level to taste as delicious as you want, do you as much good as you want, and stay fresh for ... well, who knows?

A world where smart pesticides are harmless until they reach the stomachs of destructive insects; where food manufacturers promise an end to starvation; where smart packaging sniffs out and destroys the micro-organisms that make good food go bad

Tags: nanotech, food

Your brain on Krispy Kremes

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:26:04 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

What makes you suddenly dart into the bakery when you spy chocolate- frosted donuts in the window, though you certainly hadn't planned on indulging? As you lick the frosting off your fingers, don't blame a lack of self-control.

New research from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine reveals how hunger works in the brain and the way neurons pull your strings to lunge for the sweet fried dough.

Krispy Kremes, in perhaps their first starring role in neurological research, helped lead to the discovery.

In the study, subjects were tested twice -- once after gorging on up to eight Krispy Kreme donuts until they couldn't eat anymore, and on another day after fasting for eight hours.

Next, the brain's spatial attention network shifted the hungry subject's focus toward the new object of desire -- in this case the Krispy Kremes.

"If we didn't have this part of the brain, every time you passed by a bakery you would have no control over your eating,"

Anger slows healing process after injury

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:46:14 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

PARIS: The old adage that laughter is the best medicine has been backed by an investigation which says that people who seethe with anger take longer to recover from injury.

Previous studies have linked ill-tempered behaviour, whether brow-beating or road rage, with higher incidence of coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke, especially among men.

But the new study, published today in the British journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity is the first controlled experiment that directly measures the impact of ire on the healing process.

Impact of ire

The results were startlingly clear: individuals who had trouble controlling expressions of anger were four times likelier to need more than four days for their wounds to heal, compared with counterparts who could master their anger.

Cortisol link

"The ability to regulate the expression of one's anger has a clinically relevant impact on wound healing,"

Tags: anger management, immune system, healing

The Doc.Com Revolution Begins

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:38:40 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.sci-tech-today.com

Eventually virtual-reality doctor's offices could be housed in dedicated booths available for use by the public in community hospitals and community centers. Currently the system is being tested in a small room within the accident and emergency center at an infirmary with the "virtual-reality" doctor in a separate room only a few yards away.

The future face of healthcare was unveiled yesterday, a virtual- reality doctor's office in a box -- a dramatic breakthrough in telemedicine, currently being trialled in a Scottish hospital, which is set to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare.

Within the next few years the diagnostic booth could be fully functioning and serving Scotland's remotest communities, transforming the way that patients in the country's most isolated areas can be assessed by both doctors and specialist consultants without ever seeing each other face to face.

Sit down, plug yourself in, look at the screen. The virtual doctor will see you now.

Tags: virtual reality medicine

One Common Ancestor Behind Blue Eyes

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:53:50 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research.

A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes.

"Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

"A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a 'switch,' which literally 'turned off' the ability to produce brown eyes," Eiberg said.

"What they were able to show is that the people who have blue eyes in Denmark, as far as Jordan, these people all have this same haplotype, they all have exactly the same gene changes that are all linked to this one mutation that makes eyes blue," Hawks said in a telephone interview.

"This gene does something good for people. It makes them have more kids."

Tags: genetics, blue eyes