Ryan Greene: Medicine

Regrowing Limbs for Science

Tue, 24 Sep 2002 11:47:36 GMT

Missing Limb? Salamander May Have Answer. Scientists hope that the salamander's tricks may one day be applied to people. Natural regeneration would be easier than transplanting. By Andrew Pollack. [New York Times: Science]

Fascinating stuff. It seems that the systems of "lower" animals (salamanders and a modified form of mice) rather than scarring, regrow lost tissues. This allows them to regrow an entire limb, parts of their eyes, or even their hearts. Scientists hope to discover what mechanism allows this to happen, so that humans with lost limbs can benefit as well.

"So far, natural regeneration remains a medical backwater, garnering little attention. That may be understandable. Scientists have been studying natural regeneration for 200 years and have not gotten far in understanding it. Regrowing human arms in the lifetime of Dr. Gardiner, who is 53, will be difficult"

So, unless there is a tremendous breakthrough, it'll be a while before we see this commercially available. However, there is gene which seems to be vital to this process working, and working well:

One gene that appears to be important is msx1. It helps keep cells in an embryo from dividing prematurely. Dr. Keating found that when the gene was turned on in mouse muscle cells that were growing in culture, the cells de-differentiated into stem cells. Another tantalizing clue of the importance of msx1, Dr. Keating said, is that the gene is turned off in people, except in the fingertips, the one part of the body where regeneration has been seen.

Given that, it may well be possible that we can release our own stem cells, by flipping a switch to activate this particular gene in the injured area. Topical gene splicing anyone?

Tue, 13 Aug 2002 11:38:02 GMT

Missing Gene Makes Mice Lean [Scientific American]

The gene, known as SCD1, encodes an enzyme (SCD) involved in synthesizing monounsaturated fatty acids. Previous research has implicated high SCD activity in a variety of disorders, including obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. In the new work, James M. Ntambi of the University of Wisconsin and his colleagues found that mice missing SCD1 managed to avoid gaining weight and developing diabetes, despite eating a diet containing nearly 15 percent fat. Rather than accumulating in the liver or other tissues as it normally would, the fat was metabolized. "We have biochemical evidence that the mice burn the excess fat," Ntambi notes. "The protection from obesity involves increased energy expenditure and increased oxygen consumption."
There are drawbacks to lacking SCD1, however: a number of the altered mice developed skin and eye problems as they aged. But other studies conducted by Ntambi and his collaborators indicate that mice that produce half the level of the SCD enzyme are normal. Drugs aimed at suppressing the fatty acids produced by SCD, Ntambi says, may therefore offer protection against obesity and diabetes without the side effects.

The Collar Goes on the Dog, Ryan.

Fri, 02 Aug 2002 01:43:53 GMT

Dog collars cut parasitic infection in children [New Scientist]

The use of insecticide impregnated collars on dogs in an area cuts the rate of children's infections by almost half. Fantastic. This kind of preventative treatment is what we need to fight disease around the world. Rather than having to treat humans with expensive drugs that Third World nations cannot afford, the collars, which run for $10 each retail, would make for a far cheaper solution. I imagine that the Red Cross could probably get adeal on that.

Fri, 12 Jul 2002 21:36:21 GMT

Light therapy tackles eye injuries [New Scientist]

Cool. LED UV lights in the 670 nanometer range promote activity in the mitochondria of cells that have been damaged. Imagine if instead of going into a tanning booth, you go into a rejuvinator to help your body recover from injuries, or to inhibit scarring for people how have been badly burned or otherwise injured. My usual snake oil disclamers apply.

Sat, 06 Jul 2002 13:50:21 GMT

testing

Fri, 28 Jun 2002 02:23:44 GMT

New Anti-Sleep Drug. Washington Post article about modafinil, a new drug that kills the urge to sleep. (Personally, I love sleeping.)

In trials on healthy people like Army helicopter pilots, modafinil has allowed humans to stay up safely for almost two days while remaining practically as focused, alert, and capable of dealing with complex problems as the well-rested. Then, after a good eight hours' sleep, they can get up and do it again -- for another 40 hours, before finally catching up on their sleep.

Link Discuss (Thanks, Kevin!) [Boing Boing Blog]

Remember, this is bad stuff folks.

Tue, 04 Jun 2002 16:13:19 GMT

New LASIK guidelines unveiled [USA Today : Front Page]

I'm a geek. Most of my friends, are geeks too. So far, none of them has gone for this, though a few do qualify. Their reasoning is simple: The long term effects of this surgery are not yet documented.

Personally, I think they are just waiting for cybernetic implants that will give them superhuman vision, but again, we're geeks, that's what we'd want.

Kidding aside, this procedure can have nasty long term consequences, and I wouldn't want to risk it myself. Since I'll be wearing glasses in a few short years anyway, I'd rather wait and see what tech will come. maybe MEMS will be to the point that I can have a killer pair of glasses that do all kinds of neat things. Time will tell.

Thu, 25 Apr 2002 23:27:18 GMT

"Shrink-wrap" sutures enhance keyhole surgery. The biodegradable stitches are tied loosely and then tighten up automatically as the body warms them [New Scientist]

A great use of "memory" materials. My only concers is that when the bits that keep the insertedpiece in it's "open" position dissolve, that they break down completely, eliminating the chance of causing a clot ineither a lung or the brain.

Wed, 24 Apr 2002 01:48:28 GMT

U.S.: FDA OKs Burn Medicine for Scars (washingtonpost.com). 16:02 ET - AP [NewsBlip.com]

Description: Dermal regeneration template for burnaccident victims. Stops fluid loss and speeds recovery process, minimizing scar tissue build up and allowing for extremely thin grafts.

Process: The scar tissue is removed, a two layer memebrane is put in it's place, and remains there for for two or three weeks. As the body heals form the scar tissue it bonds with the bottom layer which is composed of cross linked collagen fibers. The top layer is then removed and a skin graft from the patient is applied to the area. That graft typically heals in about a week which speeds the recovery and rehabilitation process for the patient. [Integra LifeSciences product page]

Riffing: Burn victims, car accidents, motorcycle crashes with massive "road rash" all would benefit from this technology. Getting people psychologically healed is key in recovery as much as physical health, and minimizing scarring is a big part of that. I've known people who always wear long sleeves from the burns they got from large coffee urns falling on them when they were children. being able to repair those wounds sould be a huge help. Treating firefighters who are heavily burned in the course of their work, as well as people who are otherwise injured will go a long way towards saving lives, as blood loss is often a casue of death in burn victims.

Wed, 24 Apr 2002 00:47:26 GMT

Can Technology Make The Money For You? [Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters] Actual article here at MSNBC.

Interesting set of success stories about the uses of tech in various industries. I like the fingerprint scanner that the Mens Wearhouse uses for their cash registers especially.

UPDATE 12:00 AM: Check out what Target is doing with their credit card. Brilliant example of best CRM practices.

Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is another interesting success story, using laptops and plasma displays to track patient status.

Wed, 24 Apr 2002 00:36:54 GMT

Lab-grown muscle sheets repair damaged hearts. When grafted, the sheets boosted heartbeat strength in rats - the researchers hope people will also benefit [New Scientist]

It's a good start, though as researchers point out, there is a world of difference betwen the recovery systems of rats and humans, which may account for why the rats took to this form of treatment so well.

Wed, 17 Apr 2002 13:59:49 GMT

LATimesNew drug keeps you awake 40+ hours without side effects. "Silicon Valley will go wild over this thing". [FARK] [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]

I read about this product from time to time, and I never hear any ill effects. it's just screaming "Too good to be true" to me, and I cannot seem to find anyone who has anything bad to say about it. I think I'll look it up on Google.

Side effects (in the order Google gave them to me):

Shortened attention span?
Headaches, nausea and tingling in the wrist
Modafinil, Provigil or Alertec is associated with the following side effects - headache, nausea, anxiety, increased blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia. Modafinil, Provigil or Alertec must be taken early in the day to avoid sleep disturbances.
Also: Modafinil, Provigil or Alertec is able to decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives because it increases the metabolism of oral contraceptive hormones by the liver. An adjustment in oral contraceptive therapy may be required. (Anything that interacts with the liver or effects it's metablolism enough to be on a warning concerns me greatly -RG)
[virtualdrugstore.com]
FDA Provigil page

Tue, 16 Apr 2002 15:24:43 GMT

April 16, 2002: Medical Privacy Threatened
I was very impressed by an opinion piece that appeared in our Austin paper. It was written by Deborah C. Peel, an Austin native who happens to be president of the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers. I know nothing about Ms. Peel or the group, but her words speak eloquently for themselves.
In a nutshell: The Bush administration is trying to change the law to eliminate the requirement that you consent before your medical records are released. Doctor-patient confidentiality will be replaced by, in all effect, government ownership of your medical records.
I've read the government "fact sheet" that explains how they claim to be strengthening protections. What it boils down to is that they're REMOVING your protections, and adding to the number of ways the health care provider has to tell you that if you get treatment, your information won't be private . . . Read the article - and then, if you feel there's a problem here, send your comments to the Department of Health and Human Services right away. There's only about a week left in the comment period.[SJ Games website]

Tue, 09 Apr 2002 14:59:17 GMT

Chemical block boosts nerve re-growth. The treatment stimulates the regeneration of damaged rat neurons and might help repair spinal cord injury [New Scientist]

Great news! Any step forward in this is good to hear.

Thu, 04 Apr 2002 13:34:36 GMT

Painless needle copies mosquito's stinger. The insect's highly serrated proboscis means it can pierce skin painlessly - now microengineers are copying the trick [New Scientist]

Very cool. By imitating the mosquito's needle, they have mocked up one that works in similar fashion. The problem they have is that the needle is very brittle, so there is a good chance that it will break, possibly forming a clot where it inserted, which could then lead to death via stroke in the patient. they would like to be able to make the needle permanantly attached to the patient, for constant analysis in diabetics.

Here I go: Always on drug delivery system, as a backpack IV. Got sick? Run down to the pharmacy and pick up a saline solution bag, lay low for 24 hours with it hooked up and you'll be right as rain. Forget coffee, get your morning dose of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals by IV while on your morning commute. The medicine bypasses the stomach, so less filler is needed in the delivery system, which in turn will cut down onthe amount of medicine that is showing up in the waterways, since less will be needed to get the same effect.

Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:14:24 GMT

Captain Cyborg Lives!. Robots 1: Humans 0 [The Register]

Professor Kevin Warwick, of the University of Reading, is working on a means of capturing the motions of one human and replaying them in another. This was one of the tech concepts in the book Hardwired. It was referred to as "wired reflexes", and was one of the many technologies that lived in that world. One of the issues they had was that the creator's biometrics didn't always match that of the end user, so the moves of a 5'5" 150 lb martial arts expert didn't always translate well into the body of a 6' tall steroid popping 250 lb person. Interesting to see technology finally catching up with a book that came out in 1989.

Possible (ab)uses:

Lockdown in prisons. Get a prisoner to go fetal for a period of time when you need to transport them or during riots.
Teaching muscle memory based skills to large groups of people quickly. By gently guiding them through the moves (who says the impulse has to be set to full strength?) you can get a large group to quickly master basic skills or learn new, more advanced moves.
To directly stimulate the pleasure center, much like the Wire described in Niven's Ringworld series of books.
To remotely control a device that in form matches a human. Researchers have already managed to get monkeys to control cursors with the use of brain implants, why not have people contolling robots, for the ultimate in telepresence.

UPDATE: New Scientist article with counterpoint.

Thu, 21 Mar 2002 01:40:09 GMT

Tone therapy could turn tinnitus off. Patients hearing debilitating ringing or buzzing sounds showed a 35 per cent improvement in just four weeks [New Scientist]

Good news for aging hard rock fans, like myself.

Thu, 21 Mar 2002 01:38:26 GMT

Eyeball squeezing could correct sight. A tap on the side of the head would tighten a band of artificial muscle wrapped round your eyeballs [New Scientist]

Um, no thank you, pass the bifocals please.

Wed, 20 Mar 2002 20:41:51 GMT

World: Oral cure for smallpox developed. 13:12 ET - Ananova [NewsBlip.com]

This is great news. Smallpox is a horrible way to die, and anything we can do to help wipe it out or minimize it's long term effects is a great thing.

Fri, 15 Mar 2002 14:13:45 GMT

The Bearable Lightness of Healing. In the next few years, a new form of therapy will likely play a critical role in treating injuries for athletes and patients. Light can bring injured cells back to life. By Kendra Mayfield. [Wired News]

Infared light, which has been used as a means of therapy in Europe for over 30 years, is starting to be used here in the States as a means of speeding the healing process. Sports teams are adopting it first, and we'll probably see this as a commonplace thing in the next 12 years, should it prove to be effective, if the proliferation of MRI's can be used as a measure of how fast medical tech gets adopted.

I'm especially interested (read: Smelling snake oil) in the claims of healing spinal cord injuries, which thus far have proved to be the holy grail of modern medicine. Maybe some combination of stem cells and this could do the trick...