Migraine heart link and genetic defect identified

A study by researchers from the British Heart Association discovered that about half of the 109 patients who saw flashing lights during a migraine had a heart defect. The lights seen are referred to as aura, and the heart condition is known as a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), a hole in the heart. About one in ten people experience aura during a migraine. This finding may suggest that when other treatments for migraines have failed, the condition could possibly be fixed by closing the hole in the heart. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12912951 One in every five people suffer from migraines. Treatment of the throbbing pain is often unsuccesful, so scientists are considering the root of the problem. They have made another discovery of a possible cause of the headaches: a specific gene that is flawed in many migraine sufferers. This gene protects the brain from environmental factors triggering pain centers that cause severe headaches; in many migrain patients, this gene was found inactive. Further research is being made to find exactly what controls the excitability of the nerves in the parts of the brain causing migraines. The lead targeting the genetic defect provides further assistance to discovering a therapy that is effective in treating migraines. With more research on which gene is directly responsible, a drug can possibly be made to activate the gene. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11408113

Breakthrough Biodegradable Fluorescent Material

A fluorescent material has been developed by a bioengineering assistant professor, Dr. Yang, at UT Arlington and it has several applications in biomedicine. This material is nontoxic, biodegradable, and has natural fluorescence. These qualities make it capable for use in the body because it will not harm the patient and will eventually disappear. Its fluorescence also makes it a natural choice for a biomarker. The material is an aliphatic biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (BPLP) composed of natural substances which the body will accept, such as citric acid, octanediol, and several different amino acids. Dr. Yang claims it can be used as many different things, for example as an implant material or a repairing template, or for detection, tracking, and sensing applications. One of the more promising uses is as a means to looking inside the body and as a way for doctors to get a better understanding of what is happening. The material is fluorescent so it can be used as a coating for drug-delivery nanoparticles or on scaffolding degeneration and tissue regeneration. It can also be used to help label cancer cells so that they aren’t missed and left behind to spread. Others have attempted to find such a versatile and compatible material but have been unsuccessful in finding something with all the qualities Dr. Yang’s material exhibits.

I believe this is an amazing breakthrough material. It has such a wide range of applications but I think the most beneficial of all is the information it can provide. This material can give us a much better understanding of what is going on within the body. Doctors will be able to track drugs and monitor their effects more easily. There is just so much that this material can do for the biomedical field.

Source: http://www.uta.edu/ucomm/researchmagazine/2010/cancer/biomedical-breakthroughs.php

"Honey-Pot" Protocells Trap Viruses

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Weill Cornell Medical College have designed a novel new way of fighting viruses. Current treatments include inhibitors and other chemical treatments to improve the body’s immune response and weaken the viruses’ ability to infect. Viruses themselves are vicious, in that they are not really alive; they are a solid protein capsule that hijack cells in order to reproduce themselves; infect, spread, and infect.

This new approach uses synthetic “protocells” to combat Henipaviruses (measles, mumps, parainfluenza etc.). Henipaviruses rely on a tagging protein to mark cells for infection. The virus then stabs into the cell and injects its code. It only has one shot to proliferate.

These protocells (coated in the tagging protein) act as a viral sink, baiting viruses into attempting to infect them, and becoming ineffectual as they inject themselves into inert globules. This method works well because the administration of the treatment can work all throughout the vasculature with minimal side effects, and relies on viruses’ own machinations to accomplish the job.

In addition, this technique is extremely unlikely to generate any super-viruses, because in order for a virus to not get trapped, it would have to evolve the ability to not inject itself into things.

I found this article interesting because viruses are difficult to inhibit and kill by nature. This idea is ingenious, in that instead of killing them, it just tricks them into wasting their shot. Little cells roaming around the body attracting viruses is perfect in terms of distribution throughout the body, and reduction of viral spread. Every cell that isn’t hijacked reduces the number of viruses in the body immensely; such a massive positive feedback suffers from every single reduction, and these protocells appear to be capable of absorbing hundreds of viruses apiece. That it relies on a viral mechanism vital to viruses’ efficacy makes it even better, as the likelihood of the treatment becoming ineffectual is almost zero; the method only selects for non-infecting viruses. For an apropos analogy, see http://xkcd.com/810/.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/nios-uac030211.php

Researchers at the Proteome Center Tuebingen discover a new form of the protein ubiquitin that is involved with inflammation and cell death.

I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this article because it brings up several points that we should be moderately familiar with: ubiquitin, and methods for determining intracellular levels of various compounds. We are aware of what ubiquitin is: a protein that binds to other proteins and is involved with regulating the levels of those proteins. As ubiquitin binds to proteins it “marks” it for destruction and recycling. As more and more ubiquitin binds, it forms long chains in a process called polyubiquitylation. Previously there were only two forms of polyubiquitylation known. This new, third major form, is not found in the same amounts as the other two – it is typically found in amounts 30 times lower – and is classified by its linear form . Despite the relatively small amount of it discovered, it was found to play a major role in inflammation and cell death. It does so by modifying NEMO, an important regulatory protein in the NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway, is present. The NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway is one regulatory mechanism for inflammation processes and insight and research in this area can lead to new therapies for inflammation.

Discovery of this new form was difficult because of its relatively low concentration in comparison to the other two and the difficulty in distinguishing them apart from one another. Dr. Mirita Franz-Wachtel stated that, “Due to very small intracellular amounts of this modification we had to apply the most sensitive biochemical methods and instrumentation.” In fact, the most important method they had to use was mass spectrometry, a method that can measure the masses of ionized molecules. Using these methods scientists will hopefully be able to gain a deeper understanding of the protein complement of our cells and develop new and more efficient treatments.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110331080039.htm

The ElectroHand 200

The ElectroHand 200 is the latest development in myoelectric prosthetic systems for pediatric patients. This prosthetic caters to children's (1 and a half to 13 years) needs and desires, from the wide variety of model colors to the flashing LED lights that identify the amount of battery power it has. This hand prosthetic is no simply a smaller version of adult prosthetics. In the past, the power source for this device was a problem. The 12V battery pack was quite large and was worn or attached to the patient's waist or in a chest pouch which led to further possible complications such as wire breakage. Now, the upgraded 2000 model consumes less power due to the use of microprocessors and only requires a 4.8V battery which resides within the device. The ElectroHand 2000 is a completely new development designed exclusively for children which brings the prosthetic world one step closer to providing every unique child with the tools necessary to participate in life to the best of their ability,

Use of Polymeric Biomaterials in Clinical Applications

The linked article presents an overview of the use of polymeric biomaterials in implantable objects, and brings to light their currently underused potential. While most implantable polymers will eventually partially or completely degrade in the conditions found in the human body, the article deals specifically with polymeric materials that are designed and intended to degrade to facilitate their overall purpose.

Degradable biomaterials have many potential uses, including but certainly not limited to drug release and delivery, temporary structural support as a substitute for extracellular matrices, degradable stents, ocular and orthopedic implants and etc. While degradable biomaterials have potentially unlimited uses, designing them has proven difficult due to the rates at which most polymers degrade. Most implantable polymers experience a state of rigidity and compliance up to a point, after which they become more brittle and degradation proceeds quickly, making degradation rates difficult to measure and clinical trials hard to set up. Materials must be designed which degrade at a more steady or tailored state if they are to be effective.

The portion of the article which I found most interesting involved shape-memory polymers. These special polymers can be compressed to a small size, ideal for surgical insertion, and upon coming in prolonged contact with body temperatures exceeding their switching temperature they will expand to their more bulky, application-relevant shape. The article discusses multi-functional materials that incorporate the shape-memory effect, biodegradability, and drug release, the combination of which I find extremely interesting and useful, could it be optimized and put to clinical application.

John Gruetzner
Section 502

The article is available for free download as a PDF here:
http://www.artificial-organs.com/public/IJAO/Article/Article.aspx?UidArticle=C847E581-9DBF-4933-805C-A65F9E27E1CF

On new lab chip, heart cells display a behavior-guiding ‘nanosense’

Biomedical engineers from John Hopkins teamed up Korean researchers and developed a surface to grow heart cells on the nano scale in a petri dish. Most of the previous heart cells cultured in vitro do not produce anything resembling the actual heart muscle. They developed a rigid surface with a nanoscale scaffold. Within two days of the heart cells being cultured, the cells began growing on the nanoscale scaffold that resemble more of the natural structure of the heart. This was done resembling the extracellular matrix. They hope to continue the experiment with a 3-D nano scaffold instead of just 2-D. This is important because with the new engineering scale, the researchers may now be able to find new information in vitro that resembles the natural heart. They might be able to discover how the electrical signals move at the nano level within the heart. This will be important in maybe finding more information on heart disease. This might lead to being able to grow new heart cells to some patients with damaged heart cells. Source: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=7950

Oversized Lobar Lung Allografts Might Be an Option For Transplantion in Children

After a two year follow up of a lobar lung transplant in a pediatric patient, it was concluded that adult allograft might be a viable source for lung transplant. The donor was the parent of the patient, and since this was a lobar transplant, the donor was left with enough lung volume to have a normal live. Although the lung allograft was 180% of the size it was supposed to be for the recipient, the patient was able to breath on his own only 10 days after surgery. After surgery, the allograft showed to be 47% of its original volume and presented partial atelectasis. Despise this, the transplanted lung functioned started functioning perfectly after the post-op. As the recipient grew, the lung allograft responded to the change in size by gradually recovering part of its original volume. At the same time, the pulmonary function improve in almost a linear fashion when related to the volume "re-increase."

Researchers do not completely understand why this happens, but it might be due to the fact that the structures in the thoracic cavity are more flexible during early childhood. It is also pointed that although the procedure had been successful, it is not certain that the allograft (a single lobe transplant) will provide enough respiratory as the subject becomes an adult. In that case, the patient might need a bilateral lung transplant (basically both lungs from someone else) from a brain-dead donor.

I thought the case they presented in article was very interesting, as it goes back to a discussion in our class had about lung transplants. This lobar transplants seem to be an acceptable alternative for pediatric patients, since it might be difficult to find donors for a bilateral transplant in these cases. Even if the allograft eventually start failing, enough time would have passed, and there might a donor for bilateral lung transplant.

Source:

http://icvts.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/icvts.2010.249870v1

Weight-Loss Surgery May Change the Shape of the Heart

A recent study has shown that gastric surgery does not only help people loose weight but also changes the shape of their heart. In the study 400 morbidly obese people underwent bypass surgery while 300 morbidly obese did not. Those who had surgery had smaller waists, reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and less insulin resistance, which is a sign of prediabetes, and they found that the “shape and function of the patients’ heart measurable improved.”

The hearts of those patients who underwent bypass surgery changed in structure and decreased in heart muscle mass in the left ventricular and right ventricular cavities. This may be due to the fact that the heart is less stressed and no longer needs to work as hard to pump blood across the body.

I found this article interesting because I did not realize that bypass surgery was able to address so many problems in an obese patient’s body, including changing the structure of the heart. By doing bypass surgery the study showed that a patient’s risk of death decreased by half during a 7-8 year period.

http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/08/gastric-bypass-surgery-may-change-your-hearts-shape/

Vertebral Balloon to Treat Spinal Compression Fractures

Spinal compression fractures are common in men and women over the age of 50. The most common cause of them is loss of bone strength due to osteoporosis. A fall in a patient with osteoporosis can place a sudden load on vertebral bone, exceeding its stability and resulting in fracture. Spinal compression fractures can be treated by kyphoplasty, or creating a cavity in the vertebral body using a vertebral balloon. Cement is then injected to stabilize the fracture and prevent future compression fractures. The newest technology in vertebral balloons are more efficient and easier to use.

I found this article interesting due to the approximately 700,000 Americans who are affected by osteoporosis. It sounds like a very interesting procedure that will open new doors for other spinal injuries in the future.

Source: http://www.biomedicalblog.com/avamax-vertebral-balloon-launched-to-treat-spinal-compression-fractures/27600/

Bioengineers create plastic from renewable biomass

Fossil oil based plastic refining has been the source of large amounts of pollution and waste since the creation of commercial use polymers. Recently, a team of bioengineers from the South Korean company LG Chem and researchers from KAIST University came up with a way of producing polymers from Polylactic Acid (PLA). The creation of this new way of creating polymers through renewable biomass materials addresses the pollution aspect of the current fossil fuel refining for polymers and the limiting amount of fossil fuels. This is the leading invention in the move towards a greener future, which seems to be a growing interest throughout our nation and the world. I found this topic very interesting because "going green" is a hot topic in many areas of industry lately and commercial polymer refining would cut its pollution exponentially by switching to biomass materials from fossil fuels. Also, this opens my eyes to the possibilities of expanding outside of the medical products industry as a bioengineer.

Fluorescence-Guided Neurosurgery in Oncology

In recent years, oncology research has been exceeding expectations, and reaching new limits concerning determining malignant tumors, and separating them from benign areas. One area of research that is being done is through fluorescence-guided neurosurgery. This is a case where tumors are tagged with a 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) which can aid in determining cancerous cells from non cancerous cells in places where the two may be similar in appearance and in texture. This acid (which is not currently approved in the US) causes a buildup of “porphyrins in malignant gliomas” which are more easily identified. These studies were taken in Germany, at the University of Dusseldorf, where the results showed that those patients who were treated with 5-ALA had about a 20% higher chance that the malignant cells would not return, however it is still controversial to use a maximal amount of cytoreductive therapy in most cases.

This article and situation seems most interesting to me, mainly due to the visit to Germany that I have planned this summer. While there, I will be studying the History of Medicine, where many controversial issues in the states are not deemed a problem at all in most of Europe. Hopefully, I will be able to see some instances where medicine in Europe is more loosely restricted, and real research can be done. IN this case, it seems that there are relatively little side effects that can be caused by 5-ADA, and at this point in time, any research that can be improved in oncology, needs to be done.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503554

http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/research/by-discipline/biomed.html

Vaccinating Against Allergen Caused Asthma

This article explains the theory of researchers at Monash University in Australia that a 3 dose vaccine can be developed for dust mite allergens. Many people who suffer from asthma symptoms do so because they are allergic to dust mites. These medical costs associated with allergens and asthma are in the billions. A vaccine to dust mite allergens would decrease the need for asthmatics to continually clean the fabrics in their homes and workplaces. The researches are also looking at similarities with peanut allergies, which often cause anaphylaxsis. Unlike other allergies, immunotherapy for peanut allergies is more difficult because of the risk of a severe reaction. The therapy also requires 3-5 years, which is time consuming and has many chances for error. Their research has led them to find a correlation between peanut allergies and dust mite allergies. They believe that there is a predisposition to develop more allergies if you already have one type, and are examining this in rats to see the very first response of the rat to the allergen. They intend to combine this knowledge to aid not only in a vaccine for dust mite allergies, but for other allergens as well.

This article is very relevant and exciting for me. I did the immunotherapy shots for 5 years so that I could eat peanuts without a major sneezing attack. I also have mild asthma from allergies, mainly environmental and dust allergies. This would make my life much better, and for those whose allergies and asthma give them serious attacks that stop breathing, they could live without such a high level of fear. People who have peanut allergies can never be too careful, and those with serious asthma always have to keep their inhalers handy. The development of a vaccine would also represent a huge decrease in medical costs.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110321134500.htm

Tyler Terrill

Eye Telescope Implant

Macular degeneration is a progressive disease where a portion of the retina, called the macula, no longer functions properly. Many patients who suffer from macular degeneration can now depend on an implantable telescope in hopes of regaining their vision. The role of the retina, specifically the macula, is to convert light waves into electrical signals to be sent to the brain. So, when your macula degenerates, only light from the peripheral vision can be seen, causing severe sight loss. The pea-sized implantable telescope developed by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies can magnify visual information that enters the eye by almost three-fold. The telescope takes like that enters the eye and refracts it to parts of the retina that have no been affected by the macula degeneration. Consequently, areas of the retina that are used for peripheral vision are now being used to provide sight for the eye. This implant is only used in one of the eyes because when implanted, the eye will not longer have peripheral sight. So, the eye with the implant will be used for central vision, while the eye without the implant (still with macular degeneration issues) will be used for peripheral light. eyeThis device is not for everyone, but can aid those who meet the eligibility requirements, which include having end-stage macular degeneration and have failed other medical and surgical treatments.

I took great interest in this article because over spring break I met one of my brother's classmates who has macula damage of his retina and was actually dismissed from Navy flight school because of this condition. This kind of advancement could maybe one day keep this from happening again.

http://www.biomedicalblog.com/implanted-telescope-improves-vision/40100/

New Less-Invasive Technique for Colonoscopies

One of the major factors keeping people from getting routine colonoscopies is their discomfort with the current technique. Only about 50% of the people who should be receive routine screening for colon cancer actually schedule the procedure. This may be about to change due to the development of a new screening technique. Biomedical engineers have developed a thin fiber optic device that can be used to detect even the earliest signs of colon cancer.

The new fiber optic device is not only much thinner than current techniques, but it is also much less invasive. The device uses low-coherence enhanced backscattering spectroscopy to analyze tissue samples take just at the base of the colon. There is no longer a need to investigate the entire length of the colon. Although these cells as the base of the colon may have a normal phenotype, lesions or polyps located further into the colon will have an effect on them. Those cancerous cells will cause the cells at the base of the colon to experience molecular and other changes by a biological phenomenon called the "field effect." This relatively non-invasive and extremely accurate technique could mean great things for detecting colon cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609122228.htm

So...who REALLY has ADHD?

In light of a recent conversation in class, curiosity has been spiked on the topic of who has ADHD and who does not. It is not at all uncommon or rare to encounter a student today that is medicated for attention deficit symptoms. That fact alone raises the question of, does everyone that is diagnosed with ADHD actually have it?
Scientists have recently found genetic evidence for ADHD. Although characterized by differences in behavior and a lack of an adequate attention span, there is now evidence that children with ADHD are more likely to have DNA mutations than children without ADHD; in other words, they are more likely to have DNA duplications or missing DNA segments.
This finding is extremely significant in that it can provide a purely scientific backing to diagnoses of ADHD. In the case of a dispute or uncertainty, a test can be run that can compare the DNA of a possible ADHD child to one without ADHD. Interestingly, these differences in DNA are similar to the DNA mutations found in people with schizophrenia and autism.
A child's environment and raising is not yet being completely ignored as a possible contributor to the development of ADHD, but at least now genetics can be shown to play a part. This can help provide a much clearer, surer diagnosis.

Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100929191312.htm

Synthetic Nano-Platelets Added to Blood Cut Healing Time in Half.

What happens when a person is in a bad accident is bleeding, and the paramedics arrive? They apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Currently researchers are developing synthetic nanoparticles to be injected into the site of injury that act as platelets, clotting and sealing off the wound. The platelets bond with one another as well as the naturally occurring platelets to seal off the wound. Scientist tested and observed that the quantity of time to form a clot in wounded rats was cut in half after the injection of the nanoparticles. Moreover, the artificial platelets even stop internal bleeding. If approved for use in people, this new invention could potentially double the amount of time emergency medical technicians have to move a patient from the site of the accident to nearest medical facility. Surgeons would have more time to locate and stop the bleeding sites on the patient’s body. Soldiers that receive wounds on the battlefield or even standard law enforcement could increase their survival rate if wounded in the line of duty.

I have family and friends that served and or are currently serving in the military. Finding a way to increase their chance of survival while fighting would mean a world to their families as well as me. My uncle is emergency room surgeon and this would also increase his patients’ likelihood of survival. If they could ever develop a version for personal use, there could be (possibly but likely several years away) a packet or dispenser of nanoparticles in every personal first aid kit. This would only be possible if they could produce the nanoparticles on a mass scale and cheaply.

MicroRNA in diabetic nephropathy

MicroRNAs are cellular RNA fragments that prevent the production of a particular protein by binding to and destroying the messenger RNA that would have produced the protein. These post translational modifiers have been found to contribute to the disease diabetic nephropathy (expansion of mesangial matrix that ultimately occludes glomerular capillaries) significantly, but their exact role in this renal disease is not well understood. This article describes the study of one such miRNA, miR-29c, which was identified by a comparative miRNA expression array to be prevalent in diabetic environments. The role of this particular miRNA was then studied by observing its expression in kidney cells in db/db mice (models of obesity, and diabetes), and by observing its effects in kidney microvascular endothelial cells and podocytes treated with high glucose in vitro. This microRNA was found to induce apoptosis of these cells (especially podocytes, which wrap around the capillaries of the glomerulus) and cause a buildup of extracellular matrix protein. To verify these results, the miRNA was inhibited, and the glucose induced cells did not apoptose. It was also found that when miR-29c was inhibited, there was reduced albuminuria (plasma protein in the urine) because the podocytes were not destroyed, and a reduction of kidney mesangial matrix accumulation in the db/db mice. These findings determined the large role that miR-29c plays in diabetic nephropathy, which is a major cause of mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus.

This article was very interesting because it specified the effects of a relatively newfound aspect in gene regulation (miDNA) in the pathology of diabetic nephropathy. This study could lead to developments in inhibiting the miRNA so that this condition is treated effectively, and so that mortality rates of patients with diabetes mellitus decrease. Diabetes mellitus patients could have longer life spans, because glomerular capillaries in the kidney would remain unobstructed.

http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2011/02/10/jbc.M110.194969.full.pdf

A New Found Voice

Vocal cord paralysis is a problem that can be brought on from disease or trauma, such as a stroke, that is more than just a hindrance to communication. Commonly, only one of the cords is paralyzed, but if both are, they expose the lung and increase the chance of debris entering past them, and also lead to breathing problems. Current methods of treatment involve electrical stimulation, surgery, and speech therapy. However, Leonessa recently won a grant from a proposal to insert an electrode-studded pad to the side of the throat that would utilize electric signals to the nerves that control vocal cords. The system design so far uses 32 pins that would be pushed just beneath the skin and hooked up to a device clipped onto a belt. Critics say that this is a far stretch though due to some vocal problems originating from brain damage, and the dangers of implanting this device near critical nerves for neck and head movement, as well as breathing and swallowing.



I found this article to be quite an interesting proposal since it's such a huge application of engineering to a medical problem. I'd be interested to see this device being made and capabilities as to how well people would sound and the range of tones and possibilities of people even singing again.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vocal-cord-paralysis

Engineers Create New Detection Device For Cancer, HIV Cells

A new device which can detect single cancer cells within a blood sample was recently developed by a Harvard biomedical engineer and MIT aeronautical engineer. This advancement could lead to vast improvements in the detection of cancer metastasis as well as the detection of other diseases such as HIV. The microfluidic device is roughly the size of a dime and could be developed into low-cost tests which doctors could use for testing in countries without the financial resources for expensive diagnostic instruments.

The detection system consists of tens of thousands of porous, carbon nanotubes studded onto the device surface. Each nanotube post is coated with antibodies specific to cancer cells which cause these cells to stick to the post while allowing non-cancerous cells to pass through. Metastasis can be recognized by passing the patient's blood through the device. Ninety percent of deaths from cancer are not due to cancer at the original site, so detecting metastasis more easily could be a big step in fighting off this disease.

The device can be customized for other diseases in numerous ways. By selecting different antibodies, the device can target specific diseases such as HIV. The distance between nanotubes can also be increased or decreased, allowing bigger or smaller particles to pass through the device more easily. In this way, the device can be manipulated to trap particles which range from the size of tumor cells all the way down to viruses. This technology is therefore not just a leap for cancer research, but for medical research as a whole.

This article is interesting to me because I hope to work with and develop devices which utilize nanoscale technology. I think that the most promising future of medical devices lies in these technologies. Besides this detection device, numerous other nano-devices are being developed which may lead to longer lives, better disease control, and improved quality of life. I hope to be a part of this research as soon as possible.

Link: Catching cancer with carbon nanotubes

Blood Tests for Concussions

Concussions among athletes is a very popular subject in the news lately, (especially if watch Sports Center), a lot of research is being done on new helmets for football players as well as modifications to the rules to make penalties and fines for dangerous tackles more severe. It is a move in the right direction, but preventing concussions and traumatic brain injury is only half of the picture. Regardless of how advanced the equipment gets or how harsh fines for “leading with the helmet” become, concussions are still going to occur. The challenge then becomes how to diagnosis if a person has received a concussion and if so, how severe the damage is. As of now the method of concussion diagnosis is rather complicated and unclear. If a person is thought to have received some brain injury the most common ways to assess their trauma is to perform an neurological exam, which is often indistinct, or to have a more expensive look at the brain through radiological instruments like MRI’s or CT’s which are surprisingly not as helpful as one would think. This is why one U.S. Army doctor in Maryland is developing a method for detecting concussions through an easy blood test.

The theory behind this is just like that of the blood test for myocardial infractions. When a person has a heart attack the damaged heart cells leak out specific molecules, which then enter the blood where they can easily be detected by a blood test administered by a physician. Like the heart, when the brain is injured its cells leak out their own molecules into the blood. The idea is simple, but the research is quite complicated. Researchers are trying to decide which molecules are most likely to be signs of brain injury and what normal levels of those molecules are in the blood. This idea for a concussion blood test is a great example of a simple yet powerful solution to a medical problem. This is one of those things that will quickly be used by hospitals all over the world and make the path to treatment and recovery that much faster.


http://www.biomedicalblog.com/category/research/

"Nerve - Chip Hybrids"

One of the main goals many prosthetic researches strive for is the ability for humans to control prosthetic movement though neurons within the human brain. Although this might seem out of reach at the moment, researchers at the University of Wisconsin have started making strides to one day making this sci-fi inspired idea a reality. Researchers at the university have created an unproven version of a “nerve – chip hybrid”. Basically, tubes made out of silicon and germanium shows potential to be compatible with a neuron. Tests in lab mouse shows affinity for currents to pass though these semiconductors from brain nerve cells. In addition, when the tubes are made with the appropriate size, the tendrils of the nerves seem to be able to navigate though them with ease and formed complex structures. This demonstrates that these tubes have integrated perfectly with the nervous system. Although researchers are not completely sure whether the nerve cells can communicate with each other effectively using these tubes, this provides a starting step to a new age of controllable prosthetics.

Much of this article is speculation and testing, the research has not provided a definite answer about the new technology and ultimately this idea might not go much further in development. However, I still chose this article because of the potential to achieving something like this. Giving humans the ability to control prosthetics like a normal human body part would change the direction of bio-technology. The fact that this idea can even be deem possible and research have show that it can be achieved shows vast potential to finally gap the distance between reality and sci-fi.

Link: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-03/silicon-chips-wired-nerve-cells-could-enable-new-brain-machine-interfaces

Angdi Liu - Section 502

Genetic pathways to starve cancer cells

This article is about gene therapy to starve specific types of kidney cancers. From this study a new class of drugs is being studied. They will inhibit cancer cells from generating the energy needed to survive. The new drugs will alter the gene expression in the cancerous cells and block the cells from using aerobic respiration. Approximately 1.5% of the United States population will be diagnosed with a form of kidney cancer. The drug will cause hypoxia-inducible factors to be initiated. These are factors that are normally found in cells during a period of hypoxia, thus starving the cancerous cells. Another possibility is 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG). 2DG is a glycolic inhibitor that in lab tests inhibited glycolysis and killed the tumor cells. The gene therapy treatment presented in this article would provide a noninvasive treatment with minimal side effects. This is a much better alternative to the current treatment of chemo-radiation.

I choose this article because it is addressing a hot topic of health, cancer. It is presents a unique and possible solution to specific forms of cancer. This new treatment could improve/save the lives of approximately 1.5% of the US population.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330111355.htm

Research Into Poison Curare May Lead to Medication Against Tobacco Addiction

The poison known as Curare is a protein known to block specific receptors, especially in the nervous system, and inhibit nerve function and action potential frequency. The article introduces curare as having a paralysing effect - the poison's active chemical component is used in lung surgery. To date, however, scientists did not know how exactly it works." In addition, current medications release thousands of different ions into the blood in hopes that the desired result will be achieved - a sort of trial and error system. The research conducted led to the 3D mapping of the poison protein, and the conclusion that curare, with or without some modifications, may be able to specifically bind and inhibit the desired receptors. Quoting Dr. Ulens, the head researcher on the team, " [they] are locksmiths who examine on an atomic scale how a key -- the poison -- fits the lock of a door -- the ion channel -- and how the key keeps the door locked. Some kinds of poison only fit one lock, but curare is a passkey that can close various ion channels." As a result, the receptors for nicotine may be suppressed by a devised drug, developed using this research and new knowledge of Curare.

I found this article interesting not only because millions of people around the world are struggling with tobacco addiction, but also because the prolonged usage of tobacco based drugs lead to all sorts of health issues. With development of a drug to aid in addiction relief, many of those addicted may be able to gradually return to a relatively healthy physical state.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330101040.htm

Progression Towards Cracking Long QT Syndrome

As has been studied in lecture, Long QT Syndrome is when the patient has a very dangerously irregular heart rhythm due to excessively slow relaxation periods after a contraction. It has been found however, in the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York (along with the collaboration of researchers from Japan, Denmark, and Holland) that there is a genetic mutation that links to concluding how much of a risk there is for someone who has this condition. There is a gene that codes for a protein named KCNQ1, which is linked to the defect in at least 50% of the population affected. Tests have been done and observations have been made as to deducing that patients who have the specific mutation of this gene are at least twice as more likely to experience the severe effects. The studies were deduced by reviewing medical records and histories of patients affected and by engineering frog eggs to express the mutation of this gene. Therefore, this information could be coupled with age and gender to perhaps figure out when a patient would need to seek treatment. However, since this theory is still in the making (the two-fold risk calculated is still not substantial enough), there would need to be more tests conducted. This could bring many developments as to people affected with this condition, however (and less people would avoid the risk of randomly dropping dead one day.)


This article was very significant to me since it tied into the lecture that we had over Cardiovascular Physiology. It also impacted me since Long QT syndrome seemed like a mysterious one; a syndrome that someone could just mysteriously be affected by on a random day.




http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/heart-defect-medicate-or-wait.html?ref=hp

Nanodrug Fights Breast Cancer From Inside Without Harming Healthy Tissue

Researchers are working on a tumor fighting drug that consists of various cancer-fighting drugs attached to a nano-size carrier. The drug works by having the drugs attack the cancer cells from the inside rather than the outside like most cancer-fighting drugs in use today. The drugs are delivered to the inside of the tumor cells where they can more effectively attack the cell. In addition, certain antibodies can be added to the carrier in order to attach the drugs to specific proteins in the tumor cells. A major benefit to a method like this is that surrounding healthy cells are minimally affected. A drug like this could help to alleviate some of the negative side effects associated with current cancer treatments and could greatly increase a cancer patients quality of life. Currently, the drug is being designed to target a specific, aggressive type of breast cancer but scientists say that a similar method would also work against malignant brain tumors. I found this article interesting because I'm very interested in cancer research and I have seen how rough cancer treatment can be on a person's body.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/220620.php

Cell-Phone-Based Platform for Biomedical Device Development and Education Applications

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0017150

In this paper we report the development of two attachments to a commercial cell phone that transform the phone's integrated lens and image sensor into a 350× microscope and visible-light spectrometer. The microscope is capable of transmission and polarized microscopy modes and is shown to have 1.5 micron resolution and a usable field-of-view of 150×150 with no image processing, and approximately 350×350 when post-processing is applied. The spectrometer has a 300 nm bandwidth with a limiting spectral resolution of close to 5 nm. We show applications of the devices to medically relevant problems. In the case of the microscope, we image both stained and unstained blood-smears showing the ability to acquire images of similar quality to commercial microscope platforms, thus allowing diagnosis of clinical pathologies. With the spectrometer we demonstrate acquisition of a white-light transmission spectrum through diffuse tissue as well as the acquisition of a fluorescence spectrum. We also envision the devices to have immediate relevance in the educational field.

I found this article interesting because of the integration of education in a user interface that allowed useres to interact with a system increasing knowledge.

Painless Laser Tissue Analysis Could Replace X-Rays Within Five Years

Usually when you go to the doctor and you have a complication beyond the common cold, it's possible and sometimes likely that you'll be stuck with a needle or undergo an x-ray.  Recently, the development of portable devices that use Raman spectrometry could be used to diagnose conditions within the body noninvasively and painlessly.  Some speculate that even blood drawing could become obsolete with the improvement of these painless laser diagnostic tools.

Raman spectroscopy is used in research to "identify molecules through the wavelength and intensity of laser light as it scatters when passing through them."  It's been used on cadavers previously, but technological improvements could herald the use of a faster, cheaper, and potentially more reliable method of diagnosing illnesses.

Researchers at MIT are exploring the use of Raman spectroscopy to test blood for glucose levels without drawing blood.  Tumors, high cholesterol, and tooth decay are also being studied using the same technology.

When ill, the chemical composition of a person's tissues changes, so the idea is to firing a laser at that tissue and via Raman spectroscopy analyze the tissue noninvasively depending on how the light as it scatters as it hits specific molecules.  While slight differences are difficult to read, advances in the technology are being developed to perceive those differences, which could prove incredibly useful.

The potential to reduce lab time and costs for health care systems worldwide would be invaluable.  Some researchers speculate the replacement of the typical mammogram (and an improvement on its capabilities) could well be on the way within the next 5 years.

I found this article interesting because one of the things that keeps me from the doctor is getting stuck with needles.  It's a pain (literally) and it's also annoying to have to wait for your lab results.  Also, when I graduate, I'm going to have to start paying my own medical bills, and the cheaper and better my healthcare is, the happier I'll be.  Also, the potential to help diagnose diseases in developing countries could be improved dramatically, so the fact that something like this could be right around the corner is encouraging.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-09/painless-non-invasive-lasers-could-replace-x-ray-needles-five-years

A new way to detect cancer and HIV

A biomedical engineer at Harvard Medical School and an MIT aeronautical engineer have designed a carbon-Nano tube device designed to detect cancerous cells in a simple blood device. This will allow doctors to determine if cancer has spread from the original site. This device could be of great benefit particularly to third world countries where expensive diagnostic equipment is much more difficult to get a hold of. The device could potentially be low cost thus letting doctors in the impoverished nations detect cancer more easily. Tone, biomedical engineer, had developed an earlier version of the device which took blood from a patient and allowed the blood to flow past thousands of silicon posts coated with antibodies. The antibodies would stick to tumor cells. A problem of this device however was that some cells never touched the posts at all. He revised the idea by making a porous design with the help of the aeronautical engineer. This new device now detects cancerous cells eight times better than the previous version. The tumor cells that are in the blood have broken free from the original site and are usually hard to detect because there are only a few cells for every 1 ml sample that has tens of billions of cells. The carbon nanotubes are incredibly thin and porous. For every square centimeter of carbon nanotubes, there are 10 billion to 100 billion tubes with the composition being 99 percent air and 1 percent carbon. This is important because it gives the blood room to flow. As in the previous design, the surface of each tube is painted with antibodies. Another interesting aspect of this design is the ability to change the spacing between the carbon nanotubes in order to catch different size objects from a tumor cell to 40nm virus including HIV. This article was interesting to me because to the ability to detect cancer and HIV in third world countries. I believe many people living with HIV don’t even know it because there is not enough equipment to go around and test people. By the time a patient receives to diagnosis of cancer or HIV, it may be too late for them. With a low cost medical device, checkups would be more feasible thus making thus survival rate much higher. I am fortunate that my uncle had a checkup, and they found prostate cancer early on. Since the doctors found the cancer early on, his chances of survival are dramatically increased.

Women Who Drink Beer More Likely to Develop Psoriasis

Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School scientists have found a curious correlation between drinking regular beer and developing the common autoimmune skin disease, psoriasis. This association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk for psoriasis, or worsening of it, has been suspected, and these researchers decided to investigate the relationship further. In their study, in 1991 82,869 women of age 27 to 44 were questioned about their alcohol consumption and if they had the disease. By 2005, 1,150 cases had developed in the women. From these cases, the risk of psoriasis was shown to be 72% greater in women who drank 2.3 drinks per week or more than women who did not drink at all. Also, women who drank non-light beer specifically revealed a risk 1.8 times greater. Other forms of alcohol, including light beer, curiously showed no relevance to risk. This suggested that a certain component found in only in regular beer could increase the risk of psoriasis. The researchers hypothesized this component as potentially the starch source in beer, perhaps barley. Barley and other grains could irritate the psoriasis in patients and would not be found in other alcoholic beverages and would be found in lower amounts in light beer, explaining this unexpected connection.

This article caught my eye for many reasons. For one, I actually have a very very mild case of psoriasis (unrelated to drinking regular beer). Although it is so mild that it can hardly be considered psoriasis, I still find articles and information about the disease interesting. Also, I found this correlation (and how specific it was) between regular beer and psoriasis very random and bizarre. I think it’s intriguing that two completely unrelated things can actually be proven related with some investigation. Perhaps there are many unlikely things causing or contributing to our most deleterious diseases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100816162645.htm

Music is all in the mind: A brain–computer interface allows paralysed patients to play music with brainpower alone.

The development of this brain-computer interface could work wonders for improving patient morale and putting a feeling of control back into the life of a patient who has become paralyzed for one reason or another. This brain-computer interface allows a patient to play music simply by thinking about it. The interface uses EEG (electroencephalography) to pick up the faint neural signals from a patient focusing on a selection of notes displayed on a screen. The focus on a particular note creates a distinctive and detectable pattern in the EEG signal, which then triggers the corresponding musical event. The patient directs their attention at one of the musical notes displayed on the screen, and the intensity, or loudness, of the musical note can be altered by the intensity of attention focused on that particular note. Since the system relies on eye movement for the patient to be able to focus and devote their attention to a particular note, this interface requires that patients be able to control their eye movements. Not only is this new interface innovative, but it could beginning of a new wave of technologies to be developed to assist those who have difficulty performing basic tasks on their own.

This article was very interesting for me because of the implications it has for possible future technology. Maybe I can someday do my laundry by simply thinking about it.

Article:
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110318/full/news.2011.113.html

Tastes Like Asthma Medicine

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine accidentally discovered taste receptors in the LUNGS! As if that weren't enough of a shocker, these receptors cause vasodilation like never seen before. It all began as research with smooth muscle cells in the lungs to study the mechanisms of and treatment for asthma, when low and behold "they discovered that the lungs have receptors that identify compounds that would taste bitter on the tongue." However, rather than causing a sudden surge of bitterness, the result is vasodilation more effective than current drugs used to stimulate beta-2 adrenergic receptors or to antagonize cholinergic receptors. I choose this article not only because we just recently learned about these similar mechanisms for vasodilation but because I find it amazing that simple natural compounds can work more effectively than man-made drugs. It makes me wonder if there is a natural solution to every problem we have had to use engineered drugs.

http://www.biomedicalblog.com/tastes-like-asthma-medicine/37400/

First commercial 3-D bio-printer makes human tissue and organs

Two engineering companies, Oganovo and Inventech, recently collaborated to design a printer that creates 3-D human organs and tissues. This printer can be used with adult cells of any type, and it can synthesize a wide variety of tissue shapes and sizes.

The printer works by first laying down either a hydrogel, a scaffold, or a support matrix based on a computer generated model of the desired organ or tissue. Then, the printer uses a laser calibration system to orient a capillary print head and deposit the cells in the target location. This process is accurate to the level of microns which is necessary to produce a functioning tissue.

This printer system is small enough to fit inside a bio-safety cabinet, and the two companies hope to distribute their printers to various international research centers within a few years.

I think that this type of 3-D printer is really remarkable considering how accurate the process would have to be. When I think of the size of the cells that are being placed on the scaffold, I am amazed by the printer's ability to perform with such high precision. It would be a really significant breakthrough if future generations of researchers could use this type of technology to build a replacement organ for a sick individual within a few days to replace, for example, a failing heart. Using this process would eliminate the need to wait for an organ donor and if the cells used in the printer came from the sick individual, then it would also avoid rejection of the implanted tissue.

The fact that this technology has become available to researchers on the market seems like a huge step forward in the field of producing artificial organs and is very promising for the future.

http://rdmag.com/New-To-Market/2009/12/New-to-Market-First-commercial-3-D-bio-printer-makes-human-tissue-and-organs/

Gene therapy for Parkinson's

Parkinson's is a disease that has been around for years and still remains without a cure. In people with Parkinson's, the production of GABA is low and have over stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus of the brain. This causes stress on the dopamine producing neurons which results in rigid muscles, tremors, and sluggish movements. But, is long-lasting treatment closer than we thought?

Andrew Feingin of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research conducted an "open lab" trial in 2007 that injected glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), a gene the promotes the production of GABA, helps improve the condition of Parkinson's patients.

To put this therapy to the test, another trial was conducted. This time it was a double blind trial where only the surgeons, not the patients or the doctors, know who received the placebo or who received the treatment. During this trial, 65 people with Parkinson's were used a subjects - 23 received the treatment, 22 received a saline solution, and 20 received nothing. At one, three, and six months later, the researchers took measurements of the patients symptoms and found that those who had received the treatment showed a 23.1 percent improvement in motor functions. The patients who had received the saline solution showed only a 12.7 percent improvement. Overall, the treatment was affective and well tolerated.

I found this article interesting because I know that advancements in Parkinson's have been sparse. This treatment shows incredible strides in the improvements in the motor skills of these patients and provides a promising future for Parkinson's research.

Implantable device for sleep apnea

Researchers at the University of California have designed a device to help those who suffer from sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, the tongue can block the airway, causing you to wake up. This device is implanted near the clavicle, and has a stimulation lead positioned near the airway. During each breath, the device delivers slight stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve. This stimulation restores tone the the muscles at the base of the tongue, helping to keep the airway open, giving the patient a chance for uninterrupted sleep.

There are some current treatments for OSA, but most are uncomfortable, and the majority of patients do not stick with the treatments. This implantable device could make treatment of OSA much more comfortable and effective. If this goes into production, patients would carry a remote to turn the device on whenever they want to sleep.

I chose this article because, as a biomedical engineer, I find implantable devices very interesting; it's incredible to see what seem to be futuristic ideas becoming reality.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-implantable-device-apnea.html

Treadmill Tests for Poison Frogs Show Toxic Species Are More Physically Fit

In the forests of Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama, 500 poisonous frogs were put through a fitness test. The fitness test was run by Santos and consisted of measuring the oxygen uptake during exercise utilizing a rotating plastic tube. The plastic tube was similar to a wheel that a hamster would run on. The result of this test found that the most deadly and poisonous frogs have the highest aerobic activity. These frogs are more efficient in extracting oxygen from each breath and sending it to their muscles, just like major athletes. Most animals make their own poison which sets these frogs apart from the rest. The frogs get their athletic ability from the food that they intake, which is primarily ants and mice. Since the poison frogs are so picky on what they eat, they have to search harder and move farther to find it unlike other poisonous animals that can eat whatever walks by. Aposematism, a syndrome involving the combination of toxic skin and bold colors, has developed alongside diet and physical fitness.

I chose this article because it caught my eye and sounded interesting to me. I was not aware of how different the poison frogs are from the rest of the venomous animals.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110329134250.htm

Thought-Controlled Prosthetic Limb System to Be Tested on Human Subjects

Researchers at John Hopkins University have recently gotten a grant to help them further research a design a new arm prosthetic. They have come up with a couple of different designs that surpass any current model. These devices weigh around nine pounds, which is about what the normal arm weighs. This will make it much easier on the patient compared to the heavier current models. The new design also has 22 degrees of motion. This motion includes independent motion of each finger. This will allow the patient to have nearly the same motion that they had with their normal limb.

Many research groups have been looking into the brain activity involved in the different motions of the arm. They have used microarrays to record and stimulate the brain. They want this information so that they could use implantable neural interfaces to control the arm. Researchers are also trying to figure out some of the signals that provide the sensory feedback. If they could get all this patients would have a prosthetic that weighed close to a normal arm, would allow feeling, controlled by thought, and many degrees of movement. This would be a tremendous breakthrough in the field of orthopedics, and would make a big difference in many people's lives.

I was interested in this article, because the field of prosthesis is very interesting to me. It is also amazing to see how far science is going to understanding how everything works in the human body. The url for the article is http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100804081227.htm.

New Cancer Drug Heads to Clinical Trials

Programmed cell death, commonly referred to as apoptosis, is a normal and highly regulated process where cells die after a set time period. This process is used to remove defective and unnecessary cells. Deregulation of apoptosis and an irregular system are usually signs of cancer. When cancer forms in the body, the cancer cells do not have an apoptotic course, so they grow uncontrollably and indefinitely. Current cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation work by inducing apoptosis in the cancer cells. This is not always effective though because of the irregular apoptotic pathways in the cancer cells, and they often become resistant to these therapies. Dr. Shaomeng Wang and his team have created a new drug that seems to be solving this issue. AT-406 works by removing the proteins that block apoptosis in cancer cells, therefore promoting apoptosis of the cancer cells, and directly reducing the resistance to other treatments of these cells. These proteins are called IAP’s, or inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. In the clinical trials of AT-406, the drug has had minimal, if any, effect on normal cells, and it reduced tumor size and caused few side effects.

I chose this article because it deals with cancer research, and I am very interested in both the research aspect and also pharmacology. I found it fascinating how the doctors are tweaking current therapies, and creating a whole new class of drugs that seem to be working remarkably well in the battle against cancer.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110329134302.htm
Picture: http://www.ascenta.com/development/index.php