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Stitching together 'lab-on-a-chip' devices with cotton thread and sewing needles Science Daily Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Scientists in Australia are reporting the first use of ordinary cotton thread and sewing needles to literally stitch together a microfluidic analytical device — microscopic technology that can transport fluids for medical tests and other purposes in a lab-on-a-chip. The chips shrink room-sized diagnostic testing equipment down to the size of a postage stamp, and promise revolutionary applications in medicine, environmental sensing, and other areas. Their study is in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a monthly journal. More ![]() Oil droplets can navigate complex maze EurekaAlert! Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Call them oil droplets with a brain or even "chemo-rats." Scientists in Illinois have developed a way to make simple oil droplets "smart" enough to navigate through a complex maze almost like a trained lab rat. The finding could have a wide range of practical implications, including helping cancer drugs to reach their target and controlling the movement of futuristic nano-machines, the scientists say. Their study is in the weekly Journal of the American Chemical Society. More Long-term outcomes of autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma Clinical Lymphoma & Myeloma via Medscape Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() When compared with standard-dose chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation has been found to be significantly superior in terms of complete remission rate, time to progression, and overall survival. On the other hand, three randomized trials have demonstrated no benefit in OS with autoSCT. Although autoSCT is of benefit, it is not considered curative. More Expert: Using antiretroviral drugs early may curb HIV/AIDS spread CNN Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Antiretroviral drugs that are being used to prolong the lives of patients infected with HIV/AIDS could also be greatly effective in slowing its spread, epidemiologist Brian Williams said. The concentration of the virus drops by a factor of 10,000 with antiretroviral treatment, resulting in 25 times the reduction of infectiousness, said Williams, formerly of the World Health Organization and now at the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis. More ![]() Back to the future with stem cells American Chemical Society Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Of all the obstacles faced by researchers trying to develop stem cell therapies, finding a noncontroversial supply of these omnipotent cells was, for many years, a particularly thorny problem. Opposition, on ethical grounds, to using embryos as a source of pluripotent stem cells—which can morph into any cell of the human body—was so intense that it surely challenged the optimism of even the most ardent advocates of stem cell therapeutics. More Emerging antibiotics: Will we have what we need? Medscape Infectious Diseases Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The word "antibiotic" has always been to me a symbol of the miracles of modern medicine. Perhaps they're a bit ordinary these days compared with robotic surgery or capsule endoscopy, but in a different time, antibiotics literally changed the world. It began in 1928 when bacteriologist Alexander Fleming serendipitously realized that the growth of Streptococcus aureus was inhibited in a petri dish contaminated by mold. Within a few years we had sulfa drugs; rapidly followed by more effective beta-lactams, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and by 1950, the aminoglycosides. More
Study shows how viruses changed human evolution Reuters via ABC News Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Italian scientists said they had found evidence of how viruses helped change the course of human evolution and said their discovery could help in the design of better drugs and vaccines. They found more than 400 different mutations in 139 genes that play a role in people's risk of catching viruses — a finding that may also help explain why some people sail through flu season unscathed while others seem to catch every bug around. More Dolphins may offer clues to treating diabetes Science News via U.S. News & World Report Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Fish might be brain food, but it doesn't supply the high levels of fuel needed to keep a dolphin brain functioning. New research adds to evidence suggesting that bottlenose dolphins go into a harmless diabetic state during overnight fasting, thereby maintaining high levels of glucose in the blood. The research suggests that dolphins may be a good model for studying diabetes and could offer insights into treating the disease in people. More |
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