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Medical science and technology

Started by Dave, September 07, 2017, 03:01:57 AM

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Dave

QuoteScientists have 3D printed the most advanced artificial cornea ever using human cells

They're not ready for human eyes yet, but one day these artificial corneas might help people see

Scientists have 3D printed the thin protective film over the eye, called the cornea, using human cells — and it's the most advanced version of an artificial cornea yet. Should the technology improve, it could help millions of people see again.

It was tricky to find the right recipe for an ink that's thin enough to squirt through a 3D printer's nozzle, says Che Connon, a tissue engineer at Newcastle University who was one of the creators of the artificial cornea. This bio-ink didn't just have to be thin — it also had to be stiff enough that it could hold its shape as a 3D structure. To get the right consistency, the researchers added a jelly-like goo called alginate and stem cells extracted from donor corneas, along with some ropy proteins called collagen.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/30/17411268/cornea-transplants-3d-printing-human-cells-eyes-science
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Dave

#31
This one could be in "All things brain" but I am going to claim it here:
QuotePromise of faster, more accessible schizophrenia diagnosis
Researchers explore eye function in schizophrenia as a window into the brain
A new study shows how the hand-held device RETeval may prove to be a more accessible way to diagnose schizophrenia, predict relapse and symptom severity, and assess treatment effectiveness.

A portable device common in optometrists' offices may hold the key to faster diagnosis of schizophrenia, predicting relapse and symptom severity and assessing treatment effectiveness, a Rutgers University study finds.

In the study, published in the May 2018 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, researchers used RETeval, a hand-held device developed to record electrical activity from the retina, to replicate and extend prior studies showing that people with schizophrenia had abnormal electrical activity in the retina. This was the first time a portable device was used for these tests. The results show the device accurately indicated reduced electrical activity in the retina in multiple cell layers in the participants who had schizophrenia, including in cell types that had not been studied before in this disorder.

[...]
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180530113131.htm

Items about eyes being diagnostic for all kinds of things, including schizophrenia, go back several years, mostly based on patterns in the iris IIRC. This seems to take it into another path,
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

I have to say I'm in two minds about this subject.  I'll get my coat.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dave

Quote from: Tank on June 05, 2018, 08:12:36 AM
I have to say I'm in two minds about this subject.  I'll get my coat.

You are probably right to be a bit sceptical, Tank. Thought it worth reporting but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If statistically significant diagnosese do not occur it will be another pie in the sky.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Dave

There have been some new medical glues over the past couple of years and a new one. Voltaglue, has joined the group. It works inside the body on wet stuff and is set (and unset), as its name suggests, using electricity. The amount of energy determines the bond strength, or unbonds.

Quote"Voltaglue" sticks in the wet and hardens when voltage is applied

A glue that performs at a high-level in wet environments could bring about all sorts of possibilities in areas like surgical care and ship maintenance. A somewhat common approach to this problem has been trying to replicate the freakish ability of mussels to bind themselves to boats and jetties, but a team from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University is coming at it from a slightly different angle by developing a glue that hardens when an electrical charge is applied.
https://newatlas.com/voltaglue-adhesive-underwater-electricity-voltage/39107/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b6hrlr (Inside Science)

It might also have under water repair applications.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74