A study unveiled this month showed that children who need a heart transplant can live longer on an artificial heart pump than with traditional methods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the artificial heart — called the Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device — in December 2011. But a paper summarizing the study [...]
Polymer Joins Fight Against Illnesses
August 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A polymer is helping vaccines against diseases be more effective. In mice, at least. The scientists from Oxford University, and Swedish and U.S. colleges say that mice injected with test vaccines designed to fight infectious diseases, such as the flu, HIV, and the herpes virus, were better protected when the polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) was added [...]
Quick Chemical Test for Fake Drugs
August 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
American scientists have developed tests that determine whether medications are fake. Counterfeit medications are a lucrative and popular business. The World Health Organization estimates that 10 to 30% of drugs sold in developing countries are fake, reports Voice of America. “It appears that a lot of counterfeit drugs are coming out of Southeast Asia and [...]
Polymers in Sutures Heal Wounds Faster
August 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Traditional sutures help the healing process by closing and sealing a wound. Now, thanks to some research from scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, smart sutures can measure skin temperature, deliver heat to a wound, if need be, and perhaps soon provide electrical stimulation or release drugs. The development could speed healing for [...]
Polymers Help Make Flexible Battery
August 27, 2012 By 1 Comment
For flexible computer or smartphone displays, there’s now a flexible battery whose creators say has high-power density and thermal stability. Until now, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been thought of as a leading candidate for a high-performance flexible energy source. However, compliant electrodes for bendable LIBs are restricted to only a few materials, such as [...]
Polymerization of Compounds Has Benefits
August 24, 2012 By 2 Comments
Research chemists at a military center have taken a naturally occurring compound and polymerized it so that food can be stored for longer periods, material can be flame-retardant, and possibly drugs can fight cancer. About 10 years ago, scientists found that they could polymerize epicatechin, an antioxidant found in green tea, white tea, and red [...]
Polymer Prevents Flat Tires
August 23, 2012 By 8 Comments
You’re ready to drive to your morning business appointment. You’re on time and out the door. But then, as you approach the car… Oh, no! One of your tires is flat. You must have run over a nail last night, and the tire sat all night, slowly leaking air. There’s no way to make the [...]
DHS Developing Chemical Detectors
August 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking for a good sniffer. Of dangerous chemicals, that is. DHS wants to find a laboratory that can use “a prescribed set of performance specifications to evaluate and assess commercially developed chemical vapor detectors for use within the civilian public and private sectors,” according to a statement of [...]
Quick Laser Zaps Tumors
August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Researchers in Tennessee have developed lasers that can map and then destroy cancerous tumors without damaging surrounding tissue. The technology uses a femtosecond laser, pulsing at speeds of one-quadrillionth of a second. Its speed allows it to focus in on one specific region to find and map the turmor. “Using ultra-short light pulses gives us [...]
Medical Devices Cutting Need for Office Visits
August 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Medical devices with cutting-edge technology are getting smarter in their ability to monitor our health condition and make our lives easier. Take, for example, a prosthetic leg that can change its heel height — required when walking up or down an incline — when the wearer pushes a button on a smartphone that triggers the [...]
