Prototype for ‘Bionic Eye’ Created with 3D Printer

In a new advancement that could benefit the blind, researchers from the University of Minnesota could successfully 3D print an arrangement of light receptors on a curved plane, which could be the preceding steps to building a ‘bionic eye.'

"Bionic eyes are usually thought of as science fiction, but now we are closer than ever using a multi-material 3D printer," noted Michael McAlpine, co-author of the study and University of Minnesota Benjamin Mayhugh Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Their paper was recently published in a materials science peer-reviewed scientific journal, Advanced Materials.

For the hour-long process, the team used their tailor-made 3D printer, incorporated with a silver particle based foundation ink, to draw on a hemispherical shell made out of glass, carrying out the tricky task of printing electronics on rounded planes without it dripping down. The ink remained on the surface and dried homogeneously. Subsequently, photodiodes, that transform light into electricity, were printed with the help of semiconducting polymer materials.

They were amazed to see 25% success in transforming the light into electricity with the semiconductors which were entirely 3D printed, exclaimed McAlpine.

"We have a long way to go to routinely print active electronics reliably, but our 3D-printed semiconductors are now starting to show that they could potentially rival the efficiency of semiconducting devices fabricated in microfabrication facilities," McAlpine said. "Plus, we can easily print a semiconducting device on a curved surface, and they can't."

The ‘bionic ear’ that surfaced in the news in the recent past, was an invention by the same team. They have gained fame for incorporating biology, 3D printing and electronics together on the same plane.

McAlpine aspires to build a prototype with added high-efficiency light receptors in the future and also look for a soft rounded plane to be implanted in the living eye. 

The post Prototype for ‘Bionic Eye’ Created with 3D Printer appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

By Ddu

WHO Reports a Doctor Being a New Probable Case of Ebola in Congo’s Violence Struck Area

As dreaded by the WHO, the first possible case of Ebola of a doctor presenting Ebola symptoms in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a violence-hit unapproachable area.

The doctor, a resident of Oichia in North Kivu, is one among the 14 verified or probable cases in medical professionals. He tested negative for the preliminary test but has been hospitalized again owing to Ebola symptoms post a confirmatory test of his wife who had traveled to the neighboring city of Beni, as per WHO head of emergency operations, Dr. Peter Salama. However, reports from fresh samples are awaited.

The ADF Ugandan Islamist militia has sieged majority of Oicha, resulting in “extremely serious security concerns” after many civilians were killed, he said, adding that the region’s aid laborers, priests and government executives had been held hostage. North Kivu is threatened by dozens out of the 100 and more groups of gunmen that have caused bloodshed in eastern Congo.

For prevention, the acquaintances of the couple, totalling to 97 up till now, have been immunized in Oicha, as reported by Salama.

“So for the first time really we have a confirmed case and contacts in an area of very high insecurity. It really was the problem we were anticipating and the problem at the same time that we were dreading,” he said.

 “We know from that incident now in Oicha we are going to have to operate in some very complex environments due to security and access concerns.”

No less than 900 people have lost their lives to Ebola since 1976 when it was first discovered on the Ebola River, causing 10 outbreaks in Congo till date.

The post WHO Reports a Doctor Being a New Probable Case of Ebola in Congo’s Violence Struck Area appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

First Dual-Lead Nerve Stimulator for Pain Management gets FDA Nod

SPR Therapeutics’ single- and dual-lead peripheral nerve stimulation devices win FDA nod as minimally invasive, non-opioid alternatives to treat acute chronic, postoperative and post-traumatic pain when implanted for up to two months.

The Sprint system, owned by SPR Therapeutics, comprises Endura, a single-lead device and the Extensa, market’s foremost double-lead device which enables physicians to manage cases by targeting two nerves in patients nursing wider injuries.

Leads are placed percutaneously in the back or extremities by the physician, as part of a clinical procedure not involving surgical incisions or anesthesia, while a sole, wearable electronic pulse initiator powered by rechargeable batteries and a remote control functioning via Bluetooth.

“Our Sprint PNS platform is designed to deliver the least invasive and most user-friendly PNS therapy experience for physicians and their patients,” SPR’s founder, president and CEO, Maria Bennett, said in a statement.

At the end of the procedure, all parts of the device are removed, differing from other PNS systems requiring a permanent implant. SPR had attained a 510(k) approval in June 2016 for a 30-day regimen.

“With the ease of use and dual lead capabilities we’ve built into the SPRINT System we look forward to advancing the early use of neurostimulation as a non-opioid alternative for more patients while we continue to generate data that demonstrate significant and sustained pain relief following our 60-day therapy,” Bennett said.

Early findings from a federally funded study of the system conducted on chronic post-amputation pain revealed a considerable decrease of at least 50% in two-thirds of patients post 8 weeks of treatment. Moreover, long-lasting pain relief was noted in four out of five patients who finished a 12-month study, maximum of which included implantation of dual leads in the hip and thigh, as per SPR.

The post First Dual-Lead Nerve Stimulator for Pain Management gets FDA Nod appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

Deep Learning used by Johns Hopkins Researchers to detect Pancreatic Cancer Early

Elliot K. Fishman, MD, professor of radiology, surgery, oncology and urology at Johns Hopkins Hospital seeks the help of GPU-accelerated deep learning artificial intelligence to detect pancreatic cancer early which is nearly impossible for humans alone.

His work is focused on spotting the earliest indicators of cancer by guiding deep learning algorithms to detect slightest changes in the texture of the tissue of the pancreas and adjacent organs. Fishman approximates that almost a third of the cases he receives could have been diagnosed 4 to 12 months earlier with deep learning detection.

"The major treatment for pancreatic cancer for cure is surgery, but unfortunately, because of late detection, no more than 15-20 percent of patients at the time of presentation are surgical candidates," said Fishman.

"Sometimes it is indeed simply by a retrospectoscope that we see the findings and sometimes it was simply just not seen by the initial interpreter," Fishman explained. "The goal of using GPU-accelerated deep learning would be to optimize lesion detection so that you can detect every lesion that is present at the earliest time."

He thinks that the one thing Johns Hopkins has to rely on the supercomputers for is to discover and identify even fine changes in texture and pattern than just lumps.

"Our group has two NVIDIA DGX-1 supercomputers," he explained. "The DGX-1 is the state of the art in AI and is necessary for our work. It allows us to review and study the results of hundreds of cases simultaneously and to be able to change parameters, develop algorithms that would be otherwise impossible.”

"It is these algorithms that allow us to optimize the detection of tumor and to eventually be able to define specificity of tumor type and hopefully also allow us to determine better management strategies," he added.

The post Self-Compositioning Scaffold Enhances Bone Injury Repair appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

By Ddu

Self-Compositioning Scaffold Enhances Bone Injury Repair

Management of bone injuries made simpler by researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) where researchers have designed a self-positioning scaffold to be implanted into bone fractures that induce bone regeneration.

This novel scaffold aims to enhance the repair of bone injuries and fractures. It incorporates shape memory polyurethane foam and hydroxyapatite, a bone tissue component.

The shape memory material enables the scaffold to be shaped at 0°C and entrenched with this shape at room temperature. It can take its former shape at 40°C. The scaffold can thus fit into the uneven bone defects, and the interim temperatures make it ideal for minimally invasive surgical procedures.

The bone scaffold has a porous, interlinked make-up facilitating cells to travel and generate new tissues. The average pore size of the scaffold is almost equal to that of the interior layer of bone, enabling replication of the real in-vivo microenvironment. The optimal composition is about 60% of space voids.

Moreover, the scaffold proved biocompatible and did not produce any cytotoxicity when tested under laboratory settings. It also had the potential to cause the generation of osteoblasts and blood vessels.

During research, 18 rabbits with femoral bone defects were implanted with the new scaffolds condensed to about half of their original size. When stimulated with 40°C saline, the scaffolds enlarged from their condensed shape to pack the defect within 60 seconds.

12 weeks post the surgery, a quicker bone tissue ingrowth in volume was observed. Results showed 46% of bone ingrowth in implanted rabbits as compared to 24% in the control wing.

PolyU researcher Hu Jinlian said, “The results show that our scaffold has overcome the disadvantages of traditional polymer scaffolds, and has great potential for bone regeneration.”

The post Self-Compositioning Scaffold Enhances Bone Injury Repair appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

Parallel Stimulant and Opioid use Rampant in Adult ADHD

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are simultaneously consuming stimulants and opioids, warranting necessity for research into the merits and demerits of prolonged joint-administration of these drugs.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with Medicaid Analytic eXtract data from 66,406 adults having ADHD in 29 states. Largely, 32.7% took stimulants, and 5.4% had taken stimulants and opioids concurrently for at least 30 successive days. Adults who took stimulants showed frequent long-term opioid use, contrasted with those who did not take stimulants, wrote Yu-Jung “Jenny” Wei, Ph.D., and her colleagues. The results of the report were published in JAMA Network Open.

They also noted that individuals in their 30s demonstrated a 7% higher occurrence of long-term joint use than that with individuals in their 20s. Moreover, those 41 - 50 years old showed a14% elevated incidence, and those 51 - 64 years old showed 17% elevated incidences.

Those who had pain had a 10% increased prevalence of simultaneous consumption, and other factors linked to concurrent consumption included: non-Hispanic white ethnicity, residence in the southern United States, depression, anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, or cardiovascular diseases. Schizophrenics seemed to show a 5% lesser prevalence of concurrent use.

“Although the concurrent use of stimulants and opioids may initially have been prompted by ADHD symptoms and comorbid chronic pain, continued use of opioids alone or combined with central nervous system stimulants may result in drug dependence and other adverse effects (e.g., overdose) because of the high potential for abuse and misuse,” the authors wrote. “Identifying these high-risk patients allows for early intervention and may reduce the number of adverse events associated with the long-term use of these medications.”

The post Parallel Stimulant and Opioid use Rampant in Adult ADHD appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

Research Finds New Compounds to Reverse Key Aspects of Human Cell Aging

Research shows that chief aspects of the aging of human cells can be inverted by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter.

Researchers tested compounds intended to target mitochondria in a laboratory study of endothelial cells. In the samples under study, the number of senile cells was decreased by up to 50%. The Exeter team also recognized two splicing factors that play a major part in when and how endothelial cells become senescent.

"As human bodies age, they accumulate old cells that do not function as well as younger cells," said Professor Lorna Harries, of the University of Exeter Medical School.

"This is not just an effect of ageing—it's a reason why we age. The compounds developed at Exeter have the potential to tweak the mechanisms by which this aging of cells happens.”

"We used to think age-related diseases like cancer, dementia and diabetes each had a unique cause, but they actually track back to one or two common mechanisms. This research focuses on one of these mechanisms, and the findings with our compounds have potentially opened up the way for new therapeutic approaches in the future.”

"This may well be the basis for a new generation of anti-degenerative drugs."

Professor Harries said the aim was to help people stay healthier for longer. She added: "This is about health span and quality of life, rather than merely extending lifespan."

The new research specifically targeted and aimed at rejuvenating mitochondria in old cells.

In this new study, using fresh chemicals, the researchers were able to precisely target two splicing factors (SRSF2 or HNRNPD) that have a chief role in determining how and why our cells transform with increasing age.

"Nearly half of the aged cells we tested showed signs of rejuvenating into young cell models," said Professor Harries.

The post Research Finds New Compounds to Reverse Key Aspects of Human Cell Aging appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

Close Link between Cytomegalovirus and Cardiovascular Disease

A research team from Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) have found a close link between a Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the immune cells that could damage cardiovascular tissue. This study has been published in Theragnostic Journal.

Like the cold sore causing herpes virus, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is considered to be harmless. Our immune system controls this virus and as a result, many people don’t realize that they have it.

The work conducted under Prof Florian Kern, Chair of Immunology from BSMS, has reported the production of a specific type of immune cells due to CMV infection.

These cells, known as CD28null CD4 T-cells, are involved in damaging the arteries around the heart, but it was previously assumed this occurred due to aging.

Dr Alejandra Pera, the lead author of the study said, "While we had previously been aware of a link between these immune cells and cardiovascular damage, this study is the first to show that sufficient numbers to be damaging only occur in the presence of this infection."

Professor Florian Kern commented, "Our work suggests that Cytomegalovirus infection is an important clinical factor to be considered in coronary heart disease and advanced atherosclerosis, and raises the possibility that treatment of the virus may be effective in the management or even prevention of coronary heart disease in a tangible proportion of patients. Tissue type might help identify those individuals most at risk."

The post Close Link between Cytomegalovirus and Cardiovascular Disease appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

Alembic Pharma gets USFDA Approval for Ophthalmic Solution

Hypotrichosis is defined as the condition of abnormal hair patterns which leads to predominant loss or reduction. Usually, hair growth is normal after birth, but later, hair starts shedding and is replaced by abnormal hair growth patterns. The new hair will be short and brittle without pigmentation. By 25 years of age, there will be major hair loss.

Pharma drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals has received tentative approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) for their Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Solution. This solution is used to treat hypotrichosis (hair loss) of the eyelashes whereby the length, thickness and darkness would be increased.

At present, Alembic Pharmaceuticals is involved in a lawsuit with Allergan in the District Court of New Jersey and the launch of their ophthalmic solution will be entirely dependent on the consequence of litigation.

Alembic Pharmaceuticals mentioned in a BSE filing that the tentatively approved Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) is therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug product (RLQ), LATISSE ophthalmic solution, which is 0.03 percent of Allergan.

By quoting IQVIA sales data, Alembic Pharmaceuticals mentioned that the Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Solution had had a predictable market size of USD 63 million for 12 months by the end of December 2017. Alembic Pharmaceuticals declared that at present, it only has a total of 76 ANDA approvals from the USFDA.

The post Alembic Pharma gets USFDA Approval for Ophthalmic Solution appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk

NAFLD Aggravated by Even Modest Alcohol Use

A longitudinal cohort study published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology revealed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients who consumed modest amounts of alcohol had notably low improvement in steatosis and significantly lower chances of recovery of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), contrasted with non-drinkers.

Modest drinkers also showed less of a rise in their AST levels, compared with non-drinkers, said Veeral Ajmera, MD, of the University of California, San Diego, and his associates. “Importantly, our results suggest that cessation of alcohol use may mitigate these changes,” they wrote. Clinicians should think of the spectrum of NAFLD, and especially NASH when advising about alcohol use. “More advanced NAFLD severity may warrant counseling against [even] modest alcohol use.”

There were 285 women, white, and obese, in their late 40s with an average body mass index of 34.7 kg/m2 included. Overall, 59% consumed up to two drinks every day, whereas 41% did not consume alcohol. Considering an average of 47 months between biopsies, non-drinkers showed 0.49 reduction in steatosis grade on an average, significantly higher than that of modest drinkers. Non-drinkers also showed a sharper decline in mean AST levels (7 U/L), contrasted with drinkers (2 U/L).

On controlling for the possible contributing factors, modest drinkers had remarkably lower chances of NASH resolution, compared to non-drinkers.

“[The] presence of NASH has consistently been shown to predict increased risk for fibrosis progression, and therefore, our finding of less NASH resolution among consistent modest drinkers is clinically relevant,” the investigators noted. “Although we were unable to assess the association between modest alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk, we did not see any significant changes in measured metabolic risk factors with known associations with cardiovascular disease including low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and insulin resistance.”

The post NAFLD Aggravated by Even Modest Alcohol Use appeared first on Drugdu.com

from Drugdu  https://goo.gl/QgQoHk