Exercise produces positive effects on the intervertebral discs

Posted by Biomechanism 

(“Biomechanism.com“) Physical exercise has a positive effect on the formation of cells in the intervertebral discs. This is shown by a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), which is currently taking place in Gothenburg.

Each intervertebral disc is a flat, biscuit-shaped structure with a jelly-like centre called the nucleus and an extremely strong outer skin called the annulus.

The study from the Sahlgrenska Academy shows that physical activity has a positive effect on cells in the intervertebral discs. The result is based on rats undergoing treadmill exercise. It was subsequently studied how many new cells in the intervertebral discs were formed in rats that had run on a treadmill for about one hour a day compared with animals that had only moved around freely in a cage.

“This is new knowledge showing that the intervertebral discs can be positively affected by physical activity,” says Helena Brisby, an associate professor at the Department of Orthopaedics at Sahlgrenska Academy and spine surgeon at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Pain in the lumbar spine is common and may be due to disc degeneration, which means that the disc cells no longer have normal functions. Based on the results of the study, the research team led by Helena Brisby and Björn Rydevik intends to go on to study whether the cells in degenerated discs respond as positively to exercise as they have now shown to do in normal discs.

“Physical exercise is already an important part of the treatment for back pain today, but there is limited knowledge about the specific effect that exercise has on the discs and what the optimal dose of exercise is,” says Björn Rydevik, a professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Sahlgrenska Academy.

The research team plan for continued studies with this animal model, which hopefully will establish whether exercise can prevent disc degeneration and could consequently prevent back pain, but also aims to study the effect of exercise when back problems have already arisen.

The annual meeting is organised by the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, which is a non-profit organisation with members from all parts of the world who conduct research on problems affecting the lumbar spine. The purpose of the annual meeting is to create a forum where the researchers can exchange knowledge.

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Team of students invents device to cut dialysis risk

Posted by Biomechanism 

Johns Hopkins University graduate students have invented a device to reduce the risk of infection, clotting and narrowing of the blood vessels in patients who need blood-cleansing dialysis because of kidney failure.

Caption: This illustration shows the Hermova Port attached to the femoral vein beneath the skin, where the student inventors say the risk of infection is reduced. Credit: Johns Hopkins University

The device, designed to be implanted under the skin in a patient’s leg, would give a technician easy access to the patient’s bloodstream and could be easily opened and closed at the beginning and end of a dialysis procedure.

The prototype has not yet been used in human patients, but testing in animals has begun.

The students learned about the need for such a device last year while accompanying physicians on hospital rounds as part of their academic program. They watched as one doctor performed a procedure to open a narrowed blood vessel at a kidney patient’s dialysis access site. They learned that this narrowing was a common complication facing kidney patients.

The students discovered that kidney failure each year requires 1.5 million people globally and 350,000 in the United States alone to undergo regular hemodialysis to prevent a fatal buildup of toxins in the bloodstream. The students also learned that the three most common ways to connect the machine to a patient’s bloodstream work only for a limited time because of problems with infection, blood clots and narrowing of the blood vessels. Current dialysis access options are “grossly inadequate,” contributing to increased healthcare expenses and, in some cases, patient deaths, the students say.

Caption: An illustration of a closeup view of the Hemova Port, connected below the skin in the patient's leg to a femoral vein. Credit: Johns Hopkins University

To address these problems, the students developed an access port that can be implanted in the leg beneath the skin, reducing the risk of infection. The Hemova Port’s two valves can be opened by a dialysis technician with a syringe from outside the skin. The technician can similarly close the valves when the procedure is over, an approach that helps avoid infection and clotting. The device also includes a simple cleaning system, serving as yet another way to deter infections.

Currently, most dialysis access sites are in the arm or the heart. The Hemova device instead is sutured to the leg’s femoral vein, avoiding the unnaturally high blood flows that cause vessel narrowing when dialysis machines are connected to veins and arteries in the arm. The student inventors say the Hemova Port’s leg connection should allow the site to remain in use for a significantly longer period of time.

The port won a $10,000 first prize for Johns Hopkins graduate students in the 2011 ASME Innovation Showcase. The competition, involving 10 collegiate teams, was conducted in Texas earlier this month at the annual meeting of ASME, founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Judges based their awards on technical ingenuity, quality of business plans, potential for success in the marketplace and other factors.

Caption: The Hemova Port was developed by Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering graduate students, from left, Peter Li, Thora Thorgilsdottir, Sherri Hall, Mary O'Grady and Shishira Nagesh. Credit: Will Kirk/JHU

The five biomedical engineering students on the team were enrolled in a one-year master’s degree program in the university’s Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design. Sherri Hall, Peter Li, Shishira Nagesh, Mary O’Grady and Thora Thorgilsdottir all recently graduated, but Li has remained in Baltimore to form a company that will continue to test and develop the project.

With help from the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer staff, the team has filed for three provisional patents covering their technology. The patents list the five students and three medical faculty advisers as the inventors.

“Winning first-place in the ASME competition is a great honor,” Li said. “The award and the recognition will go a long way toward helping to continue further research, and we hope it will bring us closer to the day when our device is available to help dialysis patients.”

The Hemova team has applied for a $50,000 grant to conduct more animal testing in the coming months. Clinical trials involving human patients could begin as soon as 2013, the students said.

Nano-crystals make solar cells

Nano-crystals make solar cells

FRESHSCIENCE

Solar cells can be used to assemble large scale panels. Image: FernandoAH/iStockphoto Australian researchers have invented nanotech solar cells that are thin, flexible and use 1/100th the materials of conventional solar cells. Printable, flexible solar cells that could dramatically decrease the cost of renewable energy have been developed by PhD student Brandon MacDonald in collaboration with his colleagues from CSIRO’s Future Manufacturing Flagship and the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Institute. Their patented technology is based on inks containing tiny, semiconducting nanocrystals, which can be printed directly onto a variety of surfaces. By choosing the right combination of ink and surface it is possible to make efficient solar cells using very little material or energy. “The problem with traditional solar cells,” Brandon says, “is that making them requires many complex and energy intensive steps.” “Using nanocrystal inks, they can be manufactured in a continuous manner, which increases throughput and should make the cells much cheaper to produce.” Nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, are semiconducting particles with a diameter of a few millionths of a millimetre. Because of their extremely small size they can remain suspended in a solution. This solution can then be deposited onto a variety of materials, including flexible plastics or metal foils. It is then dried to form a thin film. Brandon and his colleagues discovered that by depositing multiple layers of nanocrystals they can fill in any defects formed during the drying process. The result is a densely packed, uniform film, ideal for lightweight solar cells. The nanocrystals consist of a semiconducting material called cadmium telluride, which is a very strong absorber of light. This means that the resulting cells can be made very thin. “The total amount of material used in these cells is about 1 per cent of what you would use for a typical silicon solar cell. Even compared to other types of cadmium telluride cells ours are much thinner, using approximately one-tenth as much material,” Brandon says. The technology is not limited to solar cells. It can also be used to make printable versions of other electronic devices, such as light emitting diodes, lasers or transistors. For his work Brandon has received the 2010/11 DuPont Young Innovator’s Award and has had his work published in the journal Nano Letters. Brandon MacDonald is one of 16 early-career scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Australian Government.

Preterm babies risk kidneys

Preterm babies risk kidneys

MONASH UNIVERSITY

"Preterm babies had far fewer nephrons - the 'building blocks' that make our kidneys." Image: MichaelBlackburn/iStockphoto Babies born prematurely could be at greater risk of developing kidney diseases later in life according to a landmark study investigating the impacts of preterm birth on kidney development. The Monash University study is identifying new strategies for minimising the consequences of being born preterm, which accounts for around eight per cent of births each year in Australia. By comparing the kidneys of babies born prematurely with those born after the full nine-month gestation, the research team, led by Associate Professor Jane Black from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, identified that preterm babies had far fewer nephrons – the ‘building blocks’ that make our kidneys. “An average person has around 800,000 to 1.5 million nephrons and the number we have at birth is the number we have for life,” Associate Professor Black said. “We have shown that babies born preterm have less nephrons, in the range of 400,000 – 600,000. This is because nephron development occurs in the last few weeks of pregnancy, so babies born preterm have not had time to complete the developmental process.” “Even moderate preterm babies, those born within four weeks of full gestation, who were previously considered to have achieved ‘normal’ development, were found to have far fewer nephrons and underdeveloped kidneys.” Associate Professor Black said the findings were of critical importance because of the known link between having fewer nephrons and renal, or kidney, diseases. “The more nephrons you have the more ‘solid’ a structure your kidneys will have. When we look at kidneys that have fewer nephrons, abnormalities are present, which indicates that preterm babies could be much more susceptible to renal disease and possible kidney failure later in life,” Associate Professor Black said. “Particularly in the last 30 years, we have had great successes with preterm births and today even babies born 26 weeks premature have an 80 per cent chance of survival. Preterm babies now account for around eight per cent of births in Australia and 12-14 per cent in the USA.” “Because the improvements in survival rates are only recent, we have not yet witnessed the impact of premature births on the health system.” Associate Professor Black has received two prestigious grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) administered by Monash University. “The NHMRC funding will enable Monash researchers to study the development of kidneys and hearts in preterm babies,” Associate Professor Black said. “With the kidney studies, our aim is to develop strategies that will ensure these babies have the highest number of nephrons possible, in order to give them the best start in life.” “We need to know the things that restrict nephron development and are looking at a range of factors, including blood pressure, respiration, medications taken during pregnancy, and care following birth.” “We are also working with Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory so we can make a comparison between the renal development of Indigenous and non-Indigenous babies. This is timely as Indigenous people have 17 times greater incidence of renal disease than the non-Indigenous population,” said Associate Professor Black.

HIV hides in brain

HIV hides in brain

FRESHSCIENCE

"About one in five of those infected by HIV ends up with dementia." Image: skodonnell/iStockphoto HIV can hide out in the brain, protected from the immune system and antiviral drugs, Dr Lachlan Gray and his colleagues at Monash University and the Burnet Institute have found. Their discovery is an important step in understanding the link between HIV infection and HIV dementia, and is important for the eradication of HIV in general. “The persistence of the virus in the brain compromises the brain’s normal function, and leads to the death of neurons and to clinical dementia,” Lachlan says. In fact, about one in five of those infected by HIV ends up with dementia. “We believe our findings will aid the development of novel drugs that will prevent HIV using the brain as a sanctuary, and help to shape future eradication strategies.” Lachlan’s work is being presented for the first time in public through Fresh Science, a communication boot camp for early career scientists held at the Melbourne Museum. He was one of 16 winners from across Australia. Lachlan has been examining the life cycle of the virus to understand better how it survives within the brain. “We’ve identified changes in the way the virus reproduces, which allows it to keep a low profile and persist undetected in the brain.” At present, people living with HIV must rely on the continued use of antiviral drugs to control their infection. “Viral persistence is a major barrier to the cure of AIDS. Modern drugs are very good at controlling the virus, but they are unable to eradicate it from ‘sanctuary’ sites like the brain,” Lachlan’s supervisor, Associate Professor Melissa Churchill says. “Unfortunately, brain infection often leads to dementia which can be very debilitating. Somewhat more concerning, HIV is now the commonest cause of dementia in people under the age of 40, and is placing an extra burden on our mental health services.” Lachlan’s research is part of a larger project aiming to trial new drugs that could potentially eradicate or even cure HIV. Lachlan Gray is one of 16 early-career scientists unveiling their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Australian Government.

Wildfires destroying soil

Wildfires destroying soil

FRESHSCIENCE

"There are more fires each year in the northern third of the country than anywhere else in Australia." Image: negaprion/iStockphoto Decreasing the frequency of wild fires in northern Australia would lead to an increase in the amount of carbon stored in the soil, significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions, according to CSIRO ecologist, Dr Anna Richards. Fire is part of the natural cycle of northern Australia’s savannas. But what’s the best regime? Anna’s studies show that reducing fire frequencies results in greater carbon capture. Up to four times more greenhouse gases are stored underground. And that means they are not going up in smoke. There are more fires each year in the northern third of the country than anywhere else in Australia. These fires account for about 3 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. While fire is important for maintaining a healthy environment in northern Australia, Anna says, scientists have become concerned at the increase in frequency and intensity of wild fires over the past century. “About half the Top End is burnt each year and this is changing the environment as well as releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.” Until now, it was assumed that it was really only the amount of smoke that contributed to these emissions, but Anna has shown that things are much more complicated than that. There is an interaction with the soil as well. “The frequency of fires affects the chemistry of the soil and the workings of the plant roots—hence the capacity of the soil to store carbon, “she says. “In general, the greater the frequency of fires, the more carbon is released from the soil, and vice versa.” Using measurements of soil carbon from long-term fire experiments conducted near Darwin and sophisticated computer modelling, Anna found that reducing fire frequency to one fire every four to six years is best for storing carbon. Her work was published recently in the international journal Ecosystems. “Until now, scientists have known little about the impact of different fire management options on the amount of carbon stored in soil. These findings are significant for managing carbon in northern Australia, particularly for programs that use indigenous fire management practices to reduce fire frequency and severity,” she said. Anna is conducting further research on the effects of fire on soil carbon as part of the Tiwi Carbon Study in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin. The Tiwi Carbon Study is a partnership between CSIRO, the Tiwi Land Council, the Tiwi College and Tiwi Forests. Anna Richards is one of 16 winners of Fresh Science, a national competition for early-career scientists who are unveiling their research to the public for the first time. Her training and challenges have included presenting her discoveries in verse at a Melbourne pub, and to schools in Melbourne and country Victoria.

Purer water from “super sand”

Purer water from “super sand”

MONASH UNIVERSITY

Sand has been used to clean polluted water for six millennia. Image: Kuzma/iStockphoto A low-cost coating applied to sand could provide a source of wide-scale water purification to people in developing countries, saving millions of lives every year. Sand, an abundant natural resource, has been used to clean polluted water for six millennia. Filtration using sand in its natural form is endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), as a water purification process. Now, a team led by Dr Mainak Majumder from the Monash Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, together with researchers from Rice University in Houston, have significantly enhanced the natural filtering properties of sand by coating it with a nanomaterial called graphite oxide (GO). The researchers changed the structure of graphite, a material found in pencils, to dramatically increase its surface area before coating coarse grains of sand. Increasing the surface area of the sand caused a corresponding increase in the material’s ability to filter contaminants. The research, published recently in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, indicated that untreated sand became saturated after ten minutes of filtration, while the GO-coated ‘super sand’ absorbed contaminants for more than 50 minutes. Dr Majumder said the super sand’s performance was comparable to some commercially available activated carbon materials, which are used for filtration purposes. “By increasing its surface area, we’ve improved the filtering capability of sand so that it is not only more effective in removing contaminants, but still filters relatively quickly, making it a viable option for water purification.” Dr Majumder said the other big advantage of the super sand is that it is relatively cheap to produce. “Given that the functional carbon can be synthesised using room temperature processes and also from cheap graphite sources, such as mining by-product, it is likely to be cost-efficient.” Access to clean water is a significant challenge for the global population. The WHO reports that, annually, access to safer water could prevent 1.4 million deaths from diarrhoea; 500,000 deaths from malaria and 860,000 deaths from malnutrition.  “We hope that in the future our technology will help to improve the living conditions of people facing water scarcity”, said Dr Majumder.

Honey helps heals wounds

Honey helps heals wounds

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

"Applying a manuka honey gel throughout healing led to 27 per cent faster healing times." Image:Materio/iStockphoto A simple application of honey to horses' leg wounds results in smaller wound sizes and faster healing time, University of Sydney researchers have found. Honey has been used to treat wounds in humans since ancient Egypt, but this study, using manuka honey from New Zealand, is the first time in the world a clinical trial has been conducted in horses. "Wounds in horses, particularly leg wounds, have long healing periods. But we found applying a manuka honey gel throughout healing led to 27 percent faster healing times," said lead researcher Dr Andrea Bischofberger. "Wounds in horses which received no treatment took an average of 64 days to heal, while those treated with manuka honey gel took 47 days to heal," said Dr Bischofberger, who will present her findings this Friday 1 July at a veterinary science conference. "In our pilot study we used pure honey, but in our second study we used a water-based manuka honey gel of 66 percent honey. When applied for 12 days we found these wounds healed just as well as those treated with pure honey." Using a manuka honey gel means expensive bandages can be avoided, Dr Bischofberger explained. "With its faster wound healing times and its bandage-free application, the manuka honey gel solution is an extremely versatile and affordable topical wound product." In a third study Dr Bischofberger and colleagues investigated how manuka honey actually worked to speed up wound healing. While it seems to have an anti-bacterial effect and immune-modifying effect on the key initial healing phase, the inflammatory stage, the honey's exact healing mechanism is still unclear. "What we do know is treating wounds with manuka honey leads to healthier tissue regrowth," Dr Bischofberger said. "Wounds treated with manuka also showed improved new blood vessel and skin surface growth compared to control wounds," Dr Bischofberger added. Dr Bischofberger is a Swiss veterinarian currently with the Research and Clinical Training Unit (REaCT) at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Camden (UVTHC), a part of the University of Sydney. REaCT Director, Professor Andrew Dart, is a surgical specialist and expert on the complications associated with lower leg wound healing in horses, and is supervising Dr Bischofberger's research. "Wound healing in horses' limbs, particularly lower limbs, is usually a long and complicated process compared to wounds on the body," he said. "The results of these studies have led to significant national and international interest both from the animal and human fields. There is potential for the manuka honey gel to be used across species with similar beneficial effects."

Private Space Industry Works to Replace the Shuttle

Private Space Industry Works to Replace the Shuttle

With the shuttle's final mission next week, the private sector has some work to do.

BRIT­TANY SAUSER 

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NASA has released the first edition of its new bi-monthy newsletter that focuses on "happenings" in the agency's commercial spaceflight development program. The first newsletter is devoted to the progress made in the commercial crew development program, which recently awarded four companies money to develop spacecraft that can carry astronauts to space. The progress made by these companies--SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation--is small. But with the space shuttle's final mission scheduled for July 8, the pressure is on for these companies to work quickly and efficiently to meet their goals.

"The space shuttle's retirement gives commercial companies more incentive to push the development of their systems," says Craig Steidle, the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "They are excited about what's coming up, but the pressure is getting financial support, to make sure we have the money to allow them to do spaceflight demonstrations." 

Steidle is optimistic that the commercial companies working on human spaceflight will meet their goals, and we will see the first astronaut launch to space on a commercial spacecraft in 2017.

Here's a round up of what these companies are up to:

Boeing is developing the CST-100 spacecraft, and perhaps achieved the greatest milestone for its spacecraft thus far by completing its delta Systems Definition Review--an analysis of the design and requirements of the spacecraft and its subsystems, including structures, thermal, electrical, propulsion, life support, software and avionics. According to the company'spress release,

The Delta SDR enables a common understanding of the design baseline as the team progresses toward a system-level Preliminary Design Review (PDR), which will further mature the system design and ensure it meets all requirements. Under the second round of NASA's Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement, Boeing expects to complete its System PDR no later than early spring 2012.

Boeing is preparing to gather performance data on the spacecraft's launch abort system and service module fuel tank; evaluate vehicle ascent performance in wind tunnel testing; and build on earlier landing air bag and parachute demonstrations with more in-depth investigations.

In June Boeing will present a plan for identifying and mitigating potential spaceflight safety hazards for the spacecraft. 

SpaceX meanwhile is developing the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft, which are both test flight proven. With the new funding the company is focusing on the development of a launch abort system and improving the design of the crew systems. SpaceX completed its initial milestone, a kickoff meeting with NASA officials to review requirements and present design status updates. In July, the company will have to present data, documentation, and risk assessments to show that the launch abort system concept is technically sound. 

Sierra Nevada Corporation is building the Dream Chaser, a reusable piloted spacecraft that will be launched on an Atlas V rocket. It also had initial kickoff meeting and Systems Requirement Review and will present test results on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of the airfoil for the Dream Chaser's tip fins. 

Blue Origin's crew transportation system will be a reusable biconic space vehicle that has been launched on an Atlas V rocket and then on the company's own reusable booster system. After initial meetings the company improved the overall space vehicle design. The next step will be ground and flight tests of its pusher escape system for astronauts, and accelerating the engine design for the reusable booster system.