Smart
nanofibres to treat kidney failure
Tokyo:
A new technique for purifying blood using a nanofibre mesh could be a cheap,
wearable alternative to kidney dialysis, scientists say.
The
nanofibre mesh for the removal of toxins from the blood was developed by
researchers from the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
(WPI-MANA).
The
mesh may be incorporated into wearable blood purification systems for kidney
failure patients. Kidney failure results in a build up of toxins and excess
waste in the body.
Dialysis
is the most common treatment, performed daily either at home or in hospital.
However, dialysis machines require electricity and careful maintenance, and are
therefore more readily available in developed countries than poorer nations.
Around
one million people die each year worldwide from potentially preventable
end-stage renal disease.
Mitsuhiro
Ebara and co-workers at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics,
National Institute for Materials Science in Ibaraki, Japan, have developed a
way of removing toxins and waste from blood using a cheap, easy-to-produce
nanofibre mesh.
The
mesh could be incorporated into a blood purification product small enough to be
worn on a patient's arm, reducing the need for expensive, time-consuming
dialysis.
The
team made their nanofibre mesh using two components: a blood-compatible primary
matrix polymer made from polyethylene-co-vinyl alcohol, or EVOH, and several different
forms of zeolites - naturally occurring aluminosilicates.
Zeolites
have microporous structures capable of adsorbing toxins such as creatinine from
blood.
The
researchers generated the mesh using a versatile and cost-effective process
called electrospinning - using an electrical charge to draw fibres from a
liquid.
Ebara
and his team found that the silicon-aluminum ratio within the zeolites is
critical to creatinine adsorption. Beta type 940-HOA zeolite had the highest
capacity for toxin adsorption, and shows potential for a final blood
purification product.
Although
the new design is still in its early stages and not yet ready for production,
Ebara and his team are confident that a product based on their nanofibre mesh
will soon be a feasible, compact and cheap alternative to dialysis for kidney
failure patients across the world.
The
study was published in the journal Biomaterials Science.
08.03.2014
Don't change
your doctor if you want better health
London: Do
not dump your family physician at the slighted pretext as a 'deep' relationship
with the doctor can help improve your health, a study said.
Researchers
from University of Bristol in Britain have found that patients tend to open up
and share their health concerns more with a doctor they have known for long.
"This
could be because patients feel more comfortable raising additional issues with
a doctor they feel they know well, or because more issues can be addressed
within the time available as the doctor knows the patient and their medical
history," said Matthew Ridd from Bristol University's school of social and
community medicine.
"This
research study is the first of its kind to show how seeing the same doctor can
positively affect consultations," Ridd said.
The
researchers collected data from 22 practices in Bristol and recorded
consultations between 190 patients and 30 general physicians.
They
looked at whether consultation length and the number of problems and issues
raised were affected by patient-doctor continuity.
Analysis
showed that almost a third of patients had a "deep" relationship with
their doctor, which, in turn, encouraged them to raise 0.5 more problems (a
topic requiring a doctor to make a decision or diagnosis) and 0.9 more issues
(the number of topics raised within each problem, such as symptoms) during each
consultation.
This
may mean many more problems and issues are addressed over the course of several
visits.
"Participants
mostly reported a strong relationship with their doctor, built up over time.
There was evidence that patients raised more problems and issues with doctors
that they felt they had a deep relationship with," Ridd said.
08.03.2014
With every mistake, we must
surely be learning
George Harrison
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