May 8, 2012 Clippings

'Painless' Bandages Viable With Starch Fibres

Latest technique of spinning starch into fine strands may well facilitate in making painless bandages and also cost effective and more eco-friendly toilet paper, napkins and other products, reports study.

"There are many applications for starch fibres," said Lingyan Kong, graduate student, food science at the Penn State University. "Starch is the most abundant and also the least expensive of natural polymers."

Kong, who worked with Greg Ziegler, professor of food science, Penn State, used a solvent to dissolve the starch into a fluid that can then be spun into long strands or fibres.

They can be combined and formed into paper-like mats similar to napkins, tissues and other types of paper products, according to a university statement.

Once the process is scaled to industrial size, companies could make bandages and other medical dressings using starch fibres.

Unlike bandages that are currently on the market that must be -- often painfully -- removed, starch bandages would degrade into glucose, a substance the body safely absorbs.

"Starch is easily biodegradable, so bandages made from it would, over time, be absorbed by the body. So, you wouldn't have to remove them," said Kong.

Starch does not completely dissolve in water but instead becomes a gel -- or, starch paste -- that is too thick to make fibres. To solve the problem, the researchers added a solvent to help the solution dissolve the starch, but not destroy its molecular structure, Kong added.

Source: www.medindia.net

08.05.2012

Why first aid is necessary

First aid kits at home are a necessity

No matter where you live, having a first aid kit at home is imperative because almost all of us will require it at some point or the other.

First aid kits can be very basic or comprehensive. What you need, depends on whether you've been trained in first aid or want to stock just the basic essential necessities. Nowadays ready-made first aid kits are available in medical stores.

But you can also make a simple kit yourself. You first need to understand the basics when it comes to stocking a first aid kit. The bites of most spiders, mosquitoes, fleas, flies, bedbugs, etc., are similar in appearance and pose very little danger. Typically, it causes a small, itchy swelling that can last a few hours or days. Although bites are seldom dangerous, mosquitoes can transmit diseases like dengue or malaria.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

08.05.2012

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom

Aristotle