Stem cells embedded in sutures to enhance healing after surgery

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Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering students have demonstrated a practical way to embed a patient's own adult stem cells in the surgical thread that doctors use to repair serious orthopedic injuries such as ruptured tendons. The goal, the students said, is to enhance healing and reduce the likelihood of re-injury without changing the surgical procedure itself.

small angle x-ray scattering reveals record number of protein structures

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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a fast and efficient way to determine the structure of proteins, shortening a process that often takes years into a matter of days.

Can pen and paper help make electronic medical records better?

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INDIANAPOLIS – The results of a new study of the pen and paper workarounds employed by healthcare providers who use an electronic medical record system may help make electronic medical records even more useful to health-care providers and the patients they serve.

"Exploring the Persistence of Paper with the Electronic Health Record" appears in the September 2009 issue of the International Journal of Medical Informatics.

Statistics show downward trend in energy use for 2008

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According to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass, and wind energy in 2008 than they did in 2007. The nation used less coal and petroleum during the same time frame and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption., while geothermal energy use remained the same.

C. difficile spores spread superbug

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New research suggests that antibiotic treatment could be asymptomatically inducing the transmission of the healthcare-acquired infection, C. difficile, contributing to the outbreaks that have recently been widely reported in hospitals and other settings. A team of scientists have successfully mirrored the infection cycle of C. difficile by generating a 'mouse hospital' with conditions mimicking the human environment in which C. difficile is transmitted.

Stuff of stink bombs investigated for role in pregnancy

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Scientists at the University of Leicester are investigating how the stuff of stink bombs and flatulence could play a critical role in the human reproductive system.

Hydrogen sulphide –partially responsible for the foul odour of stink bombs- is also a toxic gas and has been used for chemical warfare.

But research at the University of Leicester is now looking at beneficial effects it has in the body- and the potentially critical role the chemical might have in term and pre-term births.

Children's IQ can be affected by mother's exposure to urban air pollutants

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July 20, 2009 -- Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can adversely affect a child's intelligence quotient or IQ, according to new research by the the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health. PAHs are chemicals released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco. In urban areas motor vehicles are a major source of PAHs. The study findings are published in the August 2009 issue of Pediatrics.

RI Hospital first in country to enroll patient in new study for recurrent chest wall breast cancer

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PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island Hospital is one of only four sites across the country to participate in a new clinical trial called the DIGNITY Study. The study will investigate the effectiveness of a chemotherapeutic agent, ThermoDox, used in conjunction with mild hyperthermia (a form of heat therapy) for treating recurrent chest wall breast cancer.

Cuts to rewards plans unlikely to hurt credit card use, Rotman study shows

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What would happen if credit card holders no longer received rewards? Not much – but it could cut consumer credit card debt, says a new study on the impact of rewards programs on credit and debit card use.

The paper, co-published by the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, found that removing rewards would result in only a small number of credit card customers switching to more debit card and cash transactions.

Slotted buses keep passengers cool

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A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air conditioning, according to a study published in the International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems.

Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses.