Medical

First-in-human clinical trial suggests minimal health risks of inhaling graphene oxide

By Lisa McDonald / March 12, 2024

As nanomaterials become more commonly used in industry, their potential impacts on human health need to be properly assessed. Researchers led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Manchester in the United Kingdom conducted the first-in-human clinical trial on inhaled graphene oxide nanosheets.

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Electrospinning of bioceramics for bone tissue engineering

By Guest Contributor / February 27, 2024

The inherent brittleness of bioceramics makes them difficult to shape using traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. Electrospinning has emerged as an alternative to additive manufacturing to produce nanoscale, composite bioceramic parts.

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Flexible artificial retinas: an emerging paradigm with significant potential for treating eye diseases

By Guest Contributor / February 13, 2024

To date, efforts to develop retinal prostheses have achieved limited success. But the turn toward flexible rather than rigid platforms for these devices is leading to significant advances in the research community.

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Rooting for efficiency—vibrating rotary file speeds up root canal treatments

By Lisa McDonald / January 12, 2024

Though modern root canal treatments are not overly painful thanks to advancements in medical technology, the need to frequently clean the rotary file can lengthen procedure time. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS created a file that features both rotational and vibrational motion, which reduces the amount of cleaning required.

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Reducing aggregate toxicity: Graphene oxide may aid in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

By Lisa McDonald / October 31, 2023

In vitro studies have demonstrated the potential of graphene oxide to help treat Alzheimer’s disease by preventing the buildup of harmful amyloid-β aggregates. Researchers in Sweden and Denmark used yeast as a model system to explore graphene oxide’s potential in vivo.

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Mitigating the spread of respiratory illnesses: DOD funds research into portable, easy-to-use breath analyzers

By Lisa McDonald / October 3, 2023

Breath analyzers are handheld, rapid testing devices that could transform how the medical community diagnoses diseases and disorders. A new program housed under the U.S. Department of Defense aims to accelerate development of breath analyzers for rapid diagnosis of respiratory illnesses among warfighters. The program has so far provided funding to three different organizations, including ACerS Fellow Perena Gouma’s research group at The Ohio State University.

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Integrating orthopedic implants—several strategies improve adhesion strength of bioactive glass coatings

By Lisa McDonald / September 22, 2023

Bioactive glass offers numerous benefits as a coating material for metallic implants, but achieving strong adhesion between the glass and implant is a challenge. University of Barcelona researchers explored several strategies for improving the adhesion strength of bioactive glass coatings deposited using atmospheric plasma spraying.

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Innovating in emergencies: A novel technique for removing ceramic liners in hip revision surgery

By Lisa McDonald / May 23, 2023

Innovation in medicine can be slower than in other fields to prevent putting patient safety at risk. Emergencies, however, can necessitate the adoption of new technologies. In an open-access paper, medical professionals in England described the use of a novel technique to extract a ceramic liner during hip revision surgery when established strategies proved ineffective.

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Copper-glazed ceramic tiles combat bacteria through hydrophobicity and ion dissolution

By Lisa McDonald / April 28, 2023

Antibacterial ceramic coatings that inactivate or destroy pathogens typically suffer from poor durability. Instead, antibacterial coatings based on hydrophobicity, which inhibits bacterial adhesion, may be more durable. Researchers in South Korea demonstrated the potential of copper-glazed ceramic tiles to maintain long-lasting antibacterial efficiency through a combination of hydrophobicity and bacterial killing via ion dissolution.

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Self-sufficient glucose monitoring system successfully manages diabetes in mice

By Lisa McDonald / April 21, 2023

Continuous glucose monitoring systems can help alleviate the mental burden of diabetes management, but there are limitations to powering current systems. Researchers at ETH Zurich developed a self-sufficient glucose monitoring system that not only registers excess glucose but initiates the release of insulin into the blood. They successfully tested the device in mice.

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