Friday, September 19, 2014

Researchers developed an artificial spleen

About alberto de leon(Researchers developed an artificial spleen)VoxA-8 http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20141509-26180.html http://www.kdok.eu/ ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Scientists from the US have developed a new, high-tech device that can clear infections from blood - even those caused by unknown pathogens. Blood infections are extremely difficult to treat and can lead to sepsis - an extreme immune response that can be fatal. More than half of the time, doctors don’t know what causes these blood infections, and they have to rely on broad-scale antibiotics in an attempt to treat the original infection, As a patient’s blood passes through the biospleen, these MBL-coated magnetic nanobeads bind to the majority of pathogens. A magnet in the artificial spleen then pulls the beads and the bacteria and viruses they’re attached to out of the blood, leaving the blood purified and ready to be pumped back into the patient. , .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Researchers have developed an artificial spleen that cleans up blood infections

FIONA MACDONALD

MONDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2014

A new device can clean up blood infections and remove “everything from E. coli to Ebola”.

Top images show the magnetic nanobeads binding to Escherichia coli (left) and Staphylococcus aureus(right) in the blood. Bottom images show the artificial biospleen set up.

Image: Harvard University's Wyss Institute

Scientists from the US have developed a new, high-tech device that can clear infections from blood - even those caused by unknown pathogens.

The technology was inspired by our own spleen, and, as Sara Reardon reports for Nature News, it can rid the blood of “everything from Escherichia coli to Ebola”.

Blood infections are extremely difficult to treat and can lead to sepsis - an extreme immune response that can be fatal. More than half of the time, doctors don’t know what causes these blood infections, and they have to rely on broad-scale antibiotics in an attempt to treat the original infection, Reardon explains. This isn’t always effective, and can lead to antibiotic resistance.

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The device's power lies in a special, magnetic-nanobead filter. To create the filter, the scientists took magnetic nanobeads and coated them with a modified version of a protein called mannose-binding lectin (MBL). This protein is found in humans and it binds to sugar molecules on the surface of more than 90 different bacteria, viruses and fungi - including the toxins that dead bacteria release, which can trigger sepsis.

As a patient’s blood passes through the biospleen, these MBL-coated magnetic nanobeads bind to the majority of pathogens. A magnet in the artificial spleen then pulls the beads and the bacteria and viruses they’re attached to out of the blood, leaving the blood purified and ready to be pumped back into the patient.

The device has now been tested on rats infected with either E. coli or Staphylococcus aureus. Five hours after infection, 89% of the rats whose blood had been filtered through the biospleen were still alive, compared to only 14% of those who were not treated. Impressively, the scientists found that the device had removed more than 90% of the bacteria from the rats’ blood. Theresults are published in Nature Medicine.

“The rats whose blood had been filtered also had less inflammation in their lungs and other organs, suggesting they would be less prone to sepsis,” writes Reardon.

The team then tested the biospleen on five litres of blood, which is the volume in the average human, and found that within five hours, the device could remove most pathogens.

Reardon explains at Nature News: “That degree of efficacy is probably enough to control an infection, Ingber says. Once the biospleen has removed most pathogens from the blood, antibiotics and the immune system can fight off remaining traces of infection — such as pathogens lodged in the organs, he says.”

The biospleen could also be used to treat viral infections such as HIV and Ebola, according to Ingber, and testing as now begun in pigs.

Nigel Klein, an infection and immunity expert at University College London in the UK, told Reardon that he expects the biospleen could be trialled in humans within a couple of years.

Source: Nature News

MEDICINE, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

ARTIFICIAL SPLEEN CLEANS UP BLOOD

17/09/2014

Researchers have developed a high-tech method to rid the body of infections — even those caused by unknown pathogens .....................................................................................................................................................................................

Hemp nanosheets to make supercapacitors

About alberto de leon(Hemp nanosheets to make supercapacitors)VoxA-7 http://www.techswarm.com/2014/08/could-hemp-nanosheets-topple-graphene.html http://nint-innt.ca/ .................................................................................................................................................Scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors......David Mitlin, Ph.D., explains that supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have huge potential to transform the way future electronics are powered..... The hemp-based devices yielded energy densities as high as 12 Watt-hours per kilogram, two to three times higher than commercial counterparts. They also operate over an impressive temperature range, from freezing to more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Read more at http://www.techswarm.com/2014/08/could-hemp-nanosheets-topple-graphene.html#Oyoozj81ifjbeDF6.99 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Hemp nanosheets might topple graphene to make supercapacitors

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

As hemp makes a comeback in the U.S. after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors. They're presenting their research, which a Canadian start-up company is working on scaling up, at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

The meeting features nearly 12,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics and is being held here through Thursday.

David Mitlin, Ph.D., explains that supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have huge potential to transform the way future electronics are powered. Unlike today's rechargeable batteries, which sip up energy over several hours, supercapacitors can charge and discharge within seconds. But they normally can't store nearly as much energy as batteries, an important property known as energy density. One approach researchers are taking to boost supercapacitors' energy density is to design better electrodes. Mitlin's team has figured out how to make them from certain hemp fibers — and they can hold as much energy as the current top contender: graphene.

"Our device's electrochemical performance is on par with or better than graphene-based devices," Mitlin says. "The key advantage is that our electrodes are made from biowaste using a simple process, and therefore, are much cheaper than graphene."

The race toward the ideal supercapacitor has largely focused on graphene — a strong, light material made of atom-thick layers of carbon, which when stacked, can be made into electrodes. Scientists are investigating how they can take advantage of graphene's unique properties to build better solar cells, water filtration systems, touch-screen technology, as well as batteries and supercapacitors. The problem is it's expensive.

Mitlin's group decided to see if they could make graphene-like carbons from hemp bast fibers. The fibers come from the inner bark of the plant and often are discarded from Canada's fast-growing industries that use hemp for clothing, construction materials and other products. The U.S. could soon become another supplier of bast. It now allows limited cultivation of hemp, which unlike its close cousin, does not induce highs.

Scientists had long suspected there was more value to the hemp bast — it was just a matter of finding the right way to process the material.

"We've pretty much figured out the secret sauce of it," says Mitlin, who's now with Clarkson University in New York. "The trick is to really understand the structure of a starter material and to tune how it's processed to give you what would rightfully be called amazing properties."

His team found that if they heated the fibers for 24 hours at a little over 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then blasted the resulting material with more intense heat, it would exfoliate into carbon nanosheets.

Mitlin's team built their supercapacitors using the hemp-derived carbons as electrodes and an ionic liquid as the electrolyte. Fully assembled, the devices performed far better than commercial supercapacitors in both energy density and the range of temperatures over which they can work. The hemp-based devices yielded energy densities as high as 12 Watt-hours per kilogram, two to three times higher than commercial counterparts. They also operate over an impressive temperature range, from freezing to more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

"We're past the proof-of-principle stage for the fully functional supercapacitor," he says. "Now we're gearing up for small-scale manufacturing."

Mitlin, who conducted the research while at the University of Alberta, acknowledges funding from Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, National Institute for Nanotechnology (Canada) and Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency.

A press conference on this topic will be held Tuesday, August 12, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time in the Moscone Center, North Building. Reporters may report to Room 113 in person, or access live video of the event and ask questions at the ACS Ustream channel http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive.

image source

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Read more at http://www.techswarm.com/2014/08/could-hemp-nanosheets-topple-graphene.html#Oyoozj81ifjbeDF6.99 .........................................................................................................................................................

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Giant dinosaurs unearthed in Argentina

About alberto de leon(Giant Dinosaurs Unearthed in Argentina)VoxA-6 http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/giant-dinosaurs-unearthed-in-argentina-140519.htm http://news.discovery.com/animals/videos/dinos-analyzing-dinosaur-fossils.htm http://www.livescience.com/45706-photos-one-of-biggest-dinosaurs-discovered.html http://www.livescience.com/38596-mesozoic-era.html .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Have you ever seen a giant dinosaur that roams the earth....95 millions ago.... Discover....enjoy and see those amazing and fantastic dinosaurs... ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The sauropod's femur next to researcher Pablo Puerta.

JOSE MARIA FARFAGLIA

GALLERY

DinosaursofaFeatherComeTogether:Photos

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