Posted on 10/11/2006 1:37:53 AM PDT by neverdem
A biodegradable protein solution stanches bleeding in mere seconds when applied to open wounds in rodents, according to a new study. How the material works in detail is unclear, but it appears nontoxic and long lasting in animals, suggesting that it may either have advantages over existing bleeding stoppers or be able to complement them, researchers report.
A number of different products are in use or are being developed to control bleeding on the battlefield and in routine surgery. All of them have drawbacks, including the potential for excessive heat, blood clots and allergic reactions. The new liquid does not seem to carry these risks, says neuroscientist Rutledge Ellis-Behnke of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who developed the material with his colleagues.
Ellis-Behnke and his colleagues had sought out short proteins, or peptides, suitable for patching severed nerves or wounds in the brain. In March they reported that a liquid made from one such peptide could repair severed optic nerves in hamsters by forming a gel in which stem cells could accumulate and grow. In subsequent research they were startled to discover that dabbing a mix of this and other peptides onto a bleeding mouse brain rapidly controlled the oozing, Ellis-Behnke says. "We put this material in and we saw that all the bleeding stopped," he recounts, apparently because the liquid formed a fibrous network over the wound. In a study published online October 10 in Nanomedicine the researchers report that the liquid controlled bleeding in rodents within 15 seconds in seven other wound types, including cuts to the spinal cord, liver [view video here] and femoral artery as well as skin punctures.
The liquid does not seem to form a conventional blood clot, the group notes. Electron microscopy turned up no sign of the platelets that would normally gather in a clot. The proteins might instead form tangles that act like hair blocking a drain, Ellis-Behnke suggests.
"It certainly has some features that make it intriguing," including its rapid action and the low concentration of protein required, says chemist and biomaterials specialist Galen Stucky of the University of California, Santa Barbara. It still has to be compared head-to-head with other blood stanchers and tested against a really gushing wound, which could conceivably overwhelm the gel if it doesn't trip the clotting process, he notes.
Gone for Decades, Jaguars Steal Back to the Southwest
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Cool a bottle of it in your first aid kit. Could very well save one the lost of lots of blood.
Repair optic nerves?
That's pretty astounding by itself.
Another use for Knox unflavored gelatin?
I'm not diabetic but used a product to help heal a wound on my ankle from a surgery years ago. My wife tried it on such things as cuts or burns on her hands and it was remarkable. If you know, would this be something similar?
http://www.regranex.com/bgdisplay.jhtml?itemname=about
Could be ... it didn't work for my fingernails.
I heard something about this on the radio yesterday. It appears the research is not as far along as the radio announcer imagined, but it's still a terrific development.
I'm 71 years old, am on blood thinners, and all kinds of other meds. If I get a small cut or abrasion I bleed all over the place. I found that smearing a small amount of Super Glue after getting wound as dry as possible solves 90% of my problems.
Hemostasis, or the cessation of blood loss, is a major challenge confronting healthcare providers on the battlefield, in the ambulance or emergency room, and in surgery. [snip]
This project will explore the commercialization of a remarkable new compound that rapidly forms a transparent, nanofiber-rich meshwork that stops bleeding instantly, allows wounds to begin healing quickly, promotes tissue regeneration, and breaks down harmlessly within the body. The transparent, fluid material can be easily applied to wet or dry surfaces. Surgery can be performed through it, enabling faster, more accurate, and safer operations. Third-party testing shows that the material is non-toxic and safe to use internally and externally. Moreover, it does not require removal, because its breakdown products can be used by cells in the healing process. This project will explore the material's viability in surgery, post-traumatic treatments, and veterinary medicine, with chronic wound care and consumer first-aid being additional potential markets for this disruptive technology.
20050287186 - Self-assembling peptides for regeneration and repair of neural tissue
20060199778 - Methods and products related to non-viral transfection
Also helps the wound heal quick with little scarring.
It provides all the minerals the body would have to bring there to heal it up anyway, sort of like an on site jobber in the building trade.
"Sushi? , yeah, I tried it, bought some, took it home, cooked it up, . . ., tastes like fish"
What movie is that in?
That's great news! My rat is a hemophiliac.
I wonder if it dries to form a synthetic scab...
This ping RoCkEd..!
Here's the weird part:
Essentially the core of the powder is GROUND UP SHELLFISH SHELL. Yeah.
It's some kind of protein stuff that induces blood to crosslink in a manner similar to the article. Strangely, the same stuff is compressed into tablets, and people take those tablets in order to get that stuff to bind to and prevent absorption of FAT that they eat along with their food, and thereby supposedly avoid getting quite so obsese. It's got some fancy name I can't remember, now.
I do not believe that that particular applications is very effective --I read about fitness issues quite a lot.
It is possible that you miiiight be able to make a cheap homebrew by simply purchasing those tablets, grinding them up, and then impregating ordinary wound compresses with the resulting fine powder, perhaps suspended in some binder.
That would be for if you were...rock-climbing somewhere remote, or whatever....
Super Glue.
Good to see that empiricism isn't dead.
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