Medical miracles march on

Recent studies show promise for future health

By Dr. Jon

“Dr. Jon, I’m afraid we’re going to have to drain you of a considerable quantity of blood,” said the man in the white coat holding a sharp scalpel.

“But doctor, I only have a sore throat,” replied Dr. J., “couldn’t I just get some antibiotics?” “Who’s the medical doctor here, you or me? Now, take off your shirt.”

From bloodletting to X-rays to Dr. Oz, medical research has always been in the public eye, and for good reason.

Medical breakthroughs have the potential to save countless lives and provide hope to families and friends in times of crisis, like when Hungarian physician, Ignaz Semmelweis, realized that hand washing significantly reduced life-threatening infections of new mothers under his care.

A roundup of the recent fruits of some talented scientists’ labour proves that imagination and creativity are alive and well in today’s medical research laboratories.

Wood or bone?

Who would have thought that kind-of comfy rattan chair could make such an ideal substitute for a shattered femur?

Well, apparently, researchers at the Istec Laboratory of Bioceramics in Faenza, Italy, saw something special in the versatile plant.

Rattan is a vine-like palm plant commonly used in furniture and basket making. The light, durable rattan strands are woven together to create all kinds of fun things like hampers designed to keep all that dirty laundry off the floor.

Common wickerwork encompasses a wide range of materials including rattan.

Dr. Anna Tampieri’s team of astute scientists found that rattan wood, when heated with carbon, calcium, and phosphate under high pressure, transforms itself into a material with an uncanny resemblance to bone.

The bone-like material is strong enough to withstand the loads applied by our clunky bodies, and is porous enough to grant passage to life-giving blood and nerves.

The bone substitute has been tested in sheep where it quickly fused to the natural bone. It’s thought that these wooden bones will out-perform the currently employed materials like metal and ceramic in terms of longevity and biological compatibility.

Synthetic blood stuff

Although scientists haven’t recreated life’s red fluid, they have managed to manufacture a highly effective synthetic substitute for the important clotting agent in our blood.

When sliced open by Jason Voorhees, Mike Myers (the scary one, not the shaggin’ one), or heaven forbid, Freddy’s unruly fingernails, the only chance you have are the tiny platelets waiting in the wings to stop the bleeding before the blood runs out.

Of course, the platelets can only do so much – a small scrape is one thing, but a vicious slash from Jason’s machete is quite another.

That’s where the researchers at Case Western Reserve University pick up the slack.

Professor Erin Lavik engineered biodegradable polymers that act in conjunction with natural platelets to stop bleeding almost 25 per cent faster than the all-natural mechanism. Once called into action by a wound, activated platelets change shape and clump together to control bleeding co-operatively.

Adding Lavik’s newly developed synthetic platelets to the wound provides much needed reinforcements that can bind to each other and the naturally-occurring activated platelets, seamlessly gluing the wound shut.

You probably won’t have access to the potentially life-saving platelets in times of need, but military personnel certainly will carry a fresh stock for those unfortunate emergency situations that happen far too often these days.

Cancer cells no match for yummy curry

A study at the Cork Cancer Research Centre showed that curcumin, which is a chemical found in the spice turmeric, rapidly killed laboratory cancer cells.

The substance is also being tested in the treatment of arthritis and dementia. Not that we needed an excuse to dive into some colourful curries, but warding off debilitating diseases is as good as any.

The study doesn’t claim that a dose of turmeric should be on every doctor’s medicine menu. However, the study does show that natural substances warrant continued investigation into their possible uses as effective medicines.

Perhaps the results of these recent studies don’t exactly fall into the realm of modern medical miracles.

Nevertheless, given the frequency with which these types of studies are published, you can rest assured that progress is being made, and that the next revolution in medical science might be just around the corner.

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