Dental Implants Are Now Much Safer

Usually tooth implants are done by screwing a false tooth into the bone. The screw part is usually coated with antibacterial. However, these coating can wear out before the mouth is fully healed, which can then lead to an infection. In an effort to try stop infections from occurring, scientists at the University of Leuven made a screw that stores and dispenses an antibacterial solution. The screw is made from a porous titanium-silica composite and is hollowed out. The solution is poured into the screw and a seal is screwed on. The tooth is then attached to the seal and the unit is placed in the mouth. Once the unit is in, the solution starts to diffuse through the screw, preventing bacteria from growing. By the time the solution runs out, the wound would be healed and there would be no risk for an infection.

For more information and a digram: http://newatlas.com/dental-implant-internal-reservoir/47474/

Mosquitos May Hold The Key to Fighting Malaria

Mosquitoes are a major vector for the spread of malaria by carrying infected blood from person to person. However, the parasite rarely kills the mosquito. A study done at the National Institute of Health claims to have discovered why the parasite does not affect mosquitoes. The main reason is that mosquitoes don’t have the same type of blood cells humans have, so the parasite cannot infect the mosquito. A less obvious reason is that the mosquitoes have a special response to these parasites. Once the parasite comes in contact with the intestinal lining of the mosquito, the mosquito releases a micro vesicle which will then activate the immune response and limit the parasite. Scientists hope to use this information to further research and gain enough information to produce a newer, more effective malaria drug.

For more information: https://www.inverse.com/article/26725-mosquito-immune-malaria-treatment

Harvard experiments with blood-pumping robot

Recently, a team at Harvard has created and began testing a robotic device that is capable of pumping blood. This device is a silicone sleeve that is wrapped on the bottom of the heart. The device then inflates and deflates to squeeze the heart, which in turn pumps blood. This was tested on 6 pigs whose hearts stopped. Once they placed they activated the sleeve, the heart started to beat and normal blood flow was restored. However, we will not see this device in the near future. Long term testing on animals and then humans still need to be done before this new device can replace ventricular assist devices (VADs) and heart transplants.

For more information and a video: http://www.popsci.com/soft-robot-squeeze-heart-failure