Nanotechnology good for synthetic blood

Nanomaterials have been in use for decades. But you never saw the term "nanoparticles" in such up-close-and-personal products as eyeliner. Manufacturers didn't think at that point it was necessary to point out such an unusual ingredient.

Today nanotechnology is increasingly used for making bio-materials--things that can be applied to or used in the human body. One of the latest successes is artificial nano-blood platelets. They say these synthetic platelets are made of nanomaterials already well-known and proven-safe in the medical device and drug products.

Surprisingly, the study cites traumatic injury as the "top cause of death for people ages 5 to 44." It also says that "blood loss is the major factor for military and civilian trauma deaths." Here's the fascinating short version of how these platelets are manufactured:

The researchers started with a polymer, or tiny pieces of plastic, made out of the same material used in dissolving stitches. It was surrounded by another polymer that can be dissolved in water that is used in the food and drug industries. They then covered the particle in small molecules that act like hooks, allowing it to bond with platelets in the blood. They only bond with platelets that are working to stop the bleeding, not other platelets in the body.

The platelets have several advantages over donated blood. They can be stored at room temperature instead of requiring refrigeration. They can be given by any medical professional--say, at an accident site--rather than requiring the patient to go to a hospital. They can also be stored significantly longer than live blood products.

Rats in the study stopped bleeding in half the time with these new platelets, but rats aren't people. More research and testing needs to be done before nano-blood platelets will start being used for humans.

Frankly, I wouldn't want to be the first human to receive plastic blood platelets. Makes me think of the 1966 sci-fi thriller Fantastic Voyage--only this time it's human inventions invading the bloodstream instead of shrunken humans. Can blood clot too efficiently? It'll be interesting to see what other cautions arise as research goes forward.

Image credit: Crystal

Calling niacin to arms in the battle against cholesterol

The belief that controlling cholesterol is a key to atherosclerosis and heart disease has had its share of supporters and detractors over the years. Researchers have focused on several different approaches--nutrition, drugs that lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol levels by blocking absorption or by affecting production in the liver, and drugs that raise "good" (HDL) levels. HDL itself is considered a potent weapon for lowering LDL.

Apparently niacin, a standard everyday B vitamin, has long been known to help with cholesterol issues, but it hasn't been widely recommended because it can be hard for some patients to tolerate. Now a new study finds--not conclusively, but enough to raise a stir--that niacin, when used in combination with statins, is more effective at reversing plaque buildup in the arteries than another drug called Zetia. Heart researchers are encouraged about niacin's ability to improve artery constriction and plan to do more studies. [The really ugly thing pictured on the right is a seriously diseased artery photographed post-mortem.]

Heart disease has been the target of so many hopeful yet ineffective solutions. Perfectly reasonable doctors standing on opposite ends of the spectrum on various issues. What's a poor heart patient to do?

How long have we heard about the magic of antioxidants? Well, apparently they're virtually useless when taken as a pill. Not long ago a bunch of experts weighed in after results of a 9-year study showed no appreciable improvement in those who took those types of supplements. But heart patients who switched to a healthier diet containing those same vitamin and anti-oxidant substances did improve.

No telling what miracles we will continue to discover as we forge ahead using nature's own bounty to combat our ills.

Red wine leads to nitric oxide

Oh, happy day! They're telling us again how good for us red wine is. This time a benefit has been found to start even before wine's antioxidant protective qualities have had a chance to kick in. The polyphenols in the wine help the stomach convert other substances (such as nitrites) into--guess what?--nitric oxide (NO), which helps the stomach relax and aids digestion.

Of course this article on the benefits of red wine was published in Wine Spectator--not exactly a scientific journal. But the American Heart Association isn't arguing too much about it. They do, however, point out that red wine's polyphenols (also present in apples, berries, and onions) don't need the alcohol part of the equation to be effective at producing NO.

Hey, I have no problem imbibing fully alcoholic wine to get the many benefits. Just keep that research comin'...

Image credit: AntiOXidant 2008

Carbon monoxide the new nitric oxide?

Sounds crazy, since carbon monoxide (CO) has long been known as a poisonous gas--it's one of the substances in cigarettes that requires a warning on the package. But a new theory holds that CO may have, in very reduced and controlled doses, protective medical benefits that are not unlike some of those that nitric oxide provides.

The National Institutes of Health have just awarded $1.4 million to Beth Israel Deaconess medical center to study the underlying biology of carbon monoxide. When a grad student researcher there began 10 years ago to study the effects of an enzyme that breaks down a substance in the human body and then the body itself produces CO as a byproduct. He was curious as to what potential benefit carbon monoxide might be providing. According to the article, that researcher and other scientist:

"...found that breathing the gas for an hour at about 5 to 10 percent of a fatal exposure has beneficial effects in animals with a range of illnesses, from malaria to cardiovascular disease. While its actions are only partly understood, the gas seems to play a role in controlling inflammation, regulating cell death, and promoting repair and renewal."

Much work remains to be done, but results so far are promising. The goal will be to create a drug that works the way CO does, but doesn't suffer the stigma of carbon monoxide as a poisoning agent.It's always exciting to see researchers looking at the natural processes of the body for clues on making human intervention more effective.