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Mussel Glue Could Help Repair Birth Defects
sciencehabit writes "When it comes to hanging on tight, the lowly mussel has few rivals in nature. Researchers have sought the secrets behind the bivalve's steadfast grip on wet, slippery rock. Now, a researcher says he has used the mollusk's tricks to develop medical applications. These include a biocompatible glue that could one day seal fetal membranes, allowing prenatal surgeons to repair birth defects without triggering dangerous premature labor."
I read about this very thing in the news 15 years ago! I half expect now, to learn that some surgeon in the 1700's was already using it experimentally. Get off your ass, medical science!
I half expect now, to learn that some surgeon in the 1700's was already using it experimentally.
No, in the 1700's, surgeons were using leeches as clamps to hold things together.
Ezekiel 23:20
15 years ago is about right actually..
Consider:
"We are the FDA. We demand you make very costly animal model studies first, then, after those studies, you have conduct phase 1 and phase 2 human clinical trials, THEN, AFTER THAT, we have to decide if we want to approve commercial use and production or not."
Throw in a few bouts of "Oh my gawd! They put clam juice inside some poor gerbil, and glued it all up inside! THOSE MONSTERS!", and a few rounds of "Animal models are poor substitutes for human testing, and amount to nothing, so you arent getting funding."
In the end, 15 years since "Hey! This stuff looks very promising as a biosafe adhesive for surgical applications!" looks like BREAKNECK PROGRESS!
(and you wonder why rich americans with deadly diseases and debilitating conditions leave the US to go on "Medical vacations" in the EU and Thailand.)
welcome our Mussel Glued Children of tomorrow!
Hopefully they will be delivered in our flying cars that haven't shown up yet.
Be seeing you...
Birth defects can come from any number of sources, and are not necessarily indicative that the parents are genetically unfit.
Take for instance, spinal tube defects arising from improper prenatal nutrition in the female, in regard to folate intake.
Which would you rather have: Mommy and Daddy with "Wheelchair Willie", their precious angel, that requires 24/7 nursing, monitoring, special needs assistance, and government support for life---
Or: "Willie" is perfectly healthy and normal after doctors surgically promoted proper neural tube closure, with the help of a bio-safe adhesive and embryonic surgery techniques.
This is a no-brainer even for self-centered assholes who hate other people being alive. (Because of the inconveniences those other people make for them.)
this would still be the 1700's.
(and you wonder why rich americans with deadly diseases and debilitating conditions leave the US to go on "Medical vacations" in the EU and Thailand.)
It is the other way around in the UK. Rich people tend to go to America to get medical procedures that aren't approved by the health authorities here.
This is why I do weight training to build up my mussels.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Americans go on "medical vacations" because they can't afford US health care. Doctors, drugs, etc. are all cheaper anywhere else but the US and if you pick wisely, you can find better quality doctors and facilities.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
The EU is bigger than the UK. Try Hungary and the rest of the eastern block.
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
No matter where you are, there's going to be something less than ideal. Want to have some guy who's the best in the world specializes in only doing a single procedure that's horrendously expensive? Go to the U.S. Want good care that you might have to wait a while for, but won't bankrupt you in the process? Go to Europe. Want something good, cheap, and not available in the U.S. or Europe? Try Mexico or Asia.
If you've got enough money you can always get what you want.
Birth defects can come from any number of sources, and are not necessarily indicative that the parents are genetically unfit.
Bingo. I have VACTERL defects, and my (internationally top-ranked) pediatric surgeon at UC San Francisco made it clear that there was *nothing* my parents did wrong or could've done to prevent it -- birth defects like mine are random errors/mutations within the first month of development, and aren't passed on to the next generation.
Which would you rather have: ..."Wheelchair Willie"...Or: "Willie" is perfectly healthy and normal ... This is a no-brainer even for self-centered assholes who hate other people being alive. (Because of the inconveniences those other people make for them.)
It's not a no-brainer for those of us that actually have birth defects, actually. A hell of a lot of people that are born disabled agree with the social model of disability; we're fine with having surgery to alleviate pain or extend our lives, but not to make us normal just for the sake of normality or so (as you put it) others aren't "inconvenienced" by having to accommodate more than one way of doing things. (Relatedly, a hell of a lot of us are stuck on government support as adults only because we're not similar enough to the norm society caters to in the workplace, not because we're incapable of doing the work at all.)
Now mostly at Usenet:comp.misc & SoylentNews.org (it's made of people!)
A "bit" off-topic?