Dux Nest

I’ve heard many predictions about medical breakthroughs, some even claiming that the word ‘disabled’ will become obsolete. It all seems too much like sci-fi. Then again, many concepts that seems far fetched in the original Star Trek have become part of our modern lives.

If only we could bring help to those who need it. Make the blind man see. Cell-based therapies might be an effective way to treat human corneal blindness and vision impairment due to the scarring that occurs after infection, trauma and other common eye problems, said senior investigator James L. Funderburgh, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Ophthalmology. The Pitt corneal stem cells were able to remodel scar-like tissue back to normal. In the next steps, the researchers intend to use the stem cells to treat lab animals that have corneal scars to see if they, too, can be repaired with stem cells. Under the auspices of UPMC Eye Center’s recently established Center for Vision Restoration, they plan also to develop the necessary protocols to enable clinical testing of the cells. University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences; Stem cell therapy makes cloudy corneas clear, according to Pitt researchers. (2009, April). NewsRx Health & Science,207.

Research led by David Hess of the Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario has identified how to use selected stem cells from bone marrow to grow new blood vessels to treat diseases such as peripheral artery disease. It’s one of the severe complications often faced by people who’ve had diabetes for a long time. Reduced blood flow (ischemia) in their limbs can lead to resting pain, trouble with wound healing and in severe cases, amputation. University of Western Ontario; Stem cell therapy grows new blood vessels. (2009, April). NewsRx Health & Science,70.

Transplant therapy using embryonic stem cells or their derivatives is currently under way in a small patient trial for spinal cord injury, but widespread use is still some years in the future. WHEN WILL STEM CELLS BE USED FOR TREATMENTS AND CURES? (2009, April 13). Wisconsin State Journal,A.2.

Dr. Funderburgh anticipates “stem-cell therapies for lots of parts of the body in the next 15 to 20 years.” David Templeton.  (2009, April 9). STEM CELL SUCCESS COULD HELP MORE THAN CORNEA. Pittsburgh Post - Gazette,A.1.

The medical research race…

Research into implants continues with great progress. Steven Siegel says the percentage of repeat surgeries has decreased in recent years due to improved equipment and techniques. Laura Johannes.  (2008, December 2). An Implant That Hits a Nerve. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition),  p. B.14. By definition, an implantable device will require an operation, the current devices all require moderately complex surgery during which at least one of the components must be very precisely placed to achieve a good functional result. Close cooperation with surgeons will be needed in order to ensure that the required surgery is feasible. P Counter.  (2008). Implantable hearing aids. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 222(H6), 837-52. The future of cochlear implants is bright, with multiple outstanding possibilities for even higher levels of performance Advances in electronics, nanotechnology, micromechanics, polymer chemistry, and molecular biology should lead to cochlear implants that give high-fidelity sound. The research is the basis for a new discipline, which should also contribute to spinal cord repair and the relief of blindness. Graeme M Clark.  (2008). Personal reflections on the multichannel cochlear implant and a view of the future. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 45(5), 651-93.

It doesn’t matter which medical research will provide the breakthrough as long as everyone benefits.

Tags: Bone Marrow, Cochlear, Implant, Medical Research, Stem Cells, Surgery, Technology, Therapy, Transplant.

Have you ever walked into a variety store or price point retailer and wondered why we are using the earth’s resources to manufacture pointless novelty items that nobody wants or needs?

Urban Waste

Lack of adequate civic sense, public awareness and participation, lukewarm approach of the local and State-level governments have resulted in a situation that most of the beautiful landscapes are slowly turned into litter zones, says Mr M P Sukumaran Nair, former Chairman, Institution of Engineers India (IEI) here and an environmental expert. Michael L Lenahan (2006, June). Thinking of Recycling your Byproducts? Think about this … Foundry Management & Technology, 134(6), 40,39.

Rubbish, Waste, Litter or Garbage….

Often items I see that have been thrown away are items which should never been manufactured in the first place. These items are no use to anyone and although an inventor had the best intention of making a fortune from their latest gizmo or promotional item. Often, novelty items are what I see thrown away with no hope of being recycled and largely end up as land fill.

Consumerism vs The Environment

Sustainable consumption is a balancing act. It is about consuming in such a way as to protect the environment, use natural resources wisely and promote quality of life now, while not spoiling the lives of future consumers. It is not surprising that industry and governments, as well as consumers themselves, struggle to understand sustainable consumption and fail to agree on the best way of achieving it.

Four areas of life account for four fifths of people’s impact on the environment: the running of homes, food, transport and holiday travel. People often find themselves locked into unsustainable consumption patterns, either out of habit or because they see others acting in the same way. The sustainable consumption issues faced by society can only be tackled through joint action between government, business and consumers. Policy makers will be repeating past mistakes if they expect that overloading consumers with information on sustainable consumption will bring about a change in consumer behaviour. Instead, Government, regulators and industry need to work with the reality of pressured daily lives.

Choice editing for sustainability is about shifting the field of choice: cutting out unnecessarily damaging products and getting real sustainable choices on the shelves. It helps make those green choices easier for people. There is good public appetite for this policy, helping to simplify things for consumers and removing the complex decision-making that is present around many sustainability issues. Changing the habits of a lifetime is not easy for anyone. But public commitment can be harnessed by positive leadership from government and business that delivers a compelling vision for change and makes that change possible. People need to feel confident that their own efforts are part of a collective effort, supported by policies that make sustainable options an easier choice. Lucy Yates (2008, July). Sustainable consumption: the consumer perspective. Consumer Policy Review, 18(4), 96-0_3.

Is it really the consumers or are the marketers to blame?

Advertising, sells more than products. It also promotes the interests and ideology of its corporate sponsors. And it promotes a way of life; indeed, it might be considered the Ministry of Propaganda of the consumer culture.

Certainly, the industries that feed the consumer society could use resources more efficiently and have less impact on the environment. Because we use twice as much energy as other industrialized countries, for example, it is safe to assume that we could continue to provide the same array of consumer bells and whistles while halving the environmental impact of our fossil fuel use. But many environmentalists, while embracing the prospects of more efficient resource use, believe that environmental sustainability is fundamentally incompatible with the culture of waste we call consumerism. As Alan Durning observed in How Much is Enough? The Consumer Society and the Fate of the Earth, “The furnishings of our consumer lifestyle–things like automobiles, throwaway goods and packaging, a high-fat diet, and air conditioning–can only be provided at great environmental cost. Our way of life depends on enormous and continuous inputs of the very commodities that are most damaging to the Earth to produce: energy, chemicals, metals and paper.” Durning concludes that the challenge before us is to learn to live “by sufficiency rather than excess.” Mazur, Laurie Ann,  Motavelli, Jim. (1996, May). Marketing madness. E : the Environmental Magazine, 7(3), 36.

Tags: Advertising, Consumer, Consumerism, Environmental, Garbage, Litter, Marketing, Rubbish, Sustainable, Urban Waste, Waste.