Epidemic viruses often contaminate mobile phones used by healthcare workers.

Thirty-nine percent of mobile phones held by health care workers at a French hospital were contaminated with epidemic viruses, according to recent findings published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. “Nowadays, mobile phones are frequently used by health care workers [HCWs] during care,” Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers, MD, PhD, in the department of infectious diseases at the University of Lyon in France, told Infectious Disease News. “We demonstrated for the first time that RNA of epidemic viruses are present on mobile phones used by HCWs.” In previous studies, up to 25% of mobile phones were found to be contaminated with bacteria, the researchers wrote. In addition, more than 50% of HCWs admitted to using mobile phones in their clinical environment during contact with patients. At the University Hospital of Saint-Étienne, Botelho-Nevers and colleagues examined common mobile phone practices and assessed the presence of viral RNA on the devices from metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, rotavirus and norovirus. They surveyed 114 HCWs working in either an adult (n = 58) or pediatric (n = 56) department. Surveyed HCWs included senior physicians (n = 25), residents (n = 30), nurses (n = 32) and nurses’ assistants (n = 27). Both personal and work phones were sampled, and viral RNA was extracted using real-time quantitative PCR. The researchers found that senior physicians and residents more frequently used their personal mobile phones compared with nurses and nurses’ assistants (33/55 vs. 10/59; P < .001). Mobile phones were more often used in adult wards than in pediatric wards (46/58 vs. 27/56; P < .001), and cordless hospital phones were disinfected less frequently in pediatric wards. Viral RNA was found on 38.5% of mobile phones, with rotavirus detected on 39 of 109 devices, respiratory syncytial virus on three and metapneumovirus on one. No viral RNA from norovirus or influenza was detected. These results indicate that mobile phones must be disinfected in clinical settings, the researchers noted. “This work does not support the ban of the use of mobile phones in hospitals,” Botelho-Nevers said. “We just want to make HCWs aware that mobile phones, which are part of our daily practice, can be contaminated by pathogens and notably viruses. “The use of disinfection wipes to clean phones and adherence to hand hygiene are crucial to prevent cross-transmission of pathogens. Contributed by healio.com

UK Defense Firm BAE Systems Wants to “Grow” Drones in Vats with Chemical 3D Printing.

As UK defense and aerospace company BAE Systems prepares themselves for the upcoming Farnborough International Airshow, some of their scientists and engineers were asked to outline their current ides for the future of designing and manufacturing military aircraft. They envision the 3D printers of the future to be a lot more efficient, and a lot different than what we have available to us today. The BAE scientists believe that within this century they will be capable of growing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) using advanced chemistry and large chemical baths. The process would be capable of creating functional, near fully assembled drones for specific military operations within a matter of weeks. The ideas and concepts or these lab-grown aircraft were developed as part of their collaborative approach to sharing technology and scientific ideas with other established companies, new tech startups and researchers in academia. The process would require a cutting-edge chemical 3D printer and computer called a “Chemputer” that would grow the customized aircraft and some of their electronic systems at the molecular level. The drones would take shape by introducing raw materials into the chemical baths and apply centrifugal force. This would encourage the aircraft to form into their final shapes, and the process could even be used for larger aircraft components that could later be assembled. “This is a very exciting time in the development of chemistry. We have been developing routes to digitize synthetic and materials chemistry and at some point in the future hope to assemble complex objects in a machine from the bottom up, or with minimal human assistance. Creating small aircraft would be very challenging but I’m confident that creative thinking and convergent digital technologies will eventually lead to the digital programming of complex chemical and material systems,” explained Regius Professor at the University of Glasgow Lee Cronin, who is also the Founding Scientific Director at Cronin Group PLC, the company that is helping to develop the Chemputer. While BAE Systems and their corporate partners seem to be focused on the potential military and aerospace applications, the same process could also revolutionize civilian industry and technology. Similar chemical 3D printers could be used to manufacture anything from cars and other vehicles, personal electronics and even furnishings. Welcome to a world of possibilities!!! 3D PRINTING WORLD Contributed by 3dprint.com

Gamifying the veterinary practice..

What we’ve got in many practices is a whole group of people who came from all different kinds of backgrounds, upbringings, education, etc. and we’re dumping them into this building and telling them to work together. If not handled properly that can cause quite a clash of differing viewpoints and personalities resulting in dysfunctionality within the practice, almost like a dysfunctional family! This is Dr Joel Parker's method of putting FUN into your practice; Putting More "Fun" into DysFUNctional .Enjoy,and adopt. Many thanks Veterinary -practice- solutions

Study shows early neutering poses health risks for German shepherds.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), has found that spaying or neutering German shepherds before the age of 1 triples the risk of one or more joint disorders, particularly for cranial cruciate ligament tears, according to a university release. "Debilitating joint disorders of hip dysplasia, CCL and elbow dysplasia can shorten a dog's useful working life and impact its role as a family member," says lead investigator Benjamin Hart, DVM, PhD, DACVB, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, in the release. "Simply delaying the spay/neuter until the dog is a year old can markedly reduce the chance of a joint disorder." In the UC Davis study, researchers looked at veterinary hospital records for a 14.5-year period for 1,170 intact and neutered (including spayed) German shepherds for joint disorders and cancers previously associated with neutering. The diseases were followed through 8 years of age, with the exception of mammary cancer in females, which was followed through 11 years of age. Dogs were classified as intact, neutered before 6 months, neutered between 6 and 11 months, or neutered between 12 and 23 months. Joint disorders and cancers were of particular interest to the researchers because neutering removes male and female sex hormones that play key roles in processes such as closure of bone growth plates, the release states. The findings show that 7% of intact males were diagnosed with one or more joint disorders, as contrasted with 21% of males that were neutered prior to 1 year of age. Five percent of intact females were diagnosed with one or more joint disorders, while in females neutered before the age of 1 the percentage diagnosed rose to 16%. Mammary cancer was diagnosed in 4% of intact females, as compared to less than 1% of females neutered before 1 year. In intact females, urinary incontinence was not diagnosed at all; however, in females neutered before 1 year of age, it was diagnosed in 7% of cases. contributed by dvm360.

Silk screws and bone repairs.

Samuel Lin from Harvard Medical School and David Kaplan at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts have invented silk screws for bone repair. They made several researches over silk and molded the material into screw shapes. The silk screws are stronger than it seems and they can fix fractures and bone problems. When the silk is stretched it becomes as strong as steel ,this property makes the screws cut through bones. They are the best alternative to all previous suturing methods. The metal can corrode, and they need a second intervention. The other biodegradable alternatives can cause severe inflammation while the polymers are too soft and need drilling the bone.(coolweird.com) The silk screws are the only bone screws that are strong enough, naturally biodegradable and while they biodegrade don’t cause inflammation. Ideally, they could be used in place of metal plates and fasteners in many circumstances. That would mean no more setting off detectors or experiencing pain when cold temperatures set in. This could also be of great benefit to overall healing, as using metal in the body has been observed to slow wound healing and assist the rapid development of infection. In cases where permanence isn't needed, silk is being touted as an ideal alternative to traditional materials especially since, over time, it dissolves in the body.

Bio pen: a hand held 3D printing pen for surgery.

BioPen is a handheld 3D printer which allows surgeons to precisely design and deliver customized bone and other implant materials (live stem cells and growth factors) at the time of surgery to regenerate bone, cartilage, muscle, or nerve tissue. The University of Wollongong (UOW) in Australia developed a handheld device is designed to let surgeons “draw” live cells and growth factors directly onto the site of an injury to help accelerate the regeneration of functional bone and cartilage. The BioPen extrudes cell material inside a biopolymer Instead of plastic filament,such as alginate, which is in turn encased in an outer layer of gel material. Both the outer and inner layers are combined in the pen head as it is extruded and the surgeon “draws” to fill in a section of damaged bone. When the surgeon draws with the BioPen, the two layers of gel are combined in the pen head as they are are extruded onto the bone surface to fill in the damaged bone section. Then, an ultraviolet light source solidifies the materials, providing protection for the embedded cells as they are built up layer-by-layer to construct a 3D scaffold in the wound site. Once the cells are drawn onto the surgery site, they will multiply, become differentiated into nerve cells, muscle cells, or bone cells, and eventually develop from individual cells into a thriving community of cells in the form of functioning tissue. Contributed by coolweirdo.com

Giant fish that eats crocodiles and humans.

During a fishing expedition on the River Congo in Africa, British angler Jeremy Wade, 52, caught Goliath tigerfish. Goliath is considered one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It is much larger and more deadly than the small piranha. The giant fish has 32 teeth that are similar in size to those of a great white shark, and it has been proven that it attacks humans and crocodiles. When people name something or someone Goliath, you better expect to see something humongous! Well that is clearly the case of the Goliath tigerfish. The biggest monster fish from this species caught up until now was 5 feet long and weighed 154 pounds, but there are indications that even much bigger specimens roam the Lualaba River, Lake Upemba and Lake Tanganyika in Africa Each of this monster’s razor-sharp teeth can be up to one inch long, and when these “knives” gulp on the unsuspecting prey, expect a clean cut. The Goliath tigerfish species takes extremely long to breed, because, they like to hunt, and eat a lot, hence, they invest their energy into killing, rather than breeding. Your first instinct when you catch such a fish would be to take it home and frame it, please do not, cause we have to preserve the species, or else, we’ll only see it in documentaries. Many thanks coolweirdo.com