Please read the following article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225213452.htm
The pros to this amazing type of medical technology are numerous. Any downside?
Post your thoughts and opinions here in 250 words or more by Friday, February 29th.
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Nano-scale scaffolding is a new and innovative way to kill harmful bacteria in the human body. This method was developed by Mark Schoenfisch and his chemical lab at the University of North Carolina. The nano-scale scaffolding is made of silica which is a natural chemical compound known for its hardness and found in sand, quartz, and cell walls of diatoms. These silica are filled with Nitric Oxide (NO) which is a gaseous molecule that is involved in signaling processes in mammals. This advancement will allow bacteria to be destroyed without the use of antibiotics which new bacteria has become resistant too. This all sounds great, but there are also a few downsides. One difficulty with the treatment is that there are a few religious groups such as Fundamentalist Christians, who refuse medical treatment in favor of faith healing. Also, there is a small chance that the nitric oxide could escape the silica scaffolding. For this reason, small molecules that were first thought to achieve the same results as the scaffolding were rejected because the nitric oxide was harmful to healthy cells. Some people may not be confident in receiving this new treatment due to the fact that it is such a new development. The best aspect of this new method is that a recent scare of antibiotic resistant bacteria can be avoided in the future. Nanoscale scaffolding is a useful new way of killing bacteria without antibiotics.
At the University of North Carolina, scientists have created nano-scale scaffolds which add more nitric oxide within mammals. Nitric oxide is an important molecule in animals since it fights bacterial infections and has many other vital functions such as regulating blood pressure. This new technology can be very useful to people. The body constantly produces nitric oxide and can increase its production to fight infection, but sometimes there isn’t enough to put up a sufficient defense. So, this is where the nano-scale scaffolds comes in. There are two types to deliver the nitric oxide to the bacteria. First there is a small molecule and there are also the nanoparticles. The small molecule was used in previous research and showed potentially damaging results. Controlling the release of the nitric oxide was hard in the small molecule and molecules could be potentially toxic to healthy cells in the body. Also the small molecules release nitric oxide all over and the concentration of nitric oxide is decreased as it makes its way towards the bacterial cells. The other type is, silica scaffolds, which is better than the small molecule. The scientist can control how much nitric oxide is released so it fully attacks the bacteria. The silica nanoparticles delivers the nitric oxide straight to the bacteria. This decreases the overall amount of nitric oxide needed to kill the bacteria and the silica nanoparticles are not toxic to healthy cells. Although there are many positives aspects to the nano-scale scaffolds, scientists still need to continue testing this technology to ensure it is safe to be used on mammals.
This past Tuesday, information was divulged that a new antibacterial cure was being studied. But unlike your average remedies like Neosporin and a Band-Aid, this one was a little more technical. By replicating how the body uses nitric oxide naturally to fight bacterial infections, they created a nano-sized, bacteria-destroying machine in the form of scaffolds of silica. Though the body has an immune system already, the amount of nitric oxide it makes is sometimes not enough to overcome some of the many possible bacteria-related health problems. Even though this new biotechnology can help treat some diseases, this advancement is by far not the end-all cure for bacterial diseases. First of all, it is only in its first stages of studies, and as most scientific researchers know, there is a good chance that this treatment has not been perfected and/or there are still unknown side effects. The silica scaffolds are used because they were more effective in releasing the nitric oxide to the bacteria cell than the small molecules which were also vying for the job. The NO is toxic to both bacterial and healthy cells, so if for some reason the silica scaffolds released the nitric oxide before it reached the bacteria (which was the reason the small molecules are not used), healthy body tissue could be destroyed, causing further medical problems. Also, there may be controversy about how human-made substances are doing the body’s job of fighting disease. Some religions, Jehovah’s Witnesses, do not let blood work or other various medical procedures to be done to the human body. Last of all, the hygiene hypothesis states that if a child is not exposed to infectious agents they will be more susceptible to problems in the future. So is it worth it for a child to use this procedure now and face the consequences of a weak immune system as an adult? This question, among many others, has to be answered before this treatment is used on the general public. If they are not, Mark Schoenfisch and his colleagues who helped create this treatment may face the serious implications of medical malpractice in the future.
The University of North Carolina is the first to discover a natural and potentially beneficial way of helping the body fight bacterial infections. Mark Schoenfisch and his team of researchers have found a way to boost the amount of nitric oxide inside of the body to help fight infections. Through years of previous research, the team has concluded that nitric oxide is a natural way for the body to create a defense of bacteria and help to fight the infection quicker and better. Their creation, the nano - scale silica scaffold, is found to be more accurate and effective than the small molecules used previously. These small molecules, also used to help boost the nitric oxide level near the infection cells, release the concentration near both healthy and bacterial cells. This causes more nitric oxide to be needed as it is lost traveling to the bacteria cell from the place of release. In effect, more healthy cells are affected by the nitric oxide posing a toxic threat to these cells. The silica scaffold nears the bacterial cell and then releases the nitric oxide, increasing the chance of more accurate killing of the cell. The scaffolds are thought to be better also because they only require a little amount of NO instead of the high amount found in the small molecules. This method of fighting bacterial infections is easily controlled by the researchers inside of the lab because they control the time and rate of release of the NO. This gives scientists more control over the silica scaffolds compared to the small molecules.
The future of pharmaceuticals is here, or in testing at least. A new method for killing harmful bacteria in the body was developed by Mark Schoenfisch in his University of North Dakota lab. His lab has successfully created a variety of coatings for different biomedical applications. Such materials hold promise as anti-infective coatings and as methods to improve the body's integration of biological implants -- such as hip or knee joints -- and implanted sensors that relay various biological measures, such as blood glucose or oxygen concentrations. What it the new method actually is, is nano-scale scaffolding made of silica, a chemical compound found in sand, quartz, and cell walls of diatoms. They are filled with nitric oxide and destroy harmful bacteria. The silica releases the nitric oxide into the harmful cells which destroys them. This new kind of miracle drug has many upsides, but there are a few risks. For one, the silica scaffolding can also kill the good bacteria in your body. This weakens the immune system and makes your body more susceptible to disease. Also, there is a chance that the nitric oxide could escape from the body and it is very harmful to healthy cells. Other than that, this new drug seems like it can have real potential to help many people. Future research will include studying additional bacterial strains, active targeting, preferential uptake and biodistribution studies.
Silica nanoparticles offer an effective way of delivering nitric oxide (NO) into the cells to kill bacteria. There are many positive affects of this new medical discovery. Such as, the bacteria will be eliminated and there will be a lesser chance of there being toxic particles left over, “With the silica particles, more NO actually reached the inside of the cells, enhancing the efficacy of the nanoparticles compared to the small molecule. So, the overall amount of NO needed to kill bacteria is much less with silica nanoparticles. And, with small molecules, you're left with potentially toxic by-products.” said Mark Schoenfisch, an associate professor of chemistry in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. The nitric oxide is an important molecule that plays a role in regulating blood pressure, neurotransmission and fighting bacterial infections. Schoenfisch and his lab team have overcome the challenge of controlling how much nitric oxide is released. They have also successfully tested these “bombs” on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The silica nanoparticls destroyed the bacteria with by placing the nitric oxide right up to the bacteria, while other small particles released the nitric oxide too early and also left toxic byproducts behind. The silica did not. Even though this is an amazing discovery some people may reject it. Some religious groups do not allow medical attention. Schoenfisch may receive so bad attention because of this. And some children that are in need of attention may be denied it, all because of their parents religious opinions.
Mark Schoenfisch and his lab of analytical chemists at UNC have created nano-scale scaffolds made of silica with loaded with nitric oxide that fight off infections and regulate blood pressure. They are very effective at attacking only the targeted cells, by traveling in small molecules to hunt out specific target cells that are causing the problem, which makes it very effective, this is opposed to treatments like chemotherapy because, chemotherapy is indiscriminate which could turn out doing more harm then good, but it is not perfect. One major problem has to do with the small molecules used to transport the nano particles to the cells, because those small molecules are potentially toxic, which would offset the advantages of using nano particles. Another problem could be religious objection, some religions forbid followers to undergo certain operations, for example Rastafarians do not allow amputations, because in their belief cutting off a part of the body, is like cutting off a part of the soul. There may be similar opposition from other religions to operations such as this. Another criticism of Silica scaffolds is its possible side effects, like making your body more susceptible to disease. Overall it is my belief that the benefits outweigh the negatives, if they continue to test this method of medicine and perfect it, it can be one of the most effective ways to fight infection and disease.
A groundbreaking study in the medical field is underway at the University of North Carolina in Mark Schoenfisch’s lab. Together, he and his team of chemists have designed silica scaffolds filled with nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a chemical compound that is used widely in many biological processes. Schoenfisch and his team were able to utilize the bacteria-fighting ability of nitric oxide to develop a new treatment to fight infections by creating a way to store and release the molecule through their invention of the nano scaffolds. Although the human body will normally produce nitric oxide to fight against infection, sometimes not enough is produced for the body to conquer some of the diseases that constantly plague the body. The development of these nano-scale scaffolds proposes a new method beyond widely used antibiotics to help the body become more successful in killing bacteria. Schoenfish’s lab has already begun to think of other ways that the new technology may be applied in the future such as aiding the body’s ability to accept implants like knee joints. Even though speculation that the newly developed silicia scaffolds will have a great impact in the future of medicine, this invention is still in a preliminary stage. The scaffolds will have to be perfected and tested in mammals before they can be approved for use in humans. It will take some time before any side effects of this new treatment are known. Although nitric oxide has been studied for use in treating diseases of the brain such as Parkinsons, it has been shown that too much nitric oxide may kill brain cells and play a role in strokes. Nitric oxide is also known as a toxic air pollutant produced by cars. However, the amount of nitric oxide used within this treatment is small. The fact that this molecule is frequently researched in other studies on asthma and cardiovascular disease sheds light that nitric oxide will play a significant role in the advancement of medicine in the future.
The need for new kinds of medical treatments is immense because of all of the side affects associated with the traditional methods of treating intense, progressive diseases such as chemo therapy. A promising new treatment has been discovered by Mark Schoenfisch and his lab of analytical chemists at University of North Carolina. Together, they have created nano- scale scaffolds, which are deigned to target and kill only harmful bacteria in the body. Nano- scale scaffolds are made of silica filled with Nitric Oxide, (NO) which is a crucial molecule that, along with regulating blood pressure and neurotransmission, also has the ability to fight bacterial infections. Although the human body naturally produces NO to help fight off diseases, for some chronic and deadly diseases such as cancer, the body can not produce enough to effectively kill the bacteria. These silica scaffolds are designed to emit the extra NO needed to kill all of the bacteria. For a long time, it had been difficult to find a way to get the NO to be delivered to only harmful bacteria cells and to control the amounts of NO emitted. With these new silica scaffolds however, the output of NO can be easily controlled, so as to not poison the body. The silica scaffolds are also a great breakthrough in the medical world because they require far less NO than in the past. However, this is a very new discovery so there is still much more to be learned and there are some negative side effects that come with this breakthrough. For example, it is known that too much NO can increase the risk of stroke. However, the amounts of NO used in this procedure should be very low. Another objection one may have to the procedure is a religious one. Many religions do not permit certain medical operations. Even so, this is a major breakthrough and this focus on NO has the potential to lead to major medical breakthroughs for years to come.
Mark Schoenfisch, scientist at the university of North Carolina and his lab team of analytical chemists have created nano-scales made out of silica and filled with nitric oxide, otherwise known as (NO). Nitric oxide is important molecule in mammals that helps regulate blood pressure, neurotransmission and fighting bacterial infections. The nitric oxide inside of the silica targets and kills harmful bacteria inside the cells. The body naturally produces nitric oxide, however, not always enough to fight the bacterial infection. The nitric oxide is stored easily and the release can be carefully controlled. One of the potential pitfalls is if the release becomes uncontrollable for any certain reason, it will already be administered into the body. Using the silica nanoparticles the body requires less nitric oxide to kill the bacteria. The small residue molecules can be potential toxic, which in turn would be a harmful side effect. Some other downsides to these new nanoscale scaffolds is that there is a chance some of the nitric oxide will escape the silica scaffold, and also some of the nitric oxide has a negative effect on some of the healthy cells.
Bacteria have caused problems for scientists forever. It seems as if their soul purpose is to bypass any form of antibacterial drug that scientists throw at them. A group of scientists headed by Mark Schoenfisch at the University of North Carolina have come up with a method for killing bacteria while harming the least amount of healthy cells possible. This method includes tiny scaffolds made of silica loaded with nitric oxide being fired at the bacteria cells. Scientists were skeptical of this at first because they weren’t sure if the silica scaffolds would prevent the nitric oxide from harming vital human cells. Luckily, the silica scaffolds are able to prevent such damage and control the release of the nitric oxide to the bacteria cell. The benefits of this new research include many doors opening towards other antibacterial and bacteria prevention methods. There is, however, a list of downfalls to this beneficial research. For starters, many religions or belief systems go against using new scientific technology to prevent or contain diseases. In addition, there is also a very small chance that the extremely toxic nitric oxide can escape from the silica scaffolding and harm healthy blood cells. This small risk is something that scientists will strive to perfect prior to releasing the method to the public and recommending it to doctors for use on their everyday patients. The silica scaffold and nitric oxide molecules have proven their strength against bacteria called Psuedomonas aeruginosa which is commonly found in burn wounds. There may be an end in sight to the ongoing battle against bacterial infections that kill thousands each year.
Nano-scale medicine may seem like this great new innovative way to kill harmful bacterial, but to every positive there is a negative. Nitric oxide is a molecule in animals that fights bacterial infections as well as regulating blood pressure. Nitric oxide is also found in people to be used to fight infection, but sometime more nitric oxide is need to fight the infection, and then the body will create. This is a newly research processes. The positive is that is new technology could help, people who are sick, from a bacteria, and their body is unable to fight the bacteria on it own. Unfortunately it is so early in the research process scientist are unsure if there is a dangerous effect the treatment. There have been many time in medical history where scientist believe they have found a new medical process that could save the world, but really ended up causing more tragedy. This was shown in the case of women who were pregnant taking a drug called, Thalidomide, to deal with morning sickness. This drug was taken and thought to this great drug, but when the baby was born there were catastrophic birth defects. The use of this drugs shows that drugs first starting could have long term side effects that the scientist were not originally aware of. Nitric oxide medicine could also be bad because the bacteria could change and be resistant to the nitric oxide and then there would be know people getting sick from bacteria, and there bodies won’t be able to fight the bacteria properly.
Recently a group of select scientists at North Carolina University have created a new nano-sized bacteria fighting being. This “being” sets out to help boost our immune system by allowing a steady release of extra nitrous oxide. Nitrous Oxide is the main source of defense in our immune system and is used to kill harmful bacteria. This medicine is very appeal to almost all people. People, whose religious beliefs prevent them from undergoing other types of medical procedures, can now receive an equivalent treatment, by simply having this little “being” put in their body. It has the potential to become a flawless medical procedure and take over the world of medicine in almost all aspects. There will only be select types of medicine which will exist after this is perfected. The economic effects of this little “being” will be huge and world wide for many doctors. Tons of jobs will be lost and replaced by medical research facilities that are making more and more of this “Beings”, so the nation will see a huge drop off in the number of doctors and/or aspiring doctors, who will switch to other professions. The “being” is a great idea in terms of a medical creation, but a disaster in terms of the economy.
At the University of North Carolina, Mark Schoenfisch and a group of chemists developed silica filled nano-scale scaffolds that can fight off diseases in humans and mammals. These scaffolds are composed of nitric acid, which is a molecule that regulates blood pressure, plays a role in neurotransmission, and fights off bacterial infections. While the scaffolds have not yet been perfected, research has proven that the silica filled scaffolds deliver the nitric oxide right to the disease causing bacteria, immediately killing the bacteria. This is a significant discovery because while the body does produce nitric oxide, it sometimes does not produce enough to destroy a disease, and the scaffolds will solve this problem. With numerous deadly diseases, such as cancer, this new device can have a major impact on the medical world, and can be the answer to future medical research. However, there are some negative aspects to the scaffolds. Because high concentrations of nitric oxide increase the risk of a stroke, the scaffolds could trigger strokes in humans, although scientists have the ability to control the release of the nitric oxide. Also, if this device is in fact perfected, future medical research may not be necessary, causing many scientists and doctors to become unemployed if they are no longer needed. The nano-scale scaffolds also may not be readily available for all humans, and if those that have severe diseases do not receive the proper treatment, they will perish. The nano-scale scaffolds have the potential to change the course of medical history and research.
It is undeniable that new technology regarding medicine and treating health problems will have an unprecedented affect on the health of human beings in this day and age. This new form of attacking bacteria is amazing, and if a way is found to utilize it to its fullest exptent the pros to this technology would be exponential. This could be great for defending the body from ravenous bacteria that unstoppably devours the body with no previous remedies. Despite all of the incredible upsides of this silica anti biotic there is one, as I can see, notable con to this possibility. With the deposit of NO into the body at a increased extent there are health effects and risks. Nitric oxide acts as a signal transmitter between cells. The most important effect of nitric oxide is to relax the walls of blood vessels, an effect called vasodilation. The result is lower blood pressure and an increase in the flow of blood. The mechanism by which nitric oxide acts as a “vasodilator” is complicated, and is still under investigation. The physiological effects are the result of the interaction between the NO molecule and the complex organic molecules that form the blood vessels. However, if too much of this nitric oxide is in a bodies system it could kill off healthy cells and the results would be very detrimental to the immune system etc. This possible new medical technology would overall be very beneficial to the human community but the downsides must be noted and taken care of in order for this to reach its full potential of helping.
Nano-scale medicine: the future of healthcare. Recent discoveries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Mark Schoenfisch have provided us with an understanding of how this type of medicine can help keep us healthy. Scientists have discovered a way of using nitric oxide (NO,) which was an evident bacteria-killer, for killing human bacteria infections. This could provide many positive opportunities for humans and open new doors in medicine. The innovative nano-scale scaffolding of NO provides the body with extra amounts of NO to ward off infection. It is structured in such a way that it is safe for the body and it dispenses a sufficient amount. Silica is used as the scaffold, allowing it to be stored and dispensed safely. This discovery will help fight constantly changing bacteria, and will give people facing severe illness or death another chance. But what if the silica scaffold malfunctions? One must be aware of the possible downsides to this new innovation. As with all new medications, the outlook of potential may seem good at first, but that can quickly change. The article states how the NO with silica scaffolding reaches “the bacteria’s doorstep” and reached the inside of the cells. But what if there was a malfunction in the scaffold and it instead damaged the healthy cells? Another problem could arise if seemingly non-toxic silica byproducts begin to build up in cells and prove to be dangerous. The build up of silica, if significant enough, could possibly solidify and travel through the blood stream and cause a clot. The experiment to see how effectively of the NO scaffold worked was also performed on mice cells. How could this method react with humans?
JESSICA FONTANELLO:
This innovative method to killing bacteria was first developed by Mark Schoenfisch in a chemist lab in the University of North Carolina. This nano-scaffolding technology is unique in that is replicates the human bodies own nitric acid oxide to destroy and combat bacteria with sicila scaffolds. The positive effect is that antibiotics that bacteria have developed an immunity to are no longer needed with this new treatment of natural organic compounds. The downside, there are instances where if the silica were to escape from the scaffolding healthy cells may be destroyed along well infected ones thus weakening the immune system. Making it more difficult to fight infection and disease later on in life. Yet as technology continues to advance NO levels are able to better be controlled as to how much is released making this new method a very logical and suitable possibility.
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