Chew on it

Labour of lab

Surgeons in the US have found a way to take tissue from a foetus, grow it in a laboratory and then implant it in a new-born child. The technique, so far tested only on animals, could be used to correct congenital defects at birth. DarioFauza, of the Harvard Medical School’s Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery, took bits of bladder from an unborn lamb, grew the tissue in a culture and then implanted `spare parts’ in the lamb after they were born. This technique would prove helpful in the war against deformities at birth which has been a major problem boggling scientists and doctors for years.

Sunscreen no block

Since sunscreens protect against sunburn, most people assume that they would also protect against skin cancer. But they do not. Richard Setlow of the Brookhaven National Laboratory in NY says that most sunscreens blocked the transmission of ultraviolet light that caused sunburn — UVB — but did not block the longer wave lengths (UVA), which cause skin cancer. "About 90 per cent of sunlight’s melanoma-causing effect comes from UVA and only 10 per cent from UVB," he said.

Brainy babies

Accurate information about brain development is very important for babies who are born prematurely. But babies have a mind oftheir own and make it a point to squirm and move when you’d like them to hold still. As a result, brain scans are usually of a poor quality. A new imaging technology, Tesla, developed in the Hammersmith Hospital, UK, is out to change this. This system allows easy access to infants for monitoring and treatment during scanning, and visualises structures of the brain that were previously indiscernible. This technique will provide unique information about normal brain development and thus will be of value in detecting and monitoring abnormalities of the brain during a period of rapid growth when infants are particularly vulnerable to cerebral injuries.