Sprayable foam that slows bleeding could save lives

American Chemical Society: Traumatic injuries, whether from serious car accidents, street violence or military combat, can lead to significant blood loss and death. But using a material derived from crustacean shells, scientists have now developed a foam that can be sprayed onto an open wound to stop the bleeding. They report their successful tests on pigs in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. For some serious injuries to arms and legs, medics can apply pressure to keep bleeding in check. But for major trauma to the torso, particularly when it affects vital organs, compression can make the situation worse. Currently, first responders have no way to stop this kind of bleeding, which is a leading cause of death among young adults and the most common cause of death from combat-related injuries. Srinivasa R. Raghavan, Matthew B. Dowling and colleagues wanted to find a simple way to treat these wounds quickly. The researchers developed a sprayable foam made of modified chitosan, a biopolymer derived from the shells of shrimp and other crustaceans that is already being used in other types of non-foam wound dressings. In tests on pigs, the spray reduced blood loss by 90 percent.

Anemia

Anemia is a condition in which the hemoglobin content of the blood is lower than normal as a result of deficiency of nutrients (iron, vitamin...), acute or chronic blood loss (bleeding, cancer, ulcers, hemorrhoids, gastritis,  nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen, excessive menstruation, multiple pregnancies, parasitic infections, acute and chronic infections, chronic renal failure, congenital hemolytic diseases (sickle cell anemia...),leukemia...
More about anemia

Anemia

• Anemia is a condition in which the hemoglobin content of the blood is lower than normal as a result of
• deficiency of one or more essential nutrients (iron, vitamin...), 
• heavy blood loss (bleeding, hemorrhage), 
• chronic blood loss : ulcers, hemorrhoids, gastritis, cancer,  nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen, which can cause ulcers and gastritis,  excessive menstruation, childbirth especially if there are multiple pregnancies
• parasitic infections such as hookworm infestations,
• acute and chronic infections
• chronic renal failure
• congenital hemolytic diseases (eg sickle cell anemia). 
• Bone marrow and stem cell problems such as leukemia 
• Globally, anemia is a public health problem affecting people in both developed and developing countries with bad consequences of human health as well as social and economic development.
• Anemia is a critical health concern because it affects growth and energy levels adversely . 
• At least half of anemia worldwide is due to iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is due primarily to a lack of bio-available dietary iron or increased requirements such as during childhood and pregnancy .
• Anemia increases risk for maternal and child mortality and has negative consequences on the cognitive and physical development of children, and on work productivity in adults . 
• Clinical signs of anemia include breathlessness, dizziness, and perceived paleness or change of skin color 
• It damages immune mechanisms and is also associated with increased morbidity. 
• It occurs at all age groups, but is more prevalent in pregnant women and children. 
• Especially, young children from low income families have a higher risk for developing anemia due to iron deficiency that occurs as a result of high demand for iron during the period of rapid growth.
• Anemia is known to be a significant global problem affecting 305 million (25.4%) school age children. Globally, anemia affects 1.62 billion (24.8%) of the population , and an estimated 36% of developing world’s population suffers from this disease.
• Sources: Jemal A Haidar and Rebecca S Pobocik. BMC Hematology  / Selomon Assefa, Andualem Mossie. BMC Hematology

Hemophilia

Tsarevich of Russia

Authors:  Antonio Liras MD, Cristina Segovia MD and Aline S Gabán MD. Orphanet journal of rare diseases   

Hemophilia is a recessive X-linked hereditary disorder (X-linked recessive diseases usually occurs in males who have inherited a recessive X-linked mutation from their mother) caused by a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (hemophilia A) or IX (hemophilia B). The disease is considered to be severe when factor levels are below 1% of normal values, moderate when they are between 1 and 5% and mild when levels range between 5% and 40% [1].