September 16, 2014
Health Sciences Digest: Wearable Artificial Kidney, worker wellness, chromosome sort safeguard
Dr. Victor Gura, left, demonstrates the wearable kidney with John Kundzins at the Kidney Research Institute.Stephen Brashear
Wearable Artificial Kidney safety testing receives go-ahead
Medical researchers have received approval to begin safety and performance testing of the Wearable Artificial Kidney, a small dialysis machine that can be worn on the body. The Food and Drug Administration and the University of Washington Institutional Review Board accepted the protocol for the clinical trial. Expected to start this autumn in Seattle, it will be the first human study in the United States to be conducted on the device.
See the announcement: http://hsnewsbeat.uw.edu/story/wearable-artificial-kidney-safety-test-receives-go-ahead
FAQ on the Wearable Artificial Kidney: http://hsnewsbeat.uw.edu/story/faq-seattle-wearable-artificial-kidney-safety-trial
Many low-wage workers would welcome wellness initiatives
A “strong disconnect” exists between employers in low-wage industries and their employees about the value of workplace wellness programs, UW researchers report in a new study. While employers voiced that such programs might be perceived as an intrusion into workers’ personal lives, the employees said wellness initiatives would not only be appropriate but also indicate that the employer cared about them and their health, said Peggy Hannon, associate professor of health services in the UW School of Public Health.
Read more: http://hsnewsbeat.uw.edu/story/many-low-wage-workers-would-welcome-wellness-initiatives
Reproductive cell division avoids errors via simple mechanics
Reproductive cell division has evolved a simple, mechanical solution to avoid chromosome sorting errors, researchers reported in the Sept. 11 Science Express. This natural safeguard prevents incorrect chromosome counts and misalignments that lead to infertility, miscarriage or congenital conditions.
Details at: http://hsnewsbeat.uw.edu/story/cells-simply-avoid-chromosome-confusion
Tag(s): cell biology
