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| Science & Technology |
| New Medical Technique - Soldier Regrows Leg |
| 2011-06-21 |
| A U.S.soldier who had most of his leg muscle blown off in Afghanistan has become the first to see it grow back in a pioneering experimental operation. Marine Isaias Hernandez lost 70 per cent of his right thigh muscles when an enemy mortar exploded as he tried to carry out repairs to a truck in Afghanistan. With such severe muscle damage Hernandez would ordinarily have had his leg amputated. But a re-think in the way soldiers are treated led to the wounded warrior being injected with a growth promoting substance extracted from pig bladders. Since the experimental growth hormone was used, Hernandez has regained most of the strength in his right thigh. The wounded Marine's recovery is particularly exciting for scientists as it involves the regeneration of skeletal muscle which ordinarily does not grow back. The new treatment could in theory revolutionise how not just how soldiers are treated, but all potential amputees. In preparation for the operation, corporal Hernandez was made to build up the remaining 30 per cent of muscle left on the damaged thigh. Surgeons then sliced into the thigh, placing a thin slice of a substance called extracellular matrix. The surgery is the result of a $70 million investment by the U.S. military into regenerative medicine research. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #12 Pigs, is there anything they can't do? Like Homer says, the pig is a wonderful, magical animal. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-06-21 21:02 |
| #11 Now if we can only get some liberals to regrow a brain destroyed by public education and college.... You're reaching there, CF. At least with the soldier's case, at least they had 30% of the original muscle left to work with. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-06-21 15:04 |
| #10 Thanks Bobby for the added info. This is really good stuff. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2011-06-21 14:43 |
| #9 "More, Faster" As someone or other occasionally says... |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-06-21 11:07 |
| #8 Pigs, is there anything they can't do? Seriously, this is good news for everyone. Anyone with a wasting disease could be fixed, nerves might be able to be regrown in a similar way and paralyzed people could walk, whole limbs could be rebuilt to stop hip and knee replacement surgeries, etc. All good news for our health.... if only we can keep the fucking government out of it. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-06-21 10:45 |
| #7 No doubt NFL coaches will be following this closely... |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-06-21 09:09 |
| #6 By the way, they got this part wrong: In preparation for the operation, corporal Hernandez was made to build up the remaining 30 per cent of muscle left on the damaged thigh. Hernandez did it all by himself, trying to get it all back. He got back much more (30% of the original strength) than the doctors expected before the treatment, but plateaued, and was considering amputation again, when he heard about the fingertip re-growth and sought out the Army Doctor. So the evil Army doctors didn't make him do something before using him as a guinea pig with the un-tested technique. The Discover article made it clear it was his Marine determination that got him through the pain and made him volunteer for the trial. And his right thigh muscle is at 103% of his left thigh strength, so he got it all back, not most of the strength. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2011-06-21 09:08 |
| #5 Actually, MR, and I know your question was not serious - The researcher started with dogs, transplanting a piece of intestine into the esophagus. The dog thrived. He did more. They all woke up hungry after the operation. He finally opened one up and the intestine tissue was gone - replaced with esophegeal tissue. Knowing that there was not much of a market in dog parts, he went to a slaughterhouse and got some pig parts, and found they worked just fine. The article is not yet available at the web site. Maybe our mooselimb friends can try goat parts. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2011-06-21 08:57 |
| #4 his doctor friend gave him "Pixie Dust" Was this act exploitation of our 'Pixie Americans' or was it exploitation of our 'pre-legal immigrant' Pixies? There are activists waiting to know. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2011-06-21 07:57 |
| #3 I just read the much-longer article in Discover Magazine. Earlier, a guy lost the end of his finger and his doctor friend gave him "Pixie Dust" made from this extracellular matrix. The guy grew back his finger tip - flesh, bone, and fingernail. It's probably bad for global warming... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2011-06-21 05:58 |
| #2 Yet another reason for Guys to love bacon. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-21 01:18 |
| #1 Now if we can only get some liberals to regrow a brain destroyed by public education and college.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-06-21 00:28 |