Toggle light / dark theme

Urokinase therapy improves diabetic foot ulcer healing and decreases CV events in diabetes patients suggests a new study published in the BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a disabling complication of diabetes mellitus. Here, we attempted to assess whether long-term intrafemoral artery infusion of low-dose urokinase therapy improved Diabetic foot ulcers and decreased cardiovascular events in patients with Diabetic foot ulcers were randomized to continuous intrafemoral thrombolysis or conventional therapy groups. The continuous intrafemoral thrombolysis group received continuous intrafemoral urokinase injection for 7 days, and conventional therapy just received wound debridement and dressing change. Then, a follow-up of average 6.5 years was performed. Results: Compared with conventional therapy, at the first 1 month of intervention stage, the ulcers achieved a significant improvement in continuous intrafemoral thrombolysis group including a complete closure (72.4% vs 17.5%), an improved ulcer (27.6% vs 25.8%), unchanged or impaired ulcer (0% vs 56.7%). During the 6.

Chemists at RIKEN have developed a method for making synthetic derivatives of the natural dye indigo that doesn’t require harsh conditions. This discovery could inspire advances in electronic devices, including light-responsive gadgets and stretchy biomedical sensors.

Semiconductors based on organic molecules are attracting much interest because—unlike conventional rigid semiconductors based on silicon—they could be flexible, ductile and lightweight, opening up new possibilities for designing semiconductor devices.

Organic molecules also have the advantage of realizing a broad range of structures. “Organic semiconductors have flexibility in molecular design, enabling them to adopt new functionalities,” says Keisuke Tajima of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, who led the research.

From the article: As much as 55,000 tons (50,000 metric tons) of hydrogen could lurk in the reservoir beneath the mine — enough to sustain the high flow rate for 238 years, according to the study.


A portion of ancient oceanic crust that sits atop Albania and hosts one of the largest chromium mines on Earth also contains a huge hydrogen reservoir, offering a potential source of clean energy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving at break-neck speed and was one of the key themes at one of the world’s biggest tech events this year, CES.

From flying cars to brain implants that enable tetraplegics to walk, the show revealed some of the most recent AI-powered inventions destined to revolutionize our lives. It also featured discussions and presentations around how AI can help address many of the world’s challenges, as well as concerns around ethics, privacy, trust and risk.

Given how widespread AI is and the rate at which it is evolving, global harmonization of terminologies, best practice and understanding is important to enable the technology to be deployed safely and responsibly. IEC and ISO International Standards fulfil that role and are thus important tools to enable AI technologies to truly benefit society. They can not only provide a common language for the industry, they also enable interoperability and provide international best practice, while addressing any risks and societal issues.