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MOST PEOPLE ARE taught by their parents how to treat a small wound: stop the bleeding, clean it up, let it get some air, and - most important - never pick the scab. But dermatologists believe that this advice, passed down through generations, is outdated. In most cases, once a cut or scrape is clean and the bleeding has stopped, doctors advise just the opposite: soaking and slowly removing the scab, then keeping the area moist with antibacterial ointment or bacitracin. Research has shown that a moist environment will speed healing and reduce scarring. Never leave a small wound exposed or let it breathe. A bandage can ward off infection and prevent a scab from forming. It might also protect the area from sunlight, which stimulates the production of pigment and causes discoloration.
FAIR-SKINNED PEOPLE, take note: Someday, there may be a way to protect against sunburn and get a healthy, skin-protecting tan at the same time. Researchers at the University of Arizona say they have found a way to use a synthetic hormone to reduce skin damage in people with sensitive skin. The study found that the synthetic hormone could be combined safely with short exposures to sunlight or UV-B light to get a darker tan - and more melanin in the skin. The study used Melanotan-1, a synthetic version of a pigmentation hormone found in animals and pregnant women. The hormone can darken skin and produce melanin without sunlight. The 11 people who participated in the study received daily injections of the hormone for two weeks.
ADULTS WITH ASTHMA may have an increased risk of acquiring a group of chronic lung diseases that have historically been associated with smokers, according to the results of a 20-year study by University of Arizona researchers. The study explored whether a diagnosis of asthma can predict if someone will eventually develop emphysema, bronchitis or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which can be a combination of these. The epidemiologic study followed 3,099 Caucasian patients for 20 years. At the study's start, 192 had asthma with symptoms, 156 had been diagnosed with asthma but were symptom-free and the rest did not have asthma. Researchers found that patients with asthma were 12.5 times more likely to develop COPD than nonasthmatics; they were also 17 times more likely to develop emphysema. For decades, scientists have considered asthma and COPD to be different conditions, with distinct stages of development.
AN UNDER-THE-SKIN sensor can monitor blood sugar for diabetics constantly and could be used to detect an array of toxins and microbes, researchers say. The glucose sensor, smaller than a dime and paper thin, is coated with a substance that responds to changes in acidity, and then is given a second coat of the chemical glucose oxidase. This reacts with blood glucose to produce an acid, which causes the undercoating to swell and changes the frequency of the sensor as the reader is held close. The reader interprets the changes in frequency against a scale of blood glucose levels. The sensor uses technology similar to that found in antitheft tags in stores.