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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1981)
Page 14 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1981 Features Researchers rebuild organs with inorganic material United Press International PROVIDENCE, R.I. —Brown University medical researchers are looking for ways to breath new life into failing bodies by building “hybrid” artificial organs with ceramics, plastics and metals. Brown’s “spare parts” depart ment, as it is called on campus, is using inorganic materials as build ing blocks upon which an organ’s living cell structure can thrive. The researchers are also build ing organs from scratch, including an experimental lung constructed of 22 coils of teflon and thick, clear plastic. “Medicine traditionally had been looked at as the alleviation of pain or disability,” explains Swiss- born Dr. Pierre Galletti, director of Brown’s research program. “Next came preventive medi cine. Now we are on the threshold of substitutive medicine: if you cannot cure it, get rid of it and replace it,” Galletti said. Galletti, who is vice president of the school’s biology and medi cine program, and fellow resear chers at Brown believe hybrid organs — the bridging of living cell with man-made materials — can be an alternative to total organ replacement. “We are using ceramics and metals which can be used as a ‘scaffold’ so tissues, or cells, can grow upon them. We are trying to match plastics with biology,” Gal letti said in a thick accent, brushing back a shock of his hair. The marriage of man and metals is being tested in the department’s laboratory at the Ivy League school’s Bio-Med Center. Sheep with artificial lungs and dogs with implanted pancreas move around in their pens, appearing normal except for ban dages covering surgical incisions. Galletti said the artificial lung has worked on a number of sheep, but its use in humans is at least a decade away. The pancreas, which has maintained insulin levels in rats and dogs, could be available for diabetics in less than a decade. Work is also continuing on hyb rid kidneys and livers, each en cased with a semi-permeable membrane — the scaffold of living cells — to ward off rejection. And researchers talk of a breakthrough in vascular replacements for arteries. The organs have “gone through several generations. We’re elimi nating our problems along the way,” said Len Trudell, chief surgeon and lab director. Perhaps the most difficult task of “creating” organs is deciding on the design, much of which is un charted waters in medical re search. The shape of an original organ often provides no clue to the design of the man-made replace ment. The artificial pancreas, for inst ance, resembles more a clear plas tic horseshoe with tubing than the organ itself. “Our job is to create things that don’t exist. This is really the Buck Rogers department,” Trudell, who calls himselftk er” and Galletti the tualizer. ” Galletti believes man hi could improve upon his design. “It’s not obvious that knows best,” Galletti said says water-based life is th things have to be?” Dental magician turns patients into audience VALERIE MARTIN’S GALLERY OF DANCE ARTS will have IjzcjinnLncj ^una, 1il Ballet Jazz 107 Dowling Enroll Starting May 4th Tap Exercise Aerobics C&W 693-0352 United Press International BALTIMORE — Everyone has a horror story about a visit to the dentist, but Scott Sales, 7, can tell his friends about the day he saw a magic show from the dentist’s chair. Scott paid a visit to the Univer sity of Maryland Dental School last week and there he met Craig Schneider, 24, of Silver Spring, Md., a third-year student who does a lot more than assist dentists at the outpatient clinic. Schneider, you see, is a magi cian, a man who can change the look of fear on a child’s face with the snap of a magic box. “I want to see if you’ve been brushing your teeth,” Schneider said to Scott. “Now, if I open this box and the rabbit is black, you haven’t been brushing.” Scott’s eyes widened. Schneid er pulled off the cover of the box and the rabbit was black. Schneider explained the princi ples of good brushing and gave Scott another shot at the magic box. “Now look at the rabbit,” Schneider said. The rabbit was white. Scott giggled and told Schneid er to turn the drawing over. Scott had it all figured out. But when Schneider pulled off the back of the box Scott saw no thing but the tail of a white bunny. The black rabbit was gone and so DIETING? Even though we do not prescribe diets, we make it possible for many to enjoy a nutritious meal while they follow their doctors orders. You will be delighted with the wide selection of low calorie, sugar free and fat free foods in the Souper Salad Area, Sbisa Dining Center Basement. OPEN Monday through Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM QUALITY FIRST SKAGG S SHOPPING CENTER CON GR ADULATION S SENIORS! BEST OF LUCK IN THE FUTURE! COME BY AND TRY OUR HOME STYLE CHICKEN FRIED STEAK DINNER SUPERB® OPEN 10:30-10:00 MON.-SAT. 11:00-10:00 SUN. 846-9174 I I I I I I I J was Scott’s fear. To Schneider the act was part of his ability to combine the ancient arts of science and magic. Schneider takes both his dentistry and his magic very seriously. “When I was 12, I started read ing magic books. I found I had a talent and started giving chil dren’s shows. Now I do both adult and children’s magic,” he said. His demonstrations of adult magic — flashing coins, card tricks, floating dollar bills — leave his adult audiences with mouths agape. And Schneider’s mind is as dazzling as his tricks. In his senior year in high school, Schneider convinced his teachers to let him do indepen dent study combining philosophy and psychology. He speaks with as much authority about Hume as he does about Houdini. His undergraduate major was Latin and now he is in a five-year program with a double major in zoology and dentistry. He could easily make a living doing magic, but said, “The life of an entertainer is too tough for me. “I don’t think I’d like being on the road all the time. So I can use my magic skills with patients, both adults and children. Chief of Protoa St. Loi Montr philad pittsbi NewY Chica? kicks up furor with royal curts Los Ar Cincir Atlant San Fi Roust' San D Wedn Chicago ! Cincinna San Dicg Los Angt San Fran Atlanta 1 F United Press International WASHINGTON — Chief of Protocol Lenore Annenbergl kicked up a mini-furor with her knees — a curtsy to Prince Ck? that has drawn gasps, protests and a State Department explamtt During the future king of England’s visit to Washington! week, Annenberg greeted him from bended knees and even rose the stir had begun. The curtsy is the required gesture of Britishers to memba their royal family. But some irate Yanks don’t thinkitisappropn in this part of the free world. Local newspapers have been swamped the past few daysi letters from irate readers — prompting the State Departraeit respond and the White House to grope for an reply. State Department spokesman David Passage told reportersif is “no established protocol or etiquette for how one should grs royal visitor.” “I suppose a variety of things were considered, such as shat vorld the hand, nodding the head, bowing at the waist, running up throwing one’s arms around him and giving him a big kiss, quipped. “Mrs. Annenberg’s reaction was a gesture of courtesy, noma i little no less, he said in a serious tone. “It was a gesture withoutpolili implications. It was a gesture without political significance. It personal one.’ Annenberg’s husband, Walter Annenberg, was the U.S. sador to Great Britain in the Nixon era. Acting White House press secretary Larry Speakes, asked lescribe comment, said, “Not being a protocol expert or a fool...” Hisvoi trailed off and he didn’t complete the sentence.” Throug ear man n the of n nent iot many an effo , ad< hi ports ye: asm Year in We ha' md come With Vegetable diesel fuel hing els< Lookin ports st oil could replace in farm equipment The Best Pizza In Town! Honest WE DELIVER 846-3412 United Press International PEORIA, Ill. — If nesearchefc at the Department of Agricul ture’s regional laboratory have their way, farmers of the future will beat the energy crisis by get ting into the oil business. The vegetable oil business, that Mr. Gatti's Pizzamat AFTER 5 P.M. — MIN. $5.00 ORDER VISA SALE ENDS SAT. 1620 Texas Ave. 693-3716 Tests are underway to deter mine if oil from soybeans, sunf lowers, peanuts or cottonseed can fuel diesel-powered farm equip ment. If the experiments prove fruitful, farmers may become energy self-sufficient. “A farmer might be self- sufficient by growing his sunflow ers, soybeans or whatever, and then using it to replace diesel fuel,” said Arthur W. Schwab, re searcher at the Northern Regional Research Center, one of four USDA labs which study new out lets for farm commodities. The idea is not new. Vegetable oils were used on a small scale in early diesel engines until after World War II, when cheap and abundant petroleum took over the market. But now that fuel prices have been rising dramatically, resear chers across the nation have be gun studying vegetable oils along with other prospective alternative diesel engine fuels. The USDA hopes its tests will help reach a goal of making all far mers energy self-sufficient by 1990. “Short-term tests have been successful. It’s on the longterm en durance tests that problems start awards” nents ca :ditor or vho wasi These: n. No 1 eant: Quote ry doghi oghoust lays in showing up,” said Everelt Pryde, research leader of tk ject. “Engine design is an imp Jhelby S factor. Direct injection eis (y r jgbt, are very efficient, but not , vegetable oils. Ours is tlf attempt to look at modifyitj fuel (vegetable oil) to worl: direct injection diesel engfi jU wasc Other researchers have k vegetable oils work betterfe; combustion diesel engines, U S DA researchers said nw J mers own direct injection ei™, and it is cheaper to modifytl* R than the engines. seam ear Host Yeah, it here. I ’ eveto a )USt. lest Ag Situation ] eno 1 Rollie alf after ivertime Mon.-Sat. 9-9 Sun. 10-6 Rother's Bookstore PAYS TOP DOLLAR The biggest problem vegetable oil is that it is k P* a y m 8 1 and thicker than dieselfueU does not burn as well and re 'tuation chers said unburnt fuel often ! ame ’ II 1 J t .; into the crankcase oil, W forms a rubber-like If the engine continues mi' Best Wi after the crankcase oil has s hate to b fled, it could be ruined. Th hnish hi also tends to plug other f this year the engine, including the that.” filter. Tom Wil ball gam' David I FOR USED BOOKS! come in tournani' At the Southgate 696-2111 LONE STAR L0NGNECKS 49 a case plus deposit AGGIE USDA researchers will try to change the physin Hie top chemical properties of veget were ran oil by mixing it with other® tionally ances such as other oils or q U( turally produced alcohols. The tests began earlier tk and researchers hope to solution within a year. Lm engine tests will be condm know wh winning, tain way styeai wore my cooperation with several uni" jj CLEANERS 111 College Main 846-4116 ties, researchers said. nywhol “It’s a very confused sih" ^ ^ ^ FREE UNIFORM STORAGE] right now, but I’m very oph there will be a solution to problems,” Pryde said. Even if USDA researched a trouble-free mixture forth' 1 there are other problems MMNH Don’t forget YOUR Aggieland Available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Room 216, Reed McDonald Building Bring your ID card Pick 'em up cleaned and pressed in the fall! "THE Cleaners At Northgate" Vegetable oil fuel is mei* pensive than diesel fuel, chers said some vegetal would cost about twice asm" current diesel fuel prices. I would become economical^ farmer if diesel fuel is in j supply or if prices continue tf" The V IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THAT UNUSUAL HANDCRAFTED GIFT FOR msc MOTHER’S DAY Come by the MSC CRAFT SHOP and check out our HANDCRAFTED MERCHANDISE on display in the MSC CRAFT SHOP GALLERY Remember MOTHER’S DAY is on May 10th. for further information please call 845 - 1631 3 M