由細到大, 老媽子都會叫我用鹽水擦牙消炎, 這些土法最近又得到新的科學檢證, 當然, 其鹽與水的比例會被專利化...
With the right mixture, water and salt can work wonders.
Oculus Innovative Sciences, a Petaluma, California-based biomedical company, has developed a formulation of "ion-imbalanced, super-oxygenated" water which is able to kill bacteria, viruses and spores, but leave multicellular organisms unharmed. But not untouched -- the super-oxygenated water actually speeds healing of severe burns, diabetic ulcers, even necrotic flesh. The product is called Microcyn, and this week it received "510K" approval from the FDA as a medical device.
Super-oxygenated water was first developed in the 1990s in Japan as a means of disinfecting water in nuclear reactors. While early signs suggested it might have medical applications, researchers at the time couldn't figure out how to keep it stable for more than a few days. Prior to the development of Microcyn, hospitals paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for small amounts of super-oxygenated water for limited, time-constricted use. In 2000, Iranian-born biologist Hoji Alimi bought the license for the water, and his company, Oculus, spent the next three years figuring out the stability problem. Unlike earlier super-oxygenated water formulations, Microcyn has a shelf-life of at least a year.
And it's already transforming trauma care.
In early 2003 Oculus filed for approval with Mexico's Ministry of Health for Microcyn to be used as a disinfectant and an antiseptic for wounds. Dr. Andrés Gutiérrez, head of the cell therapy unit at the National Institute of Rehabilitation in Mexico City, was asked to test its safety and efficacy. "I was skeptical at first," he says. "Others have tried to do this before and have failed miserably."But he quickly discovered that the solution killed spores, fungi and viruses. It eradicated bacillus bacteria in less than a minute compared with 15 minutes for alcohol, which doesn't even kill spores. Satisfied that Microcyn was effective and nontoxic, the institute tested the solution on patients with diabetic foot ulcers. "The first thing we noticed was that the odor from the wound faded away in 24 hours. This had never happened before," says Gutiérrez.Doctors in Mexico are now using Microcyn on patients with varicose vein ulcers and on children with second- and third-degree burns. With other treatments the average stay for pediatric burn patients was 20 days. With Microcyn the length was cut in half, saving Mexican hospitals $18,000 per patient....
...Microcyn will be available to US hospitals by June 2005.