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In some medical news...
A group of local scientists have developed a new way to treat broken bones.
They've produced new types of screws to pin bones... that the body can naturally absorb.
Connie Lee has more. A broken bone takes a while to heal ... and even after removing
the cast, the patient sometimes needs to go through a second operation to remove the metal
that was used in repairing the bone.
But patients can soon avoid this second operation, with a new development by local scientists.
After eight years of research, scientists from KAIST and Asan Medical Center have developed
special bone screws that do not need to be removed, because they naturally disintegrate
into the body.
They are made of magnesium calcium alloys and iron.
"When we tested it on a rabbit for a year... two thirds of the screw disintegrated into
the body ... and then disappeared. For now, we do not see any negative effects on the
body."
Researchers say that for a centimeter of a bone screw to fully disintegrate into the
body, it takes about six-months to two years, or more than long enough for bones to heal.
However, the shortcoming of these bone screws as of now is that they are only half as strong
as metal plates, made of titanium.
Currently, titanium metal is the most common material used to fix broken bones.
Scientists do say the newly developed medical screws can effectively be used for broken
fingers, or fractures in the face.
"Because the bone screws are not strong enough for other parts of the body, it can only be
used in the face for now. But in the near future, we plan to make the screws a bit stronger
so they can be used in dental implants."
Since last month, these special screws have been tested on patients' broken fingers...
and so far they are only approved for clinical trials.
Connie Lee, Arirang News.