‘Frozen Finger’ in Anal Fissures, Appreciated

“Acute anal fissures are usually managed by various invasive and non-invasive modalities ranging from simple lifestyle changes to chemical and surgical sphincterotomies. Frozen finger, prepared using a water-filled ordinary rubber glove, was successfully used in one hundred patients, thus providing a cost-effective and simple solution to the problem.” That’s a quote from the study ” […]

An ambiguous abbreviation of a journal title: “J Anal Methods Chem”

The PubMed database abbreviates the names of many research journals. Sometimes these abbreviations lend themselves to confusion. Sometimes that confusion can, maybe, be willful. Here’s an example, in a citation of a chemistry study: Classification of Coffee Beans by GC-C-IRMS, GC-MS, and (1)H-NMR. J Anal Methods Chem. 2016;2016:8564584 Authors: Arana VA, Medina J, Esseiva P, Pazos D, […]

Sensing and Sensibility: “Development of Anal Position Detecting System for New-Toilet System”

Technology for the elderly grows more ambitious and, arguably, more adventurous. This paper sets a new standard: “Development of Anal Position Detecting System for New-Toilet System,” Koshi Tokoro, Keisuke Fujihira, and Hiroshi Kobayashi [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan], paper presented at the 2013 Seventh International Conference on Sensing Technology, December […]

Food Safety: Vanilla-like, from the Butt of Beavers

A flavorant from the butt of beavers underwent a safety assessment: “Safety Assessment of Castoreum Extract as a Food Ingredient,” Ge0rge A. Burdock [pictured here], International Journal of Toxicology, vol. 26, no. 1, 2007, pp. 51-55. The author, of the Burdock Group, Washington, DC, explains: “Castoreum extract (CAS NO. 8023–83–4; FEMA NO. 2261) is a […]

Headline of the day: Engineering a better anal sphincter

Today’s Headline of the Day comes from the science blog called ScienceBlog reports: Researchers use human cells to engineer functional anal sphincters in lab Researchers have built the first functional anal sphincters in the laboratory, suggesting a potential future treatment for both fecal and urinary incontinence. Made from muscle and nerve cells, the sphincters developed […]