Revolutionary Bone-Growing Treatment From Israel

A revolutionary treatment that speeds and simplifies bone re-growth in pets has been developed by the Israeli company RegeneCure.

The unique artificial membrane produced under the trade name BoneCure is the only solution of its kind on the market. It comes as a small sheet (150, 200, or 350 millimeters in thickness) that can be cut to size. This sheet is rolled by a veterinary surgeon into a sleeve and anchored with bolts or sutures, encasing the space where lost bone should grow. BoneCure’s thin membrane is made from the same artificial materials used to coat slow-release aspirin. Designed to disintegrate over time and loaded with a positive charge, BoneCure encourages new bone cells to “sit” on its surface. Small perforations in the material allow growth factors to pass in and out of the area where the bone should grow, preventing unwanted tissue from entering the future bone zone.

BoneCure has been shown to require only one surgery where the current standard procedure would normally involve two.  It also reduces the chances of severe infection. That is welcome news, considering that about 5 to 10 percent of all severe bone fractures end in infection and more time under the knife. The new treatment can create accelerated bone growth 43 percent faster than without it, meaning eight weeks rather than five months of healing time. The regenerating membrane product could aid in cases where broken bones are not knitting as they should. The membrane draws in the stem cells with its positive charge and reboots this process.

Learning to use BoneCure does not involve complicated tutorials or training sessions. Complete instructions on how to set it in place are available for veterinary surgeons on the company website.

Two hundred pets in the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Germany and the UK have been treated with BoneCure.

RegeneCure built its technology based on pending patents licensed from Yissum, the tech transfer company of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and from Hadasit of Hadassah Medical Center, also in Jerusalem. The company of eight, founded in 2010, is based in Jerusalem.

Source: Israel21c

Israel To Partake in 'International Cleanup Day'

Israel is gearing up for its annual “Cleanup the World Day,” set to take place on September 9th.

Led by Keren Kayamet LeYisrael and the Jewish National Fund, about 200,000 volunteers are expected to take part in Clean Up Day in Israel this year, with the cooperation of regional and local councils, government bodies, and schools.

Stretching from the Negev to the Galilee, Jews, Arabs, Christians, Bedouins, and Druze will all join in educational activities held throughout the country.

This unique day will provide activities for all sectors of Israeli society to interact with one another and the environment.  For the first time, absorption centers for newly arrived immigrants from Ethiopia will also take part in the day's activities, a program made possible thanks to the support of Jewish National Fund in the United States. 

Throughout the several locations of Cleanup Day, the volunteers will receive environmentally informative preparatory instruction, free transportation to and from cleanup sites, a special cap, T-shirt and gloves, and garbage bags in 3 colors for the different types of recyclable materials: organic, paper, and plastic.

Source:   Arutz Sheva

Do You Aerosol?

Aerosols are everywhere. Aerosol containers squirt, spray and lather. Some even give lifesaving bursts of medicine. They are extremely popular because they dispense the product so steadily and easily. More than three billion aerosol cans around the world use a standard cylindrical metal canister with the contents under extreme pressure (between 8 and 12 atmospheres, about 3 times higher than the pressure inside car tires).

You too most likely have a few aerosol containers in your home. Go on, count them, we’ll wait…

Yes, aerosol containers are great! Unfortunately, they are not good for the environment. Here is why:
1.    The container has to be cylindrical in shape and made of metal to withstand the high internal pressure applied to its outer walls. Currently, almost all extruded aluminum aerosol packaging is made from virgin aluminum slugs.
2.    If there are still contents within the aerosol can, it cannot be recycled. Instead, it is processed as household hazardous waste.
3.    Aerosol canisters present potential hazard during the packaging step in manufacturing as well as during their use by consumers because their contents are highly pressurized and capable of explosion if heated or otherwise mishandled.
4.    While aerosol containers no longer contain chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), these vessels are pressurized with one of several volatile hydrocarbon propellants, such as carbon dioxide, propane and butane.  These propellants are “greenhouse gases” that contribute to global warming and smog formation.

Israeli startup GreenSpense invented a new alternative, propellant-free continuous dispensing based on nanotechnology. Thanks to this novel design where the eco-sleeve squeezes the product inward rather than outward, the need for a metal canister is eliminated. The packaging can be made from any kind of material, including plastic, biodegradable materials or recycled cardboard. An aerosol container equipped with the eco-sleeve can have just about any shape –– not just cylindrical.

GreenSpense packaging is easy to implement in today’s filling lines. It reduces manufacturing and transportation costs associated with the propellant-related safety requirements compliance.

GreenSpense launched its eco-sleeve this year in Paris at the Aerosol & Dispensing Forum. The company was founded in 2011 in the Misgav Trendlines incubator. Some $750,000 has gone into development so far, and the final product is expected to be ready by the fourth quarter of this year.

Dream clients include L’Oreal, Gillette and Beiersdorf, the company that owns Nivea. PepsiCo has also expressed interest.

Sources: Israel21c, GreenSpense, Best In Packaging