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Bank Successfully. Bank SNB. When knowledge meets understanding, that's chemistry. Bank SNB and our clients create a healthy bond. Great healthcare relies on chemistr y. Not just in the lab, but also in the relat ionship you forge with your bank. At Bank SNB, we have de cades of experience bonding with our healthcare clients. Our team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to understanding the challenges you face and finding the financial solut ions to help you achieve your goals. Isn't it t ime you bond with a bet ter bank? 210.442.6100 • bankSNB.com | Kansas • Oklahoma • Texas Bank Successfully. Bank SNB. When knowledge When knowledge meets understanding, meets understanding, that's chemistry. that's chemistry. Bank SNB and our clients create a healthy bond. Great healthcare relies on chemistr y. Not just in the lab, but also in the relat ionship you forge with your bank. At Bank SNB, we have de cades of experience bonding with our healthcare clients. Our team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to understanding the challenges you face and finding the financial solut ions to help you achieve your goals. Isn't it t ime you bond with a bet ter bank? 210.442.6100 • bankSNB.com | Kansas • Oklahoma • Texas By Jennifer Webster PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Silk Road to Infection Control As surgeons look for antibiotic deliv- ery systems that won't need subsequent removal, silk may not be the obvious option. However, silk and magnesium were key components of the approach researchers from Tufts University, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign presented at a recent IEEE MEMS conference. A tiny electronic implant consisting of a coil and resistor made of magnesium and folded into a silk pocket was used subdermally to cure staph infections in mice. The scientists wirelessly activated the implant for two 10-minute intervals, producing heat and killing bacteria. In another version, ampicillin was added to the silk and magnesium delivery device, which released the drug when heated. Magnesium and silk both dissolve in the body, and researchers note that they can modify the crystalline structure of silk so that it degrades in anything from weeks to mere minutes. Image courtesy of Tufts University Giving Healthcare Workers a Lift German researchers are designing a vest that harnesses energy from healthcare providers' own movements to help them safely perform strenuous tasks such as lifting patients. The CareJack vest, which can be worn over workers' clothing, gathers kinetic energy created when a provider bends to lift a patient or to perform some other task then releases the energy when it is needed, say researchers with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM, the organizations spearheading development. In addition, the vest uses sensors to assess a worker's movements. Improper form while lifting activates a warning lamp. Synthetic actuators whose level of rigidity can be adjusted aid wearers by supporting correct movement. A prototype is expected this year. Researchers say the vest ultimately could be useful not only for healthcare providers but for workers in other physi- cally taxing fields, such as construction or roofing. Image © Fraunhofer IPK/IZM