[Comfort]Making Medical Implants out of Silk

Making Medical Implants out of Silk       

     

At the University of Illinois, a new kind of electronics is becoming en vogue. Scientist at the university have been working on a silk-based electronic that can dissolve. This state-of-the-art technology is designed to reduce the number of electronic parts in landfills. Medically, it has a number of uses in modern medicine. As an implant, these electronics would be able to dissolve in the body’s fluids without leaving a trace that they were ever there.

Creating Silk Technology

The sophisticated devices are being made by a team at the University of Illinois in conjunction with researchers from Northwestern University and Tufts University. With their unique design, the silk gadgets are turning the way we view electronics around. In the beginning, electronics were made to last forever. Now, researchers are realizing the benefits of sturdy gadgets that can disappear.

Some of these gadgets have already been created. One of the newest lines of electronics is a 64-pixel camera. This unique camera is designed to be implanted into post-surgery patients. It monitors infections and dissolves in a controlled manner. Once the doctor deems the implant no longer necessary, it can dissolve within five seconds. Although the implant has not been tested on humans yet, it was successfully used with lab mice.

Making the Electronics

To create the electronics, researchers have to go through an exceptionally painstaking development process. Each gadget is made out of ultrathin sheets of silicon. These sheets must be made thin enough so that they can dissolve within days once they touch the body. At the same time, the camera must be outfitted with soluble conductors and dialectics. These electronic parts can create transmitters, sensors and other camera components.

For the dissolving process to be controlled, the camera is wrapped in silk. The silk is structured in such a way that it can determine how fast the electronic gadget dissolves. Scientists can select different varieties of silk so that their electronic equipment dissolves over a period of a few minutes to a few years.

Although this technology is not available to the consumer market yet, the possibilities are endless. With the help of silk, scientists can create a new breed of medical implants that are made to work with the body. These gadgets can help to gauge a patient’s recovery process and determine if there is an infection within an incision.

[Shop Activities]Mother’s Day Sale

Mother is not only an appellation, but also a name, a symbol of my life. When I was in junior high school, I learned how hard and difficult it is to give birth to a baby, I know that I come from my parents’ love, especially my mother’s. Now I am grow up, and my parents become old, I know time flies when I grow. Suddenly, I think that life is so short that I have never done anything for them ! Any way, I should begin now.

Silk let skin breathe and prevent vascular sclerosis, arthritis and delay the appearance of wrinkles. Silk nightwear may be a wonderful gift for mammy.

                                           http://www.narasilk.com/Special_163.aspx

[Silk FAQ]How to wash and care silk ?

How to wash silk ?

Wash by machine

Wash by hands

Attention: 

If necessary, the garment can be ironed, turning it inside out and iron at low temperature.  Silk should always be ironed from the backside.

It should always still be slightly moist. Check your iron's setting! Always remember that silk is a protein structure much like human hair. Heat will damage it.

[Silk FAQ]How to tell if the silk is genuine or artificial?

Price

No doubt about it – genuine, high-quality silk will always be relatively expensive. Synthetic fibres like polyester can be made to look like real silk to the untrained eye. Although synthetic fabrics can be deliberately priced high, low prices usually indicate the fabric is not genuine silk. Real silk usually costs at least ten times as much as synthetics to produce.

Lustre

Thai silk is renowned for its lustre. It is a result of the combination of threads of different single colours in each of the weft and warp. This "shot" effect gives a surface that "shines" and appears to change colour as the angle of light on it changes.
Synthetic fabrics shine white, no matter what the angle of the light.

Rub the silk

This is a very quick test and requires some information about the traits of real silk to spot it in the first place. Rub the silk with your hands and if it’s a real one then you will feel warmth on your hands after rubbing it. If you do not feel any warmth then it is artificial.

Burn the silk

This test will guide you how to know about real silk by burning it with flame. Of course you wont be burning the entire silk! Here is how you will do it Pull a thread from one corner of the silk fabric and burn it with flame. If after burning it smells like a burning hair and the ashes are brittle then it means that the silk is made from silk worm cocoon.

Chemical Test

This test will rightly tell you whether the silk is real or not. You will need the following chemicals in order to conduct this test. - 16 grams Copper Sulphate - 8 grams Glycerin - 1 tablespoon Caustic Soda Mix the above chemicals in a jar filled with 150 cc of water. Now take a small piece of silk that you want to test and then dip it into this solution. You will see that real silk will dissolve in this solution after a few minutes but if it is artificial silk, it will not dissolve.

             Reference : mizpah.biz and stepbystep.com

[Silk FAQ] Benefits of silk

What are the Advantages of Silk ?

• Silkworm silk is the strongest of natural fibers. It contains natural protein and 18 essential amino acids, known to reduce the signs of aging. It also contains natural cellular albumen which speeds up the metabolism of skin cells, thus delaying the aging process.

• Natural Silk is a breathable fabric. It is a natural temperature regulator, helping the body retain heat in cold weather and excess heat is expelled in warm weather. Therefore your body maintains a natural, comfortable temperature.

• Silk is hypoallergenic; it does not attract dust mites and is a natural fungal repellent. Silk Pillowcases and Silk Baby Cot Sheets can therefore help alleviate asthma and other allergies.

• Silk has an extremely smooth and soft texture which proves to be beneficial for those with sensitive skin conditions (e.g. Eczema).

• Silk from silkworms (Mulberry Silkworms) does not conduct static electricity so the use of silk pillowcases reduces hair breakage and thinning of hair, whilst helping the hair to maintain proper moisture balance.

• Silk is a natural fire retardant material, making silk one of the safest fabrics for bedding or cushions!

• Silk protects your skin from UV ray. SERICIN, a by-product of silk, may now find use in skin care products that protect from ultraviolet (UV) rays. A study revealed the protein protects the outermost layer of skin from UV rays. Sericin halts death of skin cells initiated by UV-B ray. Exposure to UV-B burns the outer layer of skin. It can even cause cancer.

Article from theethicalsilkco.com 

[Silk FAQ]Types of Silk

• How silk becomes silk fabric

The finest silk fibers, and most of what we use today, are produced by "cultivated" silkworms grown in a controlled environment. The worms are fed a diet of mulberry leaves and increase their body size 10,000 times in their short life span. Once the cocoon is spun and before the worm hatches through the silk into a moth, the cocoon is soaked in hot water then unraveled, producing filaments that can be up to a mile long in size.

The raw silk is then processed to remove the sericin - the natural "gum" that protects the fibers and causes them to stick to each other as the cocoon was spun.

Silk is a protein fiber, similar to wool or to human hair. It is only natural for silks to have some irregularities – sometimes called "slubs". This is the nature of the 100% silk fabric.

Silk that has been processed can be woven or knit into a variety of fabrics. Silk will shrink, so if you are using it to construct clothing, be sure to preshrink it. Silk often has a wonderful feel, (referred to as a "hand"), and an almost iridescent sheen that makes us think of luxury.

The weight of silk is shown as "mm" – pronounced "mommy" – and varies within the different types of silk. The following list of various types of silk may help you understand some of the qualities of each:

Chiffon

Often the lightest weight and most diaphanous of the silks, Chiffon is also the most see-through. It creates the "billows" of fabric that add dimension to garments, but generally requires some kind of lining or backing unless it's used for scarves.

China Silk

China silk is a lightweight, sheer, plain-weave fabric. It's sometimes referred to as habutai, or habotai, or pongee. It is one of the less expensive and more commonly available silk fabrics.

Habotai can often be found as light as 5 mm and as heavy as 12 mm. Most of our scarves are made of 8 mm Habotai. When purchasing for clothing construction, or purchasing ready-made clothing, this fabric is not recommended for fitted garment styles because the seams will tear from the stress. On different seasons, silk product has its own distinction. Silk from spring cocoons is considered the best due to its extra softness. 

Crepe de Chine

Crepe de chine is a lightweight fabric made by twisting some fibers clockwise and others counterclockwise. The twisted fibers are then woven in a plain-weave fabric, but it's the twisted fibers, not the weave, that gives crepe its distinctive "pebbly" look and feel rather than a shiny luster. Both sides of the fabric look and feel the same.

Our drawstring pouches and some of our larger scarves are made of Crepe de Chine, often in the 12mm to 15mm range. When purchasing ready-made clothing or considering this fabric for sewing, avoid using it in tailored styles because the fabric is too soft to hold a structured shape.

Crepe de chine doesn't ravel as easily as other silk fabrics, but it will tear if not handled gently.

Charmeuse

Generally, when we think of traditional silk, this is the fabric we have in mind. The back of the fabric is a flattened crepe while the front is a shimmery satin weave.

Charmeuse has even more drape than crepe de chine and works well for scarves, blouses and lingerie. Occasionally we will offer scarves in Charmeuse.

Jacquard 

Jacquard silks offer various woven patterns, using matte and reflective threads to create a light and dark effect in the fabric. This effect is similar to brocade, although the Jacquard is originally created in one color. These are generally heavier weight and more densely woven. Patterns are often florals and paisleys.

This added dimension (pattern) makes this fabric perfect for abstract for free-form dyeing. Our Envelope Pouches are made from Jacquard, as are some of our Cell Phone and Glass Cases.

Douppioni

Douppioni is a plain-weave fabric with slubbed ribs. It has a stiff, taffeta-like hand and is usually dyed in bright colors.

Douppioni is often made into elegant evening gowns or semi-fitted vests and garments. But make sure the style isn't too fitted, because the fabric doesn't stand up well to stress and ravels easily.

It's often recommended that douppioni be drycleaned to resist abrasions. However, as with most silk, you can generally wash douppioni with positive results. Just be sure to serge the raw edges first to prevent raveling. Washing will make the fabric lose some of its stiffness, which may be your preference, and the color will soften as the excess dye is washed away.

Noil

Silk noil is made from the short fibers left after combing and carding so it doesn't shine like many other silk fabrics. Noil looks similar to cotton, but has the soft feel of silk against the skin. It also drapes better than cotton and resists wrinkling, so it's the perfect choice when traveling.

It can be machine washed on gentle and dried on low, but this will cause a faded, "weathered" look. If you prefer bright colors, dry-clean or hand wash.

Raw silk

Raw silk is any silk yarn or fabric that hasn't had the sericin - the natural "gum" that protects the fiber - removed. The fabric is stiff and dull and the sericin tends to attract dirt and odors.

Tussah

Tussah silk, often called shantung, is made from the cocoons of wild tussah silk worms who eat oak and juniper leaves – their "natural" food. Because the worm isn't grown in a controlled environment, the moth hatches from the cocoon thus interrupting the filament length and making the fibers short and coarse instead of long and lustrous.

Tussah silk is difficult to dye and to most often available in its natural color, a creamy tan. Because of its irregular slubs and the fact that it ravels easily, tussah should be dry-cleaned. It is a good choice for traveling as it doesn't wrinkle easily.

Shantung

Once made from hand-reeled tussah silk, today's shantung is usually made with cultivated silk warp yarns and heavier douppioni filling yarns. Depending on the filling yarn, shantung may be lustrous or dull.

It has a firm, semi-crisp hand and tends to ravel, so avoid close-fitting styles.

                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                            Article from magicalsilk.com

• What kind of silk that Nara uses for their products ?

China Silk
100% silk crepe plain, of spring silkworm, 19momme; shell fabric of export grade A.

Silk Knit
100% silk crepe plain, of spring silkworm, 125g per square; shell fabric of export grade A. Soft, good permeability and elastic are the outstanding characteristic of Silk knit.

Georgette
Georgette, of spring silkworm, 12momme; shell fabric of export grade A. It is specially for its sexy and light.