Oculus' uber-oxidised water hastens healing

We've seen self-assembling chips, self-healing panels, and even regenerative houses hit the drawing board before, but California-based Oculus has created a liquid that can reportedly quicken the healing process when recovering from wounds. The firm's Dermacyn topical wound care is an "oxychlorine formulation" using the company's own Microcyn concoction, which is made by "taking purified water and passing it through a semi-permeable sodium chloride membrane to produce the oxychlorine ions," and essentially contains "electrically charged molecules which pierce the cell walls of free-living microbes." The formula is reportedly successful in killing off virii, bacteria, and fungi, and currently, the company is enrolling patients in a Phase II trial to evaluate its effectiveness in treating diabetic foot infections. The company is hoping to start said trial in Q3 of this year, and if all goes well, wants to execute a pair of larger Phase III trials shortly thereafter.

[Via BBC]

[Reyclaw @ May 25th 2007 10:54AM]

Bacta!!!

[Aaron @ May 25th 2007 4:07PM]

Haha, you're right! I'd better secure a big vat of this stuff in case I get stuck outside on Hoth overnight...

[chuck @ May 25th 2007 11:01AM]

If this actually works as said, it would be a great and seemingly cost effective solution that I feel is neglected. My uncle died last year from complications which were the result of a diabetic foot infection. Something like this could have possible helped him beat it.

[Illtron @ May 25th 2007 11:26AM]

Virii is not a word. Stop trying to sound smart.

[Wrix2 @ May 25th 2007 4:34PM]

Hackers like to use “virii” as the plural form of “virus,” but Latin scholars object that this invented term does not follow standard patterns in that language, and that there is already a perfectly good plural in English: “viruses.”

[Crayola @ May 25th 2007 11:32AM]

What's next, anyone like to buy oxidized hydrogen? It has important health benefits that no human can live without.

[Tom @ May 25th 2007 2:18PM]

i think that went over most people's heads lol.

[alex1robinson @ May 26th 2007 3:31PM]

Yea Virii wtf...

[Blake Farrow @ May 25th 2007 11:39AM]

Sounds effectively like putting salt on a wound.

[strider_mt2k @ May 25th 2007 12:17PM]

You also have to buy the bag of magic sand, because without it the magic water just won't work. :(

[GorgeousGeorge @ May 25th 2007 1:02PM]

For fuck's sake, the plural of "virus" is "viruses." The case should have been closed on this issue decades ago. Sorry for the anger, as usually I hate playing grammar/syntax Nazi. But "virii" has got to be one of the most annoying contributions to modern culture made by the Internet age.

[Matt @ May 25th 2007 1:22PM]

Agreed. The Oxford dictionary lists the proper plural form as "viruses", not "virii". Stop inventing stupid words to save a syllable or a couple keys of typing. It makes you look either lazy or trendy. Neither are a good thing.

[Dave Mackmiller @ Jun 11th 2007 10:39PM]

Not even close. It's not virii, it's viruses. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural_of_virus

Maybe next time, instead of Pseudo Latin, you could use Pig Latin: iruses-vay.

[boomhauer @ May 25th 2007 2:48PM]

wow correct on virii not being a word... didnt know that one.

[johdaxx @ May 25th 2007 2:18PM]

Cool, they reinvented Tea Tree Oil...

[jono @ May 25th 2007 6:53PM]

dude, we aren't retarded

[chaosrain @ May 25th 2007 6:06PM]

Isn't the latest kick the addition of anti-oxidants into one's system to avoid the build up of "free radicals"? Now someone's advocating adding an oxidized solution to the body for healing. I'm not arguing that the solution won't work, but make up your damned minds. Is surplus oxygen in our systems good or bad? If the answer is "it depends," then lay out for the average consumer the conditions which would benefit from either the use of antioxidants or oxygenation and stop selling us the next, best, cure-all snake oil based upon a marketing pitch!!!

[jono @ May 25th 2007 7:06PM]

free radicals are compounds that prohibit oxidisation of red-blood-cells. An oxidised compound added to the blood stream shouldn't have any issue with taking away oxygen as (it's oxidised, thus stable, of sorts) it doesn't have any unfilled shells. Not sure when highly oxygenated blood was reported as a problem

My a-level bio/chem/phys is a little rusty but i'm pretty certain i'm right

[Concerned Chemist @ May 29th 2007 6:08PM]

"Oxychlorine ion"? Sounds like OCl- which sounds like bleach. News Flash: Bleach kills things. Wow.

[Nathan @ May 25th 2007 3:47PM]

Is everyone on the internet a self-important pessimist? This is a technology that is proven to work in clinical trials. It is a simple method of suspending ions in water which will then attack cells that are not in a matrix. It's not witchcraft or snake oil, and it's shown to kill 6 types of bleach resistant microbes. Just because you don't understand what the big words mean doesn't mean that it can't be revolutionary or true, stop being so arrogant.

Side note: Bleach is either Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) or an "oxygen bleach" containing H2O2, it is NOT ClO-

[Scott @ May 26th 2007 12:28PM]

"Bleach is either Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) or an "oxygen bleach" containing H2O2, it is NOT ClO-"

The key take away is ion. Imagine sodium hypochlorite disolved in a solvent, thus you end up with CLO- and Na+ ions floating around (in simplified view).

[Nathan @ May 25th 2007 4:29PM]

Aaron you seem more like the kind of person who would be occupied with securing a big bowl of off brand cheetos and generic cola for self-induced Starwars marathons on a nightly basis. Nice hoth reference though.

[Wrix2 @ May 25th 2007 4:45PM]

Of course, Virii being a hacker word does not justify it nor make it's usage proper.....
Or else we might wait for the platii at dinneri to eat. And wait for the next of the busi at the stop because we want to travel a few different routi, Hand me some aspirinii this is giving me a headache behind the siusi....
BTW chlorine does not make a bleach, but blaeches can be chlorine or non-chlorine, it is an oxygenator or agent of oxidation. Hydrogen Peroxide is a bleach and disinfectant, so you can sanitize wounds and remove colours with the same compound in a different dilution. And a lot of people think it is better than isopropyl alcohol. Not that chlorine is a good thing, especially in gaseous form......

[jono @ May 25th 2007 7:10PM]

forget what i said. i'm wrong

[raymond @ May 25th 2007 9:44PM]

So, basically, it's purified water, passed through table salt to get H2O with Na+ and Cl- ions?