From Deseret News archives:
LouseBuster not just hot air, study says
The device, developed at the University of Utah, looks like a hair dryer and is designed to wipe out head lice on children. Currently, expensive chemical treatments and difficult combing sessions are used to rid children of the parasites.
Some chemicals used to kill head lice are dangerous while most of the rest don't work reliably. That is "because the lice have evolved resistance to a lot of the pesticides in head lice shampoos," U. biology professor Dale Clayton said in an interview Sunday.
But the LouseBuster he co-invented was designed to destroy a head louse infestation through a non-chemical treatment lasting about 30 minutes, with a combination of careful drying and heating.
The LouseBuster has three components, said Clayton.
First, the machine delivers heat to the hair; it's not as hot as a blow-dryer, he said. Second, the volume of air is twice that of a hair dryer. Third, a hand piece lifts hair in a particular way and exposes the roots, to destroy lice and their eggs.
A U. press release warned against parents trying to achieve the same results with a hair dryer, as that could burn the children.
Clayton told the Deseret Morning News that people say the idea is obvious. "If it is obvious it wouldn't have taken five years" to develop the LouseBuster, he added.
A study verifying the machine's efficiency has been published in the November issue of Pediatrics. Titled "An Effective Nonchemical Treatment for Head Lice: A Lot of Hot Air," the report shows that the invention has promise.
Other co-inventors of the LouseBuster are Joseph Atkin and Kevin Wilding, who worked in Clayton's lab as undergraduates.
A great deal of interest has greeted the study. CBS Television was prepared to show a segment about it tonight, he said.
Patents are pending for the LouseBuster, according to the university.
Larada Sciences, a U. spin-off company created with help from the Utah Centers for Excellence, is working toward commercial distribution of the LouseBuster. That may happen in a year or two. Clayton is the company's chief scientific officer.
"It's a medical device," he said. The developers are pursuing approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
"We've put an emphasis on safety concerns and testing, and we've had no problems at all. ... It does require a little bit of practice to use this device effectively."
Comments
- Vegas, Poinsettia bowls or bust 2:01 a.m.
- Wildcats face tough defense 1:59 a.m.
- Aggies look to Idaho for an example 1:58 a.m.
- Aggies host Southern Utah 1:53 a.m.
- Cougars turn back Wildcats' 1:44 a.m.
- Cougar women lose at home 1:41 a.m.
- Sloan's two point guard lineup 1:39 a.m.
- BYU football: 5 keys to victory 1:36 a.m.
- RSL's Movsisyan departs 1:36 a.m.
- Glover gives Utes last-second upset 1:27 a.m.
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
264 - Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
211 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
133 - Boys basketball rankings
128 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
112 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
109 - Letters: Trump card for believers
93 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
84 - Utah, BYU are top choices for bowls
75
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
"You are the very epitome of self-indulgence liberal crassness. You care...
I thought it was a great parade. Isn't it the only one in Salt Lake County?...
is struggling in some aspects of his game. We saw what he did last year early...
Having explored caves as a youth and spent 31 yrs working occasionally...
How do the Utes continue to do this? They are bad enough to lose to lousy...
A little help here. Harmon says Utah should be on a 3-0 win streak. I assume...
disgruntled parents need to stay off the blogs...
Honk if you intercepted Max Hall.
however it pertinent to look at their schedule and then look at ours. Because...
and there are no ute fans, only bandwagon fans, nice try though




You can be the first to comment on this story.