25 most recent entries:
Medical Bloggers Studied, Analyzed, Examined (Sep 23 2008 20:56 GMT)
Ivor Kovic, a former Medgadget editor, and his colleagues at Rijeka University School of Medicine, Croatia have conducted an interesting survey of medbloggers, that attempted to figure out what makes us all tick. Here's an attractive and succinct slide show summarizing the findings: More about the study from Ivor Kovic... Paper in Journal of Internet Medical Research: Examining the Medical Blogosphere:
Everest Breathing Device: From The Mountain to the Bedside (Sep 23 2008 19:27 GMT)
A device which almost helped Tom Bourdillon to reach the peak of the Everest (three days before Sir Edmund Hillary) is being resurrected to help people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers from University College London's Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine, who rediscovered the functionality of the device, are teaming up with Smiths Medical to develop a product for COPD patients and those who are oxygen-depended in critical care units: Bourdillon’s research was rediscovered by Jeremy Windsor and Roger McMorrow, mountaineering scientists at the UCL Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE), who had the idea to redevelop it into a modern breathing circuit for climbers. “
Acupuncture and Breast Cancer...Ancient Gadgets! (Sep 23 2008 19:26 GMT)
In a study to be presented Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston, researcher Eleanor Walker, M.D., will present a randomized clinical trial comparing acupuncture to venlafaxine (Effexor) for reduction of vasomotor symptoms in breast cancer patients receiving hormonal therapy such as Tamoxifen or Arimidex. In this 12 week study, it was shown that acupuncture reduced hot flashes as effectively as venlafaxine, without side effects common to venlafaxine therapy, such as decreased libido, insomnia, dizziness and nausea.
Mobile, Accurate Water Pathogen Testing In The Works (Sep 23 2008 18:44 GMT)
Australian researchers believe they have the technology to build a portable and highly precise water borne pathogen detector, and they have announced that they're proceeding to do just that. From Australia's Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre: Environmental Biotechnology CRC researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney and Murdoch University in Perth have developed a diagnostic platform that can quickly turn around results presently achieved in twenty four to forty eight hours. “We are developing novel technology to overcome the many challenges that rapid pathogen detection presents.
Neural Electrodes Improved with Carbon Nanotube Coating (Sep 23 2008 18:44 GMT)
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have developed a method to coat neural electrodes with carbon nanotubes. The technology has been tested on a bunch of mice and one monkey, and the findings show a higher signal to noise ratio when reading voltages, and more efficient and localized signals when stimulating the brain. From MIT Tech Review: Electrodes are placed in a water-based solution of carbon nanotubes; when a small voltage is applied to sites on the electrodes, carbon nanotubes localize there and can be fixed.
CyberKnife Focuses In on Moving Targets (Sep 23 2008 08:31 GMT)
Accuray is releasing a new software package for its CyberKnife radiation system to continuously track and adjust for the natural motion of the prostate during treatment. By intelligently increasing imaging frequency during periods of rapid and erratic prostate movement, the CyberKnife System tailors treatment delivery uniquely to the movements of the prostate throughout the treatment session. This continual assessment of prostate motion combined, with the CyberKnife System's automatic correction for movement in real time, not only helps to ensure prescribed doses are delivered to the prostate; it also helps to ensure surrounding sensitive structures are maximally spared. With conventional radiation delivery techniques, such as 3D conformal and arcing IMRT, large treatment margins are commonly used to ensure adequate dose coverage in the event a potential prostate shift occurs.
The BeamPath NEURO System: First Flexible CO2 Laser Scalpel (Sep 23 2008 08:09 GMT)
OmniGuide, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) has recently announced their new BeamPath NEURO™ flexible CO2 laser for neurosurgery. According to the company, it is the first flexible CO2 laser scalpel out there. The big idea is to allow neurosurgeons to perform precise dissection, cutting, debulking, and microvascular coagulation using a hand-held, no-touch instrument, that is portable and flexible.
Synthetic Mini Tree Utilizes Physical Capillary Action (Sep 22 2008 22:01 GMT)
In what may be an important advance in the field of microfluidics, researchers at Cornell replicated the capillary action of plants on a micro scale, and virtually reproduced the basic vessel grid of a tree. We think such technology might have implications for the development of lab-on-a-chip devices and other diagnostic medgadgets: From Cornell: In nature, trees use water in tubular tissues, called xylem, like ropes that pull more water out of the ground, delivering it to leaves. They manipulate the water in the xylem under negative pressure -- what's called a metastable liquid state -- right on the verge of becoming a vapor.
Nano Cargo Ships May Lead to Ubiquitous In Vivo Transportation (Sep 22 2008 20:10 GMT)
Research scientists from UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and MIT have developed tiny lipid micelles, that they call nano container ships, that are capable of delivering both imaging agents and therapeutic drugs directly to strategic sites within the body, while avoiding an attack from the host's immune system. The researchers designed the hull of the ships to evade detection by constructing them of specially modified lipids--a primary component of the surface of natural cells. The lipids were modified in such a way as to enable them to circulate in the bloodstream for many hours before being eliminated. This was demonstrated by the researchers in a series of experiments with mice. The researchers also designed the material of the hull to be strong enough to prevent accidental release of its cargo while circulating through the bloodstream.
Titanium:Sapphire Laser Trabeculoplasty Gets Clearance in US (Sep 22 2008 19:22 GMT)
SOLX, a company out of Waltham, Massachusetts, just received FDA approval to market the company's solid-state near-infrared light (790 nm) laser for trabeculoplasty procedures in patients suffering from glaucoma. Details from the press release: The 510(k) clearance was based on the results of a multi-center, international clinical trial that established equivalency of TLT to ALT in the ability to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients having primary open angle glaucoma and poorly controlled IOP on maximally tolerated medications and/or prior failed trabeculoplasty. The laser had previously been approved for sale in Europe and Canada. More than 180 patients were randomized 1 to 1 for either ALT or TLT in the trial which was conducted across the United States, Europe, Canada, and Israel.
Morphormics Segmentation Technology to Define Boundaries for CyberKnife (Sep 22 2008 09:44 GMT)
Morphormics Inc., a start-up company out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has partnered with Accuray Incorporated, a manufacturer of robotic radiosurgery systems, to provide its autocontouring technology component for volumetric image targeting of prostate. The Accuray CyberKnife system (shown above) can operate on tumors anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. Morphormics' autocontouring technology automatically identifies and draws the boundaries of the prostate and surrounding critical structures, enabling the treatment planning software to focus radiation on the prostate itself and minimize dose delivery to the structures around it. Traditional radiation planning for prostate cancer relies on manually plotting the radiation field based on CT images.
MRI Staging of Breast Cancer vs. Surgical Staging (Sep 22 2008 09:27 GMT)
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) is holding their annual meeting in Boston this week, and a Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and University of Washington Medical Center study reported at the meeting could eventually revolutionize the way breast cancer is treated. A retrospective study of 167 patients who underwent radiation therapy for invasive breast cancer after surgical staging of their tumors, indicates that the tumors' physiological information shown on MRI scans correlated with surgically based findings of cancer having spread to lymph nodes. Lead author Christopher Loiselle, M.D., a resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UW Medical Center, says, "...
No NO Gadget For Asthma (Sep 22 2008 08:00 GMT)
NO (nitric oxide) is a measurable marker of asthma-related inflammation. As well, it has been shown that the higher the level of NO in the breath, the greater the inflammation present in the lungs. So, Dr. Stanley Szefler, M.D.
WHO Warns...Just Say No to E-cigarettes! (Sep 22 2008 08:00 GMT)
Mark Twain said: "To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did. I ought to know because I've done it a thousand times." Breaking nicotine addiction remains difficult despite the many aids available. Too often, as in Twain's case, success is short lived.
Steven Levitt vs Children's Carseats (Sep 22 2008 08:00 GMT)
In this TED talk, the freakonomist-in-chief Steven Levitt does what he does best: explore the hidden side to conventional thinking. In this particular lecture, Dr. Levitt reveals the secret truth of children's car seats, and even some mysteries of the placebo effect.
Virtual Colonography vs. Standard Colonoscopy (Sep 18 2008 08:00 GMT)
The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) released a study in the NEJM on September 18th showing that CT Virtual Colonography is an effective screening tool for colon cancer. The technique involves reconstructing abdominal CT images to produce a 3D virtual "fly through" of the patient's colon. In a study involving more than 2600 patients at 15 sites across the USA, the ACRIN trial was found to be highly accurate for detecting intermediate and large sized polyps. Accuracy was found to be comparable to conventional colonoscopy across a variety of clinical settings. More convenient, less invasive and preferred by patients, perhaps this option will help to prevent some of the 52,000 deaths colorectal cancer causes each year in the US.
The Latest from Medpolitics (Sep 18 2008 08:00 GMT)
Are you reading Medpolitics yet? Why the heck not? Created by Medgadget staff, the website is a social network and a blogging platform designed for American physicians. Below are the latest posts from the doctors, and if you are one, you can join Medpolitics today. Raise your voice in the healthcare debate!
High Resolution Massively Parallel Holography to Peer Inside The Cell (Sep 17 2008 18:48 GMT)
A collaboration of American and European scientists is working on an X-ray holographic technique, which promises the ability to image individual molecules within a living cell From Lawrence Livermore National Lab: For now, the Advanced Light Source at LBNL and the FLASH facility in Hamburg, Germany, are being used to provide the X-ray beams. But a new facility under construction at Stanford University, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), will provide additional capabilities and greater imaging accuracy when it comes on line next year. Another light source being built in Hamburg will be used as well. When completed in late 2013, the X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) will be the world's longest artificial light source.
Eon Mini, World's Smallest Spinal Cord Stimulator, Makes Clinical Debut (Sep 17 2008 17:37 GMT)
ANS / St. Jude Medical's Eon Mini implantable neurostimulator, a device we covered back in April when it was approved by the European and American regulators, has been implanted into the first patient. The recipient is Adam Hammond, a former member of the U.S. Army's "Golden Knights" Parachute Team, who was skydiving while on leave in 2006 when his parachute did not deploy correctly.
Gene Chips Help Uncover Causes of Genetic Disorders (Sep 17 2008 08:48 GMT)
Researchers from the University of Washington have identified a region in the 1q21.1 chromosome, the aberrations of which causes a wide range of genetic disorders in children. The journal Nature has a short article that profiles the business and clinical implications of microarrays, devices that can detect the variations of the sequence of DNA. A teaser: Microarrays are glass slides embedded with fragments of DNA selected from entire genomes.
EEG Used to Convict Murder Suspect (Sep 17 2008 08:30 GMT)
A woman in India has been convicted of murder partially based on an EEG-based lie detector, called Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature test (BEOS), developed by Champadi Raman Mukundan, a local neuroscientist. We are nonetheless skeptical. This latest Indian attempt at getting past criminals' natural defenses begins with an electroencephalogram, or EEG, in which electrodes are placed on the head to measure electrical waves. The suspect sits in silence, eyes shut. An investigator reads aloud details of the crime —
TriSano, an Open Source Infectious Disease Reporting System, Going Live in Utah (Sep 17 2008 08:17 GMT)
Utah will soon be rolling out a statewide system for disease reporting that promises to automate and make the process more transparent. The system, called TriSano™, is an open source project licensed under the Affero GPL. According to TriSano, its name is a composite of two ideas: Tri is a prefix meaning three.
"The Story of Menstruation" (Sep 17 2008 08:12 GMT)
If anyone missed this Disney film from 1946, here it is. Take it as you will, just don't blame us for being an honest and neutral messenger. (hat tip: BoingBoing)
Artificial Ears Provide Real Hearing Improvement (Sep 17 2008 08:10 GMT)
Researchers at Northwestern Medical School have shown that ear prosthesis increase apparent audio quality well enough to improve speech recognition in noisy environments. William E. Walsh, M.D., C.
Mann's Inhaled Insulin Passes Big Test (Sep 16 2008 22:34 GMT)
A living legend, Mr. Alfred Mann must be feeling pretty smug today, and rightfully so, as a groundbreaking clinical trial of MannKind's inhalation Technosphere insulin has shown that the product compares favorably to the traditional injected variety. The trial was a Phase 3 Safety study, and the company is planning to apply for FDA approval within a few months. Moreover, MannKind and Pfizer are teaming up to begin transitioning some of the Exubera patients "with a continuing need for inhaled insulin" over to Technosphere. (Exubera is an inhaled insulin that Pfizer abandoned in January 2008, after a slew of problems.
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