Researchers at Texas A&M University and Stevens Institute of Technology have been working on developing new materials that could aid clinicians in treating challenging wounds. These polymeric coatings have nano-scale fibers that hold antibiotics and release their cargo when the environment of the wound meets a specific criteria. This makes the (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Implantable System for Remodulin FDA Approved to Treat Pulmonary Hypertension
Medtronic won FDA approval for its Implantable System for Remodulin (ISR) as a new treatment option for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension. It consists of Medtronic’s Synchromed II drug delivery system, an intravascular catheter, and United Therapeutics‘ Remodulin (treprostinil) Injection medication. Unlike external i (Read more...)
“Ticker” by Mimi Swartz: A Medgadget Book Review and Interview with the Author
Of all the organs in the human body, the heart is arguably the most important, well-known, and worried about. Not only is the heart the vital electro-mechanical pump that moves about 2,000 gallons of our blood every day, but for centuries it’s been symbolic of the seat of emotion, reason, and life itself for many […]
Magnets Pull Chemotherapy Drugs Across Blood-Brain Barrier Into Spinal Tumors
Tumors within the spinal cord can be very difficult to treat surgically, due to the extremely fragile and important tissues that can be found nearby. While radiation can reach the tumors, chemo agents have trouble crossing the blood-brain barrier, which protects the spinal cord from dangerous pathogens and chemical compounds. Now researchers at the (Read more...)
Light Therapy Tech to Help Overcome Jet Lag and Summer Insomnia
The warm summer months we’re experiencing here in the northern hemisphere bring a whole host of health effects on our bodies. While longer days in the sun allow more time for our bodies to produce vitamin D and develop a nice tan, too much sun can lead to painful sunburns, an increased risk of skin […]
FUJIFILM’s New Endoscopes Offer Improved Imaging and Ergonomics
FUJIFILM Medical Systems is releasing a line of new endoscopes (700 Series) that were designed to improve visualization, user comfort, and procedural efficiency. The devices feature CMOS “chip-in-the-tip” technology that places the imaging sensor close to the objects to be observed. The new endoscopes are compatible with the& (Read more...)
Microfluidic Device Detects Bacteria in Tiny Samples
Canadian researchers at McGill University and University of Toronto have come up with a new device for rapid detection of small concentrations of pathogenic bacteria within tiny samples. The technology may help to spot diseases early, and so allow clinicians to better treat their patients while slowing down the spread of infection. The device consi (Read more...)
Drop of Blood Enough for This Device to Diagnose Brain Injury
Brain injuries, particularly the milder ones, are difficult to accurately diagnose. CT scanners can help, but often they just don’t have the resolution for clinicians to identify unusual aberrations in the image. Moreover, they expose patients to radiation, are not always available, and the process of using them and evaluating the images prod (Read more...)
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 14 Day Flash Glucose Monitor Approved in U.S.
Abbott won FDA approval for its FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring system. The stick-on glucometer can be worn continuously for two whole weeks, through sweating and showers, while accurately reading plasma glucose readings. The device is stuck to the back of the upper arm and a separate display device, which looks like a sma (Read more...)
Magtrace Nanoparticles for Sentimag System is FDA Approved for Breast Lymph Node Biopsy
The Food and Drug Administration approved Endomagnetics Inc.’s magnetic tracer injection and detection system for guiding lymph node biopsies in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy. In the procedure, the clinician injects a solution of dextran-coated iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (Magtrace) in the viscinity of the tumour or (Read more...)
Wearables + Telephone Coaching Didn’t Improve Peripheral Arterial Disease Symptoms
Wearables have the potential to improve our health. They can be reminders that we’re not moving enough throughout the day, and they can be useful tools for doctors to monitor the fitness progress of their patients. However, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, McDermott and her colleagues recently reported that their trial of [ (Read more...)
EMBOTRAP II Clot Retriever Now Saving People from Ischemic Strokes in U.S.
CERENOVUS, a part of Johnson & Johnson, is reporting that its EMBOTRAP II clot retriever has been used commercially for the first time in the U.S. to reverse an ischemic stroke. The catheter-delivered device is able to securely grab onto the clot without squeezing it too hard, allowing the physician to manipulate the thrombus as a [&hellip (Read more...)
BONEBRIDGE, The First Wireless Bone Conducting Hearing Aid
MED-EL, based in Durham, North Carolina, won de novo FDA clearance for the first bone conducting hearing aid system that doesn’t require a connection between the implant and external component to penetrate the skin. The totally wireless connection of the BONEBRIDGE system means that there’s less maintenance required on the patient (Read more...)
Clinical Grade Urinalysis at Home with Your Smartphone
Smartphones have become surprisingly useful in medicine, but they still remain mostly as assistants to the core process of medicine. They make it easy for clinicians to communicate, absorb information, take notes, and do so many other things. They’re still rarely used for diagnostics, but that’s changing too. Healthy.io, a company out o (Read more...)
MADE at The University of Iowa Turns Clinicians’ Ideas into Medical Products
New medical devices and technologies are being unveiled on a daily basis, as readers of Medgadget know well. Medical professionals are provided so much newly discovered knowledge that they end up creating new devices to take advantage of that knowledge. The medical device industry has a problem keeping pace, so universities are trying to pull [&hel (Read more...)
Crowdsourced Ticks Help to Create Maps of Lyme, Other Diseases
Perhaps the best way of stopping tick-borne diseases is public awareness campaigns, but these must be well targeted to achieve good results without wearing people out with unnecessary warnings. While ticks are widespread, the diseases they carry don’t travel quite as well, so knowing where tick-borne pathogens are found can be of great advant (Read more...)
Turbulent French Press Bioreactor Makes Platelets from Stem Cells
Researchers at Kyoto University have developed a technique to produce platelets from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS cells). Platelets are formed when small fragments break off from large cells called megakaryocytes within blood flow. The technique involves creating IPS megakaryocytes and then culturing them in a specialized bioreactor. The bio (Read more...)
Map’s Connectivity Map Traced by Artificial Neural Networks
Our brains are composed of billions of nerve cells and each of those cells can be connected to thousands of other individual cells, making for an incredibly complex network. While three-dimensional electron microscopy is used to image cells and their connections, typically manual observation and mapping is used to create the connectivity diagr (Read more...)
Accu-Chek Solo Tube-Free Insulin Micropump Cleared in Europe
Roche will soon release in Europe its tube-free Accu-Chek Solo insulin micropump following the CE marking of the device. The micropump comes with a smartphone-like wireless remote control that features glucose monitoring and provides advice on how much insulin to administer. Moreover, the remote control can be used to select how much insulin to inj (Read more...)
Technique Keeps Blood from Touching Catheter’s Surface to Make Dialysis Safer
Central venous catheters, such as those used during dialysis, have a nasty tendency of getting fouled up with proteins and bacterial deposits. Not only do the catheters end up having a short lifetime, patients are exposed to the potential for serious infections. At Draper, a research and development firm, a team has developed a way […]