Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and stroke, as well traumatic brain injuries, can do severe damage to patients’ memory system in the brain. Anyone taking care of Alzheimer’s sufferers, for example, knows well the importance of memory to a person’s sense of self and overall well-being. Hope is on the horizon, though, as researchers at Wake […]
Author: Medgadged
Aquilion Precision, a High Resolution CT from Canon Now Cleared by FDA
Canon Medical won FDA clearance for its top-end Aquilion Precision CT scanner. The company calls it the world’s first “Ultra-High Resolution CT” system because it’s capable of resolving objects as small as 150 microns, something commonly only available in cath labs. This level of imaging is possible thanks to a new X-ray tube that has […]
SINUVA, a Corticosteroid Releasing Sinus Implant, Now Available for Nasal Polyps
Intersect ENT, based in Menlo Park, California, is releasing in the U.S. its SINUVA sinus implant for treating nasal polyp disease in adults that underwent previous surgical sinus procedures. The device elutes mometasone furoate, a corticosteroid, to reduce inflammation directly at the polyps. The drug is released for approximately 90 days after the SINUVA is implanted […]
GORE CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder Approved by FDA for PFO Closure
The FDA has approved the GORE CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder for patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure procedures that have shown to reduce the chance of stroke in some patients. The CARDIOFORM is already being used in the U.S. for closing of atrial septal defects up to 17 millimeters in size. The catheter-delivered device consists of two […]
Siemens SOMATOM Edge Plus CT Uses AI and 3D Camera to Auto Position Patients
The FDA has given clearance to the Siemens SOMATOM Edge Plus CT scanner. The device sports the company’s FAST (Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies) Integrated Workflow that features a 3D camera positioned above the patient bed that allows the system to recognize the head, torso, and other parts of the body. This helps the system to automate […]
New Highly Effective Camera for Spotting Dye Tagged Tumors
A collaboration between researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis has led to the development of a highly sensitive new camera for detecting fluorescent markers tagged on cancer tumors. It is smaller, more accurate, and relies on cheaper parts than existing devices used to detect the same near-infrared fluorescent […]
Injectable Bandage Stops Bleeding Wounds from Inside
At Texas A&M University researchers have developed a therapeutic hydrogel for injecting into bleeding wounds that can significantly speed up the hemostasis. The new injectable hydrogel material consists of nanosilicates, which are nanoparticles made from common minerals, and a thickening agent used in food preparation called kappa carrageenan. It can be produced for pennies per […]
Researchers Rapidly Grow Adult-Like Human Heart Muscle for Cardiac Drug Screening
Scientists at Columbia University have developed a new technique to rapidly grow adult-like human heart muscle from blood-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The technique involves culturing the cells in an organ-on-a-chip device and subjecting them to mechanical stimulation. Using their method, the researchers were able to grow adult-like human heart muscle in just […]
Disease-Responsive Hydrogel Can Release Drug During Arthritis Flares
Researchers at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a disease-responsive hydrogel for anti-inflammatory drug delivery. The hydrogel could be injected into joints in patients with inflammatory arthritis for long-term local treatment. The gel breaks down in response to enzymes that are increased in an inflamed joint during an arthritis flare, meaning that it […]
Neurostimulation Enhanced by Digital Health: Interview with CEO of NeuroMetrix
Neurostimulation has the capacity to stop pain signals from traveling up to the brain, but to mask the pain effectively and for long periods of time clinicians have turned to implants. That is because conventional TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) devices don’t have the strength and focus to comfortably quell pain in long intervals. NeuroMetrix, […]
Hybrid Nanoparticles Reassemble on Cancer Cells and Glow to Point Their Location
At the University of Southern California researchers have developed a hybrid nanoprobe for spotting the presence of live cancer cells by amplifying a chemical biomarker often found on cell’s surface. The team’s nanoprobe comes together when two gold nanoparticles, each containing one half of a fluorescent protein and that hone in on tumors, meet on […]
Stretchable Stick-On Ultrasound Patches Image Even on Curved Surfaces
Conventional ultrasound transducers are rigid devices that have to be held against the skin when imaging inside the body. The best results are achieved on smooth surfaces where contact between the transducer and the skin is the greatest. On curvy, moving surfaces, such as the knees, ultrasound visualizations are difficult. A team at the University […]
Zipline’s New Medical Delivery Drones Fly Faster and Farther
Zipline, a drone company based in Half Moon Bay, California, is unveiling its fastest, longest range, and easiest to setup drone for medical deliveries. The company’s drones are already serving as couriers in Rwanda, delivering blood samples and blood units to and from 21 hospitals in the western part of the country. The new autonomous drones, […]
Specially Designed Virtual Reality Game Distracts Kids from Blood Draws
At Rigshospitale, a Danish hospital for patients requiring specialized treatments, kids that fear syringes are barely aware that their blood is being taken. This is thanks to a virtual reality game developed by Khora, a nearby virtual and augmented reality production firm. The Ballade på Badebroen (Trouble on The Jetty) game was the result of trying […]
Portable Device Can Monitor White Blood Cell Levels Non-Invasively
Scientists at MIT have developed a portable device that can measure white blood cell levels in chemotherapy patients without having to take a blood sample. The device can visualize blood cells flowing through capillaries in the nail bed and determine if white blood cell levels are at acceptable or dangerously low levels. Chemotherapy can have […]
Ferromagnetic FMsealer Laparoscopic Shears for Faster Vessel Sealing with Fewer Side Effects
Domain Surgical out of Salt Lake City, UT, which is part of OmniGuide, itself based in Lexington, MA, is releasing new laparoscopic shears based on its ferromagnetic technology. The FMsealer Laparoscopic Shears, unlike bipolar electric devices, do not release electric current into the tissues when transecting and sealing. And unlike ultrasonic shears, a lot less heat […]
Smartphone App Detects Atrial Fibrillation Without Additional Devices
Finnish researchers at the University of Turku and the Heart Centre of the Turku University Hospital managed to use the accelerometers built into most smartphones to detect atrial fibrillation (Afib), an often serious but sometimes difficult to detect arrhythmia. The technology has been dubbed as gyrocardiography and it may rival electrocardiography (ECG) for detecting Afib in many […]
Sugar-Coated Nanosheets Can Selectively Bind Pathogens
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed sugar-coated ultrathin self-assembling nanosheets that can selectively bind to pathogens, and which have potential to serve as a diagnostic technology or a way to inactivate pathogens. The researchers developed the structures using bioinspired synthetic polymers, known as peptoids, which can self-assemble to […]
Cerebrotech Visor Can Rapidly Detect Severe Stroke with 92% Accuracy
A visor that clinicians or paramedics can place on patients suspected of having a stroke has demonstrated 92% accuracy in helping to diagnose severe cases of the condition. The device can provide a diagnosis within seconds, and works by sending low-energy radio waves through the brain. Rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke is vital for […]
AeroForm Tissue Expander for Breast Reconstruction: Interview with Scott Dodson, CEO
Breast reconstruction is a frequent consequence resulting from a fight with breast cancer. Women trying to become whole again have to undergo an implantation of a saline bag followed by regular, sometimes painful injections that gradually expand the size of the bag. There is another option, cleared by the FDA last year and in Europe […]