We’re right in the middle of the holidays, which for most people means festive decorations, celebrations with friends and family, and an overabundance of food. At risk of looking a bit more like Santa Claus at the start of 2018, this editor embarked on a diet and exercise journey over the past several months to […]
Author: Medgadged
Heart Pump Powered by Electric Cable Routed Through Head
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), popularized most famously by Dick Cheney, have become somewhat common in the past few years. They augment the cardiac output, and in many cases they have significantly extended the lifespans of heart failure patients. Managing LVADs can be a challenge, with a particular emphasis placed on keeping the area wh (Read more...)
Cheap Rehab System Powered by Kinect Camera
Physical rehabilitation often involves using expensive, over-engineered equipment that does its job well but is often difficult to afford. It’s one reason the overall cost of rehab can be steep, as buying and maintaining pricey equipment can quickly add up. Some of the more advanced systems for analyzing people’s motion involve multiple (Read more...)
Cytotwister, A Unique 3D Stem Cell Bioreactor: Interview with Dr. Hsin-Hsin Shen of Industrial Technology Research Institute
Stem cells are up-and-coming therapies, and a major engineering problem has been scaling up the cell manufacturing to create enough cells for different therapeutic applications. Cytotwister, from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan, makes a step towards solving that with a unique 3D stem cell bioreactor system that address (Read more...)
Accurate Glucose Monitor Integrated Inside a Smartphone Case
While smartphones have been gaining all kinds of features such as GPS, barometry, and depth perception, diabetics are probably wondering why glucometers are still stand-alone devices. Well, this may be changing too, as researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a glucose meter that’s built into a smartphone case, and tha (Read more...)
University of Minnesota Researchers Develop a Better 3D-Printed Organ Model
3D-printed organ models have shown a lot of promise in medicine by providing doctors with a tangible representation of an organ being studied. While these models are great at mimicking the size and external appearance of their biological counterparts, otherwise they are typically not very useful. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have now (Read more...)
3D Printing Helps to Implant Risky Transcatheter Mitral Valves
Transcatheter aortic valve implantations are now routine at a number of high-end hospitals around the world. Minimally invasive mitral valve replacements, on the other hand, are a lot more difficult and prone to post-op complications, and so are still a rarity. Yet, 60% of patients over 75 have mitral valve disease, and it’s an even [… (Read more...)
Novel Transforming Glue Treats Emergency Battlefield Eye Injuries
According to statistics, war-related eye injuries have steadily increased from a fraction of a percent to as high as 10 to 15 percent in the past few decades. Many of these injuries lead to permanent vision loss due to a lack of nearby medical facilities or the proper tools to treat them. Researchers at the University […]
New EEG System Achieves Higher Signal Resolution Than Ever Before
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new electroencephalography (EEG) system capable of recording brain signals at an unprecedented spatial resolution. The so-called “super-Nyquist density” EEG was compared to four different conventional “Nyquist density” EEGs when tried on 14 volunteers. The new system (Read more...)
Scientists Create Living 3D Printer Ink Made of Live Bacteria
Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have reported in journal Science Advances on a way of 3D printing materials infused with live bacteria. The development may lead to devices such as implantable blood filters and bacterial factories that produce biomolecules for drugs and other therapies. A myriad of other applications may find use from this (Read more...)
Stratasys Releases Line of Custom Built 3D Printed Anatomy Models
Stratasys, one of the big 3D printing companies, has announced the release of its new BioMimics line of 3D printed human anatomy models. The products are designed to be used in clinical training and to help design and test new medical devices. The company is first releasing bone and heart models, with vascular structures expected […]
Computer Simulation Aims to Understand Arrhythmia-Induced Sudden Cardiac Death
Sudden cardiac death resulting from an arrhythmia is a rare and difficult to study disorder. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a computer model of the heart specifically mimicking what happens to it prior to and during sudden cardiac death. The biomolecular simulation is already pointing to drug targets that should be looke (Read more...)
BiliSpec, Tested in Malawi, Diagnoses Jaundice in Children for Cheap
A cheap and easy to use device invented by students at Rice University has shown, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that it can detect jaundice from a small blood sample. Currently, lab equipment and disposable cartridges are used to detect jaundice early and accurately, but this is often too […]
3D-Printed Living Bioink Can Form “Living Tattoos”
Researchers at MIT have developed a living bioink for 3D printing that consists of genetically-modified bacteria and a synthetic hydrogel. The material can be printed in a variety of shapes, including as patches or “tattoos” for the skin, and can sense different chemicals, along with changes in pH and temperature. The researchers hope t (Read more...)
Seno Medical’s Imagio Combines Optoacoustics with Ultrasound to Diagnose Breast Cancer
At last week’s RSNA conference in Chicago, we got a chance to learn about Seno Medical Instruments, a San Antonio, Texas company, and its imaging technology that combines conventional ultrasound with a new modality called optoacoustic imaging. We spoke with Dr. Tom Stavros, Medical Director at Seno. The company’s Imagio system reli (Read more...)
Samsung Develops App to Allow Color Blind Owners to Enjoy Their New TVs
New TVs were once again one of the bestsellers during the Black Friday sales. But an estimated eight percent of people who might have purchased a new TV this week can’t fully enjoy its vibrant 4K Ultra HD, HDR, OLED, melt-your-eyeballs glory because of color blindness. However, if you purchased a Samsung TV, you may […]
New Dental Material Can Resist Biofilm Growth And Kills Bacteria
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an antibacterial resin for dental procedures such as cavity fillings. They hope that the material can provide improved fillings that resist tooth decay and last longer. Conventional materials for dental fillings are prone to being covered in plaque, a sticky biofilm that can lead to tooth (Read more...)
High-Tech Mobile Stroke Units Treat Patients Sooner
A stroke is one of the most time-critical medical emergencies. If not treated quickly, a patient can quickly deteriorate as brain cells die from a lack of oxygen. Doctors aim to begin treating stroke patients within an hour from the onset of symptoms, something that is often difficult to do when relying on conventional ambulances. […]
Cells Powered by Magnetic Nanoparticles Help Heal Post Infarct Hearts
Heart attacks result in dead myocardial tissue that forms a scar, and so patients are left with a chronically weakened heart. Replacement heart cells or stems cells that can become desired cardiac cells can be grown in the lab and injected into the dead tissue, but it’s a major challenge to keep them in place […]
My Diabetes Coach Named Runner-Up at Novo Nordisk’s 2017 HITLAB World Cup of Voice-Activated Technology in Diabetes
Earlier this year, Medgadget spoke with Timon LeDain from Macadamian, a software design and development firm, about My Diabetes Coach, a suite of technologies for pediatric diabetes management being developed in partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre (CHEO – (Read more...)