Researchers from the University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, and Emory University have demonstrated that a blood test can be used to track the efficacy of transplanted stem cells. They analyzed tiny cellular components called exosomes that were secreted from transplanted stem cells. “Exosomes contain the signals of the cells they& (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Simple Test Uses UV Light to Measure Stress Levels
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a simple biosensor that uses UV light to measure levels of stress hormones in saliva, blood, urine, or sweat. The researchers hope that the test will eventually be available as an at-home test kit that people can use to assess their stress. Other applications include monitoring people [&hel (Read more...)
Military-Specific Augmented Reality Patient Simulation: Interview with Dr. Kevin King, CEO of MedCognition
MedCognition, a Texas-based startup, has been awarded a contract to develop military-specific augmented reality patient simulations for the US army, in conjunction with Chenega Healthcare Services. The technology is based on an existing patient simulator, the PerSim system, which uses Microsoft HoloLens Mixed reality to project simulations of patie (Read more...)
Electronic Wristband With Flexible Batteries Helps Maintain Body Temperature
It has been well known that using localized cooling and heating can help people regulate their body temperature, reduce muscle fatigue during exercise, and generally make feel better. Heating and cooling pads are quite bulky, heavy, and don’t provide much control of their temperature, making them difficult to use in practice. Engineers (Read more...)
NightWare Gets FDA Breakthrough Status for App to Stop Nightmares of PTSD Sufferers
Nightmares are a regular part of life for many people that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They can be very hard to control, since dreams seem to have a life of their own and arise in our sleep whether we want them to or not. NightWare, a company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, just won […]
3D Printed ELISA Pipette Tips for Low Cost Medical Testing
Researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a 3D printed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) device, which fits onto a normal pipette and substantially reduces the time and cost of this common medical test. The device could allow for medical testing in remote or low-resource regions, where such tests would otherwise be unavail (Read more...)
Preserving Vaccines at Room Temperature Finally Possible
The availability of vaccines in poor and remote regions is usually the result of a lack of proper storage and transportation options. For most vaccines to survive, they must be kept cold and within a prescribed temperature range. Storage areas have to have fridges with access to reliable electricity and the delivery cars and trucks […]
EEG May be Used to Diagnose, Assess Severity of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease can be hard to diagnose in its early stages, and monitoring its progression is just as difficult. Current methods are mostly subjective, with physicians visually assessing patients during a variety of tasks. Having access to more objective tools may help doctors establish diagnoses fast, guide the type of therapies that ar (Read more...)
Scope Pro-tech Coming Out to Protect Endoscope Tips
Meditech Endoscopy, a company out of Essex, England, just won FDA clearance for its Scope Pro-tech endoscopic tip protector. The device is designed to protect the optics found on the tips of endoscopes while they’re in storage or when they’re moved from place to place. The design of the Scope Pro-tech is such that air […]
LifeFlow Next Gen for Sepsis and Shock Makes Infusions Easier and Safer
410 Medical, a Durham, North Carolina firm, is releasing a new version of its LifeFlow rapid infuser for treating patients during sepsis or shock. The LifeFlow Next Gen can safely deliver 500 ml of crystalloid fluid in less than two minutes, nearly four times faster than when using a pressure bag. Device is operated with […]
(Read more...)Masimo Radius PPG Wireless Oximeter FDA Cleared
Masimo won FDA clearance for its Radius PPG wireless pulse oximetry sensor. The device features Masimo’s SET Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion technology that stays accurate as the patient moves around and about. The tetherless product allows patients to freely move about the clinic, going to the bathroom without having to disconnect f (Read more...)
RhythmAnalytics Detects Cardiac Arrhythmias Using AI, Now FDA Cleared
Biofourmis, a company with offices in Singapore and Boston, won FDA clearance for its RhythmAnalytics cloud-based software that uses artificial intelligence techniques to automate the interpretation of cardiac arrhythmias from ECG tracings. The system can detect more than fifteen different types of arrhytmias including using beat-by-beat morphology (Read more...)
FDA Clears Software to Spot Collapsed Lung in Chest X-rays
Zebra Medical Vision, an Israeli firm, landed FDA clearance for the HealthPNX automated chest X-ray analysis software that can independently spot signs of pneumothorax (PNX), colloquially known as collapsed lung. The software can help radiologists quickly and confidently identify the cause of a patient’s symptoms, allowing for emergency treat (Read more...)
Microscopic Graphene Flakes to Stop Epileptic Seizures
During epileptic seizures, the brain’s excitatory neurons go haywire, generating extreme amounts of electric activity. There are already electronic devices available that help to prevent and mitigate seizures, but so far they’re only effective in some patients while having all the downsides of a serious implantation. A team of European (Read more...)
Smartphone App Uses Phone Microphone to Hear Ear Infections
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a smartphone app that can detect ear infections. By holding the phone and a small paper cone close to the ear of a patient, a clinician can use the app to diagnose an infection. The app emits a sound through the phone’s speaker, and the microphone picks […]
Haemonetics TEG 6s Hemostasis Analyzer Cleared for Trauma Testing
Haemonetics won FDA clearance for its TEG 6s Hemostasis Analyzer System to be used in adult trauma settings to evaluate the viscoelasticity of patients’ blood. The system relies on an all-in-one cartridge into which a small sample of blood is placed. The cartridge already has the necessary reagents within itself, automatically mixing them wit (Read more...)
System Separates, Sequences Circulating Tumor Cells from Whole Blood
Engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a high speed microfluidic chip that can separate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood and analyze them. The technology, which may make biopsies and other diagnostic tests unnecessary in many cases, is impressive in that it is able to attract highly rare CTCs and to sequence [… (Read more...)
Sweat Sensor Measures Variety of Biochemicals to Help Monitor Exercise, Disease
Our skin excretes a wide array of important biomarkers that may help to track physical exertion, diagnose disease, and track progression of a condition. Exercise, in particular, leads to a significant change in the composition of our sweat, signaling dehydration, lack of electrolytes, or other problems. Scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technolo (Read more...)
AliveCor Introduces World’s First 6-Lead Consumer ECG, the KardiaMobile 6L
AliveCor, founded by Dr. David Albert, is the company that introduced reliable and useful ECG monitoring to consumers. Their products, which operate as basic single-lead ECG devices, have been cleared by the FDA to be able to detect cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, and bradycardia. They have been quite limited still, (Read more...)
Software Listens to Stethoscope to Classify Heart Sounds: Now FDA Cleared
eMurmur, a Canadian firm, just won FDA clearance for its eMurmur ID system that spots and classifies heart murmurs, as well as S1, S2 heart sounds. The offering, the core of which resides in the cloud, relies on sounds recorded using a third-party electronic stethoscope. The user simply pairs a Bluetooth-capable stethoscope to a smartphone [&hellip (Read more...)