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Health and Wellbeing
Tests demonstrate effectiveness of BioSentry water monitoring system
By Kyle Sherer
20:09 April 22, 2008 PDT
April 22, 2008 The World Health Organisation states that one billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes this number will rise. In the developed world, the issue is one of monitoring and maintaining the fresh water supplies that already exist, and that's where systems like JMAR Technologies’ BioSentry water monitoring system come in. Biosentry uses laser-produced, multi-angle light scattering technology to identify individual microorganisms, eliminating the need for consumables or reagents and is able to detect bacterial pathogens up to 25 times better than any other water monitoring system according to recent test results from the U.S. EPA. Read More
Thirst Aid – on-the-fly water purification
By Mike Hanlon
02:10 April 18, 2008 PDT
Pure Hydration’s Thirst Aid makes a lot of sense. If you’re ever inclined to go adventuring, particularly where the water is dodgy or outright dangerous, the robust pouch is light and does the job on the spot – just pour in the dirty water, wait a while, and then squeeze out the clean water. Good for 300 liters. Read More
Hybrid device combines hearing aid and cochlear implant
By Emily Clark
00:07 April 18, 2008 PDT
April 18, 2008 To date the the options have been limited for hearing-impaired patients who do not stand to benefit from hearing aids, but for whom cochlear implants are unsuitable because they retain some natural hearing. Now a hybrid hearing device being tested in trials across the US offers a solution to this category of patients by combining the advantages of both hearing aids and implants. Read More
‘George’ the life-sized wound model
By Emily Clark
19:21 April 16, 2008 PDT
The University of Hertfordshire in the UK is striving to improve patient care and reduce hospital infections through use of a life-sized wound model dubbed “George”. The model was designed to assist learning about patients with chronic who represent around 200,000 individuals in the UK at any one time, according to the Tissue Viability Team in the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. Read More
"Put that gum back in your mouth Johnny"
17:53 April 9, 2008 PDT
April 10, 2008 A recent study on the effects of a new chewable mint that mimics the cavity fighting properties of saliva has found a 62 percent decrease in cavities in children using the product. Read More
Picis real-time dashboard for perioperative departments
By Emily Clark
23:52 April 1, 2008 PDT
The Picis Perioperative Dashboard is a Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) tool designed to to assist hospital surgical departments in the daunting task of logistical management by providing a real-time, easy-to-read snapshot measuring case delays, quality improvement compliance, patient throughput and a range of key indicators. Read More
Specialized fruit energy drink for athletes
By Mike Hanlon
17:26 March 29, 2008 PDT
HortResearch has already developed a biosensor that measures hormone levels in saliva in real time to indicate to athletes whether they should train more or less. Now it is developing a new fruit-based product which could dramatically increase muscle power and delay fatigue. Clinical trials are underway on a fruit-based energy drink which tested off-the-charts in initial experiments. Isolated muscle tissue was exposed to fruit extracts, after which an electrical impulse was delivered. The results showed that muscle power was increased up to 70% and fatigue delayed by up to 20%. The company is currently in talks with international sports teams interested in trialling the drink and with specialist nutrition companies about a possible launch. Read More
3-D virtual reality dental simulator
By Emily Clark
22:41 March 26, 2008 PDT
March 27, 2008 Evidence of dentistry has been found dating back as far as 5500 BC however common knowledge tends to only go back as far as the Middle Ages when dental procedures were performed by barbers or general practitioners (with the aid of pliers and a bottle of whisky). These days patient care is of the utmost importance, which is why dentistry researchers at the University of Illinois (UIC) are developing a haptic training simulator called PerioSim, which uses 3-D virtual reality technology to allow dental students to improve their skills before being allowed near real live patients. Read More
Alzheimer's detection using near-infrared light
By Emily Clark
20:23 March 25, 2008 PDT
It is estimated that around 4.5 million people in the US are currently living with Alzheimer's and the disease is one of the leading causes of death, accounting for tens of thousands each year. There has been no definitive way of diagnosing the disease on living patients so doctors have had to rely on medical histories, administering physical exams, and neuropsychological assessments. Now, a team of researchers in Massachusetts has developed a way of examining brain tissue with near-infrared light to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease. Read More
My Beating Heart comfort pillow and meditation aid
By Mike Hanlon
18:13 March 24, 2008 PDT
March 25, 2008 Our mother’s heart was the first sound we heard, so a heartbeat is one of the most reassuring sounds we know. My Beating Heart, is a heart-shaped pillow with a computer and heartbeat generator inside. Turn it on, and the heartbeat it creates gradually changes rhythm, entraining the user and modeling the heartbeat of a person in a deep meditative state. The holder is induced into a state of peace and calmness – an ideal meditation aid, a great way to relax, meditate, daydream, or nap and “must have” for a any child we’d have thought. Read More
Solving the drug price crisis
By Mike Hanlon
00:34 March 24, 2008 PDT
March 24, 2008 The mounting U.S. drug price crisis can be contained and eventually reversed by separating drug discovery from drug marketing and by establishing a non-profit company to oversee funding for new medicines, according to two MIT experts on the pharmaceutical industry. Stan Finkelstein, M.D., senior research scientist in MIT's Engineering Systems Division, and Peter Temin, Elisha Gray II Professor of Economics, present their research and detail their proposal in their new book, "Reasonable Rx: Solving the Drug Price Crisis," published by Financial Times Press. Read More
Interactive non-drug treatment for ADD and ADHD
By Mike Hanlon
22:20 March 18, 2008 PDT
March 19, 2008 Interactive Healing Centers, a facility dedicated to helping children with attention deficit and hyperactive conditions, has announced a non-drug treatment technique for ADD/ADHD. The technology teaches the brain to retrain itself through a specialized computer program that monitors brain wave patterns. The program then guides the brain through a conditioned response and a gratification technique, resulting in a normal brain wave that reduces or completely eradicates the ADD/ADHD response. Read More
Regrowing major body parts
By Mike Hanlon
20:16 March 17, 2008 PDT
March 18, 2008 You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone and that goes doubly when there’s a limb amputation involved. We have always marvelled at the Salamander’s ability to regrow lost limbs – this fascinating article details the history and progress of work in the area of regenerating limbs. Read More
Aquatic Fitness Systems' advanced swim spas
By Emily Clark
21:55 March 10, 2008 PDT
March 11, 2008 Aquatic Fitness Systems has taken a multi-faceted approach to the low impact benefits of training in the water by incorporating walking, running, stretching, rowing and strength training functionality into its line of luxury swim spas. Read More
Humphrey Field Analyzer II-i offers streamlined Glaucoma management
By Kyle Sherer
16:44 March 10, 2008 PDT
Carl Zeiss Meditec has announced the latest version of its Humphrey Field Analyzer – an automated diagnostic system for Glaucoma management and blindness prevention. By allowing them to closely and easily monitor changes in the eye, the HFA II-i will provide doctors with the ability to prevent irreversible vision loss in patients with Glaucoma – a degenerative disease of the optic nerve that progresses without obvious symptoms, and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Read More
Samsung and adidas miCoach fitness phone
By Mike Hanlon
22:21 March 6, 2008 PST
March 6, 2008 It is inevitable that one day our mobile phones will monitor the body’s key functions - ubiquitous usage of such a device moved closer this week when Samsung and Adidas announced the miCoach mobile phone. The miCoach comes with a stride sensor (pedometer) and heart rate monitor, enabling the phone’s software to monitor your workouts and advise/push you with a voice-simulating personal coach. Despite concepts from Nokia and Microsoft, and add ons from Kiwok and Alivetech , the miCoach is the first phone with heart rate functionality, so it is a milestone. Read More
Game Ready injury treatment system
By Emily Clark
15:38 March 6, 2008 PST
CoolSystems has released the next generation of its Game Ready injury treatment system combining form-fitting wraps, cold and intermittent compression, and adjustable pressure and temperature settings. The convenient system is designed to be used for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and post-operative rehabilitation. Read More
Bar-coded surgical sponges to increase patient safety
By Emily Clark
16:57 March 5, 2008 PST
March 6, 2008 We’ve all seen a current affairs program with a victim who found out their doctor left a surgical sponge inside them - it’s a nightmare scenario for all concerned with doctors facing litigation and patients left with potentially life threatening infections ...and the scary thing is that it does actual happen. The Safety-Sponge System from SurgiCount Medical is designed to prevent these types of accidents using bar-code technology to account for all surgical sponges used during medical procedures. Read More
New funds for development of high tech prosthetic limb
By Emily Clark
23:14 February 21, 2008 PST
A team led by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University has received a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to complete development of a prosthetic arm that will look, feel and perform like a natural limb. Read More
Second Sight announces milestone in groundbreaking retinal implant trial
15:58 February 19, 2008 PST
February 20, 2008 It has to be among the most powerful examples of the miraculous potential of modern science and technology - restoring sight to the blind. Following approval from the US FDA last year, Second Sight Medical Products Inc has now announced that enrollment is complete for the first phase of clinical trials on a system that restores a basic level of sight to sufferers of retinal eye diseases. Enrollment at key European sites also underway. Ten subjects have been recruited for the Phase I trial of the second-generation electronic retinal implant known as The Argus II, which is capable of restoring rudimentary vision using an external camera and transmitter mounted in eyeglasses linked to a tiny array of 60 electrodes that are attached to the retina. Read More
Open up and say ahhh: new technique uses laser light to analyze breath for diseases
By Jude Garvey
23:26 February 18, 2008 PST
February 19, 2008 We're familiar with the use of breath testing to determine blood alcohol content, but according to new research the air we exhale could reveal much more about what's happening in our bodies, and in the future, breath testing could become a regular part of visiting the doctor. The research by a team of US scientists has shown that markers for diseases such as asthma or cancer can be determined by analyzing trace molecules in the breath using laser light. Experiments using a pulsed laser aimed into a breath-filled cavity proved that gases such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, and methane could be detected revealing signposts to particular diseases being present in the patient - ammonia, for example, may indicate renal failure. Read More
Researchers develop new dark field x-ray technique
By Jude Garvey
16:15 February 4, 2008 PST
February 5, 2008 A breakthrough by European researchers has the potential to expand the application of powerful "dark-field" x-ray imaging using standard medical and industrial imaging equipment. Normally only possible via prohibitively expensive and sophisticated crystal optics, the detailed images produced by "dark-field" x-rays could be applied to diagnose breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, identify explosives in hand luggage, or pinpoint hairline cracks in airplane wings. Read More
i-LIMB bionic hand approaches 100 fittings
By Emily Clark
20:53 January 29, 2008 PST
January 30, 2008 Touch Bionics has announced that its i-LIMB - the world’s first commercially available bionic hand - is expected to achieve the milestone of 100 patient fittings by the end of February this year, having already reached more than 70 people worldwide since its July 2007 launch. Read More
INADA’s Sogno chair delivers full-body shiatsu massage
By Jude Garvey
18:44 January 29, 2008 PST
January 30, 2008 Japanese company INADA has introduced Sogno - a full-body massage chair that uses infra-red scanning to identify shiatsu acupressure points on your body and then delivers a massage which feels like you’re being pummeled and manipulated by a real masseuse. Read More
The canned cheeseburger – fast food in the wilderness
By Mike Hanlon
20:22 January 26, 2008 PST
It’s unlikely to become a major competitor for McDonalds, but the world’s first cheeseburger in a can is the epitome of fast food, having been designed so adventurers can have a touch of comfort cuisine when they are a long way off the beaten track – just throw the can in hot water, wait a few minutes, open and eat. Sold under one of Katadyn’s best known brands, Trekking-Mahlzeiten, a subsidiary company that develops specialist ready-meals for the outdoor, expedition and extreme athlete markets, the offbeat product has a 12 month shelf life and is part of a range of high tech nutrition and survival products that includes a powdered alcoholic red wine, powdered chocolate mousse and the most remarkable of all, Peronin, “fuel for the bloodstream.” Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
