Blood

A proof-of-principle study has demonstrated that it is possible to engineer human blood stem cells into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells. The result is the equivalent of a genetic vaccine which is not only good news in the fight against HIV - the process could also be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.  Read More

A new credit-card sized device could provide a way to test people for heart disease using a pinprick of blood. Developed by a team of researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities in Boston the device can measure and collect a type of cells, called endothelial progenitor cells, using just 200 microliters of blood.  Read More

High blood pressure is a major health risk and as the world’s population ages, that risk continues to climb. It can be a trial of patience for doctors and for sufferers, whose blood pressure often has to be consistently monitored over a long time until it can be regulated. A new sensor being developed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft researchers together with the “Hyper-IMS” (Intravascular Monitoring System for Hypertension Patients) company aims to make this monitoring easier. To monitor blood pressure patients have traditionally had to wear a small case containing a blood pressure meter close to their body. An inflatable sleeve on their arm records their blood pressure values, for which it is regularly pumped up and deflated. This can prove to be a bit of a hassle, particularly at night but now the whole process is now due to become significantly simpler thanks to a tiny implant that can achieve the same result.  Read More

October 24, 2007 Despite being sensitive instruments, blood pressure meters are often carried around in doctors’ coat pockets and as a result they're exposed to being bumped or dropped. Because they contain very fine mechanisms that react sensitively to any form of shock this causes them to produce false readings without the doctor necessarily noticing the problem, in turn leading to disastrous effects on patients’ treatment, as drug doses may have to be changed if the blood pressure exceeds a certain value. This new pressure meter, created by the Rudolf Riester company and researchers at the Fraunhofer Technology Development Group TEG in Stuttgart, employs a delicate damping system to protect the integrity of the meter.  Read More

April 16, 2007 Taking one’s blood pressure can clearly tell you a lot about your health, but not nearly as much as SunTech Medical’s Oscar 2 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABP) monitor. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring provides a comprehensive assessment of a patient’s blood pressure profile with BP variability, overnight dipping and morning surge that in-clinic and home BP monitoring cannot provide.  Read More

March 10, 2007 Ducati drew first blood in the 2007 version of MotoGP with 800cc engines at the first round of the 18-race series in Qatar today. Australian 21 year-old rising star Casey Stoner made a perfect start with the Ducati Marlboro Team, riding to a magnificent victory aboard his Desmosedici GP7. Stoner rode a perfectly judged race, leading the first lap and then battling with former World Champion Valentino Rossi throughout. The pair swapped positions several times, separated by just a few tenths for most of the 22 laps, Stoner crossing the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead after setting a new track record on the final lap. One of the highlights of the race was the speed of the four Ducati-engined machines in the field, sometimes with a margin of 20 km/h over the fastest of the others at the end of the kilometre-long Qatar front straight. Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha M1 was a clear second and Dani Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda RC212V was a narrow third ahead of the Rizla Suzuki of John Hopkins, indicating at least four different makes of machinery will be capable of winning a race this season. Stoner's odds dropped from 0/1 to 5/1 overnight on world betting markets.  Read More

August 5, 2005 Two tiny devices recently developed by researchers at the United States National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories could mean the elimination of blood drawing by diabetes patients to test glucose levels or by medical personnel to determine if someone is having a heart attack. Test results would be instantaneous. The two arrays of micron-sized needles operate similarly by penetrating painlessly into the skin. Arranged in varying numbers on a small patch, the needles can measure molecules inside the body, eliminating the need to withdraw blood from a patient.  Read More

When we first saw this on The Red Ferret Journal, we thought there had been a breakthrough in technology, with them being able to miniaturise a blood pressure and body fat monitor to fit the form factor of a wristwatch but ... then we saw how big it was. Still, the MF-90 Body Fat Blood Pressure Monitor as it is an improvement on anything previously available in home health monitoring.  Read More