Health

Solaqua draws on the sun to provide safe drinking water

By Karen Sprey

20:04 June 2, 2009 PDT

While clean, safe water is in short supply in much of Africa, there's no shortage of sun. The Solaqua is a nifty portable device that uses the sun's rays to purify contaminated water. Through innovative use of readily available materials, it carries, disinfects and stores water, providing a safe, environmentally sustainable source of water for rural communities. Read More

Sight restored in less than a month using stem cell contact lenses

By Darren Quick

07:09 June 2, 2009 PDT

The humble contact lens has long been used to improve people’s vision, but now researchers have restored sight in patients suffering corneal damage using a technique where contact lenses are cultured with stem cells. Fast, cheap and non-invasive, the groundbreaking technique even has the potential for regrowing skin and other organs. Read More

Innovative contact lenses look to dispense drugs

By Karen Sprey

00:02 May 26, 2009 PDT

Eye-drops may be a simple way of medicating the eye, but patients don't always get the right dose at the right time. Eyenovations has developed contact lenses that can deliver drugs to the eye in measured doses for a month or longer. The start-up company’s initial focus is developing a lens to help glaucoma patients. However, it believes the technology can be used to help other eye conditions and deliver antibiotics following surgery. Read More

Nanodiamonds promise next-Generation Cancer Treatments

By David Greig

03:55 May 22, 2009 PDT

Nanomaterials less than 100-thousand-millionths of a meter in size have the potential to radically change current drug delivery techniques with early trials showing the ability of nanomaterials to moderate the release of highly toxic chemotherapy drugs with reduced side effects and improved targeting. Using nanodiamonds, researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated a new tool designed to precisely deliver tiny doses of drug-carrying to individual cells - the Nanofountain Probe. Read More

The ergoErgo delivers a new twist on the old exercise ball

By Jude Garvey

05:22 May 20, 2009 PDT

ergoErgo is a cleverly designed stool that promises all the benefits of a sitting on an exercise ball in a compact package that will not roll away from under you. Just like a health ball, Alan Heller's funky design helps to strengthen your inner core and align your spine whilst you get on with your work. Read More

Healthmap.org – charting global public health threats

By Mike Hanlon

01:03 May 15, 2009 PDT

Tapping the Internet – including personal Web searches, news reports, blogs, chat rooms and social networking sites – is fast becoming a way to get a complete, up-to-the-minute view of public health threats, say researchers from the Informatics Program at Children’s Hospital Boston (CHIP) in a Perspectives article published Online First by The New England Journal of Medicine on May 7, 2009. In an accompanying sidebar, they describe the use of HealthMap.org – a freely available Web site that aggregates, categorizes, filters and displays real-time information on emerging infectious diseases – in tracking the current H1N1 swine flu outbreak.


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Surgery may not be necessary for Achilles tendon rupture

By Mike Hanlon

23:37 May 14, 2009 PDT

May 15, 2009 The Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel, is the body's strongest tendon. The tendon may rupture on sudden tensing of the muscle, something that affects middle-aged men in particular, typically when playing badminton or tennis. The two ends of a ruptured Achilles tendon are often stitched together before the leg is put in plaster, in order to reduce the risk of the tendon rupturing again. However, a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now suggests that surgery may be unnecessary. Patients who do not undergo surgery have just as good a chance of recovery. Read More

World's fastest camera captures images at six million frames per second

By David Greig

18:06 May 14, 2009 PDT

Using a new approach based on more than 10 years of research, engineers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated a camera that captures images at 6 million frames per second - that's a thousand times faster than any existing conventional camera. This technique could lead to fresh insights into fast moving phenomena in physics, chemistry and biology. In medical research for example, it may lead to image capture of individual cells in blood streams, opening up the possibility of detection of unhealthy or cancerous cell forms. Read More

Ultrasound images a snap with a smartphone

By Darren Quick

23:56 April 27, 2009 PDT

Looks like smartphones are getting even smarter. We can already access our email, GPS navigate and use a wide range of business document formats, making them an integral part of a business person’s day. Now doctors might soon be packing a smartphone alongside their stethoscopes. Computer engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have coupled a smartphone with USB-based ultrasound probe technology to produce a mobile imaging device that fits in the palm of a hand. Read More

Ossur rolls-out next generation POWER KNEE

By David Greig

01:19 April 24, 2009 PDT

Earlier this week we looked at developments in low-cost prosthetics, but at the other end of the spectrum, advanced prosthetic devices like Ossur's recently announced second generation POWER KNEE are opening up new frontiers in the field. As the world’s first motor-powered artificially intelligent prosthesis for above the knee amputees, the POWER KNEE is designed to enable daily activities without having to think about movement. Something most of us take for granted. Read More

The CellScope: transforming the cell phone into a mobile microscope

By Karen Sprey

20:09 April 14, 2009 PDT

The CellScope is a revolutionary attachment that turns a standard camera-enabled cell phone into a clinical quality microscope, with magnification up to 50X. Health workers in developing countries, where expensive equipment, facilities and on-the-ground physicians are scarce, will be able to use the mobile microscope to quickly and easily capture images of blood cells, lesions and infections and transmit them via the cell phone network to remote experts for analysis and diagnosis. Read More

GlideCycle: giving back independence and mobility

By Karen Sprey

22:14 April 6, 2009 PDT

The GlideCycle offers a whole new world of mobility, independence and exercise to people of almost any age with disabilities and injuries. Looking a little like a bike, but with no pedals and a frame over the top of the body rather than underneath, the GlideCycle uses a suspended ergonomic saddle that holds the pelvis to support body weight so that the rider can walk, run or glide with no pressure on the crotch or perineum. It provides major cardio benefits with virtually zero impact, is easily mastered, comfortable and fun to use, quick to assemble – and it’s affordable. So what’s the catch? There isn’t one. Read More

Zebrafish sheds light on blindness

By Darren Quick

00:42 March 27, 2009 PDT

Since the eyes of the zebrafish contain a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of human eyes, their study may help understand the progression of disease and find more effective treatments for blindness. A study of the retinal development of zebrafish larvae by scientists from Florida State Universityand has identified a genetic switch that should shed new light on these molecular mechanisms and, consequently, provide much needed insight on inherited retinal diseases in humans. Read More

Silicone baby bottles offer a safer feeding solution

By Jude Garvey

16:08 March 24, 2009 PDT

Recently, concerns have been raised about the presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles. Research has linked BPA to breast cancer, a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes and possible effects on the brain and behavior. In response, some baby bottle manufacturers have stopped making plastic baby bottles and are using materials such as silicone to give parents a safer option when choosing a baby bottle. Read More

Gold nanospheres search out and ‘cook’ cancer cells

By Karen Sprey

21:48 March 23, 2009 PDT

March 24, 2009 A minimally invasive therapy that could help fight cancer may be on its way with the development of the first hollow gold nanospheres that actively search for and burn tumors. Researchers believe the new technique could prove particularly effective against malignant Melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer responsible for around 48,000 deaths worldwide each year... and numbers are growing. Read More

Increased risk of injury even after one glass of alcohol

By Mike Hanlon

16:19 March 23, 2009 PDT

The cost to society of physical injury related to alcohol consumption is immense – the link between severe alcohol intoxication, road accidents and violence is well established. Now new research from the Swedish Karolinska Institutet medical university indicates that most alcohol-related damage occurs after moderate consumption. While people who have drunk considerable quantities of alcohol suffer higher injury risk than people who have drunk only a little, the research shows the risk of suffering injury increases significantly after small amounts of alcohol as little as one glass. Read More

Hi-Flow integrated filtering system - bottle quality from the tap

By Jude Garvey

00:59 March 20, 2009 PDT

The Hi-Flow integrated filtering system is a unique and clever way to deliver fresh, filtered tap water at home. Unlike some other filtration systems, the Hi-Flow metal cartridge is installed under the sink without the need to drill a separate hole in the sink or bench top. The system is then plumbed inline to an existing standard cold tap or mixer tap, therefore eliminating the need to have a separate filtration unit or tap. Once connected the Hi-Flow delivers mains pressure, freshly filtered water directly from the kitchen tap. Read More

Nano-antennas used to fight cancer

By Stephen Saunders

21:05 March 12, 2009 PDT

A PhD candidate from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) has pioneered some innovative new treatments in the emerging field of nanomedicine that could aid in the fight against cancer. Geoffrey von Maltzahn's polymer-coated gold ‘nano-antennas’ are designed to be injected into the bloodstream to target and destroy cancerous tumors. Read More

Bionic eye begins to see real-world results

By Karen Sprey

22:18 March 10, 2009 PDT

For those suffering from degenerative eye diseases, abilities which most of us take for granted like following white lines on roads and sorting socks can have a huge impact on quality of life. "Bionic-eye" technologies that can artificially restore sight are creeping closer to reality and now one of the most promising systems to grace our pages - the Argus II Retinal Implant - is beginning to reap rewards in the real world with positive outcomes reported in the preliminary results of the device's feasibility study and personal stories beginning to emerge of the difference this technology can make to peoples lives. Read More

How smoking accelerates the aging process

By Mike Hanlon

19:30 March 9, 2009 PDT

Wrinkly skin, breathlessness and a chesty cough are regularly associated with heavy smoking. They can belie a person's age by making someone seem older than they actually are, but until now, scientists have known little about the biological mechanisms that appear to accelerate the aging process. Read More

Study confirms effects of early environment in brains of suicide victims

By Mike Hanlon

01:31 February 24, 2009 PST

McGill University and Douglas Institute scientists have discovered that childhood trauma can actually alter your DNA and shape the way your genes work. This confirms in humans earlier findings in rats, that maternal care plays a significant role in influencing the genes that control our stress response. Using a sample of 36 brains; 12 suicide victims who were abused; 12 suicide victims who were not abused and 12 controls, the researchers discovered different epigenetic markings in the brains of the abused group. These markings influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function, a stress-response which increases the risk of suicide. Read More

80% of wars occur in biological hotspots

By Mike Hanlon

11:53 February 22, 2009 PST

Since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, large scale warfare has been a permanent global fixture. History shows that the motivations for war are different for those ordering the conflict than for those undertaking it and now a startling new study has found 80 percent of the world's major armed conflicts occur in biological hotspots. That is, the richest storehouses of life, the areas essential for both biodiversity conservation and human well-being, are also the regions of the most human conflict. Millions of the world's poorest people live in hotspots and depend on healthy ecosystems for their survival. Is it time for civilization to take political and social responsibility and protect these places? It certainly makes more sense than fighting over oil! Read More

SafetyMate provides first aid advice for new parents

By Jude Garvey

14:14 February 17, 2009 PST

The early days of a child’s life, whilst thrilling for parents, can also be very nerve-wracking with the most prevalent fear being the baby’s health. New parents may find that accessing accurate first-aid advice is difficult and time-consuming, which is where SafetyMate comes in - it's a clever talking first aid device that gives essential health advice at the touch of a button. Read More

Solving the global food crisis: vertical aeroponic farm grows food out of thin air

By Loz Blain

01:14 February 17, 2009 PST

More than 50% of our planet's massive human population is concentrated into urban centres - and on current estimates, that's likely to be as high as 80% by the year 2050, a year many of us will be around to see. So the challenge facing today's forward-thinking architects is how to create positive outcomes out of a crushing space constraint. Going upwards, in projects like Eugene Tsui's Ultima Tower and the London Vertical Village concept, seems to offer some practical solutions to the living space conundrum - but what about feeding all those people? Vertical Aeroponic Farming seems to be an idea whose time has come - it will let us use land, nutrients, power and water much more efficiently than ever before, while delivering a quality-controllable, year-round and emissions-positive food source for urban communities. Eric Vergne's Dystopian Farm is a design study that examines how a vertical farm might use the latest in agricultural and architectural technology to feed the cities of the future. Read More

Garmin FR60 Fitness Watch

By Mike Hanlon

22:02 February 1, 2009 PST

GPS specialist Garmin has announced a new fitness watch that offers new levels of functionality and convenience using wireless connectivity at the 2009 ISPO Winter trade show in Munich. While you exercise, the easy-to-use FR60 accurately tracks your time, calories burned, heart rate and other data from wirelessly linked fitness equipment, then once you’re within range of your computer, the information is wirelessly transferred and stored for later analysis. Read More