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Medical
Dissolving glass could aid bone growth
By Kyle Sherer
19:00 June 8, 2008 PDT
June 9, 2008 Bone growth and joint replacement is a painful process, but British scientists claim that one possible solution for a glass jaw is, well, a jaw made from glass. A porous "bioactive" glass substance that activates the genes responsible for stimulating bone growth has the potential to replace the need for bone transplants. Read More
OSPA: high-fidelity hearing aid design from think/thing
By Jude Garvey
23:14 June 4, 2008 PDT
The OSPA hearing aid is highly proficient at improving sound quality and uses as much of the functioning ear as possible. It is not designed to be hidden from sight, in fact with its streamlined, elegant, magnesium frame it looks more like a fashion accessory than a hearing aid. However there is function within that frame, OSPA uses lasers and optics to read mechanical vibrations and has the potential to provide well-balanced, natural and high resolution sound. Unlike other hearing aids which use a microphone and speaker to amplify sound, OSPA uses the external and middle parts of the ear to enhance the signal sent to the inner ear. Read More
Styla MicroLaser cordless dental laser
By Emily Clark
21:13 May 15, 2008 PDT
May 16, 2008 Promoted as the world’s first microlaser for soft-tissue applications such as treating canker sores or performing incisional biopsies, the Styla from Zap Lasers is a cordless, self-contained laser weighing just 1.9 ounces and measuring only 6.9 inches long. Read More
RoboBraille online text translation service
By Emily Clark
00:29 May 13, 2008 PDT
May 13, 2008 Vision impaired users can now access books, news articles and web pages using an email-based service that translates text into Braille and audio recordings. RoboBraille is a free service offering a simple way of converting text without the need for users to operate complicated software and has completed more than 250,000 translations since its launch in January. Read More
Free Spirit: the world’s lightest wheelchair
By Emily Clark
23:43 May 12, 2008 PDT
May 13, 2008 Drawing on a background that ranges from experience as an aerospace technician to a stint in research and development on the Williams F1 team, Marcus Cunnington has designed and built the 6.3kg (around 13.9 pounds) Free Spirit - a carbon fiber composite design that claims the mantle of the world's lightest manual rigid wheelchair. Read More
Mini medical pump design provides accurate dosage
By Emily Clark
21:44 May 7, 2008 PDT
May 8, 2008 Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have developed an innovative mini medical pump system to administer tiny quantities of liquid such as medicines. What sets this pump apart from standard micro-pumps is its low-maintenance operation and the flexibility of working in both directions that it offers. Read More
Raydiance announces ultrashort laser breakthrough
By Kyle Sherer
17:38 May 1, 2008 PDT
Raydiance has demonstrated ultrashort laser (USL) technology that has potential applications in genomics, homeland security, advanced manufacturing and medical applications, including cancer cell removal, tattoo removal, eye surgery, and cosmetic treatments. 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
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
You're a lucky cow Wilhelmina!
By Jude Garvey
18:48 March 31, 2008 PDT
It helps to have friends in high places, even when you’ve got four legs, as a Kansas dairy cow named Wilhelmina recently found out. The 8-year-old Jersey cow ruptured the cruciate ligament in her right knee in a breeding injury but thanks to her owner, she was about to receive a knee reconstruction. Dr. Anderson, professor and head of agricultural practices at Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine replaced the cow’s cruciate ligament using synthetic material called monofilament nylon and dubbed the "Wildcat Power Cord". 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
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
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
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
E-prescribing with iPhone
By Emily Clark
19:06 December 18, 2007 PST
December 19, 2007 DrFirst has announced that its Rcopia™ e-prescribing system is now available to physicians using Apple iPhone. The development enables the company's electronic prescribing and medication reconciliation services to be accessed in real-time on a mobile browser through a WiFi or wireless carrier’s broadband connection. Read More
Philips unveils new heart scanner
By Emily Clark
21:50 November 25, 2007 PST
November 26, 2007 Philips has unveiled a 256-slice Brilliance iCT scanner that can create a 3D visualization of the heart in only two beats. Announced at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, the new scanner boast a significant reduction in radiation doses in addition to enhanced image acquisition. Read More
Samsung announces new flat-panel digital X-ray detector
20:14 November 22, 2007 PST
November 23, 2007 Samsung has developed an advanced flat panel digital X-ray detector (FPXD) for radiology machines that promises faster, cheaper and more accurate imaging in medical labs. Developed in conjunction with Korean medical machinery manufacturing company Vatech, the new device utilizes thin-film transistor (TFT) technology to produce high-resolution (9.4 megapixel) without the need for film or development required in analog film applications. Read More
New laser treatment aids pain management
By Emily Clark
17:23 November 11, 2007 PST
November 12, 2007 Statistics from the International Association for the Study of Pain indicate that one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain making it is one of the most costly health problems in the US. Traditional treatments have often included ongoing use of medications but much research is being done into alternative therapies such as laser treatment, with new offerings now on the market to assist with the reduction in pain from arthritis, injury or long term soreness. Read More
Medical 3D-image display offers non-contact control
By Darren Quick
03:27 November 7, 2007 PST
November 7, 2007 The use of 3D imaging in the medical field has proven to be a boon to doctors when diagnosing patients, and 3D models of the human body have assisted medical manufacturers in developing better medical devices and treatments. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut HHI in Berlin have developed a display that combines a 3-D screen with a non-contact user interface that allows images to be rotated by hand gestures much like the display Tom Cruise played with in the film Minority Report. Read More
Lasers to combat AIDS
By Emily Clark
20:03 November 6, 2007 PST
November 7, 2007 Current laser treatments for virus and disease can be more harmful than effective, sometimes causing damage to DNA and even skin cancer. Now groundbreaking research has developed a new technique that uses lasers to destroy viruses and bacteria, including AIDS and Hepatitis, without causing harm to the human cells of the infected person. Read More
John M
- November 25, 2009 @ 17:19 UTC
