10Mar
Stereoscopic digital mammography, a new diagnostic technique capable of producing three-dimensional, in-depth views of breast tissue, could significantly reduce the number of women who are recalled for additional tests following routine screening mammography. Results of a clinical trial being conducted at Emory University Breast Clinic in Atlanta were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Stereoscopic digital mammography consists of two digital x-ray images of the breast acquired from two different points of view separated by about eight degrees. When the images are viewed on a stereo display workstation, the radiologist is able to see the internal structure of the breast in three dimensions. In the ongoing clinical trial, researchers use a full-field digital mammography unit modified to take stereo pairs of images. The workstation enables the mammographer to fuse the stereo image pair and to view the breast in depth.
In the study, stereo mammography reduced false positives by 49%. This huge drop in percentage has strong implications with regard to needless cost in time and money. BBN Technologies and Planar Systems developed the stereo display workstation used in the trial.
(Source)
10Feb
Recent research came up with a new blood biomarker that has a high accuracy of predicting the spread of prostate cancer to other parts of the body through the lymph nodes. Such spreading of cancer cells are usually not detected by conventional imaging methods like CT scans. This new blood test measures the level of endoglin, a plasma biomarker which was also studied to predict the spread of colon and breast cancer.
The levels of endoglin in the blood were associated with increased risk of cancer cells spreading to the lymph nodes. Each 1ng/mL increase of plasma endoglin increases the risk of cancer spread by 17 percent.
(source)
10Jan
Siemens, one of the leaders in hearing technology, introduced one of their most advanced hearing devices.
Meet Artis 2 “helping people with hearing loss fully appreciate all that life has to offer”. Artis 2 is a smart little device that learns the wearer’s volume preference, so that it adjusts automatically while it is being worn. Artis 2 actually records and stores hearing aid use data so your hearing health professional can access the data for quick adjustments as needed. This tiny little device is so smart, it utilizes wireless technology. Yes, both ear pieces can communicate with each other wirelessly.
The Artis 2 can also differentiate between sound and just plain noise by upping the volume on speech while reducing background din. The screeching feedback problems have also been reduced digitally with feedback cancellation.
Whew. All this high technology packed in one tiny device!
(Source)
10Dec
Scar tissues develop around a spinal cord injury, blocking neuron fibers that are supposed to repair the damaged site. Researchers from Northwestern University developed a nano-engineered gel that prevents the formation of scar tissue, allowing neuron stem cells to penetrate the inured site and grow nerve fibers. The gel also instructs stem cells to produce myelin, instead of producing scar tissues.
This technology has shown positive results with mice experiments. A mice that has spinal cord injury was able to use their hind legs in walking six weeks after being injected with the gel. Although not all treatments in mice works in humans, there is still a possibility that it could work.
(source)
04Nov
Patients with congenital heart disease will have a chance at a treatment without a major open heart surgery. Cardiologists at the Rush University Medical Center has developed a minimally-invasive trans-catheter valve replacement. Patients involved in a clinical trial had this implant, and are presently recovering. This gives hope to patients that would otherwise undergo multiple open heart surgeries. The valve replacement procedure uses a bovine peri-cardial heart valve that is compressed into a balloon as small as a pencil, threaded from a major vein in the leg into the circulatory system, and is deployed across the pulmonary valve.
The US Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved the trial in 2007.
(source)
28Oct
Prosthetic legs have evolved to lightweight and more “user friendly”. The old prosthetics were designed just to allow patients to stand with “both legs”, but walking and climbing the stairs were difficult, and running was impossible. Then “bendable” prosthetics were developed. Now a prosthetic that looks like the real thing gives people who lost their legs a better chance to live normal lives, and wear clothes that they otherwise would not wear with the old cyborg-like prosthetic.
One particular design was called LISA, which stood for lightweight, inconspicuous, shapely and active. Running is now possible, and women can even wear shoes with heels, as the ankles can be adjusted with a button.
(source)
06Sep
Take anyone who has undergone Endroscopy and he would tell you the difficulties he experienced as he swallowed the flexible or rigid cable which, of course, can be a source of infection, over-sedation, and, worst, the harming of various body organs. The answer? The wireless capsule camera (which also has other names such as “PillCam”, “video pill”, “Sayaka”, or “Endocapsule” that enables one to view and see areas that the old-fashioned endoscopes have failed to display. This capsule traverses the path of the intestines after a patient takes it in through the mouth. Although it indeed takes a longer time to provide images, the ones it produces are clearer and of better quality.
19Aug
A mobile phone sensor system for the senior citizens have been developed by Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute. With this new system, family members, doctors and nurses can be quickly informed about the situation of the elderly. Through GPS technology that links the hospital’s computer to the sensor carried on the patient’s belt. The computer automatically calls the phone of the patient to check if the person is hurt. The sensor detects sudden movements like a fall or bumping into something. Studies are being undergone so that the product will be put under the operation of mobile phone companies so that any signal from the sensor can then be sent to any mobile phone.
18Jul
Called the HemoPurifier. it is a machine similar to a dialysis machine that uses filters to take out viruses and bacteria from the blood, which can be used for extreme cases of infection. The filter consists of tiny fibers that have active filtering abilities, attracting specific bugs (viruses and bacteria) to lessen their numbers to a manageable level that is controllable through regular drug treatment. The device works by drawing blood from an artery, then filtering it through the mesh of fibers that attracts the bugs that are to be removed thus extending the life of people who have severe infections.
The key is the filters that are treated with specific agents that are able to attract specific bugs, one filter for the AIDS virus, another for Flu and so on and so forth. The whole blood volume circulates through the filter once every eight minutes and full treatment can take as little as a month with each round taking an hour or so to complete. This breakthrough can allow better treatment of such deadly diseases such as Ebola and other highly contagious bugs that are currently killing more people each and every year.
18Jun
Salmonella has been responsible for many cases of food poisoning the world over and is the bacteria responsible for the recent peanut butter, tomato and other food stuffs that were making headlines. Contamination of foodstuff with this nasty bacterium results in extreme diarrhea, vomiting and more serious effects, with death possible for those with weak immune systems. Researchers in the UK have identified a possible weak point by which to attack the deadly bacteria, it’s sweet tooth. As it turns out, the bacteria feeds on the sugar glucose as it infects its host using it to fuel it’s nasty abilities. Using this weakness, it would be possible to spike the glucose with something that can kill the bacterium and eventually a treatment system that would eliminate the threat from this nasty bugs that though considered to be not that lethal, kills millions the world over each and every year.
