28Apr
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 prosthetics.
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.
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26Apr
Mid-Yorkshire offers new treatment to patients suffering from ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Instead of giving patients a clot-busting drug and later on undergo surgery, paramedics will send STEMI patients to a treatment center at Leeds General Infirmary, and will be given a primary angioplasty.
For the treatment to be successful, people should be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack, and call an ambulance immediately. Symptoms of heart attack include extreme chest pain that radiates to the jaw, arms or neck, nausea shortness of breath and sweating.
The program include the coordination between paramedics and hospital staff. The service is available 24-hours a day.
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24Apr
It has been discovered recently that the progress of Alzheimer’s in the brain also happens in the eye, which is actually a direct extension of the brain. Amyloid beta proteins, which is found to be a biomarker for the disease, can be detected and measured in the eye even before the disease shows its symptoms. This gives hope that early detection leads to preventive measures and treatment.
The device developed is an interior laser ophthalmoscope. Since the formation of amyloid beta proteins in the eye resemble a cataract, a special method was devised. The eye is injected with fluorescent drops that react to the amyloid beta proteins, and glows under infrared lights.
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22Apr
A new treatment that underwent clinical trial for a year has proven to be safe and helped reduce the progress of the disease. Researchers from Purdue University designed a molecule that inhibits the eventual formation of amyloid plaque in the brain, which causes the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This is developed into a drug which was given to volunteers for clinical trial in 2007. The levels of protein amyloid beta is measured in plasma, and is considered a biomarker. Reduction of this protein indicates the effectiveness of the new drug. A second clinical trial is scheduled this year.
Alzheimer’s disease shows its symptoms usually after the age of 60.
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18Apr
An artificial heart pump specially designed for children with heart failure has been developed. It is much smaller than existing ventricular assist devices (VAD). It can be used even for newborns. It has been named PediPump, and developed by biomedical engineers and doctors at the Cleaveland Clinic. The PediPump efficiently moves blood without damaging too much red blood cells.
The device has two versions: one has a design similar to conventional VAD, with inflow conduit in the ventricle and outflow conduit at the artery. The second design the pump’s inflow is in the ventricle, and the outflow in the artery.
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14Apr
People who have lost their teeth and want a more permanent replacement can have a dental implant, where a titanium-based metal is screwed into the jaw bone and a crown is placed on top. The advantage of a dental implant is that the gums do not recede due to the absence of the teeth’s root. The jaw bone also regenerates around the implant, making it permanent.
Bone lost or damaged due to accidents can also be reconstructed using titanium screws and plates.
New developments led to the use of porous materials such as ceramic instead of pure metal. This is to replace heavy implant material to lighter ones, and replicate the surface structure of natural bone.
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08Apr
Japanese researchers at Osaka University are undergoing research on putting electrode censors to the brain to analyze electrical activity, which can be used to operate mechanical devices. A robotic arm, for example, should be able to move in real time, just as a real human hand moves with just a mind’s thought. The movements will be controlled by sensors that pick up electrical signals from the brain. However, since direct contact with the brain is needed, there is no actual experiment as of the moment. The researchers already filed an application for license with the Osaka University Hospital ethics board.
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04Apr
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 transcatheter 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 pericardial 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.
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