News
UF Study Finds Brain-Imaging Technique Can Help Diagnose Movement Disorders
June 13, 2013 11:15 am | by University of Florida | CommentsA new University of Florida study suggests a promising brain-imaging technique has the potential to improve diagnoses for the millions of people with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Utilizing the diffusion tensor imaging technique, as it is known, could allow clinicians to assess people earlier, leading to improved treatment interventions and therapies for patients.
Researchers Develop Easy and Effective Therapy to Restore Sight
June 13, 2013 11:02 am | by University of California - Berkeley | CommentsResearchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an easier and more effective method for inserting genes into eye cells that could greatly expand gene therapy to help restore sight to patients with blinding diseases ranging from inherited defects like retinitis pigmentosa to degenerative illnesses of old age, such as macular degeneration.
Fingernails Reveal Clues to Limb Regeneration
June 13, 2013 10:54 am | by NYU Langone Medical Center/New York University School of Medicine | CommentsMammals possess the remarkable ability to regenerate a lost fingertip, including the nail, nerves and even bone. In humans, an amputated fingertip can sprout back in as little as two months, a phenomenon that has remained poorly understood until now. In a paper published today in the journal Nature, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center shed light on this rare regenerative power in mammals.
Discovery of New Material State Counterintuitive to Laws of Physics
June 13, 2013 10:51 am | by Tona Kunz, Argonne National Laboratory | CommentsWhen you squeeze something, it gets smaller. Unless you’re at Argonne National Laboratory. At the suburban Chicago laboratory, a group of scientists has seemingly defied the laws of physics and found a way to apply pressure to make a material expand instead of compress/contract.
Light-Carved ‘Nano-Volcanoes’ Hold Promise for Drug Delivery
June 13, 2013 10:30 am | by Matt Shipman, North Carolina State University | CommentsResearchers from North Carolina State University have developed a method for creating “nano-volcanoes” by shining various colors of light through a nanoscale “crystal ball” made of a synthetic polymer. These nano-volcanoes can store precise amounts of other materials and hold promise for new drug-delivery technologies.
Newly Identified Markers May Predict Who Will Respond to Breast Cancer Prevention Therapy
June 13, 2013 10:00 am | by AACR | CommentsGenetic variations, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in or near the genes ZNF423 and CTSO were associated with breast cancer risk among women who underwent prevention therapy with tamoxifen and raloxifene, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
First U.S. Center to Treat a Patient with the new CyberKnife® M6™ System
June 13, 2013 8:30 am | by PR Newswire | CommentsAccuray Incorporated announced today that Lancaster General Health in Pennsylvania is the first U.S. center to treat a patient with the CyberKnife® M6™ System, the most advanced robotic radiosurgery system in the world and the latest generation of the CyberKnife System.
Varian Software Successfully Connected with Siemens Linear Accelerators
June 13, 2013 8:01 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsVarian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR) and Siemens Healthcare today announced that clinicians at The Ohio State University (Ohio State) are now using Varian software to plan and manage radiotherapy treatments delivered on a Siemens medical linear accelerator.
Medtronic Announces CE Mark of Its ReDuX(TM) Plier Instrument, an Innovative Device to Perform Osteotomies in Spinal Deformity Surgeries
June 13, 2013 2:06 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsMedtronic, Inc. has announced the CE Mark and the European launch of the ReDuX Plier, a new instrument specially designed for use during osteotomies. With the launch of this first specially-designed surgical instrument in the spinal orthopaedic industry, physicians in the European community may now perform a more controlled osteotomy closure for people with a severe form of spinal curvature.
FDA Safety Communication: Cybersecurity for Medical Devices and Hospital Networks
June 13, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Food & Drug Administration | CommentsThe FDA is recommending that medical device manufacturers and health care facilities take steps to assure that appropriate safeguards are in place to reduce the risk of failure due to cyberattack, which could be initiated by the introduction of malware...
Mindray to Acquire ZONARE Medical Systems
June 12, 2013 8:00 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsMindray Medical International Limited has announced a definitive agreement to acquire ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc., an ultrasound technology leader in the high-end radiology segment for US$105 million. Mindray's management expects the deal to strengthen its high-end ultrasound R&D and U.S. sales capabilities, furthering the company's goal of becoming a leading provider of high-quality imaging products to markets worldwide.
New Era in Medicine Comes to Arizona
June 12, 2013 4:49 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsLung transplant surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix have performed Arizona's first "breathing" lung transplantation. Even in transport, these lungs are kept breathing and circulating with blood. This experimental sci-fi technology, nicknamed "Lung-in-a-Box," could revolutionize the field of lung transplantation.
Abyrx,T Inc. Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for New Absorbable Hemostatic Bone Putty (AHBPT)
June 12, 2013 4:43 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAbyrx, Inc., a privately-held therapeutic device company, today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has cleared its new Absorbable Hemostatic Bone Putty (AHBP) for clinical use in the United States. AHBP is provided ready-to-use (without requiring mixing or warming)...
Wristband Revolutionizes Blood Pressure Measurement
June 12, 2013 11:33 am | by Empa | CommentsThe consequences of high blood pressure are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Despite this, according to the World Health Organization WHO, fewer than one in two of those affected measures their blood pressure regularly.
Micell Technologies Receives CE Mark Approval for MiStent SES
June 12, 2013 11:03 am | by PR Newswire | CommentsMicell Technologies, Inc. received CE (Conformite Europeenne) Mark approval for its MiStent® Sirolimus Eluting Absorbable Polymer Coronary Stent System (MiStent SES®) introducing a thin-strut stent that features elimination of the coating from the stent in 45-60 days and the complete absorption of the polymer coating within 90 days.
