News
'Heading' a Soccer Ball Could Lead to Brain Injury
June 11, 2013 10:40 am | by Radiological Society of North America | CommentsSoccer players who 'head' the ball with high frequency demonstrate poorer performance on memory tests and have brain abnormalities similar to those found in traumatic brain injury patients, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology.
Screening Fails to Affect Breast Cancer Mortality Statistics
June 11, 2013 10:39 am | by SAGE Publications | CommentsNew research analyzing breast cancer mortality data spanning almost 40 years concludes that breast cancer screening does not yet show an effect on mortality statistics. The research, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, analyzed mortality trends before and after the introduction of the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme in 1988.
'Popcorn' Particle Pathways Promise Better Lithium-Ion Batteries
June 11, 2013 10:35 am | by DOE/Sandia National Laboratories | CommentsResearchers at Sandia National Laboratories have confirmed the particle-by-particle mechanism by which lithium ions move in and out of electrodes made of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, or LFP), findings that could lead to better performance in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, medical equipment and aircraft.
The Diabetes ‘Breathalyzer’
June 11, 2013 10:14 am | by University of Pittsburgh | CommentsChemists at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated a sensor technology that could significantly simplify the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes through breath analysis alone. Their findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
The Body Electric: Researchers Move Closer to Low-Cost, Implantable Electronics
June 11, 2013 10:09 am | by The Ohio State University | CommentsNew technology under development at The Ohio State University is paving the way for low-cost electronic devices that work in direct contact with living tissue inside the body. The first planned use of the technology is a sensor that will detect the very early stages of organ transplant rejection.
Reducing Unnecessary and High-Dose Pediatric CT Scans Could Cut Associated Cancers by 62%
June 11, 2013 10:01 am | by University of California - Davis Health System | CommentsA study examining trends in X-ray computed tomography (CT) use in children in the United States has found that reducing unnecessary scans and lowering the doses for the highest-dose scans could lower the overall lifetime risk of future imaging-related cancers by 62 percent. The research by a UC Davis Health System scientist is published online today in JAMA Pediatrics.
Abbott Initiates Randomized Clinical Trial in Japan to Evaluate the AbsorbT Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold
June 11, 2013 9:30 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAbbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that it has initiated the ABSORB Japan randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the AbsorbT Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of heart disease.
Exactech Introduces Conservative Treatment Hip Replacement System
June 11, 2013 8:30 am | by Business Wire | CommentsExactech, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXAC), a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products for hip, knee, shoulder, spine and biologic materials, announced today first implantations of a new hip replacement system designed to preserve a key portion of patients’ bone in total hip arthroplasty procedures.
Industry Update: Where is the Business of Medical Devices Headed?
June 11, 2013 7:51 am | by PR Newswire | CommentsWith profit models under pressure and an eroding customer value proposition, medical equipment organizations are at the crossroads of a highly disruptive market. For U.S. companies already sorting through the impact of the medical device excise tax, which led many organizations to downsize and restructure, they still must face significant disruptors on the horizon, with investment dollars flowing in the opposite direction.
Westpak Is Expanding HAZMAT Testing To Meet Demand From The Medical Device Industry
June 11, 2013 6:00 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsMedical products may contain hazardous materials (HAZMAT) that are regulated under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The packaging systems may also be subject to several shipping rules and requirements from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which follows the United Nations (UN) guidelines. Westpak, Inc., is expanding their HAZMAT testing capacity in response to these growing needs.
Teleflex Receives FDA Clearance for ARROW NextStep Retrograde Femoral Length Dialysis Catheters
June 10, 2013 5:00 pm | by Business Wire | CommentsTeleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced it has received FDA 510(k) clearance to market its ARROW® NextStep® Retrograde Femoral Length Dialysis Catheters. Designed for clinician ease of insertion and sustained high flow rates, the ARROW NextStep Retrograde Femoral Length Catheters further strengthen the NextStep Hemodialysis Catheter portfolio.
Quallion Medical Batteries Maintain High Performance After 10 Year Storage Test
June 10, 2013 3:29 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsQuallion, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium ion batteries, released test data demonstrating the potential to power long-term implantable medical devices. After 10 years of storage at an elevated temperature simulating conditions inside the human body, Quallion's cells showed minimal degradation in terms of calendar fade and self discharge.
Split Liver Transplants for Young Children Proven To Be as Safe as Whole Organ Transplantation
June 10, 2013 11:19 am | by Boston Children's Hospital | CommentsA new study shows that when a liver from a deceased adult or adolescent donor is split into two separate portions for transplantation—with the smaller portion going to a young child and the larger to an adult—the smaller portion used for the child will last just as long as if the child had received a whole organ from a donor close to his size.
Medical Specialties Distributors Acquires Medical Technology Resources
June 10, 2013 11:14 am | by PR Newswire | CommentsMedical Specialties Distributors, LLC ("MSD"), the nation's leading alternate-site infusion therapy solutions provider, announced today that it has acquired Medical Technology Resources, LLC ("MTR"). Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, MTR specializes in providing infusion pumps and related products, as well as biomedical and billing services to alternate-site health care providers.
Compulsive No More
June 10, 2013 10:56 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | CommentsBy activating a brain circuit that controls compulsive behavior, MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can block a compulsive behavior in mice — a result that could help researchers develop new treatments for diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s syndrome.
