News
Heart to Heart: Cardiac PET/MR Measures Up To PET/CT
June 11, 2013 10:59 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsJust a few years ago, integrated positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging was found only in research institutes, but little by little the technology has expanded into clinical practice. This is especially true for cardiac indications, for which the highly sensitive soft tissue contrast of MR and the functional and metabolic imaging of PET are particularly valuable.
Metabolic PET Imaging Provides Earlier Warning of Coronary Disease
June 11, 2013 10:56 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsCoronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the world’s most prevalent and silent killers. Positron emission tomography (PET), which images miniscule abnormalities in cellular metabolism, can tip off clinicians about cardiac disasters waiting to happen—including sudden death from a heart attack—better than standard angiography, researchers revealed at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2013 Annual Meeting.
Molecular Imaging Improves Care for Children with Brain Cancer
June 11, 2013 10:50 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsA relatively new weapon in the fight against childhood brain cancer has emerged that improves upon standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by providing information about tumor metabolism and extent of cancer in children diagnosed with glioma, a growth caused by the abnormal division of glial cells in the brain, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2013 Annual Meeting.
Crystal Clear: Real-time 3D Motion Tracking Optimizes PET/MR Scans
June 11, 2013 10:48 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsOne of the biggest hurdles of hybrid positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging is the prevalence of motion artifacts—blurring and ghostly visual anomalies caused by patient motion on the table during imaging. An MR technology has now been designed for PET/MR that employs tiny radiofrequency solenoids—metal coils integrated into hardware placed on the body—to track motion from those who do not or cannot stay put.
SPECT/MR Molecular Imaging System Makes Its Debut
June 11, 2013 10:43 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsThe Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2013 Annual Meeting marks the unveiling of the successful application of a new preclinical hybrid molecular imaging system—single photon emission tomography and magnetic resonance—which has exceptional molecular imaging capabilities in terms of potential preclinical and clinical applications, technological advancement at a lower cost, and reduction of patient exposure to radiation.
'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.
