News
New Array Measures Vibrations Across Skin May Help Engineers Design Tactile Displays
June 14, 2013 9:16 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsIn the near future, a buzz in your belt or a pulse from your jacket may give you instructions on how to navigate your surroundings. Think of it as tactile Morse code: vibrations from a wearable, GPS-linked device that tell you to turn right or left, or stop, depending on the pattern of pulses you feel. Such a device could free drivers from having to look at maps, and could also serve as a tactile guide for the visually and hearing impaired.
Autonomous, Energy-Scavenging, Micro Devices Serve as Biomedical Monitors
June 14, 2013 9:10 am | by SPIE | CommentsOut in the wilds or anywhere off the grid, sophisticated instruments small enough to fit in a shirt pocket will one day scavenge power from sunlight, body heat, or other sources to monitor water quality or bridge safety or function as wearable biomedical monitors, enabling analysis in the field rather than bringing samples and data back to the lab.
Testing Method Promising for Spinal Cord Injuries, Multiple Sclerosis
June 14, 2013 9:00 am | by Purdue University | CommentsA medical test previously developed to measure a toxin found in tobacco smokers has been adapted to measure the same toxin in people suffering from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, offering a potential tool to reduce symptoms.
Codman Neuro Obtains CE Mark for Thrombectomy Device
June 13, 2013 4:33 pm | by Codman Neuro | CommentsCodman Neuro, part of DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has obtained CE marking for REVIVE SE, a next-generation self-expanding clot removal device for use in treating acute ischemic stroke, the company announced today at the Live Interventional Neuroradiology & Neurosurgery Course (LINNC) in Paris.
Girl Who Took on Transplant Rules Gets New Lungs
June 13, 2013 4:20 pm | by Keith Collins and Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press | CommentsA 10-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis was recovering from a transplant of adult lungs after a judge's ruling expanded her options for lifesaving surgery. Sarah Murnaghan underwent a six-hour surgery Wednesday at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a procedure her aunt said resulted because of the larger list of available organs.
Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented
June 13, 2013 4:13 pm | by Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press Writer | CommentsThe Supreme Court ruled Thursday that companies cannot patent parts of naturally-occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries. The high court's unanimous judgment reverses three decades of patent awards by government officials.
The Scent of Melanoma
June 13, 2013 4:05 pm | by Monell Chemical Senses Center | CommentsAccording to new research from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions, odors from human skin cells can be used to identify melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In addition to detecting a unique odor signature associated with melanoma cells, the researchers also demonstrated that a nanotechnology-based sensor could reliably differentiate melanoma cells from normal skin cells.
Manufacturing Combinations Products & FDA Regulations at MD&M East Workshop
June 13, 2013 3:38 pm | by Microtest Laboratories | Microtest Laboratories Inc | CommentsMedical device professionals will learn what they need to know about manufacturing combinations products and FDA Regulations at a workshop to be featured at MD&M East, the world's largest medical OEM event, in Philadelphia on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
Bluestar Silicones Presents Elastomer Solutions At Medical Design And Manufacturing (MD&M) East Show
June 13, 2013 2:30 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsBluestar Silicones' new 1 Shore A (ShA) hardness product, Silbione LSR 4301, uniquely combines strong physical properties and easy processing in a low-durometer material. This product rounds out the company's 5 and 10 ShA soft LSR range, delivering high tear strength and elongation for soft cushioning and vibration dampening applications.
Supreme Court Ruling Today Allows DNATraits to Offer Low Cost BRCA Breast and Ovarian Cancer Gene Testing in U.S.
June 13, 2013 2:09 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsThanks to today's U.S. Supreme Court decision opening the door to greater access to genetic medicine by American patients and their health care providers, testing for genes specifically linked to breast, ovarian and other cancers will now be more widely available and at a lower cost than ever before.
Inogen One G3 Found Significantly More Versatile in Portable Oxygen Concentrator Comparison Report
June 13, 2013 1:17 pm | by PR Newswire | CommentsInogen, Inc., a manufacturer and accredited homecare provider of oxygen therapy equipment and services, today announced that the 4.8 pound Inogen One® G3 portable oxygen concentrator (POC) was reviewed as the top performer in many categories among four portable oxygen concentrators in a recent report by an independent third party testing service with expertise in respiratory products, administered by Strategic Dynamics Inc.
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.
