Diagnostics
The Lead
The Pulse: New Interface Rewires Nerves from Amputated Limbs
June 13, 2013 9:43 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | 3D Creation Systems, LLC | Videos | Comments
On this episode of The Pulse, rewired nerves from amputated limbs allow for prosthetic control with existing muscles, a bioengineered blood vessel is transplanted, diabetes is diagnosed through breath analysis alone, and a new technology is paving the way for low-cost electronic devices that work in direct contact with living tissue inside the body.
New Nanoneedle Helping Scientists Uncover Secrets Under the Skin
June 14, 2013 9:22 am | by University of Bath | News | Comments
Researchers in the University’s Physics and Pharmacy & Pharmacology Departments ...
Autonomous, Energy-Scavenging, Micro Devices Serve as Biomedical Monitors
June 14, 2013 9:10 am | by SPIE | News | Comments
Out in the wilds or anywhere off the grid, sophisticated instruments small enough to fit in a...
Autonomous, Energy-Scavenging, Micro Devices Serve as Biomedical Monitors
June 14, 2013 9:10 am | by SPIE | News | Comments
Out in the wilds or anywhere off the grid, sophisticated instruments small enough to fit in a...
Techne to Buy Bionostics for $104M in Cash
June 18, 2013 1:37 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTechne, which makes medical testing and diagnostic products, said Tuesday that it reached a deal to buy Bionostics Holdings Ltd. and its operating subsidiary Bionostics Inc. for $104 million in cash.
Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented
June 13, 2013 4:13 pm | by Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press Writer | News | 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 | News | 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.
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 | News | 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.
UF Study Finds Brain-Imaging Technique Can Help Diagnose Movement Disorders
June 13, 2013 11:15 am | by University of Florida | News | 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.
Discovery of New Material State Counterintuitive to Laws of Physics
June 13, 2013 10:51 am | by Tona Kunz, Argonne National Laboratory | News | 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.
Newly Identified Markers May Predict Who Will Respond to Breast Cancer Prevention Therapy
June 13, 2013 10:00 am | by AACR | News | 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.
Nanofiber Sensor Detects Diabetes or Lung Cancer Faster and Easier
June 12, 2013 10:52 am | by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | News | CommentsToday's technological innovation enables smartphone users to diagnose serious diseases such as diabetes or lung cancer quickly and effectively by simply breathing into a small gadget, a nanofiber breathing sensor, mounted on the phones. Il-Doo Kim, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology...
Exhaled Breath Sensor for Diagnosis of Diabetes Using Platinum-Loaded SnO2 Nanofibers
June 12, 2013 10:48 am | by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | Videos | CommentsProfessor Il-Doo Kim of Materials Science & Engineering, KAIST, developed an exhaled breath sensor that is composed of highly porous tin dioxide (SnO2) nanofibers with a unique nanostructure functionalized by catalytic platinum (Pt) particles. This unique structure reacts to acetone gas, which is known as a biomarker of diabetes, for the fast diagnosis of the disease within 10 seconds.
Diagnostics: A Focus on Imaging, Portability, and Regulations
June 11, 2013 3:59 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor, ECN | Articles | CommentsDiagnostic technology covers a broad range of equipment, tests, and medical fields, and recent advancements in technique and materials means that innovations are widespread and growing rapidly. Though economic conditions are preventing huge advancements in diagnostic imaging—if hospitals can’t afford the new technology, there is no point in designing it—the medical imaging community is focusing on refinement, rather than redesign.
Study Shows Cardiac MRI Use Reduces Adverse Events for Patients with Acute Chest Pain
June 11, 2013 11:01 am | by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center | News | CommentsWake Forest Baptist Medical Center doctors have found that using stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in an Emergency Department observation unit to care for patients with acute chest pain is a win-win - for the patient and the institution.
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 | News | 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 | News | 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.
SPECT/MR Molecular Imaging System Makes Its Debut
June 11, 2013 10:43 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | News | 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.
Screening Fails to Affect Breast Cancer Mortality Statistics
June 11, 2013 10:39 am | by SAGE Publications | News | 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.
The Diabetes ‘Breathalyzer’
June 11, 2013 10:14 am | by University of Pittsburgh | News | 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).
Coating for Consumption
June 10, 2013 2:19 pm | by Lonny Wolgemuth, Sr. Medical Market Specialist, and Juan Gudino, Medical Market Manager, Specialty Coating Systems | Specialty Coating Systems | Articles | CommentsIngestible medical devices offer a convenient, non-invasive method of delivering therapeutics, enabling diagnostic procedures, or performing imaging tasks. However, ensuring that the sensitive electronics within the device are protected is a challenge. This article will highlight a coating technology that is being used to guarantee such protection is provided.
Meridian Bioscience Receives FDA Clearance for New Molecular Amplification Test: illumigene® Mycoplasma
June 10, 2013 10:30 am | by Business Wire | News | CommentsMeridian Bioscience, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio (NASDAQ: VIVO) today announced that it has received FDA clearance for a new molecular diagnostic test for Mycoplasma pneumonia ( M. pneumoniae ), its fourth assay on the illumi gene platform. This innovative test that aids in identifying an important respiratory pathogen is a strong addition to the illumi gene platform.
3-D Map of Blood Vessels in Cerebral Cortex Holds Surprises
June 10, 2013 10:09 am | by University of California - San Diego | News | CommentsBlood vessels within a sensory area of the mammalian brain loop and connect in unexpected ways, a new map has revealed. The study, published June 9 in the early online edition of Nature Neuroscience, describes vascular architecture within a well-known region of the cerebral cortex and explores what that structure means for functional imaging of the brain and the onset of a kind of dementia.
MRI Detects Early Effects of Chemotherapy on Children's Hearts
June 10, 2013 10:07 am | by BioMed Central | News | CommentsMRI scans of children who have had chemotherapy can detect early changes in their hearts finds research in biomed Central's open access journal Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. Chemotherapy with anthracyclines, such as Doxorubicin, is one of the most effective treatments against many types of cancer, including leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast, lung, and ovarian cancer.
Women Can Be Screened Years Later than Men with 'Virtual Colonoscopy'
June 10, 2013 10:05 am | by Wiley | News | CommentsA new study has found that women can be screened for colorectal cancer at least five to 10 years later than men when undergoing an initial "virtual colonoscopy." Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may help establish guidelines for the use of this screening technique, which is less invasive than a traditional colonoscopy.
Non-Invasive First Trimester Blood Test Reliably Detects Down's Syndrome
June 7, 2013 10:37 am | by Wiley | News | CommentsNew research has found that routine screening using a non-invasive test that analyzes fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood can accurately detect Down's syndrome and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the results suggest that the test is superior to currently available screening strategies and could reshape standards in prenatal testing.
Neuroimaging May Offer New Way to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder
June 6, 2013 11:52 am | by Mount Sinai School of Medicine | News | CommentsMRI may be an effective way to diagnose mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, according to experts from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In a landmark study using advanced techniques, the researchers were able to correctly distinguish bipolar patients from healthy individuals based on their brain scans alone. The data are published in the journal Psychological Medicine.
Data Mining EMRs Can Detect Bad Drug Reactions
June 6, 2013 11:15 am | by New Jersey Institute of Technology | News | CommentsNJIT Assistant Professor Mei Liu, PhD, a computer scientist, has recently shown in a new study that electronic medical records can validate previously reported adverse drug reactions and report new ones. "EMRs have created an unprecedented resource for observational studies since they contain not only detailed patient information, but also large amounts of longitudinal clinical data," she said.
Seattle Children’s Hospital Chooses IBM Big Data Technology for Faster, More Accurate Diagnoses
June 6, 2013 5:05 am | by IBM | News | CommentsIBM and Brightlight today announced that Seattle Children’s Hospital is using IBM Big Data technology to improve treatment of its young patients. With over 350,000 patient visits annually and thousands of data points associated with each patient, Seattle Children’s Hospital can run queries on patient data in seconds, rather than minutes, to provide quicker, more effective care and diagnosis.
