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RECENT POSTS:           | Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Researchers from the University of Ulm in Germany have discovered a new use for red LEDs (light emitting diodes) that is potentially much more valuable than their current use as indicators in electronics or clusters for modern lighting. The scientists have successfully shown that after several weeks of high-intensity treatment with the red glowing diodes, patients had rejuvenated skin with reduced wrinkles. Wednesday, 4 June 2008
The PillCam is a device made by Given Imaging that allows doctors to get a precise view of the inside of our bodies. It will be used to perform a close-up internal examination of the junction between the esophagus and stomach in patients suffering from heartburn but could be used to perform many other examinations. The device will be steered and speed-controlled by a magnetic device currently under development through a collaboration with German institutions. IBMT team leader Dr. Frank Volke said, “We have developed a magnetic device roughly the size of a bar of chocolate. The doctor can hold it in his hand during the examination and move it up and down the patient’s body. The camera inside follows this motion precisely.” The trick is to slow down the pills passage through the body. Small candy-sized cameras are already in use to gain an internal view of a patients body, but pass through very quickly allowing limited reconnaissance. A small camera will pass through the esophagus in just three to four seconds, producing at best, two to four images a second. Currently for proper examination of the esophagus, patients must swallow a thick, uncomfortable endoscope. The steerable camera pill consists of a camera, a transmitter, a battery and several cold-light diodes. The diodes fire up like a camera flash each time a photo is taken. In a self-experiment, researchers have demonstrated that the PillCam can be kept inside the esophagus for about ten minutes using the magnetic device, even when sitting upright. Sources: Related Articles: Monday, 2 June 2008
The MediDome Drug Injector is a new device that makes the administering of drugs much simpler and safer, doing away with the traditional needle and syringe. The device aims to eliminate needle stick injuries, speed up patient treatment and also reduce the fear of needles with packaging that is friendlier and less threatening. During subcutaneous or intra-muscular injections, the MediDome can ensure that a vein is not ruptured via a unique tester integrated into the unit. Self-adhesive antiseptic and anesthetic wings stick the MediDome to the required area on the patient after the removal of a sterile cover. This cover also acts as a tamper alarm that changes colour if ruptured. The MediDome stores a pre-filled, measured drug dose within a soft plastic housing which is manufactured in a single factory which should result in lower cost production. The single-use mechanism prevents syringes from being shared as it can never be used twice. This would help to prevent the spread of blood-born diseases or viruses such as HIV from being passed on. The device is thought to be especially useful for natural disaster situations, military use or mass immunisation of developing countries. The process for using the device is straightforward. Chris Holden is the man behind the invention, a 21 year old student at Northumbria University who has recently won a prestigious national award (NPSA) for the device. Northumbria University has filed a patent application to protect his work and is seeking external funding to commercialise and develop the device. There is also a companion product that works in much the same way as the MediDome drug injector but without the needle. It is called the Absorption MediDome and is designed to administer painkillers and certain antibiotics. Sources: Technorati Tags:
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
A history-making procedure was performed on an American soldier last week to grow back a finger he lost to a bomb attack last year in Baghdad. Doctors applied a specially formulated powder to the remaining part of the finger in an effort to duplicate what salamanders do naturally – grow back missing body parts. Army Sgt. Shiloh Harris is part of a major new study called “regenerative medicine” that is being investigated by several of America’s top medical facilities and the Pentagon. $250 million has been dedicated to the research already. The key to body part regeneration lies in a powder which is made from tissue extracted from pigs. The powder tricks the body into regrowing the missing part by building a microscopic “scaffold” that attracts stem cells and encourages them to grow into the specific tissue required. If it’s on skin, skin will grow. If its on a tendon, tendon will grow. All bodies have stem cells. They are what grow our fingers, toes and organs as we are developing in our Mothers’ wombs. Our whole body is essentially made by stem cells. Although this sounds like science fiction, there have been successful experiments and on a much larger scale. “They have taken a uterus out of a dog, made one in the lab, put it back in, and had puppies,” said Dr. Steven Wolf of Brooke Army Medical Center. Also, a human bladder has been regrown and implanted in a patient by researchers and is working perfectly. Harris will be watched over closely by doctors looking for any side effects that might occur. “It could grow a cancer,” Wolf said. “We will be closely monitoring for that to make sure that doesn’t happen.” “If we can pull this off in missing parts the next step is, ‘OK, can we grow a pancreas? Can we grow and replace that in a diabetic?’ And can we do the same thing with a kidney and can we do the same thing with a heart?” He hopes that one day people with heart trouble will be told, “That’s OK. We will just grow you another one. “That is something that is real science fiction,” he said. Photo credit: CNN | Subscribe
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