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DBS procedure effective for treating Parkinson's disease

Studies have shown that a "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2010

Encision enters into purchasing agreement with HealthTrust

Encision Inc., a medical device company owning patented surgical technology that is emerging as a standard of care in minimally-invasive surgery, announced today that it has entered into a purchasing agreement with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP, effective June 1, 2010.

2 Jun 2010

Deep-brain stimulation makes difference in the lives of people with Parkinson disease

A surgical treatment that stimulates distressed neural networks through electrodes threaded directly into a person's brain has quietly made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people with Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and dystonia over the course of the past decade. But while it steadies patients' shaking limbs with surprising effect, its benefits on some patients' minds and personal lives have been more mixed.

31 May 2010

St. Jude Medical's Epiducer lead delivery system for neurostimulation therapy receives CE Mark approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced European CE Mark approval of its new Epiducer™ lead delivery system for neurostimulation therapy. Unveiled at the Neurosurgery 2010 Congress in Lyon, France, the Epiducer lead delivery system is the first of its kind, allowing introduction of S-Series perc-paddle leads as well as multiple lead arrays through a single percutaneous entry point.

27 May 2010

Role of neurotransmitter acetylcholine may suggest new treatment for Parkinson's disease: Researchers

Chicago and Montreal researchers studying the lowly lamprey eel have identified an overlooked nervous system pathway running parallel to known brainstem locomotor command circuitry in vertebrates such as birds, fishes and mammals.

20 May 2010

NMES may reduce muscle atrophy in patients with severe COPD: Researchers

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation may reduce muscle atrophy in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to Canadian researchers.

18 May 2010

St. Jude Medical to display new products, clinical solutions at Heart Rhythm 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced it will display a number of new products and clinical solutions from the company's Cardiac Rhythm Management and Atrial Fibrillation Divisions at Heart Rhythm 2010, the Heart Rhythm Society's 31st Annual Scientific Sessions.

13 May 2010

FDA approves St. Jude Medical's Unify CRT-D and Fortify ICD devices

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and first U.S. implants of its Unify™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) and Fortify™ implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The new devices feature advanced battery technology and circuitry that allow for the smallest device footprint in the industry and rapid charge times, without any compromise in device longevity or power.

13 May 2010

St. Jude Medical launches Promote Quadra CRT-D in Europe

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the European launch of its Promote Quadra™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The Promote Quadra CRT-D is the industry's first quadripolar pacing system, which offers physicians the ability to more effectively and efficiently manage the ever-changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

12 May 2010

NeuroMetrix first-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.7 million

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today announced its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

11 May 2010

New disposable measuring device monitors body's vital functions

Physiological signals can nowadays be easily monitored with measurement devices implanted inside a living body. The object - animal or human - is barely aware of the presence of the implant.

11 May 2010

Bovie Medical first-quarter revenues decrease to $5.6M

Bovie Medical Corporation, a manufacturer and marketer of electrosurgical products, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

10 May 2010

NewCardio to unveil patented CardioBip technology at HRS Annual Scientific Sessions

NewCardio, Inc., a cardiac diagnostic technology provider, will unveil its patented CardioBip technology for remote wireless 12-lead detection and monitoring of atrial fibrillation, ischemia and other cardiovascular events at the Heart Rhythm Society 31st Annual Scientific Sessions, May 12-15, 2010, in Denver, Colorado.

7 May 2010

Medtronic initiates U.S. clinical trial of RestoreSensor neurostimulator in chronic pain patients

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the initiation of a prospective, multi-center, randomized U.S. clinical trial for the RestoreSensorTM neurostimulator that adapts therapy to the changing needs of chronic pain patients by responding automatically to changes in body position and activity in an upright position.

7 May 2010

Southeast Pain Care offers non-addictive alternatives to pain relief

The untimely death of Michael Jackson has brought the issue of pain medication addiction to the forefront of American media recently. The good news for people suffering with pain is that there are several non-addictive alternatives to pain relief.

6 May 2010

Scientists use specialized fluorescent protein to study nerve cell activity

Electrical currents are invisible to the naked eye - at least they are when they flow through metal cables. In nerve cells, however, scientists are able to make electrical signals visible. Working with fellow experts from Switzerland and Japan, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg successfully used a specialized fluorescent protein to visualize electrical activity in neurons of living mice.

6 May 2010

Ventral striatum plays important role in circuitry of reward-oriented behavior: Researchers

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older - about one in four adults - suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder every year, which equates to approximately 57.7 million adults. Severe psychiatric illness affects a much smaller number of people - about 6 percent, or 1 in 17. Worldwide, an estimated 340 million people suffer from an episode of major depression every year.

5 May 2010

Researchers explore role of ECoG measurement to improve brain mapping technology

Epilepsy and seizures affect nearly 3 million Americans of all ages, with 200,000 new cases of seizures and epilepsy occurring each year. Epilepsy surgery may be performed in patients who have seizures associated with structural brain abnormalities, such as benign brain tumors and cortical dysplasia, malformations of blood vessels, the genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis, and strokes.

4 May 2010

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation induces remission in patients with treatment-resistant depression

Daily transcranial magnetic stimulation—an intervention that uses magnetic currents to activate certain brain areas—appears to help induce remission in patients with treatment-resistant depression, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.