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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.

4 May 2010

Remote heart rhythm treatment procedure using a robotic arm

A pioneering world first robotics system operation is to be conducted at Glenfield Hospital Leicester thanks to expertise at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester.

29 Apr 2010

FDA issues warning over faulty components in external defibrillators

About 280,000 external defibrillators used worldwide in health care facilities, public places, or in the home may malfunction during attempts to rescue people in sudden cardiac arrest, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned today.

28 Apr 2010

Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System receives FDA approval to treat asthma in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first medical device that uses radiofrequency energy to treat severe and persistent asthma in certain adults.

28 Apr 2010

Noninvasive method to predict premature birth

Existing techniques for predicting premature birth are inadequate or invasive - with risks and discomfort. Researcher Chiara Rabotti (Eindhoven University of Technology) developed a new measuring method, based on a rather simple electrode plaster that is attached to the abdomen. In the future every pregnant woman can thereby calmly await the moment, Rabotti expects.

27 Apr 2010

New sensor wristband monitors various body functions

A small blood lab that fits into the pocket of a jacket can quickly analyze the risk of blood clots in legs prior to a long distance flight; a sensor wristband for measuring electric smog can warn pacemaker patients of life-threatening exposure: "Smart plastics" can turn such tools into reality.

21 Apr 2010

Rhythmlink International obtains Health Canada Medical Device License

As of April 13, 2010, Rhythmlink International has been granted its Health Canada Medical Device License and will now market and sell product in Canada. In accordance with the Medical Device Regulations, Section 36, of Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate, Rhythmlink's Disposable Subdermal Needle Electrodes and EEG Electrodes both received individual licenses for their families of products.

19 Apr 2010

Sexual communication within species

To look at the tobacco budworm moth and its close cousin, you wouldn't be able to tell the fuzzy-looking, fingertip-size moths apart. But put males of each species as far as six car-lengths away from females, and even in the darkness of midnight they easily find their way to mates from their own species while ignoring females from the other species. Today, the genes that keep the species sexually isolated are no longer a mystery, thanks to research from North Carolina State University and the University of Utah.

19 Apr 2010

Study shows ultrathin flexible implants can effectively record brain activity

Scientists have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. The technology could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord.

19 Apr 2010

Early, accurate detection of superficial bladder cancer with Olympus PDD

With Olympus photodynamic diagnosis (PDD), superficial bladder cancer can be detected earlier, easier and more accurately. Bladder cancer is diagnosed by cystoscopy, the endoscopic introduction of a light source through the urethra (transurethral) into the bladder. The imaging technology PDD uses blue light to increase the contrast between tumour tissue (red) and healthy tissue (blue).

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 15 Apr 2010

Bedtime video-games have no significant effect on adolescents’ sleep patterns

A study in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that playing a video game before bedtime has only a mild effect on the sleep of older male teens.

15 Apr 2010

First direct recording of mirror neurons in the brain

Mirror neurons, many say, are what make us human. They are the cells in the brain that fire not only when we perform a particular action but also when we watch someone else perform that same action.

13 Apr 2010

Worsening suicidality thoughts while on antidepressants linked to specific changes in brain function

While antidepressant medications have proven to be beneficial in helping people overcome major depression, it has long been known that a small subset of individuals taking these drugs can actually experience a worsening of mood, and even thoughts of suicide. No clinical test currently exists to make this determination, and only time - usually weeks - can tell before a psychiatrist knows whether a patient is getting better or worse.

12 Apr 2010

Cardima announces CE Mark approval for Surgical Ablation Probe in Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Cardima, Inc., a medical device company focused on the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and manufacturer of the Cardima Surgical Ablation System, today announced that it has received CE Mark approval with an Indication for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation for its Surgical Ablation Probe. All components of the Cardima Surgical Ablation System are now approved for marketing for the treatment of AF in European countries recognizing CE Mark approval.

29 Mar 2010

Addiction to high calorie fat rich food: likened to cocaine and heroin addiction

In a new research our worst fears are confirmed – fatty, fried and fattening foods are addictive. The addiction with these delicious ‘yummies’ may be as potent as that with cocaine or heroin. The study was conducted on experimental animals, rats in this case. When fed with fatty foods in great quantities these rats showed a compulsive need to eat.

29 Mar 2010

Pacemaker in stomach can help treat severe stomach disorders and chronic vomiting

People with severe stomach disorders can sometimes suffer from chronic vomiting. This symptom can be treated with electrical impulses from a pacemaker in the stomach. A new method enables patients who could benefit from this treatment to be identified, and electrical stimulation leads to reduced nausea and fewer days in hospital, shows a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

29 Mar 2010

Alere WCH partners with Monica Healthcare

Alere Health, LLC, a leader in personal health support solutions, today announced a partnership between the Alere® Women's & Children's Health Division and UK-based Monica Healthcare Ltd, developers of a groundbreaking wireless, wearable fetal-maternal monitor.

26 Mar 2010

New devices pave way for applications in cardiology and neurology

A team of cardiologists, materials scientists, and bioengineers have created and tested a new type of implantable device for measuring the heart's electrical output that they say is a vast improvement over current devices. The new device represents the first use of flexible silicon technology for a medical application.

26 Mar 2010

Biocompatible electronics could enable new surgical applications

Arrhythmic hearts soon may beat in time again, with minimal surgical invasion, thanks to flexible electronics technology developed by a team of University of Illinois researchers, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Northwestern University.

25 Mar 2010

Stretchable electronic device holds promise for treating irregular heart rhythms

The electronics can bend, stretch and twist. No small feat. Now the flexible and stretchable electronics can map waves of electrical activity in the heart with better resolution and speed than that of conventional cardiac monitoring technology.

24 Mar 2010