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New technology delivers electrical signals from brain directly to muscles

A new Northwestern Medicine brain-machine technology delivers messages from the brain directly to the muscles -- bypassing the spinal cord -- to enable voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand. The device could eventually be tested on, and perhaps aid, paralyzed patients.

20 Apr 2012

Rare CARD14 gene mutations can lead to plaque psoriasis

Scientists led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.

20 Apr 2012

Car exhaust causes more premature deaths in the UK

In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year.

20 Apr 2012

ASH releases Blood journal app for iPhone and iPad

The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world's largest organization concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders, today released the Blood journal app for iPhone and iPad. Blood is the official Journal of the Society and the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field.

20 Apr 2012

BuruliVac project getting closer to a vaccine

During a meeting in Lisbon, the partners of the BuruliVac research consortium found the project to be running smoothly, and getting closer to a vaccine against Buruli ulcer, a disfiguring and mutilating disease that causes a lot of suffering and now is difficult to treat. Several vaccine candidates work well in mice and are ready for further testing on blood of patients; one is ready for testing in mice.

19 Apr 2012

Inform Genomics completes first phase in oral mucositis risk prediction study

Inform Genomics, Inc., a private company focused on developing novel platforms of personalized medicine products for cancer supportive care and inflammatory diseases, today announced the completion of the first phase of product development to predict a patient's risk of developing oral mucositis after receiving high dose chemotherapy prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

19 Apr 2012

Developments in mesothelioma treatment presented at 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference

New results presented at 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva, Switzerland show important steps being made to improve the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the outer lining of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure.

19 Apr 2012

UnitedHealth Group's consolidated first quarter revenues increase 7% to $27.3B

UnitedHealth Group today reported first quarter results, highlighted by strong enrollment and revenue growth in each of UnitedHealthcare's benefits businesses and well-diversified revenue growth at Optum. First quarter 2012 net earnings were $1.31 per share, with continued performance on key financial and operational measures.

19 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute to open new building on April 29

Patients with heart and vascular disease will be cared for in spacious, state-of-the-art private rooms when Johns Hopkins opens its new hospital building to the first patients on April 29. The Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute occupies a major part of the 1.6 million-square-foot facility, which has 560 all-private patient rooms with private baths and 33 expansive operating rooms.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers describe how they combine two pieces of technology to create neuroprosthesis

An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

19 Apr 2012

New techniques show promise in detecting early-stage lung cancer

New techniques for identifying lung cancer earlier -including a new type of chest screening, a nanotech 'nose' and a method to examine the cells of the cheek-- are showing substantial promise, according to presentations at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) in Geneva.

19 Apr 2012

Magnetic nanochain detonates chemo barrage inside tumors

Medicine-toting nanochains slip into tumors and explode a chemotherapy drug into hard-to-reach cores of cancer, engineers and scientists at Case Western Reserve University report.

19 Apr 2012

White House science adviser responds to inquiry regarding handling of H5N1 research controversy

"White House science adviser John Holdren has replied to questions asked last month by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) about how the Obama Administration has handled the controversy surrounding two studies that showed how to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible between mammals," ScienceInsider reports.

19 Apr 2012

Secondary Speckle Sensing Microscopy may rapidly and accurately diagnose malaria

Correctly and quickly diagnosing malaria is essential for effective and life-saving treatment. But rapid detection, particularly in remote areas, is not always possible because current methods are time-consuming and require precise instrumentation and highly skilled microscopic analysis. Now, a promising new optical imaging system, described in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express, may make the diagnosis of this deadly disease much easier, faster, and more accurate.

19 Apr 2012

Radiology and the Arts

Diagnostic radiologist Brett Prywitch, MD, has created a new art form by turning mammograms, X-rays, MRIs and other medical images into hauntingly beautiful works of art.

19 Apr 2012

SBU to advance research and clinical care at National Pediatric MS Center

Stony Brook University has received a $2.5 million gift from Robert and Lisa Lourie to advance research and clinical care at the National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center at Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital and to establish a new state-of-the-art imaging center at Stony Brook Medicine.

19 Apr 2012

UCSF scientists solve mystery of how selective hearing works

The longstanding mystery of how selective hearing works - how people can tune in to a single speaker while tuning out their crowded, noisy environs - is solved this week in the journal Nature by two scientists from the University of California, San Francisco.

19 Apr 2012

Exactech selects MMI to evaluate novel cartilage repair treatment

Medical Metrics Inc, (MMI), an experienced provider of medical imaging core lab services for global clinical trials, has been selected by Exactech, Inc. to conduct an independent evaluation of medical images from the BiPhasic Cartilage Repair Implant (BiCRI) IDE Clinical Trial approved by the Taiwan FDA.

19 Apr 2012

New genetic signature may predict NSCLC patients at risk of relapse

A new genetic signature identified by Spanish researchers may provide doctors with robust and objective information about which patients with early stage lung cancer are at low or high risk of relapse following surgery, investigators report at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva. Their work also opens new avenues for immunotherapy for lung cancer.

19 Apr 2012

Bayer receives FDA clearance for new blood glucose monitoring system

Bayer HealthCare today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its CONTOUR Next EZ, a new blood glucose monitoring (BGM) system for use in the United States.

19 Apr 2012