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Autonomous robot surgery a step closer

The day may be getting a little closer when robots will perform surgery on patients in dangerous situations or in remote locations, such as on the battlefield or in space, with minimal human guidance.

6 May 2008

Geron Corporation awarded UK grant funding for human embryonic stem cell research

Geron Corporation announced today two grant awards to the University of Edinburgh from the UK Stem Cell Foundation, with funding from the Medical Research Council and Scottish Enterprise.

6 May 2008

More than 25 percent of pediatric emergency visits could be conducted online

A community-wide study in upstate New York found that nearly 28 percent of all visits to the pediatric emergency department could have been replaced with a more cost-effective Internet doctor's "visit," or telemedicine, according to investigators from the University of Rochester Medical Center

6 May 2008

New saliva-based HIV test gives results in 20 minutes!

The usual waiting period for the results of a HIV test can seem like an eternity, especially in emergency situations where results are needed immediately. Also it requires a blood sample, which is invasive and often painful. Recognizing the urgent need for a faster and less invasive diagnostic method, Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, from Marina Klein's research team at the MUHC has just finished testing a new saliva-based test that gives results in approximately 20 minutes! She describes her findings in an article that will appear in the May 6th, 2008 issue of PLoS Medicine.

6 May 2008

CMS announces decision on Medicare coverage of artificial hearts, long-term acute care hospital reimbursements

CMS recently announced a decision on Medicare coverage of artificial hearts and a final rule on reimbursements for long-term acute care hospitals.

6 May 2008

Forty-one percent of registered nurses find generics are less effective than name brand drugs say American Society of Registered Nurses

In a national online survey conducted by the American Society of Registered Nurses, 41% of the 781 Registered Nurses surveyed on April 28 reported that generic drugs are less effective than their equivalent brand-name counterparts.

5 May 2008

Whole-organ genomic survey depicts journey from normal to malignant cell

Whole-organ maps that superimpose genetic information over the terrain of cancerous bladders chart the molecular journey from normal cell to invasive cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports online at the journal Laboratory Investigation.

5 May 2008

Cells lining milk ducts hold key to spread of ductal carcinoma in situ

When a form of cancer that begins in the milk ducts of the breast invades neighboring tissue to spread to other parts of the body, the cause lies not in the tumor cells themselves but in a group of abnormal surrounding cells that cause the walls of the duct to deteriorate like a rusty pipe, according to a new study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers.

5 May 2008

Simple, inexpensive telemedicine system

After launching a communications revolution, cell phones are talking up a potentially life-saving new role in telemedicine - the use of telecommunications technology to provide medical diagnosis and patient care when doctors and patients are hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

5 May 2008

Cordis Corporation launches new peripheral angioplasty balloon catheters

Cordis Corporation announced today the U.S. launch of the SLEEK and SAVVY Long PTA Balloon Dilatation Catheters, its most advanced percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon catheters.

5 May 2008

Results of St. Jude Medical deep brain stimulation study presented at APA meeting

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced pilot study results from the first multi-center study investigating deep brain stimulation (DBS) of Brodmann Area 25 for major depressive disorder.

5 May 2008

Analysis of alcoholics' brains suggests treatment target

An analysis of brain tissue samples from chronic alcoholics reveals changes that occur at the molecular level in alcohol abuse - and suggests a potential treatment target, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

2 May 2008

New surgical device earns high marks from combat surgeons

Results of an independent clinical study conducted by U.S. Army combat support surgeons in Baghdad show that a new medical device used to close a type of surgical wound more quickly is saving lives and limbs of soldiers and civilians.

2 May 2008

$Skin resurfacing with a fractional laser$

Skin resurfacing with a fractional laser

Smooth, radiant skin with just a click of a laser sounds like a dream come true for many people. But how many sessions does it take to get results and how long do you have to hide from your friends?

From Lumenis Inc. 2 May 2008

Novavax opens new U.S. vaccine plant in Rockville, Maryland

Officials from Novavax, Inc., the State of Maryland and Montgomery County today celebrated the opening of Novavax's new state-of-the-art vaccine production facility at the company's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.

1 May 2008

Novel automated anesthetic technique

Researchers at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have performed the world's first totally automated administration of an anesthetic. Nicknamed "McSleepy," the new system developed by the researchers administers drugs for general anesthesia and monitors their separate effects completely automatically, with no manual intervention.

1 May 2008

3M Drug Delivery System collaborates on vaccine adjuvants

3M Drug Delivery Systems announces the signing of a non-exclusive license agreement with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) in support of vaccine research for humanitarian efforts in developing countries. Under the agreement, 3M will donate its patented toll-like receptor (TLR) immune response modifier compounds.

1 May 2008

Patient safety project complete as entire U-M Health System offers online ordering

Nearly three years and thousands of hours later, patient safety received another boost at the University of Michigan Health System as the institution completed implementation of its online order entry system in the University Hospital and the Cardiovascular Center this week.

1 May 2008

Scientists produce stem cells from ordinary mouse skin cells

Researchers in the United States say they have produced a stem cell made from ordinary mouse skin cells which they have coaxed into becoming three different types of heart and blood cells in mice.

1 May 2008

Early treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection may prevent cancer

Based on research using a new mouse model of gastritis and stomach cancer, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say that prompt treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections reverses damage to the lining of the stomach that can lead to cancer.

1 May 2008