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FDA clears DFine's new percutaneous radiofrequency ablation device for metastatic spinal lesions

DFine, Inc., developer of minimally invasive solutions for the treatment of vertebral pathologies, announced today the 510(k) clearance of a new platform extension indicated for the palliative treatment of cancer patients. The product, a percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) device, provides localized tumor necrosis of vertebral body lesions where metastatic disease has spread to the spine causing severe pain and discomfort.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers create device to find ways to improve commonly used treatment for 'water on the brain'

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists participated in a study with researchers from the University of Utah that could help find ways to improve shunt systems used to treat the neurological disorder hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain," the leading cause of brain surgery for children in the United States. Researchers studied the shunt systems under a variety of conditions by creating a bioreactor that mimics the environment inside patients.

24 Sep 2010

Deep brain stimulation improves OCD symptoms, promotes smoking cessation and weight loss

Electrical stimulation of the brain in a patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) led to some unanticipated benefits—"effortless" smoking cessation and weight loss, according to a case report in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

22 Sep 2010

Retina Implant AG presents clinical data of successful subretinal electronic implants

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, today announced the presentation of findings obtained during their first human clinical trial in the form of two oral presentations at The Eye and the Chip 2010 Annual Meeting in Detroit, Mich.

16 Sep 2010

New electronic sensor detects pressure exerted by 20 milligram bluebottle fly carcass

The light, tickling tread of a pesky fly landing on your face may strike most of us as one of the most aggravating of life's small annoyances. But for scientists working to develop pressure sensors for artificial skin for use on prosthetic limbs or robots, skin sensitive enough to feel the tickle of fly feet would be a huge advance. Now Stanford researchers have built such a sensor.

14 Sep 2010

Monte Carlo technique optimises mammography image quality

A mathematical tool known as a Monte Carlo analysis could help improve the way X-rays are used for mammography and reduce the number of breast cancers missed by the technique as well as avoiding false positives, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Low Radiation.

8 Sep 2010

Researchers decode words from brain signals in paralyzed people

In an early step toward letting severely paralyzed people speak with their thoughts, University of Utah researchers translated brain signals into words using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but atop the brain. "We have been able to decode spoken words using only signals from the brain with a device that has promise for long-term use in paralyzed patients who cannot now speak," says Bradley Greger, an assistant professor of bioengineering.

7 Sep 2010

TNS therapy improves depression: Study

Major depression is a common and disabling brain condition marked not only by the presence of depressed mood but also by its effects on sleep, energy, decision-making, memory and thoughts of death or of suicide.

3 Sep 2010

New system safely induces sensory, mobility disturbances experienced by astronauts after return to Earth

What does it feel like to return to Earth after a long stay in space? Until now, it has been difficult during astronaut training to realistically simulate the dizzying effects the human body can experience.

27 Aug 2010

BrainScope technology specifically identifies triage for Computed Tomography to ED patients

BrainScope Company, Inc. today announced the publication of clinical research findings from a study in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) following a closed head injury.

27 Aug 2010

SOECIC announces UK's first operation to fit single cochlear implant to give sound in both ears

The UK's first operation to fit a single cochlear implant capable of giving sound in both ears takes place this Friday (27 August), thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC), based at the University of Southampton.

26 Aug 2010

Study on current insect repellants confirms need for better insect repellants

Fire up the citronella-scented tiki torches, and slather on the DEET: Everybody knows these simple precautions repel insects, notably mosquitoes, whose bites not only itch and irritate, but also transmit diseases such as West Nile virus, malaria and dengue. Now, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered what it is in the bugs' molecular makeup that enables citronellal (the aromatic liquid used in lotions, sprays and candles) and DEET, to deter insects from landing and feeding on you. A better understanding of these molecular-behavioral links already is aiding the team's search for more effective repellants.

26 Aug 2010

Epilepsy Therapy Project, EF announce recipients of New Therapy Grants Program

The Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP) and the Epilepsy Foundation (EF) today announced the latest grant recipients of its New Therapy Grants Program, a unique joint venture of the non-profit epilepsy organizations, to advance promising epilepsy research in clinical development. The grant awards, totaling approximately $200,000 in funding, will support an experimental gene therapy that directly targets epileptogenic brain tissue, as well as an electrode system that has the potential to improve the efficacy of surgical therapies for certain epilepsy syndromes.

24 Aug 2010

Brain stimulation may improve thinking in people with schizophrenia

Mild electrical stimulation to the brain could improve thinking and reduce auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found.

17 Aug 2010

Researchers pace embryonic heart with laser

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University found that pulsed light can pace contractions in an avian embryonic heart, with no apparent damage to the tissue. The work, "Optical pacing of the embryonic heart," will be published in the advanced online issue of Nature Photonics on Aug. 15, 2010.According to the scientists, this non-invasive device may prove an effective tool in understanding how environmental factors that alter an embryo's heart rate lead to congenital defects. It may also lead to investigations of cardiac electrophysiology at the cellular, tissue and organ levels, and possibly the development of a new generation of pacemakers.

16 Aug 2010

New implantable device to prevent sudden cardiac arrest

Northwestern Memorial Hospital heart rhythm specialists recently gave a 34-year-old man a makeshift paramedic—who's always on duty—inside of his chest by implanting a device that did not require X-ray assistance and the usual snaking of wires leading to the heart. In fact, the innovative device rests just beneath the surface of the skin and its components are positioned using the patient's own anatomical landmarks.

13 Aug 2010

NeuroMetrix second-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.9 million

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

New soft-tissue fillers for skin tightening, volume restoration in cheek area

Now, armed with a deeper understanding of full facial contouring, dermatologists are using soft-tissue fillers to enhance and restore volume loss in the cheek area, thereby smoothing nasolabial folds (the wrinkles that form along the bottom of the nose to the corners of the mouth). In addition, newly introduced fractional radiofrequency technology to address skin laxity is showing promise by stimulating collagen contraction and reducing loose skin in the lower-face.

6 Aug 2010

Axiogenesis signs non-exclusive license agreement with iPS Academia

Axiogenesis AG and iPS Academia Japan Inc. (Kyoto, Japan) announced that they have executed a non-exclusive agreement with iPS Academia (Kyoto, Japan) through which Axiogenesis obtains worldwide access to the extensive portfolio of induced pluripotent stem cell technology for iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and other cell types, pioneered by Professor Shinya Yamanaka, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at the University of Kyoto, Japan.

3 Aug 2010

Encoding of planned crime-related knowledge can boost detection of terrorist intentions

Imagine technology that allows you to get inside the mind of a terrorist to know how, when and where the next attack will occur. That's not nearly as far-fetched as it seems, according to a new Northwestern University study. Say, for purposes of illustration, that the chatter about an imminent terrorist attack is mounting, and specifics about the plan emerge, about weapons that will be used, the date of such a dreaded event and its location.

31 Jul 2010