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Ultrasound applied to fingertips can stimulate sensory pathways leading to the brain

A century after the world's first ultrasonic detection device - invented in response to the sinking of the Titanic -Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have provided the first neurophysiological evidence for something that researchers have long suspected: ultrasound applied to the periphery, such as the fingertips, can stimulate different sensory pathways leading to the brain.

7 Dec 2012

Scientists describe network map of genes involved in pain perception

Scientists in Australia and Austria have described a "network map" of genes involved in pain perception, with remarkable similarity from fruit flies to people. The work should help identify new analgesic drugs.

7 Dec 2012

$Orthoses improve pain, balance in fracture-prone elderly$

Orthoses improve pain, balance in fracture-prone elderly

Short-term use of foot orthoses reduces pain and disability in elderly women with osteoporosis, results of a randomized clinical trial indicate.

6 Dec 2012

Using Nanoparticles to Target Cancer

An interview with John Stroh, discussing the development of nanoparticles that can target and treat cancer, without damaging nearby tissues.

6 Dec 2012

Chronic focal brain cooling suppresses seizures during wakefulness

Neuroscientists from Japan's Yamaguchi University today reported during the 66th annual scientific meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) that chronic focal brain cooling suppresses seizures during wakefulness and achieves the effect without significantly affecting brain function. Their research, and that of others in the field, provides critical evidence that this approach to seizure control has reached a stage where testing in humans will soon be possible.

3 Dec 2012

University of Washington team develops electrically spun cloth to prevent pregnancy, HIV

The only way to protect against HIV and unintended pregnancy today is the condom. It's an effective technology, but not appropriate or popular in all situations.

1 Dec 2012

Increasing sleep time improves daytime alertness and reduces pain sensitivity

A new study suggests that extending nightly sleep in mildly sleepy, healthy adults increases daytime alertness and reduces pain sensitivity.

1 Dec 2012

Tufts University researchers demonstrate silk-based implantable optics

Tufts University School of Engineering researchers have demonstrated silk-based implantable optics that offer significant improvement in tissue imaging while simultaneously enabling photo thermal therapy, administering drugs and monitoring drug delivery. The devices also lend themselves to a variety of other biomedical functions.

29 Nov 2012

Applied relaxation can help women with menopausal troubles

Women who have undergone group therapy and learned to relax have reduced their menopausal troubles by half, according to results of a study at Link-ping University and Link-ping University Hospital in Sweden. Seven out of every ten women undergoing menopause have at some point experienced problems with hot flushes and sweating.

26 Nov 2012

BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System purchased by Cancer Treatment Centers of America

BSD Medical Corporation, a leading provider of medical systems that utilize targeted heat therapy to treat cancer, announced today that the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Western Regional Medical Center (WRMC), located in Goodyear, Arizona, has purchased a BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System (BSD-2000).

26 Nov 2012

Applied relaxation can help women with menopausal troubles

Women who have undergone group therapy and learned to relax have reduced their menopausal troubles by half, according to results of a study at Linköping University and Linköping University Hospital in Sweden.

22 Nov 2012

Dropping of cold chain requirement for meningitis vaccine will improve access, IRIN reports

IRIN examines how the WHO's recent declaration that the MenAfriVac meningitis A vaccine can be transported or stored for up to four days without refrigeration will affect immunization campaigns in Africa's meningitis belt, which runs from Senegal to Ethiopia.

22 Nov 2012

New polymer nanoparticles can generate heat and kill colorectal cancer cells

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have modified electrically-conductive polymers, commonly used in solar energy applications, to develop revolutionary polymer nanoparticles (PNs) for a medical application. When the nanoparticles are exposed to infrared light, they generate heat that can be used to kill colorectal cancer cells.

21 Nov 2012

Hsp104 protein switches mechanism to break up amyloid versus disordered clumps

Several fatal brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease, are connected by the misfolding of specific proteins into disordered clumps and stable, insoluble fibrils called amyloid. Amyloid fibrils are hard to break up due to their stable, ordered structure. For example, α-synuclein forms amyloid fibrils that accumulate in Lewy Bodies in Parkinson's disease. By contrast, protein clumps that accumulate in response to environmental stress, such as heat shock, possess a less stable, disordered architecture.

20 Nov 2012

New solar steam method from Rice University

Rice University scientists have unveiled a revolutionary new technology that uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy directly into steam. The new "solar steam" method from Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) is so effective it can even produce steam from icy cold water.

20 Nov 2012

General guidelines to understand allergic skin conditions

Winter months can bring on the itch as cold weather and indoor heat dry out the skin. It's possible, suggests Chicago allergist, Brian Rotskoff, MD of Clarity Allergy Center, that your winter itch could be caused by more than just the weather. For some people itchy, dry skin is just that, but for others it can be a symptom of atopic dermatitis (eczema), contact dermatitis, or hives (urticaria).

16 Nov 2012

Tug of war between Hsp70 and 90 determines how much the body makes of superoxide

Two proteins are in a tug of war that determines how much the body makes of superoxide, a highly reactive and potentially destructive product of oxygen that's dramatically elevated in cardiovascular disease, researchers report.

16 Nov 2012

Electrical engineers develop new technology to monitor medical vital signs

Electrical engineers at Oregon State University have developed new technology to monitor medical vital signs, with sophisticated sensors so small and cheap they could fit onto a bandage, be manufactured in high volumes and cost less than a quarter.

16 Nov 2012

Couples with high PCB levels and other pollutants take longer to achieve pregnancy

Couples with high levels of PCBs and similar environmental pollutants take longer to achieve pregnancy in comparison to other couples with lower levels of the pollutants, according to a preliminary study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

14 Nov 2012

Older North American farmers face increased risk of serious injury

Older North American farmers work fewer hours than their younger peers but spend more time operating heavy machinery and equipment-raising their risk of serious injury, according to new research from the University of Alberta.

13 Nov 2012