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Tanning beds may spur addictive neurological reward and reinforcement trigger

People who frequently use tanning beds may be spurred by an addictive neurological reward-and-reinforcement trigger, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a pilot study.

12 Aug 2011

Study confirms ability of Tru-D device to decontaminate surfaces in patient rooms

In an original article coauthored by John M. Boyce, MD; Nancy L. Havill, MT; and Brent A. Moore, PhD, "Terminal Decontamination of Patient Rooms Using an Automated Mobile UV Light Unit", the research team from the Hospital of Saint Raphael and the Yale University School of Medicine ". . . demonstrated that an automated, portable UV light device significantly reduced aerobic colony counts on high-touch surfaces in patient rooms.

12 Aug 2011

Allergy & Asthma Specialists, P.C. adopts Aerocrine's FENO technology

Aerocrine AB today announced that Allergy & Asthma Specialists, P.C. has adopted Aerocrine's FENO technology for airway inflammation measurement as part of its clinical standardization on a system-wide basis.

12 Aug 2011

Alternatives needed to inaccurate blood tests used to diagnose active TB

A guest post in PLoS Medicine's "Speaking of Medicine" blog, written by tuberculosis (TB) researchers Madhukar Pai of McGill University, David Dowdy of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Karen Steingart of the University of Washington School of Public Health, examines the medical, public health and economic consequences of the widespread use of inaccurate antibody-based serological diagnostic tests for active TB.

12 Aug 2011

Researchers describe novel skin-mounted electronics in Science journal

Engineers have developed a device platform that combines electronic components for sensing, medical diagnostics, communications and human-machine interfaces, all on an ultrathin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with the ease, flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo.

12 Aug 2011

CPAP withdrawal leads to return of obstructive sleep apnea

The benefits of continuous positive airway pressure machines (CPAP) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are quickly reversed when the therapy is withdrawn, according to Swiss research.

12 Aug 2011

New measurement technologies provide scientists more complete look at neurological activity

In 1991, Carl Lewis was both the fastest man on earth and a profound long jumper, perhaps the greatest track-and-field star of all time in the prime of his career. On June 14th of that year, however, Carl Lewis was human. Leroy Burrell blazed through the 100-meters, besting him by a razor-thin margin of three-hundredths of a second. In the time it takes the shutter to capture a single frame of video, Lewis's three-year-old world record was gone.

12 Aug 2011

DYCAST software predicts spread of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in California counties

A computerized epidemiological model of the spread of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus in 17 counties of California in 2005 successfully predicted where 81.6 percent of human cases of the disease would arise and defined high-risk areas where the risk of infection turned out to be 39 times higher than in low-risk areas, according to newly published research.

12 Aug 2011

AANEM awards accreditation status to four UH Neuromuscular Center EMG labs

The American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) has awarded accreditation status to four electromyography (EMG) laboratories affiliated with the University Hospitals (UH) Neuromuscular Center in Northeast Ohio.

12 Aug 2011

Hi-tech tattoo that acts as heart, brain and muscle monitor

Researchers have designed a wireless electronic monitoring device so thin it can be applied to the skin like a temporary tattoo. It could one day be used to monitor heart, brain and muscle activity of patients without their even noticing.

12 Aug 2011

Researchers develop epidermal electronic system

Through a combination of careful theoretical modeling and precise micro-manufacturing, a team of engineers and scientists has developed a new type of ultra-thin, self-adhesive electronics device that can effectively measure data about the human heart, brain waves and muscle activity - all without the use of bulky equipment, conductive fluids, or glues.

12 Aug 2011

Nephros submits new 510(k) application with FDA for clearance of hemodiafiltration system

Nephros, Inc., a medical device company developing and marketing filtration products for therapeutic applications, infection control, and water purification, today announced that on August 11, 2011 it filed a 510(k) application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clearance of its hemodiafiltration system.

12 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: WSJ on 'super committee'; NEJM perspectives on medical devices

At bottom, the recent deal was meant to defer the bedrock choices that need another election or two to resolve while making incremental progress. So the current exercise is about rooting out $1.5 trillion in "savings," which will mean a hodgepodge of changes at the margin, not a rewrite of either entitlements or taxes. If bigger change were possible, Speaker John Boehner and President Obama would have agreed to it.

12 Aug 2011

LifeCodexx, Sequenom partner to commercialize prenatal lab testing services in Europe

Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced it has partnered with LifeCodexx AG, a company focused on the development of clinically validated Next Generation Molecular Diagnostics, for the commercialization of prenatal laboratory testing services in Europe.

11 Aug 2011

WHO launches online nutrition information system

The WHO "has launched a web-based information system it hopes will help prevent millions of people from suffering various forms of malnutrition, ranging from undernutrition to obesity, every year," IRIN reports.

11 Aug 2011

Study finds sharp increase in CT scan use in ED between 1996-2007

A review of national data from 1996 through 2007 reveals a sharp uptick in the use of computed tomography, or CT, scans to diagnose illnesses in emergency departments, a University of Michigan Health System study finds.

11 Aug 2011

Boston Scientific introduces NLI online resource center for healthcare providers

Boston Scientific Corporation has launched its Neuromodulation Learning Institute (NLI), a clinical education program and online resource center for healthcare providers to enhance their knowledge and awareness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) technology, procedures and techniques.

11 Aug 2011

Commercial blood serum antibody tests cost-effective, not accurate for active TB

Commercial blood serum antibody tests—widely used in India and other developing countries to diagnose active tuberculosis—are not accurate or cost-effective, according to an analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of Washington School of Public Health and McGill University.

11 Aug 2011

New computational model could forecast cholera outbreaks

Just as the rainy season is driving a new surge of cholera cases in Haiti, a new computational model could forecast where outbreaks are likely to occur.

11 Aug 2011

FUS Foundation awards $112,002 grant to Harvard brain researcher

The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation has announced its latest Research Award recipient is Nathan McDannold, Ph.D. The $112,002 award will support McDannold's efforts to increase the regions in the brain that can be safely targeted by MR-guided focused ultrasound, an innovative, noninvasive medical technology being championed by the Foundation.

11 Aug 2011