Tactile Sensors Expand Ability of Prosthetic Technology

Filed under: Rehab

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy are continuing development of the Smart Hand prosthesis that features sensors and a feedback mechanism to bring feeling to patients equipped with the device. The prosthesis uses severed nerves as a channel for controlling motion and for sending sensory information from fingertips back to the brain.

Here's a look from the BBC of the Smart Hand system:

The Morbid Business of Dealing in Dead People

Filed under: in the news...

In a recent issue of Economic Sociology:The European Electronic Newsletter Michel Anteby of Harvard Business School discusses the considerations involved in building a cadaver market for medical schools and research purposes. Cadavers cannot be bought and sold unlike other things on the market, so unusual approaches are taken by institutions to obtain a regular supply.

A tidbit from the article:

However, trying to address the question of a shortage of cadavers often means facing the taboo on trading human anatomical goods (Delmonico et al. 2002; Scheper-Hughes 2000; Steiner 2006; Titmuss 1971). Blood, organs, and cadavers are generally thought to be better left untouched by market dynamics. Their sacredness sets them apart from other traded goods. As Philippe Steiner recently reminded us in this newsletter, he began researching organ donation because of the stringency of the ban on market transactions for organs (Steiner 2009). In essence, many would argue that blood, organs, and cadavers should not be considered goods.
That said, the demand for cadavers remains strong, and numerous ideas have been voiced to augment the supply. As an illustration, there is an ongoing debate about the impact of using financial incentives for donors or their families to encourage anatomical donations (Clay and Block 2002; Delmonico et al. 2002; Harrington and Sayre 2006; Obermann 1998). Similarly, surveys of potential whole-body donors seek to gain insight into the reluctance to donate and how better to educate potential donors (Boulware et al. 2004; Richardson and Hurwitz 1995; Sanner 1994). By understanding the reluctance to donate, the hope is that the root causes of such reluctance might be addressed.

We recall that Howard Stern once ran a "cadaverothon" on his radio show when news came out that Yale and Harvard med schools were running low on bodies.

Link: A Market for Human Cadavers in All but Name?

(hat tip: WSJ Health Blog)

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Quantum Dots Light Up Internal Cellular Activities

Filed under: Nanomedicine

If we could continuously monitor conditions inside individual cells, we would open a host of new research tools and diagnostic modalities. And that is what investigators from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are trying to accomplish. The biophysics researchers analyzed how bioconjugated nanocrystals, or quantum dots, fluoresce in various environments over an extended period of time. And since these particles can be attached to just about any protein, they might offer a bright future for intracellular monitoring.

For their recent study, the team focused primarily on characterizing quantum dot properties, contrasting them with other imaging techniques. In one example, they employed quantum dots designed to target a specific type of human red blood cell protein that forms part of a network structure in the cell’s inner membrane. When these proteins cluster together in a healthy cell, the network provides mechanical flexibility to the cell so it can squeeze through narrow capillaries and other tight spaces. But when the cell gets infected with the malaria parasite, the structure of the network protein changes.
“Because the clustering mechanism is not well understood, we decided to examine it with the dots,” says NIAID biophysist Fuyuki Tokumasu. “We thought if we could develop a technique to visualize the clustering, we could learn something about the progress of a malaria infection, which has several distinct developmental stages.”

The team’s efforts revealed that as the membrane proteins bunch up, the quantum dots attached to them are induced to cluster themselves and glow more brightly, permitting scientists to watch as the clustering of proteins progresses. More broadly, the team found that when quantum dots attach themselves to other nanomaterials, the dots’ optical properties change in unique ways in each case. They also found evidence that quantum dot optical properties are altered as the nanoscale environment changes, offering greater possibility of using quantum dots to sense the local biochemical environment inside cells.

Image: Human red blood cells, in which membrane proteins are targeted and labeled with quantum dots, reveal the clustering behavior of the proteins. The number of purple features, which indicate the nuclei of malaria parasites, increases as malaria development progresses. The NIST logo at bottom was made by a photo lithography technique on a thin film of quantum dots, taking advantage of the property that clustered dots exhibit increased photoluminescence. (White bars: 1 μm; red: 10 μm.)

Press release: Small Nanoparticles Bring Big Improvement to Medical Imaging ...

Abstract in WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology: Probing dynamic fluorescence properties of single and clustered quantum dots toward quantitative biomedical imaging of cells

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Philips Releases New BiliChek Transcutaneous Bilirubin Measurement System

Filed under: Pediatrics

Philips Respironics has announced the release of a new model of the BiliChek bilirubin measurement system that can noninvasively detect and quantify jaundice in newborns. Marketed under the Philips Children's Medical Ventures brand, the device uses light to measure total serum bilirubin levels in skin though a special touching tip sensor.

Features of the new BiliChek:

Ergonomic design, slimmer and lighter, improves dexterity for easier measurements

LCD color screen is perfect for operating in the low-light levels of a nursery

Easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions, graphics and a faster measurement system increase proficiency and productivity

Numeric key pad allows user to enter or attach patient or nurse information to the patient's bilirubin measurement

On-board help system walks user through the measurement process and provides access to the online help menu

New BiliChek provides an option to interface with hospital charting or laboratory information systems

Barcode scanner allows for accurate entry and verification of nurse and patient identification information

New, less touch-sensitive tip allows for easier readings with reduced error

Integral, long-lasting, rechargeable lithium battery

Press release: Philips Introduces New BiliChek to Assess Risk for Leading Cause of Jaundice in Newborns ...

Product page: BiliChek ...

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Nanotech Exterminators: Scientists Capture, Destroy Cancer Cells in Bloodstream

Filed under: Nanomedicine

A research team led by folks from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences used a combination of preprogrammed nanoparticles and external magnets to capture and collect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) within blood vessels. Additionally, they were able to use laser light to kill CTCs that were accumulated under the skin by magnets placed near the surface.

Vladimir Zharov, director of the Phillips Classic Laser and Nanomedicine Laboratory at UAMS, said his team of researchers can inject a cocktail of magnetic and gold nanoparticles with a special biological coating into the bloodstream to target circulating tumor cells. A magnet attached to the skin above peripheral blood vessels can then capture the cells.

Once the tumor cells are targeted and captured by the magnet, they can either be microsurgically removed from vessels for further genetic analysis or can be noninvasively eradicated directly in blood vessels by laser irradiation through the skin that is still safe for normal blood cells.

A second related discovery by Zharov’s team was published in Cancer Research in October. It demonstrated that periodic laser irradiation of blood vessels decreases the level of circulating metastatic tumor cells more than 10 times and eventually led to an interruption of metastasis development in distant organs.

Press release: Nanotechnology Team Captures Tumor Cells in Bloodstream ...

Abstract in Nature Nanotechnology: In vivo magnetic enrichment and multiplex photoacoustic detection of circulating tumour cells

Abstract in Cancer Research: In vivo, Noninvasive, Label-Free Detection and Eradication of Circulating Metastatic Melanoma Cells Using Two-Color Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry with a Diode Laser

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News: Ancient Egyptians Also Suffered from Atherosclerosis

Filed under: the good old days...

Lately vascular disease has been blamed on our modern diet, but new research on Egyptian mummies suggests that it has existed for thousands of years. A team of Egyptian and American researchers ran 22 mummies from the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities through a CT scanner. What they discovered was that over half of those that had recognizable vasculature also had either definite or highly probable atherosclerosis.

MedPage Today reports on the mummies studied:

They dated from 1981 BC to 334 AD. Of the 16 for which social status could be determined, all were from a high social class. They were either members of the pharaoh's court or priests and priestesses.
Evidence of vascular tissue was found in only 16; four had an intact heart.

Definite atherosclerosis -- defined as calcification in the wall of a clearly identifiable artery -- was present in five of the mummies. Probable atherosclerosis -- defined as calcification along the expected course of an artery -- was found in another four.

Atherosclerosis was significantly more common in the mummies estimated to be at least 45 when they died (87% versus 25%, P=0.029), but it was equally likely in men and women.

More details from MedPage Today: AHA: Mummies Show Evidence of Vascular Disease...

Abstract in JAMA: Computed Tomographic Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Flashbacks: CT Suggests King Tutankhamen Died from an Infected Leg Wound ; One of The Oldest Medical Mysteries May Have Been Solved

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New Generation of Video Games May Offer Real Exercise to Sedentary Public

Filed under: in the news...

A Nintendo funded study performed by researchers from the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan showed that playing certain Wii video games provides physical exertion similar to that of moderate exercise. The researchers used a special monitoring chamber to measure the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) of the games and activities inside Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus.

From the statement by the American Heart Association:

Researchers used a metabolic chamber to measure the energy expenditure of 12 men and women, 25 to 44 years old, as they pantomimed basic moves and motions of these sports and physical activities with motion-sensing controls. The open-circuit indirect metabolic chamber consisted of an airtight room (20,000 liters or 15,000 liters). The metabolic chamber method could replicate the conditions under which the participants enjoy the games in their home, because they were free from apparatus used to measure energy expenditure (EE) when playing the game.
Researchers found:

Nine activities had less than 2 METs.

Twenty-three activities had 2-3 METs.

Nine activities had 3-4 METs.

Five activities had more than 4 METs.

The intensities of yoga and balance exercise were significantly lower than those of resistance and aerobic exercise, but these exercises are effective in improving flexibility and in fall prevention, researchers said.

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A Quick Tour of Four Decades of Medical Technology

Filed under: the good old days...

Dr Wolfgang Albath, one of the founders of MEDICA in 1969, reflects on forty years of medical technology advancements that passed through the halls of that venerable European conference. Essentially, the article is a summary history of the rapid advancements the science of medicine has undergone with the introduction of all sorts of high tech gadgetry.

A snippet:

One touching Medica memory is of doctors standing amazed in a small room filled with huge computers, when the Medica Media Street was launched in 1987. They never imagined how their own lives would be transformed. Although IT systems only arrived in hospitals in the late '80s, today clinical and administrative processes are managed via a hospital information system (HIS), for which the clinical workstation is continuously evolving.

Read on at European Hospital: 40 years of MEDICA

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DermaStream CST for Active Wound Management

Filed under: Plastic Surgery , Surgery , Vascular Surgery

Israel21C is reporting that EnzySurge out of Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel is expecting to begin FDA approval process for the complete DermaStream CST system. The wound healing device is designed to be placed over a wound to provide continuous cleaning and washing away of debris and extravasated fluid. Although the device itself received FDA clearance, the bio-active chemical solution that it is supposed to work with it has yet to get a green light.

The patent pending DermaStream CST device provides the mechanism for EnzySurge's proprietary Continuous Streaming Therapy™ (CST). CST is a modality based on continuously streaming of fresh therapeutic solutions to the wound bed while removing exudates by vacuum assisted drainage throughout the treatment cycle. The combination of the DermaStream CSTdesign and the CST action produces negative pressure above the wound without the need for external equipment.

DermaStream is designed to ensure ongoing, uniform flow of fresh solutions over the entire wound bed

The use of therapeutic solutions allows for a broad wound management platform

DermaStreamCST vacuum assisted drainage continuously removes exudate and infectious material from the wound environment.

Gravity-induced negative pressure removes exudates including removal of loose necrotic burden

DermaStream CST is a disposable, single patient use device. It is designed to provide negative pressure above the wound bed without expensive external equipment.

Demo video of the DermaStream CST: