New Organ Preservation Device Keeps Livers Alive Longer and Better for Transplanation
The success of a liver transplant is significantly limited by the quality of the donor organ. Currently this results in a severe shortage of acceptable organs, as many potential organs do not tolerate the static cold storage (SCS) of the conventional transplant procedure. Despite significant clinical advances in transplant procedures over the past 30 years, the mechanism for liver preservation has changed very little: the organ is flushed and placed on ice, lowering metabolic activity ten-fold in the hope of reducing damage. However, over time ischemic damage occurs, which reduces organ viability, and the cooling process r...
Source: Medgadget - April 20, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Surgery Source Type: blogs
Interview with Tal Golesworthy, Inventor of the ExoVasc Aortic Root Support
Tal Golesworthy is the inventor of the ExoVasc, a bespoke implant that supports the aortic root when it has becomes weak and dilated. Tal’s invention was born out of his personal need for the device to support his aorta that was expanding dangerously due to Marfan syndrome. In 2004, Tal was the first patient to be implanted with the device that he invented, and many more patients have benefited from the ExoVasc Aortic Root Support since.
Medgadget editor Tom Peach spoke with Tal Golesworthy to hear about the inspiring journey that gave birth to the ExoVasc and to learn more about Exstent, the company that was formed as a...
Source: Medgadget - April 10, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Rendering Brain Tissue Transparent with OPTIclear to Unlock Secrets of Alzheimer ’s and Parkinson’s
Researchers from Imperial College London and The University of Hong Kong have published results in Nature Communications of a revolutionary process that renders human brain tissue transparent and allows the complex network of neurons to be mapped. This technique of clearing alters brain tissue’s optical properties without impacting the cell structure, allowing neurons to be examined more efficiently than conventional methods of slicing the tissue into microscopic sections, a process that can take weeks.
Once cleared, the brain tissue can be stained for nerve and glial cells, as well as blood vessels, and imaged to of...
Source: Medgadget - March 22, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Genetics Neurology Pathology Source Type: blogs
Notes from WIRED Health 2018 at Francis Crick Institute
Set in its new home of the Francis Crick Institute, WIRED Health 2018 brought together world leaders and change-makers in cancer, aging, artificial intelligence, government, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, to name but a few. Alongside the main event, cutting-edge medtech companies demonstrated their new technologies, and budding start-ups pitched for the chance to be crowned WIRED Health start-up of the year.
Bruce Levine from the University of Pennsylvania opened the day by setting the challenge of how to treat a condition like cancer, which is fundamentally the result of “our own bodies gone awry.” Bruce intro...
Source: Medgadget - March 16, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Interview with Devyn Smith PhD, COO of Sigilon Therapeutics
Sigilon Therapeutics is a Cambridge, MA-based biotech company developing innovative therapeutics by encapsulating cells in a novel coating that renders them invisible to the immune system. The engineered cells contained in the company’s particles can provide long-term continuous therapy for a range of chronic disorders, including hemophilia and diabetes, and eliminate the need for intermittent injection or infusion. With this technological breakthrough Sigilon hopes to “fundamentally change the trajectory of disease treatment.”
Medgadget editor Tom Peach recently spoke with Devyn Smith PhD, Chief Strategy Officer of ...
Source: Medgadget - March 13, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Exclusive Genetics Materials Medicine Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Flexible Sensor Could Replace Frequent Blood Tests with Continuous Sweat Monitoring
Researchers at the University of Glasgow, UK have created a wearable sensor that is capable of measuring sweat pH, which could help patients with chronic conditions avoid the need for finger-prick blood tests.
The flexible sensor, which measures around 10×10 mm can stretch with natural movements and elongate by up to 53% without compromising its performance or losing contact with the skin. “Human sweat contains much of the same physiological information that blood does, and its use in diagnostic systems has the significant advantage of not needing to break the skin in order to administer tests.” said Prof Ravinder...
Source: Medgadget - March 12, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Diagnostics Materials Medicine Pathology Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Good and Cheap cookbook
Leanne Brown wrote the New York Times bestselling cookbook for people who are on SNAP/Food Stamp benefits or for anyone on a tight budget. The project started off as her master’s thesis at New York University and a Kickstarter campaign allowed for an initial printing for those without computer access. Thousands of copies have been given away either free or at a greatly reduced cost to those who otherwise would not have access to it.
Good and Cheap allows those on a tight budget to eat healthy and tasty dishes such as:
Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars
Peach Coffee Cake
Spicy Broiled Tilapia with Lime
It also include...
Source: BHIC - February 13, 2018 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Carolyn Martin Tags: Low Income Websites Source Type: blogs
… And an aphid in a peach tree!
12: Drummers Drumming (in the right chairs)
On top of high levels of concentration, musical performance places significant physical stress on the body. Strength in limb muscles needed for fast complex movements, while core muscles handle the task of sustaining body position for extended durations.
It is therefore no wonder that musical performance-associated musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common medical issue among professional musicians, with some studies indicating that around 80% – 97% of orchestral musicians suffer from muscle pain related to musical performance.
With MSDs presenting such a big threat to m...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - December 19, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: Davy Falkner Tags: Biology Health Medicine Avian Research BMC Ecology Frontiers in Zoology Genetics Selection Evolution Genome Biology Health Research Policy and Systems ISRCTN registry Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology Lipids in Health a Source Type: blogs
Ultrasound Imaging Needle Set to Transform Heart Surgery
Researchers in London have published details of a revolutionary new cardiology needle capable of imaging the heart’s soft tissues from within. The team from University College London (UCL) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) used the new all-optical ultrasound imaging system for heart surgery in pigs, successfully capturing high-resolution images up to 2.5cm away from the needle tip.
An all-optical ultrasound device may sound like an oxymoron, but the imaging needle relies on an embedded miniature optical fiber that transmits brief pulses of light, which in turn generate ultrasonic pulses. These ultrasonic pul...
Source: Medgadget - December 1, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs
War on Cancer: A Patient ’s Journey, Comes to London
Discussions turned to the opportunities and challenges of digital health in cancer diagnosis and treatment. A later session began with the compelling charge that “the future is here…but it is not evenly distributed”, and the claim that empowering patients with software may hold the key to exponential improvements in care. Fierce debate ensued as discussion turned to balancing the shift of power from clinicians to their patients in healthcare systems that are often fundamentally resistant to change.
Speakers from a number of big-data projects also explored the analysis of the vast data-streams generated from a pat...
Source: Medgadget - November 30, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Exclusive Oncology Source Type: blogs
Real-life healthy dinners (for real people with real busy lives)
At the end of a long workday, my husband and I will often trade texts figuring out who will pick up the kids at my mother’s, and who will deal with dinner. Thankfully, we’re equal partners in all responsibilities (except spider-killing, which is strictly Hubby’s job) and dietary preferences. We’re both health-conscious foodie types. We want good food that’s good for us.
An unvarnished look at family dinner
The kids, on the other hand… I’m not sure how this happened, but we somehow raised creatures with tastes vastly different from ours, and each other. We’ve never tried to cook an evening family meal that e...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 29, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
A Report from the Diabetes Professional Care Conference in London
Now in its third year, DPC2017 offered attendees in London an impressive array of presentations, debates, workshops, and networking opportunities. The two-day event at the Olympia featured contributions from over a hundred world experts covering all aspects of diabetes care, and showcased the emerging technologies underpinning tomorrow’s healthcare solutions.
The vast program on offer was split into five streams over two days focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes and other associated conditions. The line-up also included dedicated sessions on hypoglycemia and diabetic foot ulcers, with visitors...
Source: Medgadget - November 20, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Exclusive Medicine Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Students Win Dyson Award for sKan Melanoma Detector
A team of biomedical engineering students have won the 2017 international James Dyson Award, and the £30,000 ($39,000) prize that goes with it, for their innovative sKan device that uses skin temperature measurements to diagnose skin cancer. The James Dyson Award runs in 23 countries, and is open to university level students and recent graduates studying product design, industrial design, and engineering.
The final year students at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada used their skills of ingenuity and invention to tackle the problem of affordable and reliable melanoma diagnosis. Current diagnostic options for melanoma...
Source: Medgadget - November 10, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tom Peach Tags: Dermatology Source Type: blogs
How To Make Your Car Feminine Without Going The Barbie Route
Did you inherit or get a vehicle as a present? It might be for your 18th birthday, or even your graduation gift. If it’s a used vehicle, then more often than not it is a family vehicle. If you want to make your practical and masculine vehicle into something more feminine to suite you, then here are a few tips to help you out.
The vehicle model selection – if you are yet to buy a vehicle, then along with all the functions, the payment for it, the ease of it for driving and the smoothness of it’s travelling, remember to also look for a model that doesn’t look too masculine. Without a doubt, you can ...
Source: Nurse Blogger - November 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Fabiola Panicucci Tags: Art & Design Source Type: blogs
