A new bioelectronic sensor enables continuous monitoring of bladder function. This could be a game-changer for people with paralysis, spina bifida, bladder cancer or end-stage bladder disease.
A research team created a computational model that simulates the invasion of cancer cells in breast tumors on a biomechanical level. This could help predict the evolution of breast cancer in patients.
Using 3D bioprinting to accurately replicate the biological environment surrounding gastric cancer cells, researchers predicted a patient’s response to anticancer drugs during the preclinical stage.
Using ultrasound imaging to detect Covid-19 infections, a new automated detection tool could help doctors in the emergency room diagnose patients quickly and accurately.
United Imaging showcased its full portfolio of AI-empowered products at the ECR 2024 in Vienna. The company highlighted its significant EU growth since establishing its regional HQ in 2019.
HighlightsEasy to site 1.5T due to compact footprint and DryCool technology: 0.7 liters of liquid helium - no quench pipeMore time to care for patients by delivering intuitive workflow for operators at all skill levels with myExam CompanionHigh resolution and fast diagnostic results due to AI-powered imaging technologiesFlexible and intelligent BioMatrix Contour Coils for patient…
Breast cancer has no “one size fits all” therapy approach: subtypes differ significantly in malignancy, progression, and treatment response. Therefore, the more is known about the type of carcinoma in a patient, the better the outcome. At the annual scientific EUSOBI meeting in Valencia, Dr Ramona Woitek pointed out the potential of novel imaging techniques and computational image analysis…
‘Next Generation Radiology: Embracing the future and redefining the field of radiology’: In the run-up to the European Congress of Radiology 2024, we spoke with ESR President Professor Carlo Catalano from Rome, Italy, about the meeting’s content and its intriguing theme.
Scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of a wide variety of snakes found throughout Africa, Asia and Australia.
Patients suffering from cartilage defects in the knee may benefit from a new method in development: Using cartilage from the nose, researchers grow a tailor-made implant.
A research team created "laboratory testicles" that may significantly advance understanding of the mechanisms involved in sex determination and provide solutions for male infertility.
Chronic stress can have a significant impact on health, from an increased risk for heart disease to a greater susceptibility of cancer metastasis. New research points out the underlying mechanisms.
Gender inequality, poor work-life integration, lack of support: female medical professionals are exposed to greater levels of stress and are more prone to burnout than men, a new study finds.
Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy run the risk of injuring their lungs. This can lead to conditions like pneumonitis and fibrosis. A new cell-by-cell model can help make treatments safer.
HighlightsARTIS pheno – the only robotic C-arm system on the market – delivers images for preprocedural planning, intraoperative guidance, and immediate assessment Detector: zen40HDR, hi-res cristalline silicon / CsI, 30 × 40 (2.496 × 1.856 px), 160 μm Simplify and standardize surgical procedures – with Procedural Intelligence Visualization of up to…
HighlightsThe integrated infusion pump enables simultaneous administration of fluids during an MRI examinationWorks with select pre-filled syringes to increase throughput via quick use and improved patient turnaround timesIntegrated infusion pump enables simultaneous administration of additional medication needed by some patients to undergo MRI examination¹CM/NaCl²Infusion pump
HighlightsDual head CT contrast delivery system.When efficiency and care combine seamlesslyOptiBolus feature to help reduce the contrast loadDedicated multi-patient softwareAll in one preconnected 24h dayset, with closed system, air & particles filtersSecufill patient line with double safety valveOnly a few seconds preparation between patientsCertified syringes & manyFill…
Highlights1.5 T magnet with 70 cm Open Bore designed for an installation in a trailerWith Deep Resolve, our new gamechanging acceleration technology, also planned for 3D³Unique BioMatrix TechnologymyExam Companion offers guided workflowsFree-breathing examinationsRemote imaging solutions⁴Save up to 40%⁵ energy consumption per year – based on COCIR¹ Maximum gradient amplitude…
Highlights1.5 T magnet with 70 cm Open Bore and large FOV up to 50 cm³With Deep Resolve, our new game-changing acceleration technology, also planned for 3D²Unique BioMatrix TechnologyTurbo Suite acceleration packages for 2D and 3D scans cross bodyGuided workflows with myExam CompanionIncluding myExam Implant Suite – solves complexities of scanning patients with…
Highlights10-min exams with best-practice-based protocolsUp to 30 %² energy savings in standby mode with Eco-PowerIncreased throughput and consistency with myExam CompanionMore patient comfort with ultra-light-weight Tim 4G coils and Quiet SuiteExpand clinical offerings with advanced trendsetting applicationsAvailable with syngo MR XA50M software¹ Maximum gradient amplitude and slewrate…
HighlightsIncrease patient satisfaction with quiet exams10-min exams with best-practice-based protocolsUp to 30 %² energy savings in standby mode with Eco-PowerIncreased throughput with Tim 4G and myExam CompanionMaximizing return due to minimized siting requirements and costsAvailable with syngo MR XA50M software¹ Maximum gradient amplitude and slewrate can be applied…
Highlights1.5 T magnet with 70 cm Open Bore and large FOV up to 50cm³With Deep Resolve, our new game-changing acceleration technology, also planned for 3D²Unique BioMatrix TechnologyTurbo Suite acceleration packages for 2D and 3D scans cross bodyGuided workflows with myExam CompanionIncluding myExam Implant Suite - solves complexities of scanning patients with implantsSave up to…
Highlights3T magnet with 70 cm Open Bore and large FOV up to 55cm3With Deep Resolve, our new game-changing acceleration technology, also planned for 3D² Unique BioMatrix TechnologyTurbo Suite acceleration packages for 2D and 3D scans cross bodyGuided workflows with myExam CompanionUnique patient-centered coil portfolio powered by BioMatrix and Tim 4G technologyLatest applications…
Higher image quality, better spatial resolution: A new radiology study demonstrates how photon-counting CT imaging can improve evaluation of coronary artery disease.
Researchers have developed a 3D-bioprinted, miniaturized chip to advance the understanding of cardiovascular disease and aid in the development of new precision treatments.
Fujifilm Healthcare Europe will present its Echelon Synergy MRI system at the European Congress of Radiology 2024. The 1.5 T scanner employs AI features to enhance image quality and scanning speed.
After a stroke, patients often experience uncontrollable spasms of their arms and hands. Engineers have developed a glove-like wearable medical device that offer relief for the condition.
Instead of killing viruses and bacteria with chemical disinfection, a new approach uses minuscule spikes to skewer them. This could be used to prevent surface contamination in hospitals or labs.
AI technology holds promise for personalised cancer therapies. However, rigid and slow approval requirements impede its introduction, say experts – and point out how this might be changed.
RTI presents its latest advancement in X-ray Quality Assurance and testing. Centered around efficiency, Mako provides the ultimate no-fuss experience, simple setup in all X-ray applications, and fully wireless capability.
Heat islands found in many European cities have a clear impact on human mortality risk, comparable to air pollution. A new study has produced the first cost estimate of this impact.
AI models are highly capable in analysing tissue samples – as long as conditions are lab-perfect. Add a little contamination, however, and diagnostic accuracy goes out the window, a new study shows.
Highlights• Innovative technologies that automatically detect and prevent motion artifacts, reduce noise, and simultaneously enhance color• 15" infrared touch screen improves gesturing accuracy• Increase patient throughput with mobile quick scanning and boot-up times of less than 30 seconds• The IntraCardiac Echocardiography (ICE) Edition integrates the imaging…
HighlightsThe mamTOMO phantom is a novel approach in DBT QA. The phantom incorporates 3D test objects that simulate lesions and nonspiculated masses in a nonhomogeneous background.An associated automated evaluation software assists at all test stages from image processing, statistic data evaluation to extrapolation of threshold diameters for lesion perceptibility.
HighlightsA dedicated MRI scanner designed to meet the demands of cardiovascular examinationsFree-breathing CMR exams with Compressed Sensing Cardiac CineTissue characterization with MyoMaps and HeartFreeze for differential diagnosis of myocardial injuryExtend the benefits of CMR to patients prone to susceptibility artefacts with High Bandwidth Inversion RecoveryPerform CMR exams without ECG…
HighlightsUnique BioMatrix TechnologyBoost productivity with Turbo Suite, Simultaneous Multi-Slice, and Deep ResolveAdvanced free-breathing MRI examsGO technologies powered by artificial intelligence boost patient throughputSave energy consumption with Eco-PowerIncreased consistency and workflow acceleration with myExam CompanionAvailable with syngo MR XA50M software¹ Maximum gradient…
HighlightsInnovative Ultra IQ Technology including dynamic pTx enables to leverage the full potential of 7T MRIDeep Resolve leads to previously unheard resolution and acquisition speedMultinuclear MR opens a window into physiology with sodium imaging and phosphorus spectroscopyDeployment of custom reconstruction algorithms seamlessly into clinical workflows while fostering open and collaborative…
HighlightsLargest customer base of installed PET-MR systems worldwideState-of-the-art 3T MRI with 2nd order shimComprehensive set of surface coils available for full range of MR-only examsNot only simultaneous, but synergistic PET-MR: MR-based motion compensation of PET imagesWhole-body MR-based PET attenuation correction including major bonesUp to 10 bed positions with PET-MRAvailable with syngo…
HighlightsThe first MRI scanner with BioMatrix Technology3T magnet with 70cm Open Bore and large 55×55×50 cm3 FOVUp to 60 / 200 XT gradients – for up to 25 % higher SNR for DWIWith Deep Resolve, our new AI-powered advanced image reconstruction technologyExplore new diagnostic frontiers based on quantitative information with MR FingerprintingLatest applications available with…
Combining a biological heart and a silicone robotic pump, researchers created a biorobotic heart that beats like a real one, with a focus on a valve on the left side of the heart.
HighlightsEasyDoseQM supports multi-site installations as well as the integration of measuring stations and column scales. Mobile digital radiography systems can be integrated and physically located with RFID technology. All supplied information can be analyzed with an integrated business intelligence tool. EasyDoseQM also includes a module to simulate organ dose with the help of a GPU based…
With the help of AI, a team at Caltech has designed a new type of catheter tube that impedes the upstream mobility of bacteria, without the need for antibiotics or chemical antimicrobial methods.
A research team has successfully developed “NK cell-engaging nanodrones” capable of selectively targeting and eliminating cancer cells, offering a potential solution for intractable cancer types.
When your stomach is full after a large meal, certain receptors are activated to tell the brain. A newly developed capsule could provoke this fullness signal early, potentially helping with treating obesity.
Operating a surgical robot is complicated, but now, researchers may have found a surprising way to shorten the learning process: with electricity applied to the head.
Using AI and optoacoustic imaging, researchers have developed a new method to assess microvascular changes in the skin – and thus the severity of diabetes in the patient.
Highlights:Dosimyco, a ready-to-use reagents kit for the quantification of MPA and its metabolite MPAG in plasma by LC-MS / MS. Mycophenolic acid is an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation and also for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Dosimyco enables simultaneous quantification of mycophenolic acid and its metabolite mycophenolate glucuronide in plasma…
Breaking & entering – on a minuscule scale: US researchers have shown how some pathogens like Toxoplasma can enter cells using physical force to cause an infection.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have designed and developed a novel diagnostic device to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) by shining a safe laser into the eye.
In the last few years, virtual reality has become a very significant tool in therapeutic applications, for example, to overcome deep-seated fears or the lack of empathy in abusers.
Soothing words, gentle sounds: ASMR videos are known to induce pleasant tingling sensations in viewers. Researchers have now published the first systematic review on why (and how) this works.
Chronic wounds in diabetes patients are often slow to heal, which can lead to serious infections and even limb amputation. Now, researchers propose to address this with a magnetic wound-healing gel.
A team at the University of Bristol has developed a robot manipulator that could carry out clinical breast examinations. The developers hope the device will revolutionise breast health monitoring.
New research from Deusto University in Bilbao, Spain, provides evidence that people can inherit artificial intelligence biases (systematic errors in AI outputs) in their decisions.
Today, on September 30th, the Human Brain Project (HBP) formally completes its 10-year runtime as an EU-funded FET Flagship. Three HPB lead figures recount what has been achieved.
Could a single biomarker detect all types of diseases related to dopamine deficiency in the brain? According to a Swedish research group, such a marker may have just been found.
Two out of the four screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognising sepsis, according to new research presented at the EUSEM Congress.
A team at Politecnico di Milano developed iHEART, a mathematical and computational model of the human heart designed for studying coronary artery disease.
Basque researchers propose a bioelectronic device consisting of gold electrodes coated with a smart polymer capable of capturing and releasing cells in a non-invasive, controllable way.
Scientists have developed a device that works with a smartphone or tablet to capture medical images which can identify infected wounds through thermal and fluorescence imaging.
The 2023 AACC meeting saw two exciting AI applications in lab medicine: a predictive algorithm for MS, and machine learning for detecting contaminated lab samples.
A new device that combines microfluidics on paper, electrochemical transduction and immunoassays on magnetic nanoparticles is useful for easy and rapid diagnosis of lung diseases.
Global warming could hasten the release of ‘time-travelling’ pathogens from melting permafrost and ice that have been trapped for millennia, new research finds.
A tiny robot which can travel deep into the lungs to detect and treat the first signs of cancer has been developed by researchers at the University of Leeds.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a 3D prototype of human skin bioprinted to model inflammatory skin disease such as atopic dermatitis — more commonly known as eczema.
Under the impulse of the European Commission, the in vitro diagnostic industry is developing emerging technologies to implement sustainable practices in medical laboratories. As sustainability has been a growing priority of the European Union (EU) in the last decade, ‘the medical technology sector, particularly the IVD sector, must comply with European legislation in this field like all other…
Scientists have developed a tool to create a digital replica of an individual's heart, which could inform the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Photon-counting CT allows for a comprehensive, simultaneous evaluation of lung structure and function, something not possible with standard CT, according to a new study.
Treatment times for radiotherapy could be reduced for some early breast cancer patients, according to a trial led by University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
From current mixed reality assistance, technological advances could soon make fully digital autopsies a reality. This could enhance efficiency and legal certainty, and also benefit training.
A new publication discusses deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photonics for the disinfection of Sars-CoV-2 and its variants (Delta and Omicron) in the cryogenic environment.
For proton radiation therapy against cancer, there is yet no direct method for mapping the beam range during dose delivery. A new method devised by Dresden scientists could help.
Knots are a crucial part of surgery, but surprisingly little is known about how they work. To fill this gap, a team at EPFL started the first physics-based study on the mechanics of surgical knots, and exactly what properties influence their strength.
A new method for cheaply producing heart valves in the span of minutes shows great promise. The scientists describe the method as "a cotton-candy machine with a hair dryer behind it."
Chatbots are increasingly becoming a part of health care around the world, but do they encourage bias? New research from the University of Colorado School of Medicine hints at this possibility.
Performing cataract surgery in both eyes on the same day instead of with a two-week interval is equally safe but more cost-effective and patient-friendly, a new large-scale study shows.
Researchers have succeeded in introducing a vascular system into tiny living and beating model human heart muscles, an achievement which it's hoped will accelerate progress toward the ultimate goal of repairing damage from heart disease.
Clinicians in an intensive care unit need to make complex decisions quickly and precisely, monitoring critically ill or unstable patients around the clock.
New research has identified a potential therapeutic target and developed a unique delivery system to treat osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that primarily affects children and adolescents.
Premature infants, especially very low birthweight babies, are at risk for intraventricular hemorrhage. A frequent complication of these brain bleeds is hydrocephalus that can gravely disrupt brain development.
US researchers have developed a way to use MRI scanning to map body cell metabolism, opening up new possibilities for detecting cancers and revealing if a tumor is responding to treatment.
A UK research team has developed a new technique that combines machine learning with short-wave infrared (SWIR) fluorescence imaging to detect precise boundaries of tumors.
US scientists report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to simultaneously detect Covid-19 and flu viruses — at much lower levels and much more quickly than conventional tests for either.
Omar Darwish, PhD student at King's College London, is researching new approaches to 3D MRE sequences for measuring liver fibrosis and inflammation simultaneously in obese patients.
Hamamatsu Photonics announces the release of a new high-speed kinetic plate imager, the FDSS-GX, designed for kinetic cell-based assay development.
Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have developed a new type of nanoparticles inspired by the structure of amyloids, capable of neutralising the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
French radiologists received prizes for the best interventional radiology toolkit for use in space travel at the JFR 2022, the annual meeting of the French Society of Radiology (SFR).
Researchers at the University of New South Wales unveil prototype device that can directly 3D print living cells onto internal organs and potentially be used as an all-in-one endoscopic surgical tool.
A new interdisciplinary article suggests ways in which the virtual-reality-based metaverse can help design healthy living environments and combat non-communicable diseases.
Highlights Suitable for mobile C-Arms Smart design with smooth surfacesExcellent performance and high reliability Advanced simulation technologies used in development and production Our…
HighlightsLargest customer base of installed PET/MR systems worldwideState-of-the-art 3T MRI with 2nd order shimComprehensive set of surface coils available for full range of MR-only examsNot only simultaneous, but synergistic PET/MR: MR-based motion compensation of PET imagesWhole-body MR-based PET attenuation correction including major bonesUp to 10 bed positions with PET/MRAvailable with syngo…
Researchers have developed a Raman microscope that can acquire information hundreds of times faster than the conventional method. This could help expand its usefulness in biomedical applications.
A Korean research team successfully changed the properties of carcinogenic cells in the lungs and eliminate both drug resistance and their ability to proliferate out to other areas of the body.
Preparing patients for surgery in a separate space from the operating theatre brings significant benefits in freeing up operating theatre schedules and staff time, according to new research.
A team of researchers from Portugal and Germany tested an innovative solution to classify seizures, the main symptom of epilepsy, using infrared radar and 3D videos.
Both hot and cold environments trigger a stress response and can lead to cardiovascular problems. Results of a new study are especially interesting in light of the current multiple global crises.
In a recent study, a US research team developed a revolutionary laser-based approach to perform microbiopsies. Their novel method could make biopsies faster, more cost-effective, and less harmful to the patient.
Reseachers from the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a method for contactless electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring through a millimeter-wave radar system.
Researchers tracked viruses passing through face masks and compared their failure on the filter layers of different mask types. This could accelerate the development of surfaces that can kill viruses.
Researchers use AI to develop personalized 3D-printed joint implants so that these delicate finger parts can be replaced when necessary (e.g. after illness or injury).
Tapping the thriving Radiology AI ecosystem, Bayer recently announced three collaboration agreements for its digital platform, Calantic Digital Solutions, as well as an AI accelerator program.
Eunsin Bae, M.D. specializes in laboratory medicine and leads the Institute of Clinical Research at Seegene Inc. Her research focuses on microbiology, molecular biology, and hematology. Dr. Bae is currently working toward implementing a global clinical study and establishing an international network of clinical investigations.
This summer, The European Commission launched I3lung, a new research initiative as a part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation program. This research initiative aims to create a cutting-edge, decision-making tool to help clinicians and patients select the best lung cancer treatment based on each patient’s specific needs and circumstances.
Researchers from Barcelona report that vaccination with senescent cells shows promise in experimental models of melanoma and pancreatic cancer.
Speed or accuracy? As far as Covid-19 tests go, this was the choice you had to make. In the future, this dilemma could be a thing of the past.
With the rise of syndrome-style infections, co-infections and the current antimicrobial resistance challenges, the need for multiplexed diagnostics is now more important than ever.
A vaccine design approach that could protect against new variants of SARS-CoV-2 but also potentially protects against other coronaviruses is one step closer to reality as a result of new research.
Deaths from cancer are currently estimated at 10 million each year worldwide. Conventional cancer staging systems aim to categorize patients into different groups with distinct outcomes. ‘However, even within a specific stage, there is often substantial variation in patient outcomes,’ Markus Plass, academic researcher from the Medical University of Graz, Austria, explained to Healthcare in…
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare pediatric tumor. For more than 40 years there has not been any new development regarding treatment. Research led by Prof. Dr. Anton Henssen at Charité University Berlin has now identified a new therapeutic option, using a drug that is currently under investigation for other types of cancer.
In MRI-based monitoring of silicone implants, separation of silicone and fat tissue is challenging. A newly developed algorithm was designed to assist in the task.
How can rapid antigen tests be adjusted to reliably detect future variants of SARS-CoV-2? A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health is currently working on finding an answer.
When double reading screening mammograms, radiographers trained for the task perform as well as radiologists in key areas, according to a new publication.
German researchers present a novel method for testing chemical agents that could help in the development of drugs against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
UK researchers developed and validated a deep learning algorithm that can identify and outline a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor on a CT scan within seconds.
Exposure to ionising radiation is a major health concern for many interventional radiologists. To help attain an understanding for radiation distribution in a clinical setting, experts tap into the potential of virtual reality (VR).
Researchers at McMaster University create device to replicate conditions in blood vessels after grafts.
The prototype device combines eRapid and SHERLOCK technologies into a single, postcard-sized system that can simultaneously detect the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies in a patient’s saliva.
To monitor the lung function of patients with severe respiratory or lung diseases outside of an ICU, researchers have developed a vest that records noises with integrated acoustic sensors.
A Europe-wide project aims to improve medical radiation protection for patients and staff by better understanding and evaluating the health effects of exposure to low-dose ionising radiation resulting from diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Networks adapt over time and in this way form a kind of memory. German researchers show that the structure of blood vascular network is dynamic and can adapt to external factors.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the fast and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases in clinical settings. Harald Maier discusses the implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics in the central clinical diagnostics laboratory at Innklinikum Altötting and Mühldorf, highlighting how the use of PCR testing has benefitted the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.
MIT researchers produced textiles that sense the wearer’s posture and motions. Their “smart” shoes and mats could be used in applications ranging from health care to prosthetics.
Copper exposure in the environment and the protein alpha-synuclein in the human brain could play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, researchers found.
Cambridge University Hospitals and the Faculty of Education are helping to bring medical training using 'mixed reality' technology a step closer.
Reseachers have developed a novel microneedle for injecting therapeutics into the eyes, potentially solving one of the major challenges of treating eye diseases.
Russia's war against Ukraine is also playing out in cyberspace. In the process, clinics in Germany could also be caught in the digital crossfire, IT experts warn.
Researchers have developed 3D printed artificial heart valves designed to allow a patient’s own cells to form new tissue.
Latest developments in computational protein design enable the simulation of sequence and structural changes in proteins for creating novel agents in human medicine.
When a virus makes its way into the body, one of the immune system’s first responders is a set of pathogen-removal cells called macrophages. But they don’t all target viruses in the same way.
Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance enables major medical advances in molecular diagnostics, for example for cardiovascular diseases or cancer therapy.
In patients with serious and long-term Covid-19, disturbed blood coagulation is often observed. Now, Swedish researchers found a connection between harmful amyloid production and Covid-19 symptoms.
A research team in Spain and the US has created 3D-printed acoustic holograms to improve the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, among others.
Sofia 2 C. difficile FIA is a new solution to provide reliable and rapid test results with high clinical relevance before empiric therapy decisions are implemented.
Engineers have developed a prototype of a wearable that can continuously monitor several health stats—glucose, alcohol, and lactate levels—simultaneously in real-time.
Scientists have created a design and fabrication tool for soft pneumatic actuators for integrated sensing, which can power personalized health care.
Dr Christina Malamateniou spoke to The European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology about the recent review she led to help make MRI brain scans more accessible to autistic people.
Recently, a Korean research team has developed a 3D foot imaging technique that vividly captures peripheral blood vessels, even thinner than 1 mm. It combines photoacoustic and ultrasound images.
Mental disorders are among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide, and the demand for a viable solution to battle the mental health crisis has risen. The past two decades have witnessed the emergence of extended reality (XR) as a tool for investigation, assessment, and management in mental healthcare.
A major advance demonstrates first multi-organ chip made of engineered human tissues linked by vascular flow for improved modeling of systemic diseases like cancer.
Researchers have established an injectable hybrid inorganic nanoscaffold-templated stem cell assembly and applied it to the regeneration of critically-sized cartilage defects.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm.
A new biodegradable gel improves the immune system’s ability to keep cancer at bay after tumors are surgically removed.
The motion capture technology called Precise Marker-less could aid doctors and physiotherapists in their consultations and diagnoses for patients in need of rehabilitation.
In the human intestine, Escherichia coli is mostly harmless, but in certain conditions causes bladder infections and even sepsis - but why? Researchers went to the bottom of this transformation.
Modern medicine offers “peel and stick” solutions like nicotine or contraceptive patches to put right on the skin without needing to visit a doctor for an injection or procedure. Now, researchers have found that applying a topical ointment containing anti-tumor factor can increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
A wireless sensor could offer doctors a way to monitor changes in brain chemistry without requiring a second operation to remove the implant.
Engineers developed a variable stiffness catheter made of nontoxic threads that can transition between soft and rigid states during surgery.
A brain-computer interface array featuring microneedles affixed to a flexible backing allows arrays of micro-scale needles to conform to the contours of the brain.
Training robots with realistic pain expressions can reduce doctors' risk of causing pain during physical exams.
Scientists at the Spanish Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) have led the development of a new 3D ultrasound method that improves the assessment of cardiovascular risk in healthy individuals.
The system could enable significant advances for the 40,000 pediatric congenital heart disease patients born each year.
The tool has made it possible to detect SARS-CoV-2 in exudate from symptomatic patients with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 87.5%
Annual MRI screenings starting at ages 30-35 may reduce breast-cancer mortality by more than 50% among women who carry certain genetic changes in three genes, according to a new modeling analysis.
A new study has proved that it is possible to convert blood type safely in donor organs intended for transplantation. This is an important step towards creating universal type O organs.
Mathematical models used as patient surrogates could help clinicians select the best cancer treatment before going to the patient’s bedside.
Is the Underground a safe means of transport in times of Covid-19? A computer simulation, developed at the University of Leeds, has calculated the infection risk.
A large-scale study has found that simulation-based surgical training produced an increase of surgeons’ skills for more complex surgeries.
The combination of a novel blood test and magnetic resonance imaging can reduce overdiagnosis of low-risk cancers as well as societal costs in prostate cancer screening, according to a new study.
E-mental health services could provide a response to these challenges and offer effective ways for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare.
Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) present new findings on the immune response against SARS-CoV-2.
A new biopsy tool will enable scientists and clinicians to simultaneously profile many biomarkers in cells and tissues.
Researchers have developed a diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2 that is capable of differentiating between COVID-19 and the garden-variety bug with fast turnaround.
Interventional cardiology is entering a new era with the wider introduction of robotic procedures which bring significant benefits to the medical team and the patient. Two experts outlined the benefits at the ESC 2021 Digital Summit.
Scientists at have designed a quantum sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2 faster, cheaper, and more accurate than the current gold-standard technique, PCR.
Ever since the Abbe diffraction limit of conventional microscopy has been surpassed, super-resolution techniques have been diving ever deeper into the most miniscule details of molecular structures. We spoke with Prof. Dominic Zerulla, whose company PEARlabs is developing an imaging technique that sets out to push the boundaries once more – by looking at in-vivo nano-scale processes in motion.
A new study has found that AI can help physicians in interpreting x-rays after an injury and suspected fracture. This has the potential to improve diagnostic performance and efficiency.
The number of gamified mobile applications is rising rapidly—especially in healthcare. Gamified apps or devices are used in many fields, from mental health therapy to stroke rehab to managing metabolic conditions. This article illustrates how gamification is employed in diabetes care.
One of the crucial future technologies in surgery is Augmented Reality (AR). Most experts agree that AR will increase safety and efficiency, improve surgical training and decrease costs.
To counteract the spread of resistant germs, researchers have developed new drug candidates that are able to render one of the most important hospital germs harmless.
A novel artificial intelligence score provides a more accurate forecast of the likelihood of patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease dying within 10 years than established scores used by health professionals worldwide. The research was presented at EuroEcho 2021, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.
One size does not fit all when it comes to diagnostics. Different diagnostic locations need solutions that meet their needs, whether for on-demand testing in a healthcare setting or a laboratory managing population screening. Finding the right solution can be a challenge especially when the future may change what a laboratory needs, Hologic Inc. reports.
AI-designed Xenobots reveal an entirely new form of biological self-replication—promising for regenerative medicine.
Test could measure patient immunity against multiple COVID-19 variants such as Omicron and Delta at once and inform which synthetic monoclonal antibody to use for treatments.
X-ray vision, context-sensitive guidance, coordinator, training assistant and more: augmented reality (AR) has hit the OR. While still in its infancy AR does grow rapidly and has already shown enormous potential. University Professor Dr Rüdiger von Eisenhart-Rothe, Chair of Orthopaedics and Sports Orthopaedics at the Technical University Munich, explains the advantages of different AR…
For the Siemens Healthineers team developing new and ever higher performing computed tomographs is daily fare. But when they introduced their most recent CT system an unusual sense of pride was palpable. The photon-counting detector in the new Naeotom Alpha scanner is different from previous models and achieves a level of detail hitherto unknown.
Wearable technology has become an important part of medicine, from tracking vital signs to disease diagnosis. In surgery, wearable technologies can now assist, augment, and provide a means of patient assessment before, during and after surgical procedures. Wearable technologies are applied before the patient even reaches the operating room, for example in prehabilitation, i.e. pre-treatment…
‘Bittium NeurOne is one of the quickest and most accurate EEG measuring devices in the world designed for clinical and research use,’ the manufacturer reports. ‘Bittium NeurOne system enables fully synchronised group measuring of up to 30 people simultaneously, for example in different types of psychological studies. ‘The solution is optimised for use with transcranial magnetic…
Video streaming of surgeries, augmented reality displays and at-home assessment of sleep apnea: Medtech companies from Taiwan will showcase their newest products at Medica in Düsseldorf. Ahead of the trade fair, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) presented award-winning examples of the nation’s ingenuity.
This year as every year, the very best in global HealthTech will be converging on Dusseldorf for the Medica trade fair. With more than 127 companies attending the event from November 15-18, France will have one of the largest contingents there. Grouped together under the brand umbrella of “French Healthcare”, the French MedTech companies will be presenting their many innovations to industry…
"Virtual Care & Digital Therapeutics", "Medical Artificial Intelligence & Robotics", "Fields of Innovation" and "Societal aspects of digitized healthcare" are the topics of this year's Health IT Forum at Medica. New this year: In line with the hybrid event concept of the trade fair, the Expert Panels, Tech Talks and Deep Dive Sessions can be…
Leading medical XR experts gathered at Shift Medical to discuss developments on the use of immersive technologies in medicine. We interviewed Doctor Egidijus Pelanis of Oslo University Hospital, about applying extended realities in the operating room.
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) demonstrate a thorough and non-invasive imaging technique to identify areas of the eye affected by diabetic retinopathy (DR), a progressive eye disease associated with diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. The researchers have found that blue light can be used to probe the depths of the eye and uncover areas affected by DR.
The mechanisms by which the body measures temperature and regulates its own body heat are vital, but still poorly understood. The discovery of the first heat sensor on nerve cells in the skin, for which the U.S. molecular biologist David Julius received this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine, was therefore pioneering. However, a very similar heat sensor, the protein TRPM2, is active not only in the…
“Twindemic” is a term that has not yet been in the headlines but is likely to become part of our lexicon as the summer progresses.
The Covid-19 crisis that gripped England between September 2020 and June 2021 can be thought of as a series of overlapping epidemics, rather than a single event, say researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the German Cancer Research Center.
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a completely new stimulation method, using ultra-thin microelectrodes, to combat severe pain. This provides effective and personalised pain relief without the common side effects from pain relief drugs. The study, which was conducted on rats, has been published in the research journal Science Advances.
“An artificial uterus – the incubator 2.0 – will become a reality within 10 years,” says Jasmijn Kok, one of the founders of Juno, a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands. Together with researchers from the department of Industrial Design from the University, including her twin sister Lyla Kok, she wants to bring a technology that increases the chances of…
Since 2015, the number of known ransomware attacks has not only increased substantially across many industries. Hospitals, and the healthcare industry in general, have also become favorite targets of ransomware attackers, leading to very real incidents in which patient care and patients’ lives have been put at risk.
It is still elusive to what extent interactions between different cell types of the heart influence the normal heart rhythm and possibly trigger life-threatening arrhythmias. A new measurement method developed at the University of Bern combines for the first time optical and electrical recording of cardiac ventricular activation which, in conjunction with optogenetics, will permit finding…
New research indicates that MRIs are cost effective for detecting breast cancer for women with very dense breasts detected by mammography. About 10% of women have extremely dense breasts, and current mammography screening guidelines do not recommend additional imaging tests unless there is a strong family history or genetic risk for breast cancer. Such women face two problems. They have increased…
Trainee trauma or orthopaedic surgeons have limited chances to practice hip replacement surgery before their first hands-on case. To change this, a team in the Dynamic HIPS project aim to improve this by creating a dynamic hip replacement simulator for future surgeons to practice the intervention and develop a reality-based feel for the procedure.
Scientists use super-resolution microscopy to study previously undiscovered cellular worlds, revealing nanometer-scale details inside cells. This method revolutionized light microscopy and earned its inventors the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In an international collaboration, AI researchers from Tübingen have now developed an algorithm that significantly accelerates this technology.
A new technology that can study which therapies will work on patients with solid cancerous tumours has been developed by scientists at University College London (UCL). Researchers say the tool, which can rapidly test tumorous tissue against different treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiotherapy, could be used by clinicians to pinpoint the best therapy for a particular patient.
'Unite behind the science' is an essential appeal from climate activist figurehead Greta Thunberg – and so they did: Over 200 health journals across the world have come together to simultaneously publish an editorial calling on world leaders to take emergency action to limit global temperature increases, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health. While recent targets to reduce…
Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation – according to researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have 3D-printed a first-of-its-kind glioblastoma tumor that mimics a living cancer malignancy, powering new methods to improve treatment and accelerate the development of new drugs for the most lethal type of brain cancer. Glioblastoma is notoriously fatal as it accounts for the majority of brain tumors and is highly aggressive. The average survival time of…
Digital pathology (DP) is a game-changer in the workflow, functionality and accessibility of a hospital’s pathology department. As pathologists understand the benefits, and the availability of commercial products and systems increase, alongside data transmission and storage costs decreasing, DP deployment in hospitals is accelerating. Pathology informatics expert Anil V Parwani MD PhD discussed…
Cancer patients’ medical records can often comprise up to 100 terabytes of individual — and usually very heterogeneous — data, including blood and tumor values, personal indicators, sequencing and treatment data, and much more besides. Up to now, it has been virtually impossible to use this wealth of information efficiently due to a lack of appropriate processing mechanisms. As a result,…
Nanocontainers can transport substances into cells where they can then take effect. This is the method used in, for example, the mRNA vaccines currently being employed against Covid-19 as well as certain cancer drugs. In research, similar transporters can also be used to deliver labelled substances into cells in order to study basic cellular functions. To take advantage of their full potential,…
El laboratorio de Genómica Biomédica del IRB Barcelona (Institute for Research in Biomedicine) ha desarrollado un método computacional que identifica las mutaciones causantes del cáncer para cada tipo de tumor.
The Biomedical Genomics laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) Barcelona has developed a computational tool that identifies cancer driver mutations for each tumour type. This and other developments produced by the same lab seek to accelerate cancer research and provide tools to help oncologists choose the best treatment for each patient. The study has been published in the…
A team of scientists at Argonne National Laboratory has leveraged artificial intelligence to train computers to keep up with the massive amounts of X-ray data taken at the Advanced Photon Source.
Clinician well-being is imperative to providing high-quality patient care, yet clinician burnout continues to increase, especially over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four leading cardiovascular organisations are calling for global action to improve clinician well-being in a joint opinion paper.
A new report that could help improve how immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are used in healthcare education and training has been published with significant input from the University of Huddersfield. Professor David Peebles, Director of the University’s Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, and Huddersfield PhD graduate Matthew Pears contributed to…
Computer models have been standard tools in basic biomedical research for many years. However, around 70 years after the first publication of an ion current model of a nerve cell by Hodgkin & Huxley in 1952, researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), in collaboration with the Medical University of Graz and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, have finally…
Rapid tests effectively broke Covid-19 infection chains in spring 2021. This is shown by a model developed by researchers of the ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy Cluster of Excellence of the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, the Collaborative Research Center Transregio 224 EPoS of the Universities of Bonn and Mannheim, and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). According to the…
234 random passersby got the opportunity to try a new virtual reality game, when researchers from the University of Copenhagen visited Fælledparken to test the efficiency of VR technology within health information. During the event, the participants tried their strength against a new VR game that simulates the effect of herd immunity. The game is developed by researchers at the Virtual Learning…
A study involving virtual rather than real patients was as effective in evaluating a medical device used to treat brain aneurysms, according to new research. The findings are proof of concept for what are called in-silico trials, where instead of recruiting people to a real-life clinical trial, researchers build digital simulations of patient groups, loosely akin to the way virtual…
Dr. Hayder Amin and Dr. Caghan Kizil from the DZNE’s Dresden site aim to speed up developing drugs against brain diseases through cutting-edge technology. To this end, they are generating an innovative technology platform, termed “i3D-Markers”, based on high-density microelectrode arrays and 3-dimensional networks of human neurons. Compounds to be tested will be dripped onto this setup, and…
Researchers report that they have developed a method to combine three brain-imaging techniques to more precisely capture the timing and location of brain responses to a stimulus. Their study is the first to combine the three widely used technologies for simultaneous imaging of brain activity. The work is reported in the journal Human Brain Mapping. The new "trimodal" approach combines…
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation resulting from the inflammatory response to coronavirus infection may be the cause of previously unexplained long Covid symptoms—such as fatigue, brain fog, and rashes—that occur in approximately 30% of patients after recovery from initial Covid-19 infection. The first evidence linking EBV reactivation to long Covid, as well as an analysis of long Covid…
Researchers from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of Bonn have examined the way in which SARS-CoV-2 reprograms the metabolism of the host cell in order to gain an overall advantage. According to their report in Nature Communications, the researchers were able to identify four substances which inhibit SARS-CoV-2…
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have published the first detailed atomic-level model of the SARS-CoV-2 "envelope" protein bound to a human protein essential for maintaining the lining of the lungs.
Brown University researchers have developed a technique that could allow deep brain stimulation devices to sense activity in the brain and adjust stimulation accordingly.
The EU-funded consortium Laser and Ultrasound Co-analyzer for Thyroid Nodules (LUCA) has developed a non-invasive, low-cost device that brings a new solution for thyroid cancer screening.
Researchers from ETH Zurich and University of Zurich have developed a new microscopy technique that lights up the brain with high resolution imagery. This allows neuroscientists to study brain functions and ailments more closely and non-invasively.
Carestream Health is transforming and accelerating the way it develops and delivers AI applications for medical imaging that help improve patient care. The state-of-the-art initiative is based on Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) GreenLake for Machine Learning Operations (ML Ops). The machine-learning-optimized cloud service infrastructure makes it easier and faster to get started with ML/AI…
Delaying the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines, at least for people aged under 65, could result in up to 20% lower mortality, but only under certain conditions, finds a US study published by The BMJ. These conditions include a one dose vaccine effectiveness (efficacy) of 80% or higher and vaccination rates of 0.1% to 0.3% of the population per day. If these conditions apply, the researchers say…
Computer scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed a more accurate navigation system that will allow robots to better negotiate busy clinical environments in general and emergency departments more specifically. The researchers have also developed a dataset of open source videos to help train robotic navigation systems in the future. The team, led by Professor Laurel Riek…
Vigorous and rapid air exchanges might not always be a good thing when it comes to addressing levels of coronavirus particles in a multiroom building, according to a new modeling study. The study suggests that, in a multiroom building, rapid air exchanges can spread the virus rapidly from the source room into other rooms at high concentrations. Particle levels spike in adjacent rooms within 30…
Kobe University Hospital’s Dr. Makoto Nishimori and Project Assistant Professor Kunihiko Kiuchi et al. (of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine) have developed an AI that uses multiple kinds of test data to predict the location of surplus pathways in the heart called ‘accessory pathways’, which cause the heart to beat irregularly. In this study, the…
An increasing number of bacterial pathogens are resistant to antibiotics. And the most dangerous pathogens share a common feature: a double membrane that is difficult to penetrate. Even when antibiotic agents are able to break into this shell, the bacteria just pump them right out again. But a recently discovered compound called Darobactin manages to circumvent these protective measures and kill…
In an industry where every second and every click counts, workflow inefficiencies consume as much as a third of the MRI procedure time. This is a key area of focus where technology advances can radically change what is possible with an MRI exam. Given declining reimbursements, fewer skilled resources, and the system-wide burden of chronic diseases, maximizing productivity is a strategic…
Researchers at the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL), hosted by the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Biosciences (IB-USP) in Brazil, have developed a technique to reconstruct and produce livers in the laboratory. The proof-of-concept study was conducted with rat livers. In the next stage of their research, the scientists will adapt the technique for the production of…
Clinicians using a new viral screening test can not only diagnose Covid-19 in a matter of minutes with a portable, pocket-sized machine, but can also simultaneously test for other viruses—like influenza—that might be mistaken for the coronavirus. At the same time, they can sequence the virus, providing valuable information on the spread of Covid-19 mutations and variants. The new test, dubbed…
With interventional procedures becoming more and more complex the demands on the interventionalists are also increasing. Endovascular simulators allow practical angiography training. In December 2020, the University Hospital Essen, Germany, was the first European facility to install Mentice’s VIST G7+. Professor Dr Jens Theysohn, senior physician at the Institute of Diagnostic and…
In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard have found the new mRNA Covid-19 vaccines to be highly effective in producing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in pregnant and lactating women. They also demonstrated the vaccines confer protective immunity to newborns…
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Switzerland developed a second-generation ‘double antibody’ that protects from SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, and all its tested variants. It also prevents the virus from mutating to resist the therapy. Antibody-based immunotherapy was already shown to be effective against Covid-19 but faces two main obstacles: it needs to work…
Researchers at University of Toronto have developed a new test to accurately detect coronavirus antibodies in a drop of blood in less than an hour.
Healthy and cancer cells can look similar under a microscope. One way of differentiating them is by examining the level of acidity, or pH level, inside the cells. Tapping on this distinguishing characteristic, a research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine whether a single cell is healthy or cancerous…
Digital Covid-19 ‘symptom checkers’ may stop some patients from getting prompt treatment for serious illness, suggests an international case simulation study. Both the US and UK symptom checkers consistently failed to identify the symptoms of severe Covid-19, bacterial pneumonia, and sepsis, frequently advising these cases to stay home, the findings indicate. The availability and use of…
Tumour metabolism can be imaged with MRI as a technique to help determine cancer aggressiveness and response to therapy. The work by a UK-based group, on probing cancer metabolism non-invasively with clinical hyperpolarised carbon-13 MRI, can detect metabolic changes in the tumour. As metabolic changes occur much earlier than change in tumour size, this could have implications for quicker…
A research team of pharmacists at the University of Bonn has discovered two families of active substances that can block the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The drug candidates are able to switch off the the key enzyme of the virus, the so-called main protease. The study is based on laboratory experiments. Extensive clinical trials are still required for their further development as…
According to the World Health Organization, one in six worldwide deaths have been attributed to cancer; however, these fatalities were not due to initial malignant tumors—the deaths were caused by the spread of cancer cells to surrounding tissues and subsequent tumor growth. These tissues, which consist largely of collagen, have been the focus of a recent collaborative study by a team from…
Computer modelling to forecast Covid-19 mortality contains significant uncertainty in its predictions, according to an international study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands. Their article ‘The Impact of Uncertainty on Predictions of the CovidSim Epidemiological Code’ was published in Nature Computational…
A £4 million research project will develop a new generation of artificial joints that last longer, produce fewer side effects and are better suited for younger people. The international collaboration, led by the University of Leeds and funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, will focus on improved design and testing to reduce the chance that the implants develop faults and fail, or cause…
Research scientists at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have investigated the mechanisms by which hypertension leads to arterial damage and atherosclerosis. The results may facilitate the development of new therapies. Hypertension is a prevalent condition affecting approximately one third of all adults. It is also the leading global cause of morbidity and mortality. The condition…
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer’s levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same…
With two commercially available inhibitors, the cell cycle of the cancer cells in neuroblastomas can be disrupted at a key point causing tumour cell death. Neuroblastomas are malignant solid tumours that occur mainly in early childhood. Inhibiting the MYCN oncogene or its function could be a promising therapeutic opportunity.
A new type of quantum holography which uses entangled photons to overcome the limitations of conventional holographic approaches could lead to improved medical imaging and speed the advance of quantum information science. A team of physicists from the University of Glasgow are the first in the world to find a way to use quantum-entangled photons to encode information in a hologram. The process…
Over 23 million people around the world suffer from heart failure. The disease is usually treated with a transplant, but because donated hearts are hard to come by, there is an ongoing need for alternative therapies. With new developments in cardiac assistance systems, we can delay the need for a transplant – or even eliminate it altogether,” says Professor Yves Perriard, head of EPFL’s…
Engineers at EPFL’s Center for Artificial Muscles have developed a silicone aorta that can reduce how hard patients’ hearts have to pump. Their breakthrough could offer a promising alternative to heart transplants. “Over 23 million people around the world suffer from heart failure. The disease is usually treated with a transplant, but because donated hearts are hard to come by, there is an…
Evidence is emerging that vitamin D – and possibly vitamins K and A – might help combat Covid-19. A new study from the University of Bristol published in the journal of the German Chemical Society Angewandte Chemie has shown how they – and other antiviral drugs – might work. The research indicates that these dietary supplements and compounds could bind to the viral spike protein and so…
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men. Patients are determined to have prostate cancer primarily based on PSA, a cancer factor in blood. However, as diagnostic accuracy is as low as 30%, a considerable number of patients undergo additional invasive biopsy and thus suffer from resultant side effects, such as bleeding and pain.
Could surgical procedures for hip or knee arthritis be improved? IT specialists at Leipzig University Hospital’s Innovation Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery (ICCAS), and physicians in the Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma and Plastic Surgery department, analysed and optimised the operating room (OR) setup, legwork and instruments handling. We asked project manager Juliane Neumann, at…
With Covid-19 dominating medical science and human concern, chemists at the University of Sydney have developed a method to quickly and safely synthesise protein vaccines for respiratory diseases for pre-clinical tests. Their approach can be used to test vaccine strategies against novel pandemic pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
It is a simple image of two desks in a hospital pathology department, taken a matter of months apart. But there can be few more vivid images that illustrate the changing world of pathology as the specialty forges ahead into the digital era. The image was taken by Dr Solène-Florence Kammerer-Jacquet during the transition towards digital pathology at Rennes University Hospital in France in the…
Telepathology remains number one application for digital pathology, according to expert Professor Liron Pantanowitz, Professor of Pathology and Director of Anatomical Pathology at the University of Michigan. Speaking at the ‘7th Digital Pathology and AI Congress: Europe’, Pantanowitz outlined advances in telepathology, and its enabling access to broader expertise, image sharing and rapid…
Aneurysm operations in the brain rank among the most delicate procedures in neurosurgery. The highest demands are placed on surgeons when choosing the type of intervention, planning the route and carrying out extremely delicate procedures on the blood vessel. A new training technology co-developed between Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and ARTORG Center of the University of Bern, will…
Non-degradable prostheses for cardiovascular tissues can be used to replace heart valves and blood vessels, but they can’t stay in the body permanently. In two recent papers, researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in collaboration with a number of clinical partners, the Dutch Heart Foundation, and TU/e spin-off companies Suprapolix, Xeltis, and STENTiT have shown how…
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston have developed a novel blood test using an enhanced form of liquid biopsy capable of detecting the most common types of genetic mutations that occur in glioma brain tumors. The test is easy to use, inexpensive, produces results rapidly, and can be performed in most clinical laboratories. The researchers believe that the blood test has…
A scalpel-free alternative to brain surgery has the potential to benefit people with Parkinson’s disease symptoms that are much more severe on one side of the body, new research suggests. More testing is needed, but the approach, which uses a technology called focused ultrasound, could offer a new option for patients whose symptoms are poorly controlled by medications and those who cannot or do…
Improving the detection of cancerous cells during surgery – this is the goal of the European research project CARMEN. The research institutes Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) from Germany and Multitel asbl from Belgium work together with companies from both countries, JenLab GmbH, Deltatec, and LaserSpec, to develop a novel, compact and multimodal imaging system. This could even allow the…
Getting computers to “think” like humans is the holy grail of artificial intelligence, but human brains turn out to be tough acts to follow. The human brain is a master of applying previously learned knowledge to new situations and constantly refining what’s been learned. This ability to be adaptive has been hard to replicate in machines. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute have used a…
The 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo is just around the corner, and this year, we are going virtual! At Mindray, we are dedicated to empowering TRUST through technology, innovation, and commitment to the advances of science in the in-vitro diagnostics field. Join our virtual community now, and explore Mindray’s reliable solutions trusted by laboratories worldwide. You…
A new class of epidemiological models based on alternative thinking about how contagions propagate, particularly in the early phases of a pandemic, provide a blueprint for more accurate epidemic modeling and improved disease spread predictions and responses, according to a study published recently in Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions.
The sudden spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 has considerably exacerbated the issue as it forced the closure of “non-essential” radiology activities while dramatically increasing the number of patients requiring a scan.
To target ionised radiation as precisely as possible, imaging a tumour is vital in radiotherapy planning. ‘Today, imaging is used increasingly during the therapy itself,’ explained Professor Mark Ladd during the 51st annual meeting of the German Society for Medical Physics (DGMP).
In a preclinical study, NIH scientists found that the commonly used antibiotic methacycline may be effective at combating the neurological problems caused by Zika virus infections.
Italian neurosurgeon Professor Francesco Di Meco, explored the current and potential role of intra-operative ultrasound in neurosurgical oncology during the annual meeting of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) this October. The extent of resection is considered a prognostic factor in operative neuro oncology surgery and image-guided surgery is being regarded as one of the…
In a virtual roundtable 5G discussion five healthcare IT experts, three senior executives from major USA medical centres and two consultants, discussed questions posed by members of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have developed a new technique that will allow medical professionals to see disease deep inside the human body in 10 times more detail. Professor Robert Thomson and his team want to improve endoscopies, when long, thin optical fibres are used to look inside the body. The new technique will open up a route to unprecedented imaging resolution, says Thomson, and…
Among refurbishments at seven operating theatres at Marien Hospital in Hamburg, Germany, are new PCs and wall-mounted monitors supplied by the Mönchengladbach-based medical IT manufacturer and developer of software and hardware Rein Medical GmbH. ‘It was important to find a supplier which specialised in hardware for the operating theatre and who could supply high-quality products,’ said Rolf…
Sony has announced an update to its vendor-neutral medical imaging platform Nucleus. This version built in direct response to the pandemic, introduces remote patient observation with new recording functionalities for use in the operating room (OR), Intensive Care Units (ICU), endoscopy suites, interventional rooms or anywhere else in the hospital.
Increasingly, hospitals use 3D printing in surgery because the technology can enable fast, unique production of patient-tailored tools at relatively low costs. ‘As the technology itself is developing and accelerating at a fast pace, hospitals may be left behind if they choose not to adopt these advances,’ said Limor Haviv, surgical 3D printing designer at 3D4OP. Today, 3D printing is used in…
Specialists from the Department of Fundamental Medicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with Russian and Japanese colleagues have probed into mechanisms of COVID-19 inside-the-body distribution linked to erythrocytes damaging.
Researchers at Newcastle University are involved in a study to understand the risks of COVID-19 transmission on public transport and to identify the best measures to control it. Known as Project TRACK (Transport Risk Assessment for Covid Knowledge), the study will conduct fieldwork on buses and trains in London, Leeds and Newcastle, including the Metro system in Tyne and Wear.
Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses. Their fundamental findings on neurodegenerative processes simultaneously led the researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) to a completely new principle for…
It is only 120 millionths of a millimetre in size but can bring entire countries to a standstill: the Corona virus. Even if it were to disappear one day, viral infections will still be among the most frequent and difficult-to-treat diseases in humans. Even decades of research have only produced a few standardized vaccines and strategies for treatment to combat just a small number of viruses. Nor…
Royal Philips and LeQuest, a provider of online interactive simulation-based training for the use of medical devices, announced a partnership to provide online interactive training for the Philips Ultrasound Affiniti system. As a result, medical staff can train individually at their own convenience without the need for equipment, avoiding the resulting loss of operational time on the system, as…
Researchers have found a surprising effect of the stem cell-regulating growth factor R-spondin in intestinal cancer.
Scientists from Texas A&M University, Hewlett Packard Labs and Stanford University have developed a new nanodevice that acts almost identically to a brain cell.
There are many reasons why for some patients a visit to the doctor’s office is difficult or well-nigh impossible – limited mobility after surgery, old age, or a handicap. For others, particularly in rural areas, the doctor is often far away and/or difficult to reach due to poor public transport. In times of corona, another important issue emerged: infection protection.
Researchers have shown why hospital germs adhere strongly to surfaces from which water simply rolls off, but bind so poorly to surfaces that are easily wetted by water.
The anatomical pathologist faces a crisis. Public and private labs suffer increasing caseloads, whilst pathologist numbers diminish for various reasons, including greater cancer prevalence associated with aging populations as well as improved cancer screening programs. Precision medicine typically involves more genetic testing and extensive use of immunohistochemistry to classify cancer and…
New techniques of infrared-based technology are showing strong potential for cost-effective tissue analysis. Peter Gardner, Professor of Analytical and Biomedical Spectroscopy at the University of Manchester, outlined how hyperspectral imaging coupled with sophisticated computer algorithms can identify and grade cancerous tissue, as well as offer an indication of prognosis. The technique, he…
Taiwan, 15-17 October – A physical international exhibition and “virtual trade show” hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will run as scheduled at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. ‘With both featuring exhibits at three-dimensional (3-D) booths simultaneously, Medical Taiwan will be a perfect online/offline platform that pulls exhibitors and buyers together and…
Michigan State University researchers have created for the first time a miniature human heart model in the laboratory, complete with all primary heart cell types and a functioning structure of chambers and vascular tissue.
The airborne transmission of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 via aerosol particles in indoor environment seems to be strongly influenced by relative humidity. This is the conclusion drawn by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig and the CSIR National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi from the analysis of 10 most relevant international studies on the…
A new study from the USA highlights how low temperature sterilisation can jeopardise effective cleansing of medical tools and lead to transmission of dangerous bacteria to patients. Steam sterilisation was shown to be the most effective and robust sterilisation technology. However, the researchers, working at the University of North Carolina, also showed that vaporised hydrogen peroxide (VHP)…
Medical device approved 3-D printers are producing clinically safe and effective nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing. A nasal swab may seem rudimentary, but is essential for testing COVID-19. Diagnostic test kits and components – nasal swabs, collection vials, and chemical reagents – have been in short supply worldwide, especially in March. Ironically, nasopharyngeal swabs are…
Northwestern University researchers have uncovered a new vulnerability in the novel coronavirus’ infamous spike protein — illuminating a relatively simple, potential treatment pathway. The spike protein contains the virus’ binding site, which adheres to host cells and enables the virus to enter and infect the body. Using nanometer-level simulations, the researchers discovered a positively…
Researchers at the University of Delaware, using supercomputing resources and collaborating with scientists at Indiana University, have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the "spiky ball" that encloses the virus's genetic blueprint.
A new mathematical model is helping develop the current understanding of how airborne diseases such as COVID-19 can spread during breathing and aerosol generating procedures. Researchers from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh have developed a mathematical model of droplet migration. Dr Cathal Cummins of Heriot-Watt’s School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives around the world, much research has focused on the immune system’s role in patients who become seriously ill. A popular theory has it that the immune system gets so revved up fighting the virus that, after several days, it produces a so-called cytokine storm that results in potentially fatal organ damage, particularly to the lungs.
Rapid first aid during cardiac arrest makes the difference between life and death. But what happens to the heart and the internal organs when people come running and begin to give well-meaning but heavy-handed heart massage as they attempt to keep the person who has suffered a cardiac arrest alive? A research collaboration between the Department of Forensic Medicine at Aarhus University and the…
Is my heart beating slightly fast? Is a heart attack coming? I didn’t sleep as much as I thought I had last night – is that bad for my heart? Health apps and fitness watches can shed considerable light on how our bodies work and make recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. However, self-measuring can have a downside too, according to a new study that examined the experiences of 27 heart…
L-type calcium channel blockers (LCCBs) — the most widely used drugs for treating hypertension — may harm the heart as much as help it, according to a new study. The research team, led by the Pennsylvania State University, found that in rats and human cells in vitro, LCCBs cause changes in blood vessels — known as vascular remodeling — that reduce blood flow and increase pressure.…
Researchers have designed a fluid that works like a luminous ink to obtain very sharp images of damaged tissues, organs and cartilages in diagnostic tests. This new compound, still in the laboratory phase, reduces adverse effects on the human body because it allows lower amounts to be injected and the dose to be targeted only at the affected area.
A team of researchers led by the University of Adelaide and University of Stuttgart has used 3D micro-printing to develop the world’s smallest, flexible scope for looking inside blood vessels. The camera-like imaging device can be inserted into blood vessels to provide high quality 3D images to help scientists better understand the causes of heart attack and heart disease progression, and could…
Luis Martí-Bonmatí, Director of the Medical Imaging Department at La Fe Hospital in Valencia, highlighted the need to assess utility when developing AI tools during ECR 2020. Artificial intelligence (AI) can impact and improve many aspects of clinical practice. But current expectations are too great and need to be toned down by looking at opportunities.
Thales’ expert knowledge in digital technology as well as in hardware and software systems has enabled the company to become a market leader in major innovation fields such as the cloud, connectivity and artificial intelligence. Thales is proud to launch its unique Connected Radiology platform which will bring multiple benefits to the efficiency of hospitals through the non-stop use of…
Coupling function with fashion, cloth and home-sewn face masks are available in a variety of forms and fabrics. While experts underscore that wearing a mask is effective in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, not all masks — or the materials with which they’re made — contain virus particles equally. In a new video, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineer Scott Sanders demonstrates…
It's intuitive and scientifically shown that wearing a face covering can help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But not all masks are created equal, according to new University of Arizona-led research. Amanda Wilson, an environmental health sciences doctoral candidate in the Department of Community, Environment and Policy in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of…
Scientists have found that organoids (tiny tissue cultures made from human cells that simulate whole organs) known as “mini-brains” can be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
In the world of laboratory diagnostics, ‘Abbott’ is a household name. Few people however are aware of the fact that the company, headquartered in Illinois, USA, is also leading in other fields. A number of innovations in cardiac and vascular diagnostics and therapy might soon put Abbott in the limelight. Dr Angela Germer, Regional Director DACH, and Volker Keller, Head of Marketing DACH,…
To develop and manufacture COVID-19 test kits in massive quantities was not part of their 2020 business plans. Yet, as the epidemic evolved into a global pandemic, the urgent need for diagnostic and antibody SARS-CoV-2 test kits triggered an unprecedented scramble among medical manufacturers.
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) has taken the first steps towards establishing a digital histopathology service, which will help to improve cancer care. New systems are being introduced to embrace new technology to track specimens, digitise slides and enable clinicians to analyse and report cases digitally on computers.
Understanding the source and network of signals as the brain functions is a central goal of brain research. Now, Carnegie Mellon engineers have created a system for high-density EEG imaging of the origin and path of normal and abnormal brain signals.
In the hustle and bustle of a hospital, properly disinfecting all surfaces in a patient room can be a challenging and time-consuming task. Now, in times of the coronavirus pandemic, it can also be life-threatening. To minimize the risk for their staff, hospitals are utilizing disinfection robots to sanitize surfaces and rooms.
Benchtop tools for studying the respiratory system misrepresent the interdependence between the diaphragm, abdomen and lungs. Meanwhile, computational models often hide the mechanisms in a black box computation, without a clear picture of what transpires in the process. This means students form a poor understanding of respiratory mechanisms and makes it hard to train clinicians for real scenarios…
Our body is able to treat many injuries and wounds all by itself. Self-healing powers repair skin abrasions and enable bones to grow back together. However, doctors often have to lend a helping hand to repair bones after a fracture or due to a defect. Increasingly, bone replacement materials are being used, which partially or completely restore the form and function of the bone at the site of the…
Siemens Healthineers announced today that it is now shipping worldwide its laboratory-based total antibody test1 to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies in blood.
Researchers at Hokkaido University have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests. If a suitable reagent is developed, this technology could be used to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19.
A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart invented a tiny microrobot that resembles a white blood cell travelling through the circulatory system. It has the shape, the size and the moving capabilities of leukocytes and could perhaps be well on its way – in a rolling motion of course – to revolutionize the minimally invasive treatment of…
Royal Philips has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a wide range of its ultrasound solutions for the management of COVID-19-related lung and cardiac complications.
A research team co-led by a scientist at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered a new, non-invasive way to detect early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, helping patients get the necessary treatments around 10 years before any symptoms appear. In collaboration with Johns Hopkins University in the US, Dr Kannie Chan Wai-yan, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering…
A new analysis of the worldwide effort to sequence the coronavirus genome has revealed the scale of the genetic changes that are occurring in the virus known as SARS-CoV-2, as it spreads across the world. These changes have important implications for molecular diagnostics and potentially vaccine success. Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the research identified several…
Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most effective medical tests for analysing the effects of many illnesses, including COVID-19, on the lungs. An international team led by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has developed a new method that improves the quality of the images obtained from CT scans. The algorithm, which has been tested on simulated data, enables them to distinguish…
Despite the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), reports show that many health care workers contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which raises substantial concerns about the effectiveness of the PPE.
Whole body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW MRI) may aid in the assessment of cancer treatment response in children and youth at much lower levels of radiation than current approaches, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results appear in Radiology. Researchers compared DW MRI, which measures the density of tumors by tracking the movement of…
It is possible to implement a privacy-respecting contact tracing app that can achieve widespread adoption in the UK, but only if the NHS, rather than the government, run it, researchers at Cass Business School have found. The researchers found that adoption rates increase further if the app is linked to priority testing for COVID-19 for those who get infection alerts. They also found that the…
An ingenious necklace which detects abnormal heart rhythm will be showcased for the first time on EHRA Essentials 4 You, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “The wearable necklace-ECG (electrocardiogram) provides a new and easy method for detecting an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, which is a fast-growing public health problem,” said study…
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more strain on healthcare systems but it has also highlighted the necessity to integrate social care to healthcare to protect the most vulnerable populations in ageing societies, an eminent healthcare consultant told us in an exclusive interview.
Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have developed a new method for simultaneous imaging brain activity from two people, allowing them to study social interaction. In a recent study, the researchers scanned brain activity from 10 couples. Each couple spent 45 minutes inside the MRI scanner in physical contact with each other. The objective of the study was to examine how social…
A computational lung model can be used to reduce damage caused by mechanical ventilation – and could increase survival rates for patients significantly.
Radiology experts from Norway and Germany highlighted the role of structured reporting in communicating clear results to the rest of the team, to improve patient and staff safety during the pandemic. They also related Germany’s experience of the crisis and what lies ahead in an online conference organized by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) last week.
The UK government should look to veterinary infectious disease know-how to end the current lockdown and abandon its financially ruinous strategy to manage the Covid-19 epidemic, argue two leading vets in a trenchant critique of official policy in this week’s Vet Record.
Researchers from Cambridge, UK, and Germany have reconstructed the early “evolutionary paths” of COVID-19 in humans – as infection spread from Wuhan out to Europe and North America – using genetic network techniques.
More than 200,000 patients undergo hip replacement surgery in Germany each year. To avoid complications and extend the lifespan of the artificial joint, the implants must be fitted precisely in the acetabulum (hip socket). The procedure, particularly milling the acetabulum, is not only difficult but also the technique is difficult to teach and train.
Sepsis—the body's own immune response gone against it—is a major health problem worldwide. It is basically a "hyper" immune response by the body to infection or injury, and is characterized by hyperinflammation, immune system paralysis, cell death, liver and kidney failure, blood clots, and even hemorrhage. An estimated 30 million people suffer from sepsis every year, of which 20%…
Diseases of the brain are often associated with typical vascular changes. Now, scientists at LMU University Hospital Munich, Helmholtz Research Centre for Environmental Health and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have come up with a technique for visualising the structures of all the brain's blood vessels – right down to the finest capillaries – including any pathological changes. So…
Biotechnology company bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is announcing the forthcoming launch of 3 different tests to address the COVID-19 epidemic and to meet the different needs of physicians and health authorities in the fight against this emerging infectious disease. bioMérieux has finalized the development of the SARS-CoV-2 R-Gene test. This real-time PCR test…
As a highly innovative medical specialisation, radiology increasingly takes advantage of the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI). Yet, there is no risk for the future of the specialty. Demands on this discipline are too complex, too communicative. Thus, machines will not replace a radiologist any time soon – of that Uwe Joseph Schöpf, professor of radiology, cardiology and…
Glioblastomas are complex, fast-growing malignant brain tumors that are made up of various types of cells. Even with aggressive treatment — which often includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy — glioblastomas are difficult to treat, leading to an average survival of 11-15 months. In research published in Science Advances, Xavier Intes, a professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer,…
Investigators at Hannover Medical School (MHH) in Germany have developed a molecular assay for detecting the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (previously 2019-nCoV) on the automated Panther Fusion system by Hologic. The preclinical assay is described online in the Journal of Clinical Virology. “Rapid diagnosis is critical to combatting the spread of pandemics, and the Panther Fusion system is well…
If chromosomes are unevenly distributed or otherwise altered during cell division, this normally damages the daughter cells and impairs their viability. Not in cancer cells, however, in which chromosome instability can actually confer a growth advantage under certain circumstances. Moreover, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now demonstrated in mice, changes in the…
Human trafficking is a growing international public health concern. An estimated 400,000 people in the U.S. are affected, with as many as 88% of victims having seen a health care professional while they were being trafficked. As human trafficking evolves as a health concern, medical schools are starting to include the topic in education. However, it’s still in the early stages, says a Mayo…
Toshiba and the Tohoku University Medical Megabank Organisation (ToMMo) has succeeded in demonstrating the world’s first quantum cryptography transmission of whole-genome sequence data, with data volumes exceeding several hundred gigabytes. Since speeds for key distribution in quantum cryptographic communication technologies are currently about 10 Mbps at maximum, the speed at which data can be…
A computer algorithm has been shown to be as effective as human radiologists in spotting breast cancer from x-ray images. The international team behind the study, which includes researchers from Google Health, DeepMind, Imperial College London, the NHS and Northwestern University in the US, designed and trained an artificial intelligence (AI) model on mammography images from almost 29,000 women.…
A popular proverb in Mandarin goes ‘Hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once’ (百聞不如一見). Visiting the Taiwan pavilion at this year’s Medica, it’s clear to see that the Bureau of Foreign Trade (MOEA) from Taiwan, together with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and its foster companies, have taken this sentiment to heart.
Every year, a lack of vaccination leads to about 1.5 million preventable deaths, primarily in developing nations. One factor that makes vaccination campaigns in those nations more difficult is that there is little infrastructure for storing medical records, so there’s often no easy way to determine who needs a particular vaccine. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)…
A common first-line treatment approach for cryptococcal meningitis in low-income countries is being compromised by the emergence of drug resistance, new University of Liverpool research warns. Published in the journal mBio, the findings highlight the need to develop new drugs and treatment regimens for the lethal brain infection, which kills around 180,000 people each year. Cryptococcal…
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the most common chronic liver disorder in developed countries. Histological analysis of liver tissue is the only widely accepted test for diagnosing and distinguishing different stages of NAFLD. However, this technique provides only two-dimensional images of the liver tissue in low resolution and overlooks potentially important 3D structural…
At RSNA 2019, GE Healthcare launches more than 30 new, imaging intelligent applications and smart devices designed to drive efficiency in radiology departments, aiming to double productivity and cost savings for systems by 2025. For healthcare executives, the new offerings help systems to save costs, improve technology utilization, and increase patient volumes. Clinicians also will benefit from…
A new, portable breast imaging system under development in Buffalo has the potential to better identify breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. That is among the findings of a study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. The study was led by University at Buffalo researchers in collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Windsong…
Digital medical technology company Brainlab announced the launch of Mixed Reality Viewer, which brings spatial computing into daily clinical practice for surgical plan review, medical student training and patient consultation. Brainlab Mixed Reality (MR) Viewer uses the head-mounted display Magic Leap One from Brainlab strategic development partner Magic Leap to add a new dimension to patient…
Vacuum systems are the best solution for the safe disposal of biological liquids in laboratories. A coated membrane, special valves and a high gas tightness offer the safe and sustainable disposal of biological liquid waste. The latest generation of Axonlab's universal mini vacuum extraction system was developed in a development period of around 18 months. The patented product combines years of…
With the right tools, physicians could transform the lives of patients and scientists. For Kimberly Powell, Vice President of Healthcare at NVIDIA, artificial intelligence is such a tool, and could meet the increasing demand for personalised medicine and next-generation clinics. ‘AI is the biggest technological breakthrough of our lifetime.’
Health tech Made in Taiwan is among the mainstays of every MEDICA; this year’s fair is no exception. In co-operation with the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) of the Taiwanese Ministry of Economics and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), 20 world-class healthcare companies are demonstrating innovative medical solutions based on national advances in Artificial Intelligence…
On show at Medica is an expanded range of medical cameras with 4K enhanced-dynamic-range monitor displays. Their manufacturer, Ikegami, reports that its model MKC-750UHD delivers very high-quality imaging from an ultra-compact camera head measuring only 34 x 40 x 40 mm. ‘Based on a three-chip CMOS optical block with progressive scanning and an advanced digital processor, the camera accepts…
The MKC-X800 ultra-compact camera is a new addition to Ikegami’s range of medical imaging equipment, which, the firm reports, sets higher than ever standards of imaging quality to capture the precise colour and image detail of surgical operations. Measuring just 28x28x52mm WHD and weighing 100g, it can be mounted on a surgical microscope, lightweight support stand or boom. With its 4K-native…
From an initial focus on innovative manufacturing, in-house ICT technologies drove production efficiency and quality. Today, Taiwan has advanced to become a leader with its "Asian Silicon Valley" concept. The government also wants to further strengthen Taiwan's key position by independently developing medical products that meet the high demands of international markets – at…
Biopsies are standard procedures in interventional radiology, not least for patients with a suspected tumor. In this instance, MRI is increasingly the method of choice for guiding minimally invasive tissue sampling. Yet this involves having to undergo repeated MRI scans, which patients find uncomfortable. In an ongoing R&D project, Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a system that…
Advances in antiretroviral therapy mean that today, people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can expect a healthy and long life. However, living with HIV does increase the risk of cancer. The reasons for this are multiple and include behavioural risk factors (smoking etc.) but many cancers can be attributed to the effects the virus has on the immune system, specifically its…
The first use of a robot-supported surgical intervention was reported in 1985, when the robot arm PUMA 560 placed a needle for a cerebral biopsy using CT guidance. Since then, strong growth in the market for robotic surgery has occurred, due to an increasing automation demand in the healthcare as a whole and greater concentration on minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for faster recovery.…
Researchers in Zurich have recently been able to monitor the corrosion of bioresorbable magnesium alloys at the nanoscale over a time scale of a few seconds to many hours. This is an important step towards accurately predicting how fast implants are resorbed by the body to enable the development of tailored materials for temporary implant applications. Magnesium and its alloys are increasingly…
Early childhood life in the womb is particularly sensitive to the effects of environmental pollutants. A team from Empa and the University of Vienna has now for the first time been able to show how a pollutant from contaminated food – the environmental estrogen zearalenone – spreads in the womb and is metabolized into harmful metabolites. Xenoestrogens are absorbed through the environment,…
The realization of an artificial womb has come one step closer, thanks to a new €2.9 million grant from the EU program Horizon 2020 for researchers in Eindhoven. The goal of the artificial womb is to increase the chances of survival for extremely premature babies outside the body. Just one year ago, the artificial womb was presented as a first design during the Dutch Design Week. This grant…
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr., Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.
To demonstrate advances in 5G connectivity for healthcare, a UK team has linked a paramedic in a simulated ambulance to a hospital-based clinician. The paramedic wore a robotic or ‘haptic’ glove, which received signals over the live 5G network. Using a joystick, the clinician remotely directed the paramedic to move the ultrasound sensor to where on the patient the clinician wanted to scan.…
Experts in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology, from many of the world’s leading radiology, medical physics and imaging informatics groups, published an aspirational statement to guide the development of AI in radiology. The multi-society statement focuses on three major areas: data, algorithms and practice. Simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of…
In some forms of epilepsy, the function of certain "brake cells" in the brain is presumed to be disrupted. This may be one of the reasons why the electrical malfunction is able to spread from the point of origin across large parts of the brain. A current study by the University of Bonn, in which researchers from Lisbon were also involved, points in this direction. The results are…
Tiny particles that can fight cancer or that can easily pass through any interface within our body are a great promise for medicine. But there is little knowledge thus far about what exactly will happen to nanoparticles within our tissues and whether or not they can cause disease by themselves. Within an international research consortium, Empa scientists have now developed guidelines that should…
Researchers at Leipzig University and Leipzig University Hospital (UKL) have discovered that tumour growth and tissue invasion by cancer cells can be predicted based on the ontogenetic distance between tissues.
New simulation technology developed by TU Graz is designed to make the production of biopharmaceuticals more efficient, cost-effective and comprehensible for manufacturers.
Cells are the basic building blocks of life – and, as such, they have been the object of intense study since the invention of the optical microscope in the 17th century. The development of mass spectrometry (MS) methods – those which define the chemical composition of cells – represented a further milestone for research in the field of cell biology. In the latest issue of the journal Nature…
More and more people aged 50 and over are suffering from age-related vision disorders. According to the World Health Organization, in four out of five cases they could be avoided if they were diagnosed at an early stage. A European team of scientists, including the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena, has now researched a new method that will enable doctors to better…
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for a further assessment of microplastics in the environment and their potential impacts on human health, following the release of an analysis of current research related to microplastics in drinking-water. The Organization also calls for a reduction in plastic pollution to benefit the environment and reduce human exposure.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have refined the famous CRISPR-Cas method. Now, for the very first time, it is possible to modify dozens, if not hundreds, of genes in a cell simultaneously. The biotechnological method CRISPR-Cas offers a relatively quick and easy way to manipulate single genes in cells, meaning they can be precisely deleted, replaced or modified. Furthermore, in recent years,…
Researchers from Chemnitz and Bremen are developing a virtual reality simulator for a particularly critical step in hip joint implantation. Each year, more than 200,000 people receive a prosthetic hip in Germany. The success of these operations has a major impact on the quality of life of those affected. However, the procedure is often difficult, particularly the step that involves the so-called…
A novel neck brace, which supports the neck during its natural motion, was designed by Columbia engineers. This is the first device shown to dramatically assist patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in holding their heads and actively supporting them during range of motion. This advance would result in improved quality of life for patients, not only in improving eye contact…
Researchers from Northwestern University are using Argonne supercomputers to advance the development of an optical microscopy technique that can predict and quantify cancer risks at extremely early stages. The basic principle driving Allen Taflove’s computational electrodynamics research — which bears the potential to transform how we diagnose, and possibly treat, various forms of cancer —…
Blood clotting is one of the most critical, protective processes in human physiology. When something goes wrong with clotting, either because there is too much clotting, leading to a stroke, or not enough, leading to internal bleeding, the outcome can be catastrophic. Now, University at Buffalo researchers have established an in vitro model of this process that will help clinicians improve…
The key challenges and opportunities surrounding High-Content Screening have been outlined in a presentation to leading scientists and technologists at a major lab conference. Speaking at the recent SLASEurope 2019 event in Barcelona, Professor Matthias Nees from the Institute of Biomedicine in the Department of Biology at the University of Turku, Finland, outlined the potential of High-Content…
Touring the laboratory at the Clínic de Barcelona Hospital, Dr José Luis Bedini revealed how the latest Siemens Healthineers technology has transformed workflow to deliver quicker results, improve efficiency, conserve energy, and thus make the team of technicians very happy! In recent months the Core Lab Operative Area at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona has undergone a transformation due to the…
At the 71st AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, Siemens Healthineers features in Booth #1039 its innovative IT solutions to combat the laboratory’s staffing challenges, limited budgets, and the increasing complexity in sample management and testing. “We will be demonstrating the power of our broad IT offerings and how the data they deliver, and artificial intelligence, can…
Global warming may have played a pivotal role in the emergence of Candida auris. According to a new study published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, C. auris, which is often multi-drug resistant and is a serious public health threat, may be the first example of a new fungal disease emerging from climate change.
Scientists at ETH Zürich and the South African company Strait Access Technologies are using 3D printing to produce custom-made artificial heart valves from silicone. This could help meet an ageing population’s growing demand for replacement heart valves. The human heart has four chambers, each equipped with a valve to ensure blood flow in one direction only. If any of the heart valves are…
Today’s educational landscape is changing rapidly thanks to technological advances. Introducing wireless capabilities to science classrooms enables lecturers to teach and students to learn in an engaging digital environment that promotes teamwork. Equipped with a WLAN-capable Olympus EP50 camera, every microscope in a classroom becomes a wireless imaging system. Using its own WLAN signal*, the…
Many countries across the world are challenged with a rising number of incidences of multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms infecting the population, and for several years, a clear pattern of increased resistance has emerged in southern and eastern European countries. For example, in countries such as Italy, a reduced number of therapeutic options remain available for highly pathogenic infections,…
Siemens Healthineers and Mentice AB announced the collaboration to fully integrate Mentice’s VIST Virtual Patient into the Artis icono angiography system from Siemens Healthineers. The VIST Virtual Patient thus becomes a fully integrated simulation solution for the angio-suite. The global partnership between the two companies will allow interventional radiologists, neuroradiologists, and…
Immuno-oncology is a therapy in which the body’s immune system treats a tumour. Dr Eric Borges, from the Research and Development Centre at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH in Germany, explains why this is revolutionary. Unlike conventional cancer therapies, with immuno-oncology the tumour cell is not the direct target, it’s the patient’s immune system. The medication stimulates this to…
Half of Ebola outbreaks have gone undetected since the virus was discovered in 1976, scientists at the University of Cambridge estimate. The new findings come amid rising concern about Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and highlight the need for improved detection and rapid response to avoid future epidemics.
FUJIFILM displayed its evolving portfolio of medical informatics and Enterprise Imaging innovations, by presenting REiLI, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Medical Imaging initiative at HIMSS & Health 2.0 Conference.
People with untreated White Coat Hypertension are twice as likely to die from heart disease. Researchers at Penn Medicine say findings underscore the need for increased out-of-office blood pressure monitoring
Virtual reality (VR) can identify early Alzheimer’s disease more accurately than ‘gold standard’ cognitive tests currently in use, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The study highlights the potential of new technologies to help diagnose and monitor conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, which affects more than 525,000 people in the UK. In 2014, Professor John…
The new Yumizen H2500 is a high-end haematology analyser with CBC, 8-DIFF, NRBC, reticulocytes, optical platelets and Body Fluids (CE). Full automation for demanding haematology diagnostics, can be integrated into the Horiba T6000 conveyor belt solution, with the option of a fully-automatic blood smear and staining unit (Yumizen SPS).
In October 2016, Xenios became a part of Fresenius Medical Care (FME), the world’s leading provider of products and services for people with chronic kidney failure. The integration of the expertise from FME and Xenios and thus the combination of the companies’ competences strongly enhances treatment options in critical care within the intensive care unit (ICU) of hospitals across the world.…
Beckman Coulter announced that the latest addition to its market-leading automation portfolio, the DxA 5000 total laboratory automation (TLA) solution has achieved European CE Mark and China Food and Drug Administration approval. In today’s healthcare environment, laboratories are highly focused on enhancing patient care by driving faster turnaround time, delivering quality results and…
The current innovation process for medical technologies risks stifling the development of new devices, a leading researcher has argued. Alejandro Frangi, Professor of Computational Medicine at the University of Leeds, says the present system was geared towards small, incremental changes to existing technology or the development of new technologies that work for ‘most’ people but are…
In the past, we repeatedly focused our attention on developments in the clinical application of mass spectrometry-based methods in patient care. Various aspects became significant. Today, the use of Liquid Chromatography Triple Quad Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) can be considered today’s standard, although classically applied immunoassays continue to be…
As a synthetic opioid approved for treating severe pain, fentanyl has shown clear medical benefits. However, in recent years, continuous abuse of fentanyl and its derived analogues substances has become a major public health issue – overdoses and deaths associated with illicitly-manufactured fentanyl rose dramatically.
The speed of the human brain is remarkable. Almost immediately upon being exposed to stimuli, neurons are activated, prompting subconscious reactions and, a fraction of a second later, thought. But the speed at which we can noninvasively follow brain function using an MRI is not as impressive. Functional MRI (fMRI), which measures changes in blood-oxygen levels, has revolutionized neuroscience by…
Biotechnologists, physicists, and medical researchers at FAU have developed technology for microscopic imaging in living organisms. A miniaturised multi-photon microscope, which could be used in an endoscope in future, excites the body’s own molecules to illuminate and enables cells and tissue structures to be imaged without the use of synthetic contrast agents. The findings have now been…
Melanin protects our skin from the sun’s damaging rays by absorbing light energy and converting it to heat. This could make it a very effective tool in tumor diagnosis and treatment, as demonstrated by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München. The scientists managed to create melanin-loaded cell membrane derived nanoparticles, which improved tumor…
With increased precision, speed of service and reduced cost, 3D printing presents an opportunity to transform traditional healthcare and its delivery, and radiology is at the center of this new technology. In the ECR 2019 Special Focus Session “The 3D printing lab from bench to bedside”, the speakers emphasized that 3D printing does not only enable a new and innovative way to display imaging,…
Family planning for women might one day be as simple as putting on an earring. A report published recently in the Journal of Controlled Release describes a technique for administering contraceptive hormones through special backings on jewelry such as earrings, wristwatches, rings or necklaces. The contraceptive hormones are contained in patches applied to portions of the jewelry in contact with…
With a weak alternating electrical current sent through electrodes attached to the scalp, UNC School of Medicine researchers successfully targeted a naturally occurring electrical pattern in a specific part of the brain and markedly improved depression symptoms in about 70 percent of participants in a clinical study.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have discovered a novel experimental treatment for chronic lung diseases that could improve the lives for people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Air pollution could be causing double the number of excess deaths a year in Europe than has been estimated previously, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1] today.
Mice with vision enhanced by nanotechnology were able to see infrared light as well as visible light, reports a study published in the journal Cell. A single injection of nanoparticles in the mice’s eyes bestowed infrared vision for up to 10 weeks with minimal side effects, allowing them to see infrared light even during the day and with enough specificity to distinguish between different…
Molecular imaging is an exciting field for scientists who are willing to explore and innovate, prominent Spanish physicist José María Benlloch pointed out when he reviewed some of the most impacting and recent innovations in his portfolio during a meeting in Valencia. ‘Our mission is to develop innovative sensitive and harmless medical imaging instruments for early detection of diseases and…
It is still a mystery why a blow to the chest can kill people by inducing cardiac arrest yet save others that are in cardiac arrest. We may be one step closer to an answer, however, thanks to a device developed by researchers of the University of Bern and the EPFL that can replicate the experience in the laboratory. A hefty blow to the chest can have entirely opposite outcomes. While, for…
Researchers at Cardiff University have used x-ray crystallography and computer simulation to get a closer look at how viruses bind cells and cause infection. The new insight could help in the development of drugs and therapies for infections and further advance the exploitation of viruses for medical treatments. The first author of the study, Alex Baker from Cardiff University’s School of…
In a simulation training study, pediatric team leaders who wore a blindfold improved their leadership skills ratings by 11% over the course of 3 resuscitation scenarios, versus 5% for non-blindfolded leaders. Published in Frontiers in Pediatrics, the findings demonstrate a promising tool for improving training and outcomes in pediatric resuscitation. “Our study suggests that blindfolding the…
In haematology and medical oncology, there is always something new. However, the increasing stratification of cancer therapies presents an enormous challenge for clinical research. Tumour cells – those altered genetically by mutation and thus ought to be recognised by the immune system and destroyed – manage to apply diverse molecular tricks to avoid attack by the immune system. Thus, they…
A new study shows that there is a very limited regeneration of cells in the brain of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings underline the importance of treating MS at an early stage of the disease progression, when the affected cells can repair the damage as they are not replaced by new ones. The results are published in the journal Nature by researchers from Karolinska…
Until now, researchers haven’t been able to accurately quantify a latent form of HIV that persists in patients’ immune cells. A new genetic technique is fast and 10 to 100 times more accurate than previous diagnostics. This hidden, inactive version of HIV embeds into cells’ genomes and can persist despite otherwise successful therapies – thwarting attempts to cure the infection. Using a…
A significantly more effective, minimally invasive treatment for pancreatic tumors may be on the horizon, thanks to a new endoscopy tool created in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering. On average, only about 20 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are eligible for a surgical removal of the tumor, which is currently the most-effective treatment option. The location of the pancreas…
Through genetic changes to the opioid receptor in mice, pharmacologists at Jena University Hospital have succeeded in almost completely suppressing the development of opioid tolerance. The pain-relieving effect actually improved and continued even when the drug was administered for longer periods. However, adverse effects such as respiratory depression and constipation, as well as withdrawal…
You’re sweating and feverish and have no idea why. Fortunately, Sandia National Laboratories scientists have built a device that can pinpoint what’s wrong in less than an hour. Unlike most medical diagnostic devices which can perform only one type of test — either protein or nucleic acid tests — Sandia’s SpinDx can now perform both. This allows it to identify nearly any cause of…
A team of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers led by Bioengineering Professor Stephen Boppart has successfully visualized the tumor microenvironment of human breast tissue shortly after it was surgically removed from a patient in the operating room. The researchers achieved this using a new portable optical imaging system developed in Boppart's lab.
A new neurostimulator developed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can listen to and stimulate electric current in the brain at the same time, potentially delivering fine-tuned treatments to patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson's. The device, named the WAND, works like a "pacemaker for the brain," monitoring the brain's electrical activity and…
Mosul, Iraq’s second city, is slowly rebuilding its healthcare infrastructure after years of war and destruction. Dr Henryk Pich, a consultant anaesthetist and intensive care physician at the University of Dresden, Germany, visited the region soon after the fighting had ended, supported by the independent aid organisation CADUS. Moved by the makeshift treatment centres he witnessed in the…
When infants are playing with objects, their early attempts to pay attention to things are accompanied by bursts of high-frequency activity in their brain. But what happens when parents play together with them? New research, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by Dr Sam Wass of the University of East London in collaboration with Dr Victoria Leong (Cambridge University and Nanyang…
Professor Christoph M Friedrich researches the interface between man and molecule. Born in Westphalia, Germany, the professor for biomedical computer science at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences recently took up an additional role at the Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometrics and Epidemiology (IMIBE) in Essen University Hospital. In 2013, the cooperation between the two institutions…
A collaborative study led by a neurologist at Rush University Medical Center and an environmental scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests that weather patterns that cause dramatic changes in barometric pressure may increase the incidence of a type of stroke known as spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, that is, the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. The researchers…
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) can be found everywhere: in our cars, our smartphones and even our working environments. AI has many areas of application, including in the healthcare sector. AI will change the interaction between doctors and patients, but most patients won’t even know it’s involved. That’s because improving the patient experience, helping to increase productivity,…
New accelerator-based technology being developed by the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University aims to reduce the side effects of cancer radiation therapy by shrinking its duration from minutes to under a second. Built into future compact medical devices, technology developed for high-energy physics could also help make radiation therapy more…
New 7-Tesla MR methods could potentially shed light on cardiomyopathies’ principles, according to a leading French radiologist who also stresses the importance of teamwork between radiologists, cardiologists, surgeons and anaesthesiologists. Morphologic and dynamic information of the myocardium is achieved with millimetric resolution (0.9x0.9 square mm). Strong intensity variations…
As 3D printing technology continues to evolve, read how radiology will be involved in managing digital workflow related to patient care. “3D printing is a part of medicine, and radiology is at the center of this impactful new technology,” said RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG) Chair Jane Matsumoto, MD, assistant professor of radiology and co-director of the 3D Printing Lab at the…
The new 1.5 Tesla MRI from Siemens Healthineers, Magnetom Sola, is packed with helpful algorithms and other functions. AI-supported systems monitor patients and scan parameters and ensure consistent image quality. Whilst visitors at this year’s ECR-Expo admired the new device, Prof. Ulrike Attenberger has already tested it in practice.
The number of surgical interventions in Germany over the last ten years has increased by around 30%, but it would be wrong to talk of a heyday – mainly due to a lack of young talent, says Prof. Dr. Jörg Fuchs. The president of the German Society of Surgery (DGCH) and director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Paediatric Surgery and Paediatric Urology at Tübingen University Hospital talks about…
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) created a veritable hype. However, that initial awe was increasingly mixed with apprehension about the potential effects of AI on healthcare. In radiology, bleak dystopias are conjured up with AI replacing the human radiologist. A scenario that Dr Felix Nensa considers premature, to say the least.
Virtual Reality (VR) technology is aiding trainee surgeons to practise complex procedures in a simulated setting, rather than learning skills on real patients. VR is also helping to demystify neurosurgery in that it enables medical students and patients to ‘enter’ and experience a neurosurgical operating theatre. Alex Alamri, a trainee neurosurgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, UK,…
Whilst acknowledging that state-of-the-art bioengineering approaches are being applied in preventing Medical Device Related Pressure Ulcers (MDRPUs), Professor Amit Gefen, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University, believes there are gaps in knowledge and technology in this area and therefore more must be done to improve patient care and avoid additional healthcare…
Imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, released and is making available its state-of-the-art high-density neural probe, Neuropixels, to the global neuroscience research community. With almost a thousand electrodes, and 384 recording channels on a single shank, the Neuropixels probe provides an unprecedented resolution for mapping brain…
Often referred to as the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of histopathology, the sample entry has posed considerable challenges in pre-analytics for several decades. We visited the Munich-based lab automation start-up Inveox GmbH. Time-intense, highly manual processes in labs are expensive, error-prone and the most common reason for irregularities in cancer diagnoses. In Germany alone, every year hundreds…
Hungary has one of the worst outcomes when it comes to cancer. Early detection and accurate diagnosis could significantly reduce the costs of oncological treatment. Pathology plays a crucial role in diagnoses, but is crippled by severe shortage and fragmentation. Digital pathology could help overcome those difficulties – and two projects underway seem particularly fit to help, László Fónyad,…
Synergy is key to ensuring Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a critical role in helping radiologists raise their game. Integrating AI with innovative platforms to optimise workflow and make diagnosis more efficient, whilst also creating more accurate reports, offers enormous potential benefits to patients, clinicians and hospitals, according to industry specialist Tomer Zonens, Worldwide…
To simulate the blood circulation and the organs of animals or humans, engineers from Fraunhofer in Dresden have developed a so-called "multi-organ chip". This microsystem from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS Dresden has now received an "EARTO Innovation Award" in Brussels. The "lab-on-a-chip" will help industry to develop new drugs and…
An interdisciplinary and international research group led by Dr. Volker Busskamp from the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden at the TU Dresden (CRTD) has decoded the regulatory impact on neuronal survival of a small non-coding RNA molecule, so-called miRNA, at the highest resolution to date.
In recent years, clinicians have increasingly focused on vitamin D deficiency. Studies show that previous reference values – particularly for Vitamin D3 – were most probably set too high. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) can help achieve more precise measurements of vitamin D levels than previously established immunoassay procedures, explains Dr Torsten Binscheck-Domass,…
While the role of the laboratory in disease diagnosis and management has expanded in recent years, causing an overwhelming rise in testing demands, the availability of skilled technologists and specialists has been diminishing. To meet the needs of an overworked and increasingly generalized workforce, today’s products not only must deliver more clinical data than ever before, but also must be…
A range of new biomarkers and diagnostics for precision cardiovascular medicine were outlined in a session at the British Cardiovascular Society annual conference held recently in Manchester. Speakers from King’s British Heart Foundation Centre looked at how mass spectrometry allows clinicians to measure large numbers of proteins simultaneously, discussed a new biomarker for cardiac ischaemia…
In the hustle and bustle of the Salone del Mobile – Milan’s famous design week – an oasis of peace and calm comes as a surprise. The Cortile dei Bagni is such a surprise; this inner bath courtyard is part of a Milan hospital built in the 15th century. Here, architect Filippo Taidelli installed a contemplative space experience that tells a story about the future of healthcare. Its title…
Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is an increasingly important guiding tool for structural heart disease interventions – without general anaesthesia. José Ribeiro, who works in the thorax and circulation unit at Gaia Hospital Centre, Portugal, who has worked with this technology for the past two years, explained its benefits and limitations.
Intervention in ventricular arrhythmia has improved dramatically over the past three decades thanks to advances in imaging and cooperation between cardiology and radiology, according to Professor Josep Brugada MD, director of the paediatric arrhythmia unit at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona. ‘Echocardiography, CT and MRI, combined with cardiology,’ he said, ‘have revolutionised the…
While the question is still debated as to whether MRI is the better CT, along comes a potential game changer – a new data based 3-D reconstruction method of heart anatomy and function that aims to replace diagnostic coronary angiography. In the near future not only adult patients with coronary heart disease could benefit from this new technique but also children with complex congenital heart…
Using a new approach called 'reinforced learning', researchers have taught an artificial intelligence (AI) to responsibly choose the right amount of chemo- and radiotherapy for glioblastoma patients. The technique, which is insprired by behavioural psychology, has given the AI the ability to master the tightrope walk between effective tumor shrinkage and the medications' severe side effects.
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technology platform that could potentially change the way drug combinations are being designed, hence enabling doctors to determine the most effective drug combination for a patient quickly. Applying the platform towards drug resistant multiple myeloma, a type of…
Researchers have discovered a good reason to not wear tight-fitting underwear – beyond the obvious aspect of fashion: According to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, men who frequently wear boxers have significantly higher sperm concentrations and total sperm counts when compared with their briefs-wearing counterparts. The findings of this study, conducted in the…
A new augmented reality system to guide procedures in interventional oncology is currently taking its first steps. A three-step experiment proves this system to be precise and reliable enough to facilitate image guidance critical to the success of interventional oncology procedures. Using a back-face camera and a tablet PC to visualise the patient, the system projects 3D images of body structures…
About a third of epilepsy sufferers require treatment through surgery. To check for severe epilepsy, clinicians use a surgical procedure called electrocorticography (ECoG). An ECoG maps a section of brain tissue to help clinicians identify areas damaged by seizures.
An unexpected discovery that could bring new hope to cancer patients worldwide: Researchers from the University of California San Diego have identified a mechanism that could predict response to immunotherapy. The most effective weapon against the tumors may be handed to the scientists by the cancer cells themselves.
MR Fingerprinting and Compressed Sensing are two procedures that will facilitate much faster MR sequencing than currently possible – and more. ‘MR Fingerprinting will revolutionise MRI scanning,’ according to Dr Siegfried Trattnig, head of the Centre of Excellence for High-Field MRI at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. ‘It will completely change the way MRI scans are currently…
Confirming or infirming hypotheses has long driven scientific research; however, this traditional and costly approach is giving way to data-driven initiatives, according to Prof. Laure Fournier, a leading radiologist at Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris. “Usually we formulate the hypothesis first, then take an image and analyze it. We like that in France, it comes from Descartes. The…
Researcher have created an ingestible sensor to non-invasively monitor indicators of disease in the stomach and intestines.
Administering needle-based procedures in anesthesiology is a complex and delicate procedure and the current training methods for doctors are costly and fall short in preparing them. Engineers have developed a low-cost, hand-held device that simulates the tactic feeling of the instrument passing through several layers of tissue.
Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix are cross-utilizing plant biology, medicine and engineering to create a novel platform. They have developed a revolutionary "lung on a leaf" to study pulmonary diseases.
SLAC and Stanford researchers are developing a device that combines electrical brain stimulation with EEG recording, opening potential new paths for treating neurological disorders. It could help bring back lost brain function by measuring how the brain responds to therapies that stimulate it with electric current.
LC/MS, i.e. the combination of liquid chromatography (LC) with mass spectrometry (MS) – an analytical method developed primarily for environmental analysis and live science – remains a keen topic in the medical laboratory. In recent European Hospital issues, we have outlined various reasons why this procedure is in increasingly popular in the medical lab. Here we continue with an interview…
Biomedical engineers at Columbia Engineering have discovered a new fundamental feature of brain oscillations: they actually move rhythmically across the brain, reflecting patterns of neuronal activity that propagate across the cortex. The coordination of neural activity across widespread brain networks is essential for human cognition. Researchers have long assumed that oscillations in the brain,…
Babraham Institute researchers have shown that some tumours use not one but two levels of protection against the immune system. Knocking out one level boosted the protective effects of the second and vice versa. The research demonstrates that a two-pronged approach targeting both cell types simultaneously may offer a promising route for the development of new cancer immunotherapies.
Triggers of acute heart failure vary globally, according to late breaking results from the REPORT-HF registry presented at Heart Failure 2018 and the World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, a European Society of Cardiology congress. REPORT-HF is a global, prospective registry comparing regional differences in causes of acute heart failure, therapies, time to treatment, and outcomes. Professor Sean…
At the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2018), Fast Track Diagnostics, a Siemens Healthineers company, launches a new molecular thermocycler, the Fast Track cycler, and the complementary new FastFinder software. The Fast Track cycler is a compact platform that enables laboratories of all sizes to implement molecular testing with simplicity and speed…
Scientists used an experimental targeted molecular therapy to block a matrix-forming protein in heart cells damaged by heart attack, reducing levels of scarred muscle tissue and saving mouse models from heart failure. Researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute report in the journal Circulation testing a manufactured peptide called pUR4 to block the fibronectin protein in human…
Spine deformities, such as idiopathic scoliosis and kyphosis (also known as “hunchback”), are characterized by an abnormal curvature in the spine. The children with these spinal deformities are typically advised to wear a brace that fits around the torso and hips to correct the abnormal curve. Bracing has been shown to prevent progression of the abnormal curve and avoid surgery. The…
A study coordinated by the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Inc-UAB) and in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Sweden provides evidence that a long-term consumption of caffeine has negative effects for Alzheimer’s disease, worsening the neuropsychiatric symptoms appearing in the majority of those affected by the disorder. The research was…
The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) is just starting the operation of a new high-performance computer in Bonn. It should significantly accelerate the evaluation of biomedical data and thus lead to faster progress in dementia research. For this the computer uses the principles of the novel computer architecture "Memory-Driven Computing". Time is running out: Dementias…
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has compiled evidence from more than 100 publications to show how obesity increases risk of 13 different cancers in young adults. The meta-analysis describes how obesity has shifted certain cancers to younger age groups, and intensified cellular mechanisms promoting the diseases. Cancer typically associated with older adults over 50…
This year’s unexpectedly aggressive flu season reminds everyone that although the flu vaccine can reduce the number of people who contract the virus, it is still not 100 percent effective. Researchers report that a tweak to a small-molecule drug shows promise for future production of new antiviral therapies that could help patients, regardless of the strain with which they are infected. The…
Throughout life, DNA is constantly being damaged by environmental and intrinsic factors and must be promptly repaired to prevent mutations, genomic instability, and cancer. Different types of damages are repaired by numerous proteins organized into damage-specific pathways. The proteins from different pathways must be spatially and temporally coordinated in order to efficiently repair complex DNA…
In standard settings, the analysis of each DNA modification requires a carefully optimised assay that runs under specific conditions. This increases cost and labour and is a severe limitation to throughput. Now, however, researchers at Stanford University and the Technical University of Denmark have come up with a new method that will enable doctors to make a more precise diagnosis, prognosis and…
Mass spectrometry is moving laboratory medicine to increasingly automated discrete analysis methods, resulting in ever faster and more reliable results. It is also leveraging economies of scale as an increasingly cost-effective tool, says Craig Webster, Consultant Clinical Scientist and Clinical Lead, Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham. Speaking about…
Recognising malignant tissue remains a tricky task. While today, most patients undergo a biopsy, an invasive procedure where tissue is sampled, stained and assessed, researchers are exploring the potential of optical biopsy, the visual assessment of suspect tissue. The interest in optical biopsy ‘is indeed enormous,’ confirms Dr Thomas Bocklitz, physicist at Friedrich-Schiller University in…
By 2020 medical devices manufacturers must document the clinical effectiveness of their devices more extensively. The Medical Device Regulation (MDR) presents a fundamental impact on innovation and price calculation for medical devices. Since the faulty PIP breast implants scandal in France (March 2010), there have been frequent calls for tighter licensing regulations for medical devices within…
The term telemedicine has been around since the 1980s. Ten years later Deutsche Telekom demonstrated the first applications designed to provide medical services to people living remotely such as (based on American ideas) astronauts in space, workers on oilrigs or injured personnel in field hospitals. Since then, the concept of medical care across long distances via telecommunication has not…
Cell-based biosensors can simulate the effect of various substances, such as drugs, on the human body in the laboratory. Depending on the measuring principle, though, producing them can be expensive. As a result, they are often not used. Cost factors for sensors that perform measurements electrically are the expensive electrode material and complex production. Fraunhofer scientists are now…
In the next five to 10 years, artificial intelligence is likely to fundamentally transform diagnostic imaging. This will by no means replace radiologists, but rather help to meet the rising demand for imaging examinations, prevent diagnostic errors, and enable sustained productivity increases.
Some time in the distant future artificial intelligence (AI) systems may displace radiologists and many other medical specialists. However, in a far more realistic future AI tools will assist radiologists by performing very complex functions with medical imaging data that are impossible or unfeasible today, according to a presentation at the RSNA/AAPM Symposium during the Radiological Society of…
The New Horizons Lecture at the RSNA annual meeting is a keynote address that looks to the future, and the inventor of a major innovation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, Daniel K Sodickson MD PhD, did just that. His lecture entitled ‘A New Light: The Birth and Rebirth of Imaging’ looked back at how MRI has evolved and forward at what it will become.
The integrated wiring of a medical device imposes great requirements on the cable system’s producer as well as the device manufacturer. This calls for a partnership collaboration particularly in development to ensure the system solution exerts a positive effect on mobility, user friendliness and robustness – long-term and reliably.
Using self-sampling followed by HPV testing, more than twice as many women at risk of developing cervical cancer could be identified and offered preventive treatment. This is shown by researchers at Uppsala University in the first randomised study in the world comparing two ways of identifying cervical cancer, published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Geometry is often referenced for matters of the heart. Marriage has been described as “two parallel lines,” and others have compared love to an “irrational equation” or as unending as “pi.” But when it comes to the medical matters of the heart, geometry can be a lonely and dangerous affair. “The shape and size of a heart is not the same for every person, and a diseased heart, such…
A new optical imaging system developed at Columbia University uses red and near-infrared light to identify breast cancer patients who will respond to chemotherapy. The imaging system may be able to predict response to chemotherapy as early as two weeks after beginning treatment. Findings from a first pilot study of the new imaging system—a noninvasive method of measuring blood flow dynamics in…
Researchers used machine learning techniques, including natural language processing algorithms, to identify clinical concepts in radiologist reports for CT scans, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the journal Radiology. The technology is an important first step in the development of artificial intelligence that could interpret scans and…
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers developed a single blood test that screens for eight common cancer types and helps identify the location of the cancer. The test, called CancerSEEK, is a unique noninvasive, multianalyte test that simultaneously evaluates levels of eight cancer proteins and the presence of cancer gene mutations from circulating DNA in the blood. The test is aimed at…
Saturday the 27th of January 2018 marks the first ESRA European Day of Regional Anaesthesia, delivered simultaneously in over 20 training hubs across the continent. FUJIFILM SonoSite is delighted to be backing this new initiative by providing point-of-care ultrasound devices to many of the workshops. Dr Jonathan Womack, an anaesthetic consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), Newcastle,…
A team of researchers in Italy and Austria has determined that a drug approved to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be less effective in a particular subset of patients. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that ibrutinib has a diminished capacity to delocalize and kill tumor cells expressing an adhesive protein called CD49d, but combining ibrutinib…
Pharmaceutical interventions are routinely prescribed to help people quit smoking. However, a new study by University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers suggests that, despite promising results in clinical trials, smoking cessation drugs alone may not be improving the chances of successful quitting among smokers in general.
Viral infections kill millions of people worldwide every year, but currently available antiviral drugs are limited in that they mostly act against one or a small handful of related viruses. A few broad-spectrum drugs that prevent viral entry into healthy cells exist, but they usually need to be taken continuously to prevent infection, and resistance through viral mutation is a serious risk. Now,…
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and engineers have developed a “brain-on-a-chip” device aimed at testing and predicting the effects of biological and chemical agents, disease, or pharmaceutical drugs on the brain over time without the need for human or animal subjects. The device, part of the Lab’s iCHIP (in-vitro Chip-Based Human Investigational Platform) project,…
No visit to the doctor’s office is complete without a blood-pressure cuff squeezing your arm and a cold stethoscope placed on your chest. But what if your vital signs could be gathered, without contact, as you sit in the waiting room or the comfort of your own home? Cornell University engineers have demonstrated a method for gathering blood pressure, heart rate and breath rate using a cheap and…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing a new approach to get critical updates regarding antibiotics and antifungal drugs to health care professionals as part of an overall effort to combat antimicrobial resistance. The agency created a website that will provide direct and timely access to information about when bacterial or fungal infections are likely to respond to a specific drug.…
Luke Skywalker’s bionic hand is a step closer to reality for amputees in this galaxy. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an ultrasonic sensor that allows amputees to control each of their prosthetic fingers individually. It provides fine motor hand gestures that aren’t possible with current commercially available devices. The first amputee to use it, a musician…
Determining where breast cancer ends and healthy tissue begins is a critical part of breast cancer surgery. Surgeons are used to working closely during surgery with anatomic pathologists who generate pathology reports that specify the surgical or tumor margin, an area of healthy tissue surrounding a tumor that also must be excised to ensure none of the tumor is left behind. This helps prevent the…
UV radiation has been known for a long time to be a risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Simultaneous infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV) has also been suspected to promote skin cancer, particularly in organ transplant recipients. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now been able to show for the first time in a natural system that papillomaviruses…
Scientists are using their increasing knowledge of the complex interaction between cancer and the immune system to engineer increasingly potent anti-cancer vaccines. Now researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a synergistic nanovaccine packing DNA and RNA sequences that modulate the immune response, along with anti-tumor antigens, into…
Combining molecular information and high contrast resolution may well improve current performance in colorectal cancer (CRC) cases, according to Vicky Goh, who presented the latest results on PET/MRI during the last European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting in Madrid PET/MRI brings the best of both modalities together: high contrast to noise and high spatial resolution combined with…
Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, announced agreements with 3D Systems and Stratasys, two global leaders in the 3D printing industry, to help progress patient care and improve the clinician experience. Advanced 3D modeling provides radiologists with additional views to help strengthen anatomical knowledge which could enhance clinical impact in reviewing complex,…
Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, introduced the RS85, a new premium ultrasonic diagnosis device that provides enhanced image quality, usability, and convenience for medical and radiology professionals. “We are pleased to launch the RS85, a new premium medical device with superior image quality and usability based on Samsung’s…
People sometimes joke that easy tasks are “not brain surgery.” But what happens when it actually is brain surgery? How old is too old to be a neurosurgeon? In a new Mayo Clinic Proceedings study, most neurosurgeons disagreed with an absolute age cutoff, but half favored additional testing for neurosurgeons 65 and older. Some professions, including commercial pilots, FBI agents and air traffic…
Progressive treatments offer new chances for cancer patients, but also could result in as yet unknown complications. The number of cancer patients transferred to the ICU for cancer-specific and internal medicine related reasons is on the increase. Caring for them on the ICU is a complex challenge, with interdisciplinary cooperation playing an essential part. Certain criteria need to be met for…
Medical Augmented Reality (AR) assistance systems overlay information onto a surgeon’s field of view. This technology is complex and expensive. Therefore, the procedure must offer a big advantage compared to conventional treatment and diagnostic methods to qualify for standard use. The objective is a system that shows a surgeon a 3-D image of inside the body plus instruments used during surgery…
A preliminary human study was conducted to validate an advanced wearable sensor which has been developed by the start-up company BioBeat Technologies Ltd, comparing it to the common manometry method. The 2015 guidelines of the European Society of Hypertension on The requirements of the International Protocol (revision 2010) were used to define the difference between the commonly used device and…
New technology being deployed across the NHS in central England is helping to deliver more secure mobile systems for healthcare professionals. The partnership between Toshiba and the Birmingham CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is bringing the work of health and social care organisations closer together. One of the initiatives planned for the Birmingham area is the introduction of…
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) has long been regarded as the annual scientific meeting for radiologists. However, it is also the official scientific congress for medical imaging of the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS). With a record participation of nearly 2,000 radiographers from over 60 countries at ECR 2017, the ECR has further strengthened its position as also a…
Until now, familial breast cancer has only partly been linkable to genetic risk markers. In a worldwide joint effort, researchers have now identified further genetic variants that affect the risk for breast cancer. The study, which was conducted with participation of researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital, has now been published in Nature.…
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are among the "hottest” targets for the therapy of diseases such as hypertension, asthma or Parkinson's. These receptors are the site of action of many hormones and neurotransmitters and allow them to regulate the activity of our cells. How and where this happens has long been the subject of numerous hypotheses. An international team of scientists from…
For many years, we thought that all proteins must fold into complicated shapes to fulfill their functions, looking like thousands of sets of custom-tailored locks and keys. But over the past two decades, scientists have begun to realize other proteins—including those involved in many essential cellular functions—remain fully or partially unfolded for parts of their lives. Out of this…
Early research results suggest scientists might be on to a way to preserve heart function after heart attacks or for people with inherited heart defects called congenital cardiomyopathies. Researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute report in Nature Communications that after simulating heart injury in laboratory mouse models, they stopped or slowed cardiac fibrosis, organ…
Scientists have helped provide a way to better understand how to enable drugs to enter the brain and how cancer cells make it past the blood brain barrier.
Siemens Healthineers employees Dr. Klaus Engel and Dr. Robert Schneider have been nominated for the German Future Prize along with Professor Franz Fellner, MD, for the development of the visualization technology Cinematic Rendering.
A team under the direction of chemist Prof. Dr Peter Comba is investigating radioactive metal complexes for use in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors.
Certain members of Generation Y, who grew up alongside enormous information technology (IT) advances, now occupy decision-making roles. Meanwhile, generation Z is emerging into the continuing IT revolution; the digital world surrounds us.
Shielding cardiologists from harmful radiation is the goal for two systems capable of navigating the vascular highway.
Electrospun materials bring a spark of hope to a cardiovascular landscape darkened by setbacks for reabsorbable stents. It was famously said that implanting a device in a person to cure a disease is to implant a new disease. Simply put, the human body will continually fight against foreign materials, leading to chronic inflammations or repeated interventions.
A physician has basically two possibilities to look inside a body: putting a scalpel to the patient’s skin or using an imaging device. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have developed a method that could make magnetic resonance imaging—MRI—multicolor.
Caffeine helps quickly boost wakefulness following general anesthesia, a new study finds. The stimulant—used daily by more than 90 percent of adults in the U.S.—appears to alter physiological function in two different ways to shorten recovery time.
The European Society of Breast Imaging (ESOBI) promotes high quality breast imaging across Europe by developing education and training, encouraging research and promoting guidelines and standards. This year’s meeting (23-24 September) was held in collaboration with the French Society La Société d’Imagerie de la Femme (SIFEM) and drew around 600 radiologists. The event included a two-day…
Dr Massimo Calabrese, head of the Complex Operative Unit of Diagnostic Senology in Genoa’s San Martino Hospital, examines aspects of stereotactic breast biopsy procedures and workflow and the need for improvements in certain areas of breast diagnostics.
Cardiology in extreme environments takes centre stage at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) annual conference.
Scientists from the University of Würzburg give fascinating 3D-insights into the bone marrow, and successfully elucidated new details about the process of thrombocyte generation.
The EASY PULSE® is an unbelievably small and light mechanical chest compression device. Performing manual chest compressions well for an extended period of time is almost impossible. Not only is it physically demanding, but other actions, such as vital signs monitoring, are also required simultaneously. SCHILLER’s EASY PULSE® is the solution for more efficient resuscitation: this portable,…
Hitachi introduced the world’s first practical implementation of the CMUT (Capacitive Micro-machined Ultrasound Transducer) silicon wafer technology in 2009. ALOKA ARIETTA 850 exploits the next-generation of CMUT technology, and, combined with eFocusing, a dynamic transmission and reception technology, achieves outstanding clarity of imaging from near to far field. Additionally, this …
Neuroscientists from the University of Chicago have developed a computer model that can simulate the response of nerves in the hand to any pattern of touch stimulation on the skin. The tool reconstructs the response of more than 12,500 nerve fibers with millisecond precision, taking into account the mechanics of the skin as it presses up against and moves across objects.
In a study involving simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, drones carrying an automated external defibrillator arrived in less time than emergency medical services, with a reduction in response time of about 16 minutes, according to a study published by JAMA.
Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have improved a state-of-the-art gene-editing technology to advance the system’s ability to target, cut and paste genes within human and animal cells—and broadening the ways the CRISPR-Cpf1 editing system may be used to study and fight human diseases.
Language recognition on the smartphone, spam filters in the e-mail programme, personalised product recommendations by Amazon or Netflix – all share one feature: they are based on an algorithm that recognises patterns in a set of data. This artificial generation of knowledge is called machine learning.
San Carlos Hospital in Madrid has undertaken a number of projects to promote artificial intelligence (AI) use in clinical practice. Dr Julio Mayol, Medical Director and Head of the Innovation Unit, explained these initiatives and the direction he wants to take in an exclusive interview.
Scientists in the UK have developed a new model that will help to advance the study of resistance to antibiotics.
Combining the physical separation power of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capability of mass spectrometry – i.e. liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) – enables accurate, sensitive and selective separation, detection and identification of molecules in complex mixtures such as blood, serum and urine.
Drugs that are used in cancer therapy to erase epigenetic alterations in cancer cells simultaneously promote the production of countless mysterious gene transcripts, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) now report in Nature Genetics. The substances activate hidden regulatory elements in DNA. The unusual gene activity has the potential to stimulate the immune system – a…
SpeeDx Pty, Ltd. announced an agreement with Cepheid for distribution of its PlexPCRTM and ResistancePlusTM molecular diagnostic products in key markets throughout Europe. The agreement, covering Germany, France, Italy, and the UK, will increase coverage for the market-leading ResistancePlus MG test, the first CE-IVD test for Mycoplasma genitalium to combine detection with testing for…
Clinicians and researchers in Southampton are leading a pioneering study into the use of computer-generated hand models to help improve the success of joint surgery for patients with arthritis.
Robocath, a medical robotics start-up that designs and develops innovative solutions for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announces the conclusion of a new round of fundraising worth €4.7 million. This round was led by M Capital and Normandie Participations. It also involved past investors Go Capital and NCI, who have been supporting the company since 2013.
Ebola outbreaks are set to be managed quickly and efficiently – saving lives – with a new approach developed by an international team of researchers, including the University of Warwick, which helps to streamline outbreak decision-making.
The brain works most efficiently when it can focus on a single task for a longer period of time. Previous research shows that multitasking, which means performing several tasks at the same time, reduces productivity by as much as 40%. Now a group of researchers specialising in brain imaging has found that changing tasks too frequently interferes with brain activity. This may explain why the end…
A unique womb-like environment designed by pediatric researchers could transform care for extremely premature babies, by mimicking the prenatal fluid-filled environment to give the tiniest newborns a precious few weeks to develop their lungs and other organs.
Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), has announced the publication of new research indicating that testing for variants in 7 cancer-associated genes (versus the usual process of testing in just 2 genes) followed by risk-reduction management could cost-effectively improve life expectancy for women at risk of…
Cardiology at the extremes will be the key theme at the British Cardiovascular Society annual conference in Manchester in June. Topics covered include reflections in cardiology and space travel, physiological challenges associated with living under extreme environmental conditions and polar expeditions. Report: Mark Nicholls
Mathematical model shows injections of peptide could raise density of bones badly degraded by osteoporosis back to healthy levels.
Sometimes innovations face a long journey before becoming a final product. This particularly applies to medical displays – due to very high quality demands and strong regulations that are mandatory in this segment.
Approximately one percent of the world population are epileptic; in France alone, an estimated 600,000 people regularly experience seizures.
Royal Philips today announced that the results from two large clinical trials comparing patient outcomes using instant wave-free ratio (iFR) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. First released in 2013, iFR is an innovative pressure-derived index unique to Philips, a global leader in…
Ever more imaging devices are characterised by very extensive movement sequences while simultaneously being compact. Both device manufacturers and suppliers must consider mounting dynamic requirements when developing their products and ensure their long-term system integrity.
New 3-D simulation models that include haemodynamics enable better treatment of hepatic tumours via radio-embolisation, according to eminent Spanish radiologist José Ignacio Bilbao Jaureguizar.
‘I am sorry, the electricity will be cut off because we’re going to simulate an attack, or emergency exercise, this morning,’ explained Dr Wim Develter, when he suddenly delayed his interview with Mélisande Rouger of European Hospital. They were about to discuss computed tomography, and its role not only in advanced healthcare and other more unexpected areas, such as the arts and…
Focused ultrasound can effectively destroy tumor cells. Until now, this method has only been used for organs such as the prostate and uterus. At the European Congress of Radiology, Fraunhofer researchers will present a method, developed as part of the TRANS-FUSIMO EU project, that enables focused ultrasound treatment of the liver, an organ that moves while breathing. In the future, this could…
Autonomous driving, automatic speech recognition, and the game Go: Deep Learning is generating more and more public awareness. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and their partners at ETH Zurich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now used it to determine the development of hematopoietic stem cells in advance. In ‘Nature Methods’ they describe how their software…
Dr Ralf Doyscher, from the Department of Sports Medicine at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has a close association with soccer at both professional and amateur levels. He recently participated in a scientific project focusing on preventative check-ups for the general health of elite young soccer players, and took the opportunity to simultaneously investigate the potential of…
Using computer-based simulations and mouse experiments, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), have disentangled the effects of pro-inflammatory signalling molecules on the postinfluenza susceptibility to pneumococcal coinfection.
Point-of-care testing can play an influential role in reducing overcrowding in hospital emergency departments.
Before an operation, surgeons have to obtain the most precise image possible of the anatomical structures of the part of the body undergoing surgery. University of Basel researchers have now developed a technology that uses computed tomography data to generate a three-dimensional image in real time for use in a virtual environment.
Magnets instead of antibiotics could provide a possible new treatment method for blood infection. This involves the blood of patients being mixed with magnetic iron particles, which bind the bacteria to them after which they are removed from the blood using magnets. The initial laboratory tests at Empa in St. Gallen have been successful, and seem promising.
Liquid level detection is a process used in clinical diagnostics to verify reagents or sample containers in order to assist performance of various tests and ensure accurate results. There are several methods used today to measure liquid level and each come with a unique set of advantages and disadvantages.
In the past, insoles for patients with diabetes were hand-made by orthopedic shoemakers. In the future, these specialist shoemakers will be able to produce insoles more cost-effectively thanks to new software and the use of 3D printers. This approach means the mechanical properties of each insole can be assessed scientifically and more effectively.
21st century technology has outpaced our expectations. One such example is the invention of advanced digital manufacturing techniques, better known as 3-D printing. Patients and the medical community are yet to see the full implementation of this technology within healthcare.
A European health consortium is developing a set of low radiation, low cost, flat panel X-ray detectors that use novel photonics technology to make diagnosis safer for patients, hospital and dental staff, generating some of the highest resolution images ever seen in rapid moving body functions, such as malicious growths or the beating heart of a baby.
A global spotlight has at last highlighted the truly acute problem of antimicrobial resistance.
Resuscitation is always a desperate attempt by an entire team to save a human life. If a reversible cause can be discovered, a patient’s chances of survival increase considerably. All medics therefore know the ‘4 Hs’ and ‘HITS’. Report: Brigitte Dinkloh
Exuding the aroma of hi-octane fuel, the glamour of multi-coloured racing leathers, flashy sponsored brands and the glitz of the circuits, motorcycle racing can be an irresistible fast-action sport. Amid the roar of engines, the world’s leading motorcycle aces, such as Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi or Jonathan Rea, hit around 300kmh on tracks across the globe. High-speed duels thrill the…
As the number of patients and people requiring care increases, exacerbating the shortage of care staff for in- and out-patients, care robots might solve the problem. For menial tasks, many devices can contribute well; however, at the complex interactive human level of care, the idea that advancing technologies could replace human caregivers to alleviate staff shortages is clearly simplistic.
For the first time, scientists know what happens to a virus’ shape when it invades a host cell, thanks to an experiment by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Understanding how the virus shape specifically changes could lead to more effective anti-viral therapies.
Using the results from a computerized mathematical model, Johns Hopkins researchers investigated whether they could improve heart and lung transplantation procedures by transferring patients from low-volume to high-volume transplant centers.
Cancer thrives when mutated cells undergo frequent division. Most anti-cancer drugs work by inserting themselves in between the DNA base pairs that encode our genetic information. This process is known as intercalation, and it can result in subtle changes to the DNA molecule’s geometric shape or tertiary structure. These structural changes interfere with the DNA’s transcription and a cell’s…
Bruker announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the preclinical imaging business of Oncovision, a leading provider of innovative medical imaging devices used for the diagnosis of cancer. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the mechanism by which many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, resulting in minimal cell death and the expansion of drug-resistant tumors. To address the problem of resistance, researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed nanoparticles that…
From the beginning of MRI scientists dreamed of not only translating data sets into images, but also classifying tissue directly. Five years ago this would still have been inconceivable.
To sharply focus on the specialised requirements in echocardiography, Toshiba engineers built from scratch the Aplio i900CV with a total redesign of hardware and software. The new Aplio i-series is a premium addition to the award-winning Aplio 500 platform, which today is used in more than 31,000 clinical settings worldwide.
Coronary interventions often rely more on art than science as the decision to treat a patient tends to be based on what clinicians can see, a subjective interpretation of cardiac imaging. Two new techniques have emerged for cardiovascular diagnostics that are enabling software to help surgeons and cardiologists measure, and thereby better manage cardiac disease.
Dr Jean Nehme, a London-based trainee plastic surgeon, reflects on his own training – a decade spent attending lectures, revising textbooks, passing examinations − but did he actually practise a surgical operation?
Joshua Bederson, MD, Professor and System Chair for the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Health System, is the first neurosurgeon to use CaptiView – a microscope image injection system from Leica Microsystems that overlays critical virtual reality imaging directly onto the brain when viewed through the eyepiece, known as the ocular, during surgery.
Embracing robotic technology in the realms of microsurgery will have significant benefits for patients, clinicians and hospitals. Leading hand and peripheral nerve specialist Professor Philippe Liverneaux believes using robots will not only enhance patient outcomes and improve cosmetic appearance but also bring significant cost benefits to health systems.
John Herman, European Marketing Manager of Sony Healthcare Solutions, explains the potential of 3-D and 4K technologies in medicine.
3D imaging is continuously improving, with devices simultaneously becoming more manageable and mobile. The new C-arm system Ziehm Vision RFD 3D is opening up a new dimension. The device was tested by Dr Jan-Sven Jarvers, orthopaedic and trauma surgery specialist at the University Hospital Leipzig, and was introduced last September during the Eurospine Congress in Copenhagen. ‘In the future,…
The MALDI Tissuetyper is a system that records spatially resolved mass spectra directly from tissue. This allows the direct measurement of proteins, lipids and other molecular classes without the need for antibodies or molecular probes. This results in highly multiplexed datasets in which hundreds or thousands of compounds are measured simultaneously.
Cancer patients today can benefit from much better drugs providing treatments tailor-made to specific mutations. However, broad application is still hampered by a considerable bottleneck: fast, reliable, and cost-effective diagnosis. Agena's MassARRAY platform is addressing this bottleneck with an elegant new solution.
Authors Guiseppe Lippi, Chiara Bovo and Emmanuel J. Favaloro offer a glimpse into a new generation of hematology analyzers and discuss the concepts of redesigning coagulation analyzers to fit the most important aspects of the preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical phases in hemostasis testing. The aim of this opinion article is to provide some personal ideas, based on experience and…
Most people recoil at the thought of ingesting E. coli. But what if the headline-grabbing bacteria could be used to fight disease? Researchers experimenting with harmless strains of E. coli — yes, the majority of E. coli are safe and important to healthy human digestion — are working toward that goal. They have developed an E. coli-based transport capsule designed to help next-generation…
Preliminary tests have demonstrated that a new device may enable existing breast cancer imagers to provide up to six times better contrast of tumors in the breast, while maintaining the same or better image quality and halving the radiation dose to patients. The advance is made possible by a new device developed for 3D imaging of the breast by researchers at the Department of Energy's Thomas…
Photo Research (PR) has merged with its Novanta sister company JADAK, a manufacturer of machine vision, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and bar code products for the health care and life science industries. Photo Research is a leader in world-class light and color measurement solutions serving the flat panel display, automotive, aerospace and related industries.
Scientists from the University of Zurich have been able to understand for the first time why many cancer cells adapt relatively quickly to the treatment with therapeutic antibodies in invasive forms of breast cancer. Instead of dying off, they are merely rendered inactive. The researchers have now developed an active substance that kills the cancer cells very effectively without harming healthy…
Scientists at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health have proven that multiple sclerosis (MS) can be caused by a single genetic mutation – a rare alteration in DNA that makes it very likely a person will develop the more devastating form of the neurological disease.
New, screen-printed, flexible MRI coils may be able to reduce the amount of time it takes to get an MRI scan. Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have developed light and flexible MRI coils that produce high quality MRI images and in the future could lead to shorter MRI scan time periods.
The group of Russian and French researchers, with the participation of scientists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, has succeeded to synthesize nanoparticles of ultrapure silicon, which exhibited the property of efficient photoluminescence, i.e., secondary light emission after photoexcitation. These particles were able to easily penetrate into cancer cells and it allowed to use them as…
Topics of big data, the genetic basis of coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death in the young are among key subjects for British cardiologists at their 2016 annual conference. With a central theme of “Prediction and Prevention”, the 2016 British Cardiovascular Society annual conference takes place in Manchester from June 6-8 and features innovative and interactive presentations,…
Two new optical devices could reduce the need to take tissue samples during medical examinations and operations and to then send them for testing – potentially speeding up diagnosis and treatment and cutting healthcare costs.
Histopathologists play key roles in diagnosing disease entities and determining biomarkers related to the prognosis and response to specific therapy of malignant tumours. Report: Bela Molnar
‘4K technology is the future - a fact which hasn’t gone unnoticed by Panasonic. The company presented its new 4K Ultra HD Micro camera GP-UH532 in Dusseldorf in November 2015. We are very pleased to introduce this innovative system,’ says Margarita Zoussevitch, European Marketing Manager at Panasonic.
Including a small amount of chocolate each day could help prevent diabetes type 2 and insulin resistance. That’s one of the research findings from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the University of Warwick Medical School, the University of South Australia and the University of Maine.
Pentax Medical launches a world first for endoscopy, the OPTIVISTA EPK-i7010 Video Processor, featuring both digital and optical enhancements, in the European, Middle Eastern & African (EMEA) markets. This unique enhancement combination provides detailed information for more accurate endoscopic in vivo diagnosis through improved vessel and mucosal pattern characterization.
As a leading global provider of both diagnostic imaging and analytical instrumentation technologies, Shimadzu offers broad expertise in medical imaging and mass spectrometry detection platforms helping to deliver a measurable impact on healthcare and diagnosis. The company is the perfect partner for transformational technologies to accelerate diagnosis.
Did we get all of the tumor during a cone beam CT? Can the patient hold his breath for several seconds during a CBCT acquisition? There is only one sure way to answer these critical clinical questions. Get the patient to a CT scanner.
In spectral imaging, x-ray images are formed in the customary grey scale imaging procedure. However different photon energies are used, generating images in different colors. Aside from the acquisition of anatomical information, this measurement makes it possible to show different tissue compositions.
SIGNA Pioneer, a new 3.0 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system, embodies the exploration and expansion of modern medical imaging and blazes a trail to the future of MRI. Dr. Ahlers, general manager of radiomed, shares his experience with SIGNA Pioneer recently installed at radiomed practice in Wiesbaden, Germany – one of the first installations worldwide.
What started as a stuffy-nose and mild cold symptoms for 15-year-old Parker Turchan led to a far more serious diagnosis: a rare type of tumor in his nose and sinuses that extended through his skull near his brain. “He had always been a healthy kid, so we never imagined he had a tumor,” said Parker’s father, Karl. “We didn’t even know you could get a tumor in the back of your nose.”
A research team led by University of Arkansas chemist Jingyi Chen and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences microbiologist Mark Smeltzer has developed an alternative therapeutic approach to fighting antibiotic-resistant infections.
An international team working at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has captured the first high-resolution 3-D images from individual double-helix DNA segments attached at either end to gold nanoparticles. The images detail the flexible structure of the DNA segments, which appear as nanoscale jump ropes.
Every year around a quarter of a million children worldwide die from sickle cell disease. In Germany around 3,000 people suffer from this rare inherited blood disorder.
Siemens Healthcare has launched a range of new MR applications to help hospitals reduce the time needed for MR imaging within neurology. It is estimated that 20 to 25 per cent of all MR examinations are neurological, with the number expected to grow in 2016 (1). The applications have therefore been designed to help organisations increase patient throughput in order to maintain an efficient…
An amputee was able to feel smoothness and roughness in real-time with an artificial fingertip that was surgically connected to nerves in his upper arm. Moreover, the nerves of non-amputees can also be stimulated to feel roughness, without the need of surgery, meaning that prosthetic touch for amputees can now be developed and safely tested on intact individuals.
One of the most powerful brand names in MRI imaging is back. At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) GE Healthcare re-introduced the SIGNA line of scanners, placing at center stage a top-of-the-line performer, the 3 tesla SIGNA Voyager. Report: John Brosky
Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are rare – yet they are far more difficult to diagnose and highly variable. Professor Julien Dinkel, consultant at the Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital in Munich, deals with these rarities.
Results from recent trials are promising: an almost 40% increased breast cancer detection rate from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screening compared to conventional mammography.
By using drug delivery vehicles, so-called nanocarriers, pharmaceuticals reach the diseased area in the body. There they accelerate the healing process. But in order to prevent them from getting ingested by phagocytes, the surfaces of the nanocarriers are typically coated with the biocompatible synthetic polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center and…
MRI, CT, pathology: doctors have to consider medical image data – increasing in both amount and complexity – to perform diagnoses and monitor therapy. The Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS in Bremen is creating a new approach to provide effective assistance.
For the first time, and using physical methods, scientists have demonstrated how red blood cells move. They recognized that fast molecules in the vicinity make the cell membrane in the blood cells wriggle – but that the cells themselves also become active when they have enough reaction time.
Since September 2015, Greifswald University Hospital in Germany has been using the HMS-3000MT 3D head mount display from Sony Professional — currently up to eight times a week for laparoscopic procedures with varying levels of difficulty. The team, led by Consultant Doctor Maciej Patrzyk, is convinced by the advantages of the new system—in terms of both ergonomics and imaging technology—in…
In a comprehensive modeling study, researchers from UC Davis and other institutions have found that breast cancer screening with digital mammography poses only a small risk of radiation-induced breast cancer for most women. However, the research showed increased risk for women with large breasts or breast implants, who must often receive extra screening views, increasing their radiation exposure.
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) scientists have developed a new method that turns cells into stem cells by "squeezing" them. The method paves the way for large-scale production of stem cells for medical purposes.
In addition to physical examinations, medical history laboratory test results are critical in almost all medical decisions made in the hospital. The demand for adequate, fast measurements has increased exponentially over at least the last 50 years and may have increased 100-fold, or more, since the 1950s. This could not have been achieved without the introduction of partial or full automation, of…
Fibrocartilage tissue in the knee is comprised of a more varied molecular structure than researchers previously appreciated, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware.
Arab Health 2016 will provide access to a market of more than 400 million people through its 36 country pavilions and offer a platform for the region’s healthcare providers and buyers to collaborate and present the latest tools and innovations for improved patient care. Companies will seek to bring their innovative solutions and investigating future opportunities and introductions to potential…
A discovery about how the body deals with the cholesterol contained within its dying cells has suggested an exciting new approach to control people’s cholesterol levels – and thus their risk of developing heart disease.
Whether they are wireless pacemakers or catheter-guided heart valve implants, new, really innovative products must reach patients – somehow. Thus manufacturers need to ensure that the hospitals that buy their products will be reimbursed. New diagnostic and treatment methods are not captured by a system based on the analysis of older methods. Holger Zorn spoke with Nicole Eisenmenger, Director…
Now there are two ways to remotely examine a patient with ultrasound without leaving your office. With the novel, Melody robotic ultrasound method, the expert consultant is connected to the remote patient site through a video conference link and, using a mouse-like device, the radiologist can perform the exam by manipulating an ultrasound probe positioned on the patient’s body. Report: John…
Using the Arietta V70 from Hitachi, a French diagnostic imaging team is rewriting the book on obstetrics and gynaecology. Entitled the ‘Atlas d’échographie de fusion en gynécologie obstétrique’, the new edition by Jean-Marc Levaillant MD, and colleagues from the diagnostic imaging centres at the Bicêtre and Créteil hospitals in Paris, will be published before the end of 2015.
Impacting on clinical decisions. Accelerating clinical routine. Following the release of its new Version 6 software upgrade for the Aplio Platinum Series ultrasound system, Toshiba has received high marks for the enhanced functions and performance from practitioners, each offering specific insights into how they are applying the technology.
Should video cameras record surgical procedures? Athletes and sports teams review videotapes of their performance to learn how to make improvements. Could surgeons and operating theatre teams use videotapes for quality improvement and to increase patient safety and clinical outcomes by identifying and reducing errors or bad practice? Or would this be an intrusion, a distraction for a surgical…
Trice Imaging announced today at Health 2.0 the integration of Tricefy into FUJIFILM SonoSite’s latest portable ultrasound device. The iViz, which was recently CE marked for sale in Europe and currently pending FDA 510(k) clearance, is the latest point-of-care visualization solution by FUJIFILM SonoSite and includes Trice sharing, collaboration and routing software embedded in the device. Both…
This year at MEDICA, Sony Healthcare Solutions builds on its position in the market as a leading provider of medical imaging technologies. Sony will demonstrate the power and impact visual solutions have in the world of medicine, from pre-operative diagnosis and the latest 4K surgical imaging through 4K over IP distribution up to education, post-surgical review and long archive storage.
For years discussions have been rife regarding the economic efficiency and efficiency of information and communication technology. In Germany the need is to catch up with the interoperability of technical standards and cross-industry approaches. Report: Anja Behringer
Surgeons at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) joined with colleagues from Penn Medicine recently to complete the world’s first bilateral hand transplant on a child. Earlier this month, the surgical team successfully transplanted donor hands and forearms onto eight-year-old Zion Harvey who, several years earlier, had undergone amputation of his hands and feet and a kidney…
‘It’s like a new lease on life,’ says Wolfgang R, ‘I can feel the difference between grass and concrete again.’ Eight years ago the Austrian teacher‘s lower leg had to be amputated following thrombosis. Today, he is the first leg amputee, worldwide, to sport a sensory-enhanced prosthesis. ‘For the wearer the prosthesis is not a numb object, but a part of the body,’ says Dr Hubert…
Panasonic will launch a 4K Ultra HD micro camera at the forthcoming Compamed tradeshow in Düsseldorf, starting on Monday 16 November. The 4K micro camera (GP-UH532) has 3840x2160 resolution at 60p. It is capable of outputting images at up to 1600 TV lines, for smooth, detailed images and accurate colour reproduction.
This year, the worldwide International Day of Radiology (IDoR) on 8 November is dedicated to paediatric radiology. Professor Erich Sorantin, Head of Paediatric Radiology at the University Hospital Graz (Austria) and IDoR coordinator for Austria is particularly pleased: “Only very few countries recognize paediatric radiology as a radiological sub-speciality. Now we have the opportunity to…
A team of researchers from Brown University, ETH Zurich, the Universita da Svizzera Italiana (USI) and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) is using America’s most powerful supercomputer to help understand and fight diseases affecting some of the body’s smallest building blocks.
Dirk-André Clevert MD, Associate Professor of Radiology at the Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Munich, Germany, describes a new diagnostic approach in abdominal ultrasound.
Virtual models can be created in the angiography room thanks to an approach developed by researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) and the university’s departments of radiology, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine. The latest advances were presented by Dr. Gilles Soulez at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe (CIRSE) conference…
People often talk about how important it is to stay in shape, something humans usually can accomplish with exercise and a healthy diet, and other habits. But chances are, few of us ever think about the shape of our individual cells.
It’s a race against the clock; every hour counts in efforts to halt the spread of a disease, but identifying anyone with whom the infected patient has had contact is time-consuming, with Contact Officers generally collecting data on paper. Now, however, scientists from the Nigerian Field Epidemiology Laboratory & Training Programme, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the Hasso…
Vascular surgeon Pat Kelly of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, knew his patients were doing better with the stent graft he designed, but he wanted a better understanding of the mechanics before testing the device more widely in a clinical trial. For that, he reached out to South Dakota State University. Associate professor Stephen Gent in mechanical engineering had done computational…
As new cardiac genetic testing panels become available, cardiologists have been warned not to lose sight of the importance of comprehensive clinical evaluation. While genetic testing is helping to identify more people at risk of inherited conditions, experts stress they are only part of the diagnostic toolkit.
PET/MR has long been studied for oncology but the technique also holds promise in cardiovascular applications, according to a panel of experts at the recent International Conference on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT (ICNCT).
A new study at the University of Haifa has used “big data” analytical methods to reveal the “social character” of genes – a phenomenon in certain diseases whereby genes operate jointly rather than independently. “The problem is that the possible number of combinations of different genes is enormous, and it is almost impossible to examine them all effectively and reliably,” the…
Medical research and art sometimes meet at their finest: experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS in Bremen produced a three-dimensional movie, showing the human heart in full action. The organ beats and pumps, and special techniques visualize the dynamic flow of blood in the vessels. The sequence is part of a new interactive three-dimensional experience to be…
An organic dye that can light up cancer cells for two powerful imaging techniques providing complementary diagnostic information has been developed and successfully tested in mice by A*STAR researchers.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology have released a set of clinical practice guidelines to address management of a patient's temperature during open heart surgery. The guidelines appear in the August issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and were published simultaneously in two other journals.
During the past 15 years, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has evolved into a vital technology used to perform routine tests in many clinical laboratories. Historically, LC-MS/MS had been used primarily by research, pharmaceutical, or commercial laboratories; however, advances in the technology, decreasing costs for basic systems, intelligible software, an increased…
With its previous LCMS-8030, LCMS-8040 and LCMS-8050 triple-quadrupole systems, Shimadzu has set leading standards in terms of speed, sensitivity and functional design. With the introduction of the new LCMS-8060 (Figure 1), the success story of the LCMS-triple-quadrupole family reaches another milestone.
Seegene Inc. today announced that it has entered into a worldwide collaboration agreement with QIAGEN N.V. to develop and supply molecular diagnostic assays.
Carestream is expanding into new imaging modalities: cone beam CT and ultrasound. Key advances in these areas will be demonstrated at the upcoming Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) conference on July 19-22. For cone beam CT which is currently undergoing patient studies, a conceptual scale model will be on display.
Blood clots often form when lipid-rich plaques on the inner surface of arteries rupture and platelets aggregate at the site of injury. LMU cardiologists have now compared the effects of two new platelet aggregation inhibitors.
Tumor suppressor genes protect against cancer. Until now, scientists have had to perform complex experiments to detect whether or not a mutation or loss of this gene type does, in fact, cause cancer. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now used a new gene technology method called CRISPR/Cas9 technology for this detection.
Life sciences company Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX: PIQ) is pleased to announce that it has produced and validated a predictive test for the diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). The test, called PromarkerD, is the world's first proteomics-derived predictive (prognostic) test for the diagnosis of DKD, and represents a global breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of the…
Many people suffer from skin disorders. Open wounds are a particularly acute problem, especially among the elderly. PlasmaDerm, a new medical technology solution, uses plasma to facilitate faster healing of wounds.
Imaging the head and neck is only rarely practised in radiology training and is highly complex and particulate, which is why, during our discussion with Professor Birgit Ertl-Wagner, Head of MRI at the Institute for Clinical Radiology at Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, she pointed out that many radiologists are not comfortable with orientation around this area. When…
As part of an effort to understand how an experimental drug for atherosclerosis causes the build-up of fat in the liver, scientists have developed a computer model that can predict how the rate at which liver stores fat in response to various situations.
‘There are still only 24 hours in a day – even for surgeons,’ said Professor Vogt MD during our interview. The Director of the clinic for plastic, hand and reconstructive surgery at Hanover Medical School and President of the DGCH (German Society of Surgery) is calling for solutions to the dilemma trainee surgeons face: undergoing high-quality specialist medical training while completing…
Unpowered exoskeleton developed by Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State researchers helps individuals walk using less energy.
A new "lab-on-a-disc" technology developed by an EU project research team can diagnose malaria and other febrile infectious diseases simultaneously in just an hour - allowing faster point-of-care treatment and precise drugs administration that could save thousands of lives.
PET/MRI scanners have great potential because they combine the strengths of two different systems. Previous problems resulting from respective, mutually exclusive physical effects of both procedures have been resolved. Now these scanners are being introduced to the hospital and assist in the detection of the position and spread of tumours as well as their metabolic activity, says Dr Harald H…
The ‘Robert Koch’ plane for medical evacuations (MedEvac) is the winged equivalent of a German hospital isolation ward. Within it, medics with viral haemorrhagic fever while working on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, receive intensive medical care during any stages of the disease, while being evacuated. Report: Anja Behringer
Ask about UltraFast ultrasound and you might expect a technical answer explaining why the ultrasound is faster. However, for Stéphanie Franchi-Abella MD, fast means just fast, an ultra-quick acquisition she can take of a squirming, agitated new-born in the blink of an eye. ‘These babies are small and breathing rapidly, the organs are moving fast in the image and it’s sometimes difficult to…
At ECR 2015 Siemens Healthcare introduces its new hand-carried Acuson P500 ultrasound system, Frosk edition.
In breast cancer care each patient receives personalised, highly effective diagnosis and treatment procedures. In breast diagnostics this mainly revolves around new MRI scanning procedures that allow the quantification of biological and physiological processes on a cellular and molecular level.
Integration of imaging biomarkers in Europe is a challenge, and a number of issues must be overcome so that the full potential of quantitative imaging can be realised, renowned researchers will show in a session today at the ECR.
With the new version of the Somatom Definition Edge, Siemens Healthcare has created the basis for establishing the dual energy procedure in clinical routine. The innovative X-ray tube concept in the new CT scanner, enables simultaneous imaging at two different energy levels for the first time in single source computed tomography.
Findings of a recent study say that environmental stress is a major factor for DNA damage and therefore the reason for accelerated tissue aging and probably cancer. Good sleep prevents this DNA damage.
Mobile apps have proved to be valuable educational tools, but laboratory instructors thus far have been limited to using mobile devices only for virtual laboratories with simulated experiments. Now, researchers at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering have developed a series of mobile applications that allow students to remotely interact with real data and equipment in real laboratories.
As healthcare systems across the globe churn out imaging scans in larger numbers, the need for advanced visualization (AV) solutions that enable physicians to effectively visualize and analyze examination results is rising. In the face of growing diagnostic workloads in Western Europe, AV solutions help physicians arrive at accurate diagnoses of pathologies, thereby enhancing patient management.
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and from the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University treated mice with a combination of a low-dose metronomic chemotherapy and an antibody against Ang-2, a regulatory protein of the blood vessel lining cells. The treated animals had significantly less metastases.
Last October the Association of the German Diagnostics Industry (VDGH) warned that the proposed EU regulation on in vitro diagnostic medical devices will increase production costs. Simultaneously with the Brussels proposal publication, the German Federal Ministry of Health presented a draft fees regulation that includes significant increases and several new fees, inter alia the minimum fee for…
With more than 60 years in radiology, Zwanger-Pesiri is one of the largest non-hospital-based radiology practices in the USA. Among its 60 radiologists the number of specialties include interventional, neuro, abdominal and cardiovascular radiology as well as musculoskeletal, breast and vascular imaging.
A new extracorporeal nanotech device addresses the root cause of sepsis by removing pathogens and endotoxins simultaneously from blood even before their identification – this genetically engineered mannose-binding lectin protein can also latch on to the Ebola virus... Report: Cynthia E Keen
Trichomonias, with an estimated 187 million cases, and Chlamydia with around 100 million, are the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). There are approximately 36 million cases each of gonorrhoea and syphilis. HIV1/2 cases are around 34 million. Report: Cynthia Keen
The adage ‘practice makes perfect’ is applicable to every profession – but even more so for pilots and surgeons. Flight simulation technology has been used for decades to hone aviators’ skills, and this technology is now being used by neurosurgeons to plan as well as practise surgical procedures and for real-time virtual assistance in operating theatre. Report: Cynthia E Keen
With an estimated fatality rate of 52%, the need to discover a cure for Ebola has never been more urgent. New research published in Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics this month suggests that scientists currently investigating potential cures for the Ebola virus should focus more attention on the protein furin.
The treatment of cerebral aneurysms is often very complex and initially it is not always obvious which type of treatment is best suited for an individual case. In October, during the Annual Congress of the German Society for Neuroradiology e.V., a working group from Hamburg introduced a procedure that enables the production of exact copies of individual aneurysms with a 3D printer.
GE’s latest and most advanced Voluson system to date offers clinicians completely new ultrasound views thanks to three pioneering innovations, the company reports.
Albit was designed as an easy-to-use and practical ultrasound device both for general diagnostic applications such as obs/gyn, paediatric, small subsurface organ examinations and specific diagnostic applications such as proctology, TRUS, anaesthesia, vascular surgery or orthopaedics.
‘An intelligent imaging tool, Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI) moves beyond conventional colour Doppler technology by applying a unique algorithm allowing visualisation of small vessels with low velocity, while maintaining high resolution, minimal motion artefacts and high frame rates,’ Toshiba proudly reports.
More than 750 British military personnel as well as RFA Argus – the country’s medical ship – have arrived in Sierra Leone, for front line duties in the battle against Ebola. In the meantime Britain tested its readiness for a possible Ebola virus epidemic. Report: Brenda Marsh
Johns Hopkins Medicine has been tasked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lead a group and to design an interactive Web-based learning program that guides health care workers, nurses and physicians through government-approved protocols to aid clinicians as they provide care to patients who may be at risk of contracting the Ebola virus.
The DRX-Ascend delivers high-end DR system features for imaging centers, orthopedic facilities, urgent care clinics and hospital radiology departments.
Dr Alex Horton, Consultant Radiologist at the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the UK, discusses how the latest development in point-of-care ultrasound systems, SonoSite’s X-Porte™ Ultrasound Kiosk, combines good image quality and robustness in a way that is ideal for use in the interventional radiology suite.
Personalised medicine is often equated with the development of drugs tailored to the genetic make-up of patients or cancers.
The University Medical Center in Utrecht (UMCU), The Netherlands, is in the process of creating a multidisciplinary centre of excellence, able to manage resources efficiently while delivering the highest level of patient care and clinical research.
This year’s Journées Internationales de Biologie (JIB) in Paris (8-11 October) will include the new France-Germany Forum on its opening day.
The significant benefits of cardiac catherisation remain undisputed. However, cross-sectional imaging modalities are serious competitors when it comes to arriving at the right diagnosis.
The heart is a structure in three dimensions and today we see it in three dimensions,’ Jose Luis Zamorano Gomez MD declared with satisfaction.
In studies on prostate cancer, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) simultaneously investigated the genetic and epigenetic development of the tumors.
A transplant team at a Birmingham hospital has achieved a world first after resuscitating a liver that would have previously been considered unviable.
The Norovirus, which affects around 267 million people and is attributed to cause over 200,000 deaths annually (usually among the very young, elderly or immune-suppressed, or in 3rd world areas) can be rapidly destroyed by copper and copper alloys, scientists at the United Kingdom’s University of Southampton confirm.
Even though a lot of us don’t do it, let’s say you know that washing your hands is the first, and the best thing, you can do to stop sharing nasty bugs that are especially dangerous for patients.
Coping with the side effects of chemotherapy treatment is challenging for people with cancer. When fatigued or nauseous, it is not easy to assess if these conditions are acceptable treatment side effects or require medical assistance.
As well as this year’s programme being the biggest yet, with 76 plenary sessions, there are also sponsored symposia from Janssen and CamNutra. Additionally, the USA’s Mayo Clinic will provide the Cardiology Review Course, with representatives from Rochester, Minnesota, delivering some sessions.
The world’s largest medical trade fair, MEDICA, and the leading international trade fair for suppliers of the medical technology industry, the COMPAMED, are always going to take place in November on the days running from Monday to Thursday from 2015 on.
imec, the European research centre for nanoelectronics, has linked with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, to develop the next generation of highly miniaturised medical tools.
New insights into the ways the human brain functions – that is the promise of mapping the entire web of connections in the brain, the so-called connectome. New developments in connectome imaging are one of the major topics at this year’s European Congress of Radiology (ECR).
"I can count on my fingers the number of pathologists who work full digitally," said Elin Kindberg who is leading the development of a pathology PACS for Sectra Imaging IT Solutions. Conventional light microscopes continued to be standard tool for examining histo-pathology slides.
‘Elastography is in a position much like Doppler 20 years ago,’ according to David Cosgrove, BMBCh, MA, FRCR, FRCP, Professor of Clinical Ultrasound at Imperial College School of Medicine in London.
Fully implantable mechanical hearts bring hope to 121,000 heart failure patients who will never receive a heart transplant
How does spectral – or dual energy – imaging work? Very similar to red and green light used in black-and-white photography. A black-and-white camera provides information on the colours of the photographed objects: an object that is black under red light is actually green.
Johns Hopkins scientists have developed three new Web-based software tools designed to help hospital emergency departments, first responder organizations and others model and prepare for major disasters, including flu outbreaks.
Olympus launches its OlyVIA Mobile iPad App, an image viewer dedicated to virtual slides.
Since minimally invasive surgery (MIS) entered cardiac surgery in the mid-1990s it became unthinkable not to use this medical specialty. However, MIS procedures do not always result in the best outcome for patients.
Down’s syndrome (also referred to as trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra copy of chromosome 21 in a person’s DNA. Current screening for Down’s syndrome and other trisomy conditions includes a combined test done between the 11th and 13th weeks of pregnancy.
Johns Hopkins study finds robotic colon surgery just as effective as laparoscopy but more expensive
Partnerships are at the top of the agenda for RSNA 2013. To meet current and emerging challenges, “we need internal partnerships within radiology and external ones with our clinical peers as well as with our patients,” outlined Sarah S. Donaldson, MD in her opening address of the 99th RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.
For Pablo Ros, MD, the decision to use the new IQon Spectral CT system from Philips Healthcare is a no-brainer. The head of the radiology department at the prestigious University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and the co-director of Case Center for Imaging Research, introduced the new technology on the first day at the congress of the Radiological Society of North America…
Philips at MEDICA: New healthcare solutions developed with users and patients help improve the recovery process and treatment options for patients while supporting medical staff in their work
Okan Ekinci, Global Director of Cardiology at Siemens Healthcare, is convinced that, ultimately, ultrasound will remain the ‘entry level’ imaging procedure for patients. European Hospital met up with him at this year’s ESC congress to hear his thoughts on the potential of ultrasound – and particularly its fusion with other imaging modalities.
Performing manual chest compressions well for an extended period of time is almost impossible.
Down’s syndrome (also referred to as trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra copy of chromosome 21 in a person’s DNA.
Until recently, hospitals were constructed the way they had been built through centuries. Today, however, hospital design is shifting towards patient logistics, opening up very new perspectives.
Neurologists keenly debate the value of mechanical reopening of blocked blood vessels in the brain, as demonstrated during the 21st World Congress for Neurology (WCN) in Vienna this September. Theoretically, endovascular thrombolysis can only be considered for 20-30% of all incidents of stroke.
Adding high quality, dynamic ultrasound for hybrid imaging enables clinicians to improve detection of a range of lesions or to intervene better for improved clinical outcomes. ‘We can no longer be fascinated with pictures; what we need is proof of the clinical benefit from tools and techniques,’ said Professor Jose Zamorano MD, Director of Cardiology at Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in…
The new Hospital Engineering Lab in Duisburg, Germany, which was officially opened in July by Barbara Steffens, Health Minister for the German federal state, is a project of four Fraunhofer Institutes.
Germany's hospitals are currently experiencing a construction boom: Whether its renovation, expansion or even new construction - the number of construction projects at German health care facilities is currently higher than at any time for 35 years with more than 1050 projects currently being implemented.
Milan, Italy – The 20th European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine certainly lived up to its claim as the EU’s largest event of its kind – 2,407 visitors and 4,786 delegates from 101 countries plus 82 exhibitors fanned out or arranged themselves over the event’s 3,500 square metres, Hanna Politis reports
Research using an analytical health economics model has suggested the current system of screening within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is only moderately likely to be cost effective.
‘We finally have tools to non-invasively study the human brain in normal subjects and diseased patients,’ says Professor Stefan Sunaert, Head of Translational MRI at the Department of Imaging & Pathology, Leuven University Hospital (Belgium)
EKF Diagnostics has recently marked the production at its manufacturing facility in Barleben, Germany, of the 33,333rd Hemo Control, its globally successful haemoglobin point-of-care analyser, since its launch in 2003.
Until recently, hospitals were built the way they had been built through the centuries. Today, hospital design is shifting towards patient logistics, opening up totally new perspectives.
Remote US examinations is not science-fiction; they are now available for real-time diagnostics.
The 2013 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Pacing and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy¹ developed in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), have created a new classification system for bradyarrhythmias according to mechanisms rather than aetiology.
Medical Equipment Solutions and Applications (MESA) and Euromedic International have agreed to extend their current diagnostic imaging service and maintenance partnership covering Euromedic’s Tier 1 (MRI, CT, PET-CT, Gamma Camera and Angio) and Tier 2 (mammography, ultrasound and other general X-ray) systems.
Hospital refurbishment or new buildings can quickly run into several million euros.
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is sending a promising duo into the race against cancer: A new PET/MR system that can combine high-resolution images with functional information to improve cancer diagnosis.
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have been the first to prove that genetic and environmental risk factors for breast cancer do not act independently of each other.
The movement for interoperability among health information devices and systems has spread across Europe reaching Turkey, which will be host to the European IHE Connectathon in Istanbul this April
“We finally have tools to non-invasively study the human brain in normal subjects and diseased patients,” says Professor Stefan Sunaert, Head of Translational MRI at the Department of Imaging & Pathology at Leuven University Hospital (Belgium).
Hedvig Hricak, Chair of the Radiology Department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA, describes emerging applications and potential trends in gynaecological cancer treatment described at the 15th International Symposium Crossing Barriers
It is an every-day occurrence in any emergency department: patients presenting with severe flank pain. In roughly 50 percent of these cases, the pain is caused by a stone. 15 percent of all men and six percent of all women suffer from stones in kidney, ureter, bladder or urethra at least once in their lifetime
A UK hospital is assessing trauma patients by taking them directly for CT scans rather than to the A&E department. Piloted at King’s College Hospital, this new approach to assessing patients with life-threatening injuries aims to speed up diagnosis by conducting CT simultaneously with patient resuscitation and stabilisation.
ECR’s Josef Lissner Honorary Lecture commemorates the co-founder of the European Congress of Radiology who passed away in 2006.
For the 19th consecutive year the annual meeting of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), takes place in Vienna.
Arterial stiffness of the central human blood vessels leads to increased work for the heart and damages microstructures in the organs. However, measuring blood vessel elasticity inside the body is not that easy.
Although evolving as a tool in medical pathology for years, several factors have hampered its widespread use in this field. Now, a Scientific American article asserts that the time has come for a digital imaging revolution.
Simultaneous surgical successes open new perspectives for multiple transplants
A prototype for proton and ion therapy has been used clinically in Heidelberg since 2009. Built jointly by Siemens and GSI (Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt.
‘Mass spectrometry has developed into a successful routine procedure,’ according to Dr Christoph Seger (Univ. Doz.), technical head of the Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography division at the Central Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Innsbruck University Hospital, Austria.
Rapid and accurate diagnosis using ultrasound has won increasing use by physicians and radiologists. The new MyLab Alpha delivers high-end performance in an easy-to-use, highly mobile system.
A first in medical imaging is still unknown for Kit Vaughan, who is ready to simultaneously scan with X-rays and ultrasound for breast screening. Stay tuned for the results at RSNA 2013, says EH Correspondent John Brosky
The recent scandal around faulty breast implants from France started it, first the talk about the entire medical devices industry, and then progression towards the monitoring and licensing of products. Report: Brigitte Dinkloh
Until now doctors had to use complex methods to get an accurate picture of a patient's body composition. The seca mBCA simplifies that complicated technology and after less than 20 seconds, it delivers all medically relevant data.
Olympus VS120 virtual slide scanning system earns three awards at the prestigious second International Scanner Contest.
Petabytes of data on each patient will become the foundation of future diagnostics and therapy. Genetics, imaging and environmental information – toxins, lifestyle – will deliver a precise picture of the individual, allowing for diagnostic precision and targeted treatments.
To modernise the surgical display equipment at Belgium’s foremost university hospitals, NDS Surgical Imaging (NDSsi) has installed Radiance HD surgical displays in the operating theatres and the gastroenterology department. Easy to implement and offering reliable and consistent colour quality, the multi-modality imaging systems addresses the needs of UZ Leuven’s surgeons, clinicians, imaging…
Petabytes of data on each patient will become the foundation of future diagnostics and therapy.
Carestream will demonstrate top of the edge technologie and launches digital breast tomosynthesis module for its Vue Mammo Workstation on booth 2636 in Chicago.
Personalised cancer medicine is much discussed, with high expectations for biomolecular decoding of various tumours and the global pharma industry developing targeted drugs to attack tumours at a biomolecular level.
Study suggests a new method to measure breast density can help determine cancer risk
Rarely have the topics at the EHFG been so relevant to the current international economic crisis – reason enough for EH correspondent Christian Pruszinsky to interview the Forum’s founder and outgoing President Professor Günther Leiner.
Accuvix A30 produces impressive results in the prenatal diagnostics arena and Samsung could become a serious contender in the ultrasound champions’ league.
In 2011, among Germany’s 82 million people 69.5 million holiday trips were made, each lasting at least five days; 47.8 million (68.8%) of these were abroad.
John Brosky reports on a ground-breaking trial and how CT-FFR may change the practice of invasive cardiology and cardiac surgery.
One heart – One Team, the motto for this year’s German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Congress emphasises that cardiac surgeons and cardiologists must now work more in tandem for their mutual patients. This is not just a short-lived three-day slogan, but a daily reality at the University Heart Centre Hamburg, as EH correspondent Holger Zorn reports
]‘We are very pleased to be able to offer our patients top quality and, most importantly, very precise radiotherapy,’ said Professor Wolfgang Mohnike, Medical Director of the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centre (DTZ) in Berlin – one of the leading outpatient cancer centres in the city. The newly equipped Radiotherapy Centre at the DTZ was inaugurated at the beginning of June and the new…
Ensuring the safety of hospitalised patients is vital – and brought under a particularly strong focus in anaesthesiology. Launched in 2010, the Helsinki Declaration provided a further boost. Report: Holger Zorn
Radiation dose reduction in CT angiography can be achieved by reducing the kV settings, reducing the tube voltage, the tube current and by using iterative reconstruction algorithms.
Around for almost 20 years, minimally invasive technologies such as laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery are popular subjects – and aired again during the 27th EAU Congress held in February at the Palais des Congrès, Paris.
Heidelberg’s doctor/nurse equal partnership concept raises staff/patient satisfaction. For the past decade the surgery and anaesthesiology departments at Heidelberg’s 340-bed University Hospital have encouraged cooperation between doctors and nurses that has set the standard for other hospitals within its remit.
The IHE European Connectathon to be held in Bern, Switzerland, from 21-25 May 2012 will expand this year to include European nations connecting health records in the large-scale European Patient Smart Open Service (epSOS) project and will host satellite meetings for key e-health organisations.
A Birmingham hospital is pioneering a new procedure which aims to maintain and improve the quality of organs for transplantation in recipients on the waiting list.
At ECR 2012, Sectra will highlight the latest development within its product suites with the main focus on how radiology can increase their service to referring physicians thereby becoming number one for their customers in increasingly competitive and challenging environment.
Held at La Defense in January, the International Congress of Intensive Care Medicine, sponsored by Société de Réanimation de Langue Française (SRLF) – the French Society for Intensive Care – is, with more than 3,500 participants, one of the major intensive care meetings to take place in 2012, Jane Mac Dougall reports.
Integrated information management reduces risks and cuts cost, Finn Snyder reports. Intensive care units (ICUs) are vital in healthcare. ICUs in US hospitals, for example, treat six million of the sickest and oldest patients annually, according to a document recently published for the Massachusetts Technology Park Corporation, which states that choices about how to manage them carry high stakes:
When scanning seizures, Dr Walter Kucharczyk, director of MRI at Toronto General Hospital, believes that MRI still remains the best imaging test to discover if there is an anatomic or structural abnormality that might account for a seizure.
Using precise information about an individual’s genetic makeup is becoming increasingly routine for developing tailored treatments for breast, lung, colon and other cancers. But techniques used to identify meaningful gene mutations depend on analyzing sequences of both normal and mutant DNA in tumor samples, a process that can yield ambiguous results.
Quality management has been an integral part of the German healthcare sector for years. Doing without it is unimaginable, particularly in terms of increasing economical and competitive pressures on hospitals. Nonetheless, she asks: Does investments in quality management pay off?
Education and science are not the only exciting aspects of the European Congress of Radiology; the Vienna venue is also a stage on which companies can introduce novel concepts in medical imaging. Following one product’s world premiere during the RSNA 2011 in Chicago, the Echelon Oval 1.5-T MR system is now debuting before a European audience at the ECR 2012.
Having previously presented the CT D’OR (CT with Double Optimal Reading) and ‘Oped’ (Orthogonal Polynomial Expansion on the Disc), a detector mask and a reconstruction algorithm that improve image quality whilst simultaneously lowering the radiation dose, Professor Christoph Hoeschen, at the Department of Medical Radiation Physics and Diagnostics (AMSD) at the Helmholtz Centre Munich, is…
Architect Herbert Michael Küpper Dr-Ing from M+ management, demonstrates that full understanding of the working needs of a hospital is necessary to arrive at a successful new construction.
Surgical simulations can save lives, Anja Behringer reports Medical errors occur more frequently than traffic accidents and clearly better systems are needed to improve patient safety. Thus the importance of medical training using human simulation models is increasingly emphasised in Germany.
Improved cooperation, a database for artificial joints, antibiotics against pathogens – orthopaedic specialists and surgeons are banking on different ways of increasing patient safety. Report: Susanne Werner
Prof. Uwe Nixdorff from the European Prevention Centre, Düsseldorf advocates cardiologists combine IMT measurement with ALOKA’s pulse wave intensity function to check for unseen coronary heart disease: “This technique is currently seldom used, however in my experience it provides a more complete picture and enables me to treat patients earlier for life-threatening conditions that are often…
Carestream Health provides innovative digital radiography systems that satisfy these goals while simultaneously helping to reduce expenses for healthcare providers worldwide. It also markets powerful systems that efficiently manage radiology workflow—from the scheduling of patient x-ray exams to reading of those imaging studies by radiologists, and ultimately the delivery of radiology reports…
Siemens Healthcare launched the ACUSON S3000, its latest ultra-premium ultrasound platform, at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, USA. The new system includes advanced automated ultrasound fusion imaging as well as multi-modality review capabilities to provide additional clinical and spatial information in the analysis…
Directed by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Krankenhaustag (GDK) the EHC will open with an examination of and debate on the current European health policy and the impact of the EU patients’ rights directive. Passed by the European Council of Ministers in February, these guidelines envisage patients having cross-border access to healthcare services, inclusive of a free choice of doctors and…
Although like a conventional MR scanner the unassuming exterior is misleading. The casing houses a powerful interior. This is the new Siemens Biograph mMR, a hybrid that contains a specially developed PET component fully protected against magnetic field interference.
‘We are all aware of the importance of early diagnosis and rapid appropriate treatment of patients with severe sepsis. Yet, many patients still do not receive satisfactory early management and the application of recent guidelines for sepsis management is still inadequate,’ writes Jean-Louis Vincent MD PhD, from the Intensive Care Department, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles,…
September saw the international crème de la crème of bariatric surgery descend on Hamburg for the 16th World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO 2011). Among their discussions: new minimally invasive procedures, the importance of aftercare and the lack of recognition of the importance of surgical treatment of the severely obese in…
Participants at European Health Forum Gastein 2011 (EHFG) agreed: the tendency in Germany and Austria is to operate far too soon (particularly for hip, knee and disc surgery), and many surgical interventions are unnecessary, posing a particular and increasingly urgent problem especially in industrialised countries. Hans-Christian Pruszinsky reports
Despite huge increases in spending over the last three decades, progress in dealing with the most frequent and burdensome diseases is appalling. The EU Flagship Pilot IT Future of Medicine (ITFoM) could remedy that. The flagship‘s investments of 1 billion euros in the course of the next decade are expected to save up to 100 billion euros per year in health expenditures in the future.
Acute myocardial Infarction (AMI) is a major cause of death and disability. Worldwide, one in eight patients die of an ischemic heart disease. Its rapid and accurate diagnosis is critical for the initiation of effective evidence based medical management, including early revascularization, but is still an unmet clinical need. The gradual implementation of high-sensitive cardiac troponins (hs-cTnT)…
Founded in 1998, the European Health Forum Gastein (5-8 October, Salzburg, Austria) is Europe’s leading health political conference, attracting 600 participants from around 60 countries. Beyond the EU, its leading role is underlined by the participation of active members from the GUS states, south-eastern European countries and Taiwan, Christian Pruszinsky reports.
Royal Philips Electronics provided clinicians from across the globe with a glimpse of future innovations designed to advance cardiac care, including the current management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated cardiac conditions, during the 2011 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Although space limitations have reduced the number of live scanning sessions at past World Ultrasound Congresses, this year greater space at the Vienna venue has enabled the organisation of 51 live scanning sessions by Dr Christian Aiginger, consultant internist at the St. Josef Hospital Vienna Auhof, with Dr Helmut Prosch, Consultant at the Department of General Radiology and Paediatric…
Yes, it’s in beautiful Dresden again and -- as in 2006 when the city last hosted the Congress of the German Society for Senology -- this year’s Congress President is Professor Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland (Department of Radiology, University of Erlangen). However, the repetition ends there; the congress topics will be anything but repeated. Report: Meike Lerner
Although the 17 lectures delivered at this year‘s Medical Technology Congress in Berlin, Germany, focused on topics ranging from experimental and clinical research to routine daily diagnostic methods, the pervading interest was in the improvement, development and distribution of non-invasive imaging devices and corresponding software.
Preliminary research presented at SNM’s 58th Annual Meeting is breaking new ground for the development of a brand new hybrid molecular imaging system. Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is providing important diagnostic information about soft tissues and physiological functions throughout the body. Scans focused on screening suspicious lesions…
Morbid obesity is a chronic, lifelong, multifactorial, constitutional disease with negative medical, psychological, physical, social and economic side-effects. Obesity-related secondary diseases are Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or sleep apnoea. Report: Holger Zorn
Carestream Health is one of the first healthcare IT providers to conduct pre-launch testing of the new Intel® Xeon® processor E7 product family in its industry-leading medical image management, archiving and distribution systems. These tests indicate the new high-performance processors can equip Carestream Health’s PACS and SuperPACS™ Architecture to deliver responsive access to a larger…
Major disasters and natural catastrophes occur all the time – but in most cases we are only aware of them as images in the news on our TV screens or in the newspapers. Fortunately, most European hospitals are confronted with such major events only occasionally.
It turns out to be difficult to find out exactly how much a child who cannot yet speak suffers after a surgical operation. Researchers at the University Hospital of La Paz, in Madrid, have validated the 'Llanto' scale, the first, and only, tool in Spanish which measures infant pain rapidly and simply.
State-of-the-art operating theatres are shifting from X-rays to the display of images on monitors. The variety of different picture sources is also increasing, ranging from boom and endoscopy cameras to C-arms or PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication) systems. Thus the trend is to use an image management system to display the various surgical images on just one monitor.
Following CE mark registration to sell a fully-automated Mycophenolic acid (MPAT) test for use on the Dimension integrated chemistry systems*, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has become the first to offer the consolidation of four fully-automated immunosuppressant drug (ISD) tests -- Mycophenolic acid, Cyclosporine, Tacrolimus and Sirolimus – used to monitor organ transplant patients.
A Pisa-based team has established the Adonhers (Aged Donor Heart Rescue by Stress Echo) protocol and is using second-opinion stress tele-echocardiography to assess the condition of the heart from older donors. A key aspect of this was to raise the donor cut-off age limit from 55 to 65 years, where the stress echo screening on the candidate donor showed as normal.
Adults with congenital heart failure (CHD) are a growing special subset of patients with specific needs; most need lifelong care, but in adulthood many fail to receive it. By Holger Zorn
Transcatheter valve implants (TAVI) have encouraged a new group of patients. Previously inoperable, they may now receive adequate treatment. Some centres report a success rate close to the conventional open surgical procedure. Naturally, the long-term outcome is still unclear. Holger Zorn reports.
Mechanical suturing tools are an indispensable part of modern surgery. Gastro-intestinal surgery as well as minimally invasive surgeries, would be unthinkable without this technology, a growing sub-market in an ever-growing industry, possibly driven by the patient’s benefit, writes Holger Zorn.
Rapid technological progress and the changed working patterns of surgeons has greatly increased the demand of simulated training in the United Kingdom, notes Professor Mike Larvin, Director of RCS Education at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, where a new Education and Simulation Centre is incorporating state-of-the-art education and training facilities in response to those changes.
Doctors who used a free iPhone application provided by the UK Resuscitation Council performed significantly better in a simulated medical emergency than those who did not, according to a study in the April issue of Anaesthesia.
The eleventh annual IHE European Connectathon set for Pisa, Italy from April 11th to 15th, 2011 has rapidly expanded to a week-long program of activities that is attracting a critical mass of engineers and executives responsible for advancing e-health in Europe.
Toshiba Medical Systems introduced the Aquilion Prime CT scanner, the latest member of the CT family Volume CT Aquilion ONE. Equipped with cutting edge technology for dose reduction and a gantry bore of 78cm, the innovative 160 multislice CT Aquilion Prime defines the next generation of CT scanners.
Looking at the 5th dimension of a CT image is old hat. Back in the 1980s there were many installations with rapid kV switching, a dual energy procedure, which were mainly used for bone density measurements. Basically, the 5th dimension is the ability to determine the atomic number as well as density of materials, which facilitates tissue differentiation even when there is the same attenuation.
Thinking of the future of imaging, inevitably PET-MRI springs to mind. The fascination of this novel hybrid technology is great, seeing how it combines the best from three imaging areas: anatomy, function and metabolism. The further development of functional procedures in oncology is raising particularly high expectations. However, how extensive the use of this potentiated image information will…
For 170 years, the German firm seca has set worldwide standards for medical scales and measuring stations. Today, its products are used by medical teams in 110 countries, measuring a range of patients from tiny premature babies to adults weighing 300kg and basket ball players soaring to 7’ 4” high.
In 1935, following the spectacular crash of the much-heralded Boeing B-17 bomber, it was concluded that the ‘modern plane was too much for one man to fly’. Similarly, given the complexity of modern healthcare, medicine is rarely a solo pursuit. In 1977, following the largest commercial aviation crash to date, flight investigators concluded the crew had ‘failed to take the time to become a…
While other industries race towards an all-digital world, healthcare remains frozen in the Analogue Age. However, the success of established, world-leading e-health programmes in Denmark, Andalusia and Lombardy, have built confidence in secure patient data exchanges.
According to Medica organisers, November’s medical diary highlight was again a success: around 137,200 visitors from 100 countries entered the massive and many halls of Messe Düsseldorf to scour the world’s largest medical fair. From the world of politics came German Chancellor Angela Merkel, German and Healthcare Minister Philipp Rösler, as well as the Right Honorable The Lord Darzi of…
Interfaces between the brain and electrical circuits in technical devices or computers open new perspectives for basic research and medical application, e.g., for therapeutic brain stimulation and neuroprosthetics. The new EU project CORONET will develop the technological and theoretical foundations for such future “bio-hybrid” interfaces between biological and artificial nervous tissues.
During RSNA, Philips announced the new Philips Ingenuity CT platform, an innovative technology that will help redefine low dose imaging. The Ingenuity CT features iDose4, Philips’ next-generation iterative reconstruction technique, designed to provide equivalent diagnostic image quality at up to 80 percent less dose; improve spatial resolution by up to 35 percent with up to 50 percent less…
Philips introduced the Philips IntelliSpace Portal, a multimodality workspace that uses advanced networking capabilities to facilitate collaboration between radiologists and referring clinicians that may lead to faster, more accurate and informed patient care. Featured at the 96th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North American (RSNA) in Chicago, the IntelliSpace Portal turns…
Philips is ushering in a new era in radiology science with Imaging 2.0, a concept fueled by integration of technology, clinician and patient. Showcasing its commitment to pioneering innovative, cost-effective solutions, Philips is highlighting technologies that focus specifically on the patient, in addition to advanced networking tools that facilitate greater collaboration between radiologists…
Industry-leading PACS vendors at this year's annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference were running Barco's MediCal QAWeb software “live” on the company's medical imaging displays. MediCal QAWeb is the industry's most complete, web-based service guaranteeing 100% image consistency and uptime via automated calibration and QA of medical grade displays.
Carestream Health showcased its award-winning family of detectors and systems based on the wireless, cassette-size CARESTREAM DRX-1 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Carestream Health is the only company that can offer a full family of options from CR to wireless, cassette-size detectors for existing x-ray rooms and mobile x-ray systems as well as fully automated…
This year at the 96th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, Philips was ushering in a new era in radiology science with Imaging 2.0, a concept fueled by integration of technology, clinician and patient.
The manufacturers of medical technology and medical products have weathered the phase of economic and financial crisis well, now noticing a strong tailwind for their businesses and proving a driver for growth with their innovations.
In technical terms ‘hybrid’ is a system that connects two technologies so they may benefit from each other. This also applies to the newest generation of operating theatre*: hybrid OTs combine diagnostic and surgical facilities that are usually found in separate locations. Thus procedures can be carried out in less time and involve less discomfort and risk for the patient.
A statement by Jochen Franke, CEO of Philips Healthcare Germany, Austria and Switzerlandand, Head of the Advisory Council at MEDICA 2010.
Launching its new ProSound F75 at the 20th ISUOG World Congress in Prague this October, Aloka Holding AG explained that it was designed to meet the firm’s new ‘FIT’ ethos (Facilitated workflow; Investment return; True diagnostics). Each machine can be tailored to any physician’s needs (over 45 user presets), simplifying the process, vastly reducing patient dependency and time to conduct…
A cardiologist at a UK hospital has become the first in the world to develop a technique to ‘slice’ 3-D images of the heart into intricate sections using computer software. The method, devised by consultant congenital cardiologist Dr Joseph Vettukattil at Southampton General Hospital, is known as multiplane review (MPR) 3-D echocardiography. This allows cardiologists to identify heart defects…
This is imaging with a ‘wow’-effect: The Swedish Centre for Medical Image Science & Visualisation (CMIV) in cooperation with the Norrkoping Visualisation Centre has developed a ‘Virtual Autopsy Table’ that allows a unique look inside the human body and takes interaction with volumetric medical data to a new level.
For many ICU patients, entering the Kloster Grafschaft, in Schmallenberg, Germany, a hospital specialised in pneumology and allergology, is a last resort. On average, they have been in an ICU for seven weeks and have failed three attempts to be weaned from the ventilator. They have been deemed ‘unweanable’.
Muscular diseases belong to a heterogeneous group with various causes like neurogenic, metabolic, dystrophic, or inflammatory mechanisms as well as channelopathies leading to disorders of the muscle cell membrane potential. In most progressive disease cases the result is a focal or general muscle weakness that, unfortunately, is a very unspecific symptom. Standard neuromuscular literature…
At first glance everything looks real, from the equipment and fittings to gleaming white bed sheets and the pallor of the patient. But something is incongruous: a large mirror opposite the bed is reminiscent of a police interview room. It is the sole suggestion that this hospital room may be unusual. It is. Behind the mirrored glass, medical students indiand a tutor are observing a ‘doctor’…
Even more precise diagnoses, even better process controls -- the future of MR-PET technology has dawned. The first commercial, full-body hybrid scanners are either waiting in the wings or already installed. But what does the introduction of the MR-PET really mean for clinical practice? Professor Heinz-Peter Schlemmer MD, Head of the Radiology Department at the German Cancer Research Centre in…
On 4 October, the waste reservoir of an aluminium factory in Hungary burst. Red sludge, which is the waste resulting from the production of aluminium, flooded nearby villages. In the second week of October, researchers were granted access to the area. Doctoral student Stefan Ruyters and postdoctoral researcher Jelle Mertens of the Division of Soil and Water Management (Faculty of Bioengineering)…
“The current shift of healthcare towards a systemic and holistic understanding of the causes of diseases is a true scientific revolution,“ Prof. Dr. Angela Brand said today at the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG). Prof. Brand, Director of the European Centre for Public Health Genomics hosted at Maastricht University, added that the “next-generation sequencing technologies are opening…
Data from the ATHENA (Addressing THE Need for Advanced HPV Diagnostics) USA registration trial, involving more than 47,000 women, demonstrate that two human papilloma virus genotypes, HPV 16 and HPV 18, can identify those women with cervical pre-cancer missed by cytologic examination with a Papanicolau (Pap) test.
White nights in St Petersburg draw in not only romantics, but June in this beautiful city also sees thousands of delegates arrive to attend the many scientific conferences and congresses. Among oncologists, the ‘white nights’ period means another annual scientific conference organised by the NN Petrov Research Institute of Oncology. For its continuing focus on breast cancer, the halls are…
No white lab coats anywhere; instead men in hard hats, equipped with hammers and drills. The Düsseldorf University Hospital’s Cardiology Pneumology and Angiology Clinic is a construction site, but once the workmen have packed up their tools and removed the scaffolding the view to the human heart will be unobstructed and clearer than ever before. Here, innovative patient care and a highly…
New imaging technologies are opening a new chapter in interventional cardiology by offering something this widely practiced procedure has been missing -- vivid clinical evidence to assess effectiveness. Interventional cardiology has moved rapidly from opening blocked arteries by crushing plaque with inflatable balloons to reinforcing the walls of the re-opened arteries with flexible metal stents…
When in 1992 Dr Luigi Marzio Biasucci, head of the Sub-intensive Care Unit at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, Italy, published with his team the first paper on C-reactive protein (CRP) in unstable angina, few people believed in the diagnostic power of biochemical features to measure the effects or progress of disease, illness, or a condition. Today, biomarker tests are part…
In the historical city of Gouda, in the Netherlands, the 441-bed Groene Hart Ziekenhuis (Green Heart Medical Centre) employs about 150 doctors and serves a local population of 450,000 people. Last September it became the first hospital in Europe to install the new Carestream Cardiology PACS. Launched in 2009, the PACS provides a single integrated platform for diagnosis, reporting, storage and…
Alere International* has launched three new next generation products: Troponin I -- a single-analyte, improved sensitivity Troponin I (TnI) test; Cardio2 -- a two analyte panel consisting of the new Troponin I and BNP, and Cardio3 -- a three analyte panel consisting of the new Troponin I, BNP and CK-MB.
Avoiding and reducing waste in the clinical environment not only has highly scalable effects in economic terms, but also marks a key milestone on the path towards a ‘green hospital’. The latest innovation from the company MEIKO makes a major contribution towards reducing waste while simultaneously making nursing staff’s work both safer and easier.
An increase in survival in metastatic melanoma – the cancer with the most rapidly increasing incidence across the EU – has been shown for the first time in a major international study by researchers from across Europe. The results showed that patients who received a novel monoclonal antibody called ipilimumab lived 34% longer than control patients given gp100 peptide vaccine.
Dr Alice Gillams, who heads the image guided tumour ablation programme at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), reported at this year’s ECR that Hitachi’s Real-time Virtual Sonography (HI RVS) fusion imaging technique can achieve more precise radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
During the opening of the fully renovated InHealth MRI Centre at Mayday Hospital in Croydon, UK, three renowned Harlequin rugby players demonstrated just how ‘open’ the newly installed Oasis 1.2 Tesla highfield open MRI system is. Rugby players are notably large. This Hitachi system can accommodate patients who cannot fit into a conventional closed bore type of magnet.
Hitachi Medical Systems UK has been awarded the contract for OASIS™ 1.2 Tesla high-field open MRI by InHealth MRI Centre at Mayday Hospital, Croydon – the high performance system with a truly open architecture available in the UK. This unique product combines unrivalled patient comfort together with first class imaging comparable to that of a closed bore system.
Surgical planning is complex. Today’s surgeons can utilise information from various sources – including CT and MRI images, as well as f-MRI, PET or electro-physiological signals. For minimally invasive surgery (MIS) these additional imaging data are of particular importance, in that they enable precise navigation within the body.
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Basically, a hybrid operating theatre (OT) is a combined operating room containing large imaging equipment, such as MRT and CT, which enables intra-operative diagnostics. If provided for in the hygiene and theatre concept, the hybrid OT can also be used purely as a diagnostics room, or as a classic operating room.
GE Healthcare has now announced the sales launch of the Optima CT660*. The new system is a modular, all-round computer tomography (CT) product for all applications that uses extremely low doses of radiation, is economical with electricity and is extremely cost-effective. It is especially suitable for use in clinics and general hospitals. GE Healthcare is unveiling the groundbreaking 64-slice CT…
2010 workshop in Aachen, Germany, in March, were welcomed by Professor Thomas M Deserno, head of the Medical Informatics Department at RWTH Aachen University and organiser of what turned out to be an ‘outstanding’ scientific programme.
The 2nd Hospital Build Middle East Exhibition & Congress (1-3 June. Dubai) aims to draw together the investors, commissioners, backers and managers of major healthcare building projects, as well as suppliers of services in planning, design, building, operations, management and refurbishment.
What a success! On 6 March, ECR meeting room K was filled to capacity when congress president Professor Małgorzata Szczerbo-Trojanowska opened the Hospital Management Symposium 2010 (HMS). The number of pre-registrations bore witness to HMS’ high reputation. Many ECR participants had immediately the HMS time bracket in their agendas in order not to miss the new developments in “Management,…
Spurred on by the success of PET/CT and the collaboration of radiology and nuclear medicine, further techniques such as PET/MR or SPECT/CT have been developed, bringing imaging modalities and nuclear tracers and technologies closer. The time has now come to identify applications for hybrid modalities and train future users, as was explained today by a pannel of specialists led by Prof Thomas F.…
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Claudia Wild PhD (Phil.), Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Health Technology Assessment in Vienna, Austria, studied communications & psychology at the University of Vienna and political sciences at the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, USA.
Patients attending a radiology practice in Demmin, Germany, benefit from state-of-the-art ultrasound, mammography, X-ray, CT and MRI technology. Owned by Drs Uwe Kairies and Frank Rosenbaum, the practice has also introduced a RIS/PACS. Soon after the latter installation they switched from imaging plates, replacing their entire X-ray system with a new, direct digital radiology system with two…
In June 2009, IBM introduced the industry’s first set of commercial cloud services. Based on two years of research and hundreds of client engagements, the IBM Smart Business ‘cloud’ portfolio aims to help clients turn complex business processes into simple services. How does IBM explain what cloud services are? Cloud Computing is a form of IT use where the end user can utilise…
Molecular imaging, a new science that emerged from molecular biology, is unlike traditional imaging. Whilst the latter can, for example, show the differences in proton density or water content on MRI, molecular imaging uses biomarkers (probes) that interact selectively with molecules within an area and then generate the image according to fine molecular alterations occurring inside (e.g. within a…
Dräger SmartPilot View is a software, which, for the first time, provides a two-dimensional representation of the current and the forecasted course of anaesthesia. Similar to a GPS device, this "map of anaesthesia" shows the anaesthetist at which stage of the anaesthesia the patient is. Like a pilot, the software supports the anaesthetist in optimally guiding the patient through the anaesthesia.
The first decade of the 21st century has ended and the time has come to make up some minds about what hospitals should look like in the near future to fulfill the requirements of modern medicine and demographic changes.
Colorectal cancer is a suitable target for screening when it has a relatively high incidence – the second highest cancer incidence among women and third among men in Europe – and has a high mortality (~50% are expected to die of the disease), but can be cured if detected at an early stage.
Introduced in mid-2007, Laparo-Endoscopic Single- Site Surgery (LESS Surgery) has shown itself as one of the most significant innovations in medical technology, and Olympus is among the first to provide a complete surgical instrument set tailored specifically for LESS Surgery.
In an address inviting nurses and doctors to attend the 12th Düsseldorf International Endoscopy Symposium, held from February 5-6, Professor Horst Neuhaus and Dr Brigitte Schumacher outlined the events to be held for gastroenterologists, oncologists, internists, surgeons, interventional radiologists, nurses, trainees, students and industry representatives.
Oncologists have a dream: they want to use highly energetic ion beams in good quality and accurately defined dose for a pin-sharp and cost-effective radiation treatment of tumors. Modern techniques based on intense laser pulses may in the future replace expensive conventional particle accelerators. A team of physicists of the Cluster of Excellence "Munich-Centre for Advanced Photonics" (MAP) lead…
At RSNA 2009, GE Healthcare is presenting a big basket filled with trends and innovations for the radiology department:
The new Z Align, a function of the Callisto eye, which is part of the Zeiss Toric Solution for implantation of toric IOLs in patients with astigmatism, is set for first clinical use during surgery at the Heppenheim Eye Clinic.
ELFcare, which simultaneously uses hot/cold and electrotherapy to treat acute and chronic pain, is a new innovation from the Israeli firm Mediseb, which was set up in 2000 to develop and manufacture medical engineering systems and products specifically for pain relief.
Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site Surgery (LESS Surgery) is one of the most significant innovations in medical technology. Olympus is now one of the first providers in the world to offer a complete surgical instrument set specially tailored to LESS Surgery.
The new seca 874, a highly mobile electronic flat scaless is ideal for weighing infants, children and adults, the manufacturer reports. Healthcare consultants and development aid workers in particular will appreciate the reliable scaless's performance in on-site mass screenings. The double display of the measured weight was especially designed to satisfy their requirements.
French expert Dr Jacques Souquet PhD, President of SuperSonic Imagine, describes the value and potential of ShearWave elastography, the latest development in ultrasound that enables radiologists to acquire user independent information about tissue stiffness by measuring both, ultrasound and shear waves.
Today testing of patients at the point of care (POC) accounts for 25% of all testing, and these portable assays are increasing their penetration into medical practice at rapid rate of 12% each year. Yet along with the growth comes an increasing risk of errors that adversely affect quality of clinical decision-making and patient safety.
Professor Roger Tsien, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2008 for the ‘Discovery and Development of Green Fluorescent Proteins’, was one three* Keynote Speakers at the opening ceremony of the Medical Physics and Bioengineering World Congress 2009, held in Munich this September.
‘Supremely portable and incredibly tough, the NanoMaxx ultrasound system combines Best in Class performance with affordability and simplicity,’ the Erlangen-based manufacturer SonoSite reports.
The technological integration of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the dream of molecular imaging experts and engineers for some time. Now, the German Science Council has agreed to provide 6.56 million funding to install a whole-body MRI-PET prototype in the centre of excellence for imaging procedures at the radiology clinic in Eberhard-Karls…
In 2008, EU organ transplants totalled 27,809, but, as of 31 December 2008, patients still on waiting lists numbered 63,283 and 3,812 of them died on that list. During 5th World Day and 11th European Day of Organ Donation held in Berlin this October, experts and patients from all over the world met to raise public awareness that, despite international transplants progress and successes, and…
Integrated PET/MRI systems will permit the simultaneous acquisition of molecular, functional and structural parameters. The combined strengths of PET (high sensitivity and specificity, but relatively low spatial resolution) and MRI (high resolution, but low sensitivity) is the most attractive feature of multimodal imaging with hybrid scanners. Their application could substantially contribute to…
It is very difficult to predict whether a cancer drug will help an individual patient: only around one third of drugs will work directly in a given patient. Researchers at the Heinz Nixdorf Chair for Medical Electronics at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have developed a new test process for cancer drugs. With the help of microchips, they can establish in the laboratory whether a…
In the last fifteen years, myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging (MPI) has been performed most commonly by dual-head conventional scintillation cameras with parallel-hole collimators, configured in a 90ºdetector geometry and image reconstruction based on standard filtered back projection (FBP) algorithms. Such arrangement, although clinically well established suffers from important limitations…
Colorectal cancer (CRC) jointly describes cancers of the colon and rectum. Worldwide, CRCs are among the most common cancers. In Europe and the USA the occurrence of CRCs are considerably higher than in Africa and Asia.
With its new diagnostic reporting software for breast imaging in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Siemens Healthcare provides radiologists with new opportunities in Women's Health. The syngo BreVis diagnostic reporting software shows all of a patient's examination results in a single view - for example ultrasound or radiography images next to the images from magnetic resonance imaging -…
Researchers around the globe are studying whether a genomic test, developed with micro-array technology, is superior to traditional methods in assessing aggressive breast cancer, and therefore could spare a considerable percentage of women from the onslaught of chemotherapy The Breast International Group (BIG) in Brussels, Belgium, manages TRANSBIG, an international network created to avoid…
MultiSense Communications, a medical conferencing solutions provider based in High Wycombe, UK, in conjunction with medical imaging specialist Barco, recently demonstrated the clinical benefits of today's telemedicine systems. During a live open heart surgery operation at the Imperial College Hospital in Hammersmith, UK, an entire heart valve repair procedure was captured and transmitted to a…
Especially in times of increasing cost pressure and sinking earnings at constantly increasing quality demands, it is essential to exchange successful internationalisation strategies with international experts. During the MCC hospital world 2009 you can think outside the box and learn from the experiences of your colleagues. Even this year, there will be more than 20 renowned international…
Dr. Lena Maier-Hein aus dem Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum erhält den Waltraud-Lewenz-Preis 2008 für die Entwicklung eines computergesteuerten Zielsystems, das die Behandlung von Krebsmetastasen in der Leber entscheidend verbessert.
GE and Asklepios Hospital Group signed an agreement to create their first project in German healthcare to comprehensively address environmental issues. The renovation and expansion of one of the hospitals owned by Asklepios in Hamburg, Germany, known as the "Green Hospital" project, will be their pilot hospital in Europe entirely planned and designed on ecological principles.
When a cerebral aneurysm ruptures, mortality is high and survivors often suffer stroke-like long-term disabilities. However, some aneurysms remain stable and never rupture. Surgical and endovascular interventions are possible, but not without risk.
WiseCase (Web Interacting Standardisation in Expert Classification Agreement by Statistical Evaluation), is a web-based technology resulting from a collaboration between Percepton (Denmark) and Netalize (Israel).
In many countries, simulation training is well-established as a core part of training for doctors and medical personnel.
Professor Wolfgang Heinrichs, of the AQAI Simulation Centre Mainz, Germany, notes that the 15th SESAM congress slogan "Europe-tradition and innovation in simulation", was born out by the choice of venue, the Mainz Simulation Centre was one of the first of its kind in Europe, and also hosted the 2000 SESAM congress.
A potentially life-saving kiosk has been voted the best self-service application of 2009 by the Board of the European Association for Self-service (EAFS), during Kiosk Europe Expo 2009, held this May in parallel with Digital Signage Expo 2009 in Essen, Germany.
This newly developed digital ultrasound system is fully software orientated and features the latest broadband beamforming technology and ultra high-speed processing capability together with single crystal transducer technology. Combined with advanced ergonomic design, the system blends exceptional levels of user friendliness with superior image quality to guarantee maximum diagnostic confidence…
According to the WHO, some 3 million people across the world require artificial hips as primary joint replacement surgery. Increasingly, surgeons are using minimally-invasive procedures to implant artificial hips, with direct anterior access. It is an ideal extension to the conventional method as the deployment of these procedures for suitable patients, usually results in a significant shortening…
Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc. (HMSA), based in Twinsburg, Ohio, has over 1,500 MRI installations throughout the USA. The company also markets multi-slice computed tomography and digital ultrasound.
Tissue removal is currently the only way to verify suspicious lesions in the prostate. It is also a key requirement before treating prostate carcinomas. The standard biopsy is performed with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) to guide the needle in the right direction.
As in every medical field, children have special needs in radiology. Increasingly aware of this - and just as they must adapt scanners for increasing numbers of obese patients - manufacturers are sharing lively exchanges with practitioners to develop the most advanced equipment available for very small patients. At the Medical University in Graz, Austria, which has taken a lead in this…
"Radiologists often see cancer patients over a period of years and continuously deliver important information for the treatment process," says Claus D. Claussen MD, Professor of Radiology and Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital in Tübingen and President of the 90th German Radiology Congress. For the first time in the history of this…
Training is critical to the further development of urology across Europe, yet urologists recognise there are gaps in this; so much so that the European Society of Urological Technology (ESUT) has restructured with an emphasis on training to meet the demands and challenges ahead. Mark Nicholls reports.
56 people were killed and over 700 injured when bombers staged four simultaneous attacks upon the London Transport system on 7 July 2005.
Ten years ago, New York real estate entrepreneur Israel Green began a worldwide search for a cure for his wife´s lung cancer. A year later, the couple returned to New York empty handed. Just days before a risky surgery, they were happily stunned to be given a very different diagnosis: acid reflux.
One of the most exciting innovations to be presented at this year's ECR (European Congress of Radiology), was be Viamo™. This pioneering product from Toshiba Medical Systems Europe is the first to offer premium technology in an ultraportable ultrasound system without compromising image quality or ease of use.
Reforming the Viennese hospital structure
About 5,000 physicians and healthcare workers interested in intensive care and emergency medicine will gather in Brussels for the 29th ISICEM.
Germany - The Barmherzigen Brüder Hospital in Regensburg, serves the populations of Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate. 20 years ago, this hospital had only three operating theatres; today there are sixteen
For the last nine months, Jens Timmermann MD PhD, Head of the Interventional Radiology Department, has been using micro-invasive technology to treat these patients.
Migrant medicine as a course for German medical students? This is a unique concept in a country where it is currently only being offered at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen.
At the International TeleHealth Conference (5 and 6 March) leading experts from the healthcare sector will come together in Hannover, Germany, to evaluate the latest developments in digital medicine. Alongside established topics such as telemonitoring, telematics infrastructure and eHealth, this year's conference will also focus on telemedical applications in the area of military and disaster…
Philips leads the €15.9 million project to develop image-guided localized drug delivery technologies that could significantly impact the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The goal is to maximize therapeutic efficiency and minimize side effects of treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The hope is that this level of control will also provide a means of tailoring the…
Participation in the Hospital Manager Symposium, which is organized by EUROPEAN HOSPITAL in cooperation with the European Congress of Radiology and which is part of the congress, has increased continuously since its introduction six years ago. Last year about 250 attendees listened to the lectures and discussions.
The overall quality of laboratory operations has traditionally been evaluated using a combination of three variables: analytical quality, timeliness (turnaround time) and operational efficiency.
Clalit Health Services has selected Carestream Health's state-of-the-art healthcare IT solution. The PACS, RIS and central archiving solution will be deployed across all Clalit's hospitals and imaging centers in Israel by Algotec, a fully owned subsidiary of Carestream Health, and provide more than 1,400 sites with access to the system. Implementation is scheduled to begin in early 2009.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause of voiding disorders in men. The hyperplastic tissue constricts the urethra and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that can be differentiated into irritative and obstructive symptoms. These can quite dramatically impact on the quality of life of affected people.
RM Ingénierie, specialist in software for medical and paramedical applications, is launching BioVal, a system for analysing and controlling rehabilitation measures taken to regain joint mobility. To do this, the system uses of the same technology employed in 3-D films to record movement.
A new kind of dialogue/navigation system that can provide emergency services with the quickest route while simultaneously taking stress into account, has been developed by Trung Huu Bui PhD, at the Human Media Interaction Group, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
KM Medical, an innovative medical technology company based in Auckland, New Zealand, will unveil, for the first time in Europe, the Next Step in Neonatal Resuscitation and Transport Ventilation.
The vital, routine task of plate streaking to isolate a pure culture is inefficient and time-consuming, significantly slowing microbiologists' responses.
While Western Europe's hospitals only carry out drills for possible terrorist events — Israel's medics face the real thing. During the recent Congress of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in Berlin, internist Dr Michael Kafka, head of emergency medicine at the Bnai Zion Medical Centre in Haifa, described strategies to cope with mass casualty events.
Hitachi has developed a new abdominal sonography system, based on a fully digital platform with a unique high-performance computer and an innovative octal parallel wideband beamformer, the firm reports.
Olympus is presenting the AU480, the newest member of its clinical chemistry analyser family. With a throughput of up to 800 tests per hour, an ISE module and on board capacity of 63 different analytes, the Olympus AU480 is the ideal main analyser for small to medium-size laboratories.
The sector is ‘clearly strained’, says Joachim M. Schmitt, Managing Director and Member of Board of the German Medical Technology Association, BVMed, in Berlin. But, the good news is, employment is up and, he adds ‘We are at the beginning of a medical technology revolution’. ‘Overall, healthcare is certainly more panic-proof than, for example, the automobile industry,’ said Joachim…
Hitachi Data Systems and Mawell form strategic partnership to streamline the management of patient records and images: According to recent EU research, ever-lengthening life expectancy means that Europe's pensioner population is set to swell to more than 100 million by 2050.
The use of mammography to maintain breast health comes with a caveat: exposure of the breast to radiation, which can increase the susceptibility risk of breast cancer. Thus, using the lowest possible radiation dose for mammograms is of utmost importance.
What was initially viewed with scepticism developed into an integral and indispensable part of modern imaging diagnostics
Siemens Healthcare has opened a new research centre in Cologne, where around 40 employees are developing new diagnostic tests to describe the molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells, to help physicians to select individual therapy.
AquilionONE is the first CT scanner capable of imaging whole organ regions up to a width of 16 cm in one rotation and within a split second. Based on the raw volume data, rapid dynamic processes within an entire organ (e. g. heart, pancreas, kidney or brain) may be diagnosed with a time interval of 50 ms, i.e. with a rate of 20 volumes per second.
The Acuson SC2000 volume imaging ultrasound system - reported to be the first system in the world to acquire non-stitched real-time full-volume 3-D images of the heart in one single heart cycle - is launched at the ESC meeting in Munich.
The doors of the accident & emergency department fly open. An explosion occurred at a nuclear power station.
Laparoscopy is playing an increasingly important role in urology and centres of excellence have been established to provide training in urological laparoscopic surgery.
Siemens Healthcare will show its Acuson S2000, the first ultrasound system in the new product series S, at the ESC*. The system platform includes integration of the newest technologies to optimise workflow, e.g. comprehensive software applications such as new software for breast imaging.
`High performance systems need not be large,´ says Aloka, manufacturer of the new compact ProSound a7, which produces high-resolution images yet can be used in areas with little spare space. `Broadband Harmonics provides high sensitivity and penetration that is comparable to fundamental-frequency imaging resulting in a significant improvement above standard harmonic imaging,´ Aloka reports.
Unlike regular laboratory analyses, which is performed by clinical pathologists and technicians in the clinical laboratory, Point of Care Testing (POCT) are devices to perform laboratory analyses in the vicinity of the patient by the attending physician or nurses.
Royal Philips Electronics is to lead `euHeart´, the new European Union (EU) funded research project that aims to improve CVD diagnosis, therapy planning and treatment.
Terry Shivo was 27 when she collapsed. Paramedics found neither respiration nor a pulse. Almost three months later her eyes had opened, but she was not conscious. She has a sleep/wake circle and sometimes appeared to smile - she was in a vegetative state.
This May the Brussels-based Crossroads Institute for Cardiac and Vascular Medical Education launched two new educational courses on the prevention of amputation (peripheral vascular disease) and on improving the treatment of women with cardiovascular disease.
A recent study of the market researcher Frost & Sullivan estimates that the market of CV Image Management Systems will reach $670 million in 2014. The reason: Evolving standards in CV care produce the need for platforms that integrate patients images and related information.
Experts from almost a dozen European countries - including for the first time Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia - will meet at the Villacher Hygienetag (Hospital Hygiene Congress) in October to discuss "Antibiotic resistance - development, consequences and concepts".
Doctors have to fulfil two jobs, which seem to be diametrically opposed: They have to provide the best care for their patients and simultaneously have to think economical. Researchers found that rising health care costs in cancer care make it necessary for clinicians to be aware of the relative costs of new interventions.
Siemens Healthcare is working on diagnostic tests for early detection and characterziation of a patient's tumor cells. The Cologne laboratories for molecular diagnostics especially concentrate on the research of breast cancer, a disease that still is number one cause of death among women. The results should help to adapt a customized therapy to the individual patient.
From 2000 to 2007, Israeli hospitals have treated the victims of 148 terrorist attacks.
In Genk, Belgium, the Ziekenhuis Oost Limburg hospital simplified surgical workflow by installing a telemedicine system in a newly constructed interdisciplinary surgical wing. Dr Hubert Van der Put, Medical Director of ZOL, recalls its initiation and subsequent success.. In all major projects with lots of participants, success comes from timely planning between every department and company…
Three types of human heart cells have been grown from cultures derived from embryonic stem cells, by a team of Canadian, US and UK scientists.
Gastric polyps (GP) are typically found incidentally, when upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is performed for an unrelated indication. Gastric polyps are uncommon and have an incidence of less than one percent. Only rarely do they cause symptoms or other clinical signs.
CMIV has a new patent-pending technology that is set to radically change the way and speed at which radiologists work. The system could produce earlier diagnoses of certain disease, according to scientist Anders Persson MD PhD, Director and Member of the Board of the Centre for Medical Imaging Science and Visualisation (CMIV), at Linköping University, Sweden. CMIV has worked in close cooperation…
A team of Stanford University School of Medicine researchers has developed a new type of imaging system that can illuminate tumors in living subjects-getting pictures with a precision of nearly one-trillionth of a meter.
A computer programme under development at the National Centre for Biomolecular Research at Masaryk University, in Brno, by Jiri Damborsky MD and a team of scientists, could become the first step towards personalised medicine.
A 320-row CT scanner (Aquilion One, Toshiba Medical Systems Co., Tokyo, Japan) was installed for the first time in Europe, at the Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany, in November 2007. Its capability to cover the whole brain in a single rotation means this new type of scanner has the potential to impact strongly on the field of neuro-imaging.
Encouraged by the success of the Dual-Source CT system Somatom Definition with two X-ray tubes that simultaneously generate different energies, Siemens Healthcare has already developed six specific dual energy applications. At the ECR 2008, the company presents four new applications that simplify the diagnosis of diseases of the heart, brain, lungs and extremity joints.
During a Toshiba press conference on Monday at ECR 2008, Prof P. Rogalla Chief Radiologist CT and Prof R. Klingebiehl, Department of Neuroradiology both of the Charité University Hospital, Berlin (Germany), reported about the new diagnostic opportunities the company's latest innovation — the Aquillion ONE - offers.
High definition CT (HDCT) technology developed by GE Healthcare promises to revolutionise image acquisition for CT scanning.
Over the last three decades CT has become a premier diagnostic tool for the evaluation of the acute patient. Over the past ten years in Israel, we have seen an overwhelming increase in the volume of CT examinations in the emergency department (ED).
The presentation will provide an overview of patient medical data sharing and distribution between the hospital, general practitioners (GP) and patient, using recent developments in Hospital Information System (HIS) and Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS).
Biotechnologist Dr Jens Meiler explains his reasons for emigration to America
Draeger reports that the Apollo includes an advanced ventilation capability that provides ICU quality ventilation in the operating theatre (OT), as well as
The Virtual Physiological Human By Hans-Ulrich Kauczor MD PhD, Director and Chairman of Radiology at Heidleburg University Clinic, and radiologists Frederik Giesel MD MBA and Hendrik von Tengg-Kobligk MD of the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidleburg, Germany.
By Rudolf Schwarz and Andreas Krüll, of the Section of Radiation Oncology Department, Ambulanzzentrum GmbH of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
When the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) 2007 statistics report, showed that 429,000 new cases were reported in Europe in 2006, Director Peter Boyle recommended that colorectal cancer screening programmes be implemented throughout Europe.
By Professor Robert D Speller, Head of the Radiation Physics Group, University College London, and Dr Alessandro Olivo, of the Medical Physics & Bioengineering Dept. University College London
The EU eHealth initiative and action plan is the driver for patient information sharing and the networking of expertise across different institutions and countries. Launched in 2004, it will be applied in its current form till 2010.
Since its early beginnings in Europe, during the polio epidemics of the 1950s, intensive care medicine has grown to become a specialty in its own right and the intensive care unit (ICU) occupies an increasingly important position in every hospital. Intensive care doctors are responsible for the management of very sick patients often with multiple and complex disease processes, and ICUs are now…
In almost all US hospitals, in-patient radiology examinations are not scheduled. Instead, they are performed when equipment and patients are simultaneously and serendipitously available.
A promising mammography screening technology By Andrew Smith PhD, principal scientist at Hologic, Inc. in Bedford, Mass, is involved in research and development of digital imaging systems.
Lifebridge is the first portable heart-lung machine which promises a great success for the clinlical use.
During a workshop organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF), researchers discussed further steps in developing computerised “in-silico” models of the heart that simulate the real heart and enable possible drugs and therapies to be tested without risk to people.
Thanks to a new software, MR images from a five-minute scan may generate the images for a complete and comprehensive examination and therefore eliminating the need to perform multiple scans. The advanced software developed by Synthetic MR AB will be offered as a clinical application in Sectra´s PACS system.
Since telemedicine is becoming increasingly important in many medical fields — from tele- homecare to disaster management — new technical solutions and applications are required. The European Space Agency (ESA) is actively participating in several projects across Europe which explore the potential of satellite communication technologies and associated connectivity services for telemedicine,…
Grundig Business Systems, showcased a digital hardware with a slim, ergonomic design and a smooth finish for convenient radiology reporting at the RSNA 2007. The DigtaSonic x420 mobile dictation recorder has a clear, bright color display which shows all functions as symbols.
A specialist in radiology and neuroradiology, Dr Birgit Ertl-Wagner is senior physician for teleradiology at the Institute for Clinical Radiology, in Grosshadern University Hospital, Munich.
Engineer Stefan Wollschläger, a partner in Visality Consulting GmbH, Berlin, and Dr Gregor Zehle MBA, a senior consultant at GÖK Consulting AG, Berlin, discuss the benefits of a strategy transfer from the aviation sector to operating theatre management.
In 1996, NDS Surgical Imaging developed and launched the first Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technologies for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) viewing applications.
Sony is showcasing its highly innovative high definition (HD) solutions for diagnostic imaging and display, through to HD surgery and post-operation analysis and training (featured in several issues of our flagship publication EUROPEAN HOSPITAL (www.european-hospital.com)).
IVAM is an international association of companies and institutes that specialise in microtechnology, nanotechnology and advanced materials.
Magnetic Field Imaging (MFI) provides cardiologists with an additional tool to detect arrythmia and irregular cardiac blood flow and thus contributes to a more precise diagnosis. While an ECG acquires electric signals produced by the activity of the cardiac muscle, MFI measures the electrophysical function of the heart by determining the magnetic field during a heartbeat.
Magnetic Field Imaging (MFI) provides cardiologists with an additional tool to detect arrythmia and irregular cardiac blood flow and thus contributes to a more precise diagnosis. While an ECG acquires electric signals produced by the activity of the cardiac muscle, MFI measures the electrophysical function of the heart by determining the magnetic field during a heartbeat.
A specialist in radiology and neuroradiology, Dr Birgit Ertl-Wagner is senior physician for teleradiology at the Institute for Clinical Radiology, in Grosshadern University Hospital, Munich. She studied medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians University, in Munich, and gained her doctorate for her thesis on neuroradiology at the Max-Planck-Institut Martinsried. She has worked in her profession in the USA,…
By Dr Sebastian Radmer, of the orthopaedics and rheumatic surgery department at Immanuel Hospital, Berlin
Andalusía - Surgery and chemotherapy have overtaken radiotherapy for cancer treatments.
Over 15 million people are affected by strokes annually, and about five million of these (source: WHO 2004) are left with lasting damage.
With the launch of its new LMD-2450MD monitor for use by medical professionals, Sony offers a its first high definition monitor that convinces with high image clarity and colour accuracy and therefore is ideal for endoscopic applications.
By performing just a single test healthcare personnel is now able to simultaneously detect eighteen of the most prevalent respiratory infections in patients. The Seeplex 18-plex Respiratory Test is a highly economical method for molecular diagnostics of respiratory infections. It achieves results rapidly at minimal costs per test.
Some of the medical procedures and equipment showcased and discussed at the MEDICA 2007 are sure to provide medical experts with plenty of discussion material. In cardiac diagnostic imaging a minor revolution is taking place, with ultrasound procedures increasing in significance. But innovation in x-ray methods is also continuing.
The Lifebridge B2T (bridge-to-transport) is the first, fully portable emergency life support system for patients suffering cardiogenic shock, or those showing signs of imminent cardiogenic shock.
USA - Online game worlds might prove useful for the study of a spread of human infectious diseases, according to scientists Eric Lofgren and Nina Fefferman, of Rutgers University (Piscataway, NJ, USA) and Tufts University (Boston, MA, USA).
Radiotherapy treatment planning relies on transversal CT images. They form a basis for treatment planning, dose calculation and increasingly the plan localization for external radiation therapy, called CT simulation. A dedicated CT scanner for radiotherapy plan simulation is one of the most essential pieces of equipment in a modern radiotherapy department. In contrast to external beam…
1. INTRODUCCIÓN Como señaló Byram (1), el sector sanitario, siempre tan cambiante, precisa de líderes que ayuden a navegar a través de las tormentas....
Two university hospitals in Germany and Japan were the first worldwide to receive the Aquilion 16 high resolution computed tomograph (CT) from Toshiba Medical Systems for simultaneous recording of 16 body slices with extremely high image resolution. A computed tomography Aquilion 16 was put into operation on October 7, 2002 at the central campus of Charite Berlin (Figure 1). This is the third…
Multislice computed tomography (MS CT), which was introduced to clinical imaging as fourslice detectors in 1998 has fully proven its superior performance over conventional scanner technology. For example, it provides optimized resolution of detail and increased scan speed. Simultaneously, this technology has opened new indications for computed tomography, for example, in heart imaging. However,…
Three-dimensional transrectal ultrasonography (3D-TRUS) allows accurate 3D examination of pathological structures and prediction of extracapsular tumor extension.
The next-generation of hybrid imaging technology was presented at this years SNM meeting in Washington, D.C: The first human brain images from a prototype PET/MRI system, which is developed by a collaborative team of German and US researchers from the Universities of Tübingen and Tennessee, as well as Siemens Medical Solutions.
With an innovative technique called multiplexing, the data collection speed of CT scanners may increase by hundreds of times with the result of better and faster imaging and potentially lower x-ray exposures.
Today little is known about the metabolism of the tuberculosis bacillus and, because of its slow growth, experiments for new drugs take a long time. Now a team of researchers form the University of Surrey built an in silico model of the agent that causes TB - a virtual TB bacillus - that promises to speed up the drug discovery process.
Ongoing refinement of modern spiral multi-slice CT scanners offers the opportunity for very high temporal and spatial resolution thin-slice data set acquisition. The econstruction techniques offered (multisegment reconstruction) result in improved temporal resolution while simultaneously reducing the effective exposure time to 40-200 ms and thus also reducing motion artefacts. The SURECardio…
Milan - Founded in 2001, Italbioforma is a non-profit association focused on medical training - including specialist distance learning.
At the EH symposium, Dr Algayres will discuss:
Traditionally, radiography systems have an X-ray tube at one end, film-screen cassette or detector at the other, a table between, and perhaps a mounted assembly on a U-arm or chest stand.
Since the human genome was mapped 'systems biology' centres have sprung up all over Europe, including Bioquant in Heidelberg, Germany.
A new imaging system for universal angiography and neuroradiology was recently introduced by Siemens Medical Solutions: The Axiom Artis dBA Twin biplanar radiography system.
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) is a never-ending story of surprises, excitement, and success. Year after year, more scientists, radiologists eager to learn, and partners from industrial companies flock to this excellent meeting.
At the RSNA 2006 Siemens Medical Solutions announced it has received 510(k) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first of many syngo® Dual Energy applications for the SOMATOM® Definition - the dual source computed tomography (DSCT) system.
From November 26 to December 1, 2006, the Windy City - Chicago, Illinois - was the destination for radiologists from all over the world.
About 1,600,000 artificial hips are implanted every year, in Germany alone.
Czech Republic - Two unique ophthalmic simulators are in use at the Motol Faculty Hospital, Prague.
After previous meetings in the USA (2002) and Japan (2004), this October the 3rd International Workshop of Pulmonary Functional Imaging (IWPFI) took place in the German Cancer Research Centre, based in Heidelberg University, Germany. " 'The clinicians' need for earlier and more detailed diagnosis in pulmonary disease demands a joint interdisciplinary effort to push the limits in pulmonary…
Medtron AG is a leading European designer, manufacturer and distributor of contrast agent injectors used for CT, MRI and Angiography.
Rapidly changing conditions which affect patient throughput, require very quick reactions from hospital management.
The positive effects of proton rays have been known for years. However, Germany still lacks institutions that utilise those effects.
Rescue workers are often confronted with chaotically situations which are hard to sum up and coordinate.
There is no lack of IT and software solutions for putting digitisation and networks into practice; however, many hospitals wonder how the implementation will work in practice and whether the investment will prove successful.
A small, powerful new ultrasound catheter, named AcuNav 8F, improves access to the entire heart, Siemens Medical Solutions reports.
Visitors coming to MEDICA to purchase pre-hospital emergency equipment will not be disappointed. Specialist exhibitors are plentiful this year.
Sony holds an increasingly important position within healthcare.
Wilhelm Niedergoeker, Managing Director of the Messe Dusseldorf GmbH, previews this year's events.
Peter Bogner MD PhD describes current projects aimed at enhancing patient care in South-West Hungary.
By Stefan G Ruehm MD PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology, at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, California
Berlin became the venue for the German Congress of Radiology this May, for the second time. 118 exhibitors showcased products on 4,900 square metres, and the event attracted 7,000 radiologists, and 970 medical-technological radiology assistants (MTRA) to convene simultaneously, leading some to suggest the city will be the future home of the Congress.
The Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR) has undergone a name change. SCAR is now the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM).
This year's International Forum for Healthcare IT (ITeG 2006),held in May/June, has put this event firmly on the healthcare industry calendar.
In recent years, Agfa HealthCare has dramatically expanded its IT portfolio in line with its strategy to be an international leader in healthcare IT. At the recent ITeG exhibition in Frankfurt, the company's ambitions were clearly visible: Agfa very much focused on ORBIS, its leading Hospital Information System. Daniela Zimmermann interviewed Eric Maurincomme, Vice President Business…
Optical imaging stands on the threshold of a vast array of imaging uses, writes Professor Eric N C Milne MD FRCR FRCP, Professor Emeritus of Radiology and Medicine, University of California Irvine, and Director of Clinical Research, Imaging Diagnostic Systems Inc. `Presently, its greatest worth lies in higher sensitivity for the dense breast. It detects many more occult cancers than conventional…
Transplant surgeons use checklists to establish whether donor and recipient hearts are compatible - almost like people looking for suitable partners.
France - EuroPCR is a major European event for interventional cardiologists and radiologists. Focusing on existing and new technologies in percutaneous interventions (coronary, peripheral and non-coronary cardiac diseases), cardiac and vascular invasive and non-invasive imaging, this year's meeting will take place at the Palais des Congrès, Paris, from 16-19 May.
The 15th international healthcare exhibition from 25 to 28 May in Bologna, Italy has expand up to 25,000 sq.m and 20,000 visitors.
Many radiologists are fascinated by the exciting new developments in medical technology but they find themselves faced with difficult or even irresolvable problems when trying to purchase this equipment.