Women show persistent memory impairment after concussion
Women may have a more difficult time than men in recovering from concussion, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Patient management
Article • Management
Labs need quality management systems
All laboratories should utilise quality monitoring systems and systematically work through their workflow processes to identify problem areas, according to Lucia Berte, who specialises in quality management systems in healthcare ancillary services through the Colorado-based organisation Laboratories Made Better. Report: Mark Nicholls
Interview • Connected Care
Improving medication adherence via a patient-centric platform
Dr Stefan Becker, a trained medical doctor with an M.B.A. degree, works as a senior nephrologist and transplant officer at Essen University Hospital and manages its Institute for Drug Safety. In an interview he spoke about his involvement in e-health projects in the field of connected care that he carries out with interdisciplinary teams, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and…
Article • HIMSS 2015
Education and Networking
Healthcare professionals looking at leveraging data to improve patient outcomes, as well as navigating tricky issues such as cybersecurity and patient engagement, will have plenty of information at their fingertips at HIMSS 2015, which takes place from April 12 to 16 in Chicago. Report: Lisa Chamoff
News • Congress without borders
Record participation at ECR 2015
The European Congress of Radiology (ECR), Europe’s largest medical imaging conference, took place on March 4–8 in Vienna, Austria, with an all-time high number of participants and various innovations. ECR 2015 also marked the 10th anniversary of its organiser, the European Society of Radiology (ESR).
News • Implants
Getting the perfect fit for artificial hips
When a patient receives a new hip, it is usually adjusted only approximately to leg length. Greater accuracy requires a more precise measuring process as well as adjustable implants. Now, a new type of measurement method coupled with a modular implant should allow orthopedic surgeons to precisely calibrate leg length after the operation so it matches its original length.
Article • Non-invasive Ventilation
Two in one
The recently launched Respironics V680 ventilator, from Philips Healthcare EMEA, was guided onto the market by Arne Cohrs, its Sales and Marketing Director of Therapeutic Care in Patient Care and Monitoring. We asked him about his department and the merits of non-invasive and invasive ventilators. Report: Chrissanthi Nikolakudi
Article • Human Locomotion
Researchers improve efficiency of human walking
Unpowered exoskeleton developed by Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State researchers helps individuals walk using less energy.
Researchers build brain-machine interface to control prosthetic hand
A research team from the University of Houston has created an algorithm that allowed a man to grasp a bottle and other objects with a prosthetic hand, powered only by his thoughts.
News • Brain bleeds
America's aging population will require more neurosurgeons
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center project a national influx of patients who will need immediate treatment.
News • Heart failure
Researchers identify 'missing culprit'
Working with lab animals and human heart cells, scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions have identified what they describe as "the long-sought culprit" in the mystery behind a cell-signaling breakdown that triggers heart failure.
A speech-based system for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease
The ELEKIN research group of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country is working to develop various non-invasive methodologies for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.
Telemedicine allows acute stroke trial
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) were able to enroll patients at other hospitals into an acute stroke clinical trial.
Cancer researchers identify new function in an old acquaintance
Cells have two different programs to safeguard them from getting out of control and developing cancer. One of them is senescence (biological aging). It puts cancer cells into a permanent sleep so they no longer divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. Now the research group led by Professor Walter Birchmeier (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch) has discovered that an…
Research on injectable oriented hydrogels for spinal cord repair
The research objective of Dr.-Ing. Laura De Laporte, junior group leader at DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials in Aachen, is to develop a minimally invasive therapy for spinal cord injury. Her goal and her scientific approach to develop an injectable material with the ability to provide biochemical and physical guidance for regenerating nerves across the injury site, was selected…
News • Immunology
New antibody therapy improves psoriasis symptoms
Only a single treatment produced what researchers describe as 'rapid, substantial, and durable clinical improvement'.
Article • Pros and Cons of DMP
France still seeks an electronic health record
The idea of a ‘dossier médical personnalisé’ (DMP, or electronic health record) for every French citizen was first inaugurated in 2004. Now, over 10 years and €500 million later, we can look at the pros and cons encountered during this still incomplete journey and consider if similar projects would be a useful addition to healthcare administration in other European countries, or…
Article • Breast Cancer
Decision-making based on personalized data
No alcohol, but exercise and a healthy diet – that’s what women can do to help prevent breast cancer recommends Prof. Thomas Helbich (Director of Molecular and Gender Imaging at the Medical University of Vienna) who hosted the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) session ‘The complexity of personalized breast care’ at ECR 2015. Report: Chrissanthi Nikolakudi
News • Diabetes
Biomarker for steatohepatitis
40 percent of people in the EU suffer from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a disease which is becoming increasingly more frequent as a result of diabetes and excess weight in an affluent society.
News • Medical nanoparticles
Local treatment of lung cancer
Nanoparticles are extremely small particles that can be modified for a variety of uses in the medical field. For example, nanoparticles can be engineered to be able to transport medicines specifically to the disease site while not interfering with healthy body parts.
News • Surgery
Sedatives for patients receiving general anesthesia questioned
Although sedatives are often administered before surgery, a randomized trial finds that among patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia, receiving the sedative lorazepam before surgery, compared with placebo or no premedication, did not improve the self-reported patient experience the day after surgery, but was associated with longer time till removal off a breathing tube…
Radiologists look at Vienna
Spring can be felt, though many visitors of ECR 2015 probably only have time to enjoy the floral decorations in the conference center. The program of the conference is packed full of topics that promise exciting days and many discussions.
News • Cancer diagnostics
How much overdetection is acceptable in cancer screening?
People have highly variable views on how much overdetection is acceptable in cancer screening, finds a UK survey. The authors say invitations for screening "should include clear information on the likelihood and consequences of overdetection to allow people to make an informed choice."
News • Ovarian cancer
Anderson Algorithm increases surgical success
A surgical algorithm developed and implemented by ovarian cancer specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center dramatically increases the frequency of complete removal of all visible tumor - a milestone strongly tied to improved survival.
Article • Study
Hospital design has little effect on patient satisfaction
Contrary to previous reports, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers found that patients’ satisfaction scores only modestly improved based on the newly remodeled design of a hospital.
