Research

Innovation: UK hand-held device could challenge ELISA’s position

UK scientists are developing a hand-held testing device for use at the point of care and provide a disease diagnosis on the same day.

A blood test for suicide?

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered a chemical alteration in a single human gene linked to stress reactions that, if confirmed in larger studies, could give doctors a simple blood test to reliably predict a person’s risk of attempting suicide.

Metal attacks norovirus head on

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.

US trails Europe in facilitating novel antibiotics development

While the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of 2012 has been a significant step in the right direction for encouraging novel antibiotics research, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains one step behind its European equivalent, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Hardly unnecessary blood tests

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center used two relatively simple tactics to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary blood tests to assess symptoms of heart attack and chest pain and to achieve a large decrease in patient charges.

Premature newborn survival 30% higher in high volume neonatal centres

The survival of premature newborns in England is 30% higher in specialist units treating large numbers of neonates, reveals an analysis of national data published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Seeing sights on a stroll down StreetLab

At a glance, StreetLab looks like a city street, peppered with shops and street signs. However, this special area belongs to the Paris-based Vision Institute.

New trial to combat gonorrhoea

A Birmingham hospital trust is to lead a major research study over concerns that one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections is becoming resistant to current treatment.

Risk of breast cancer increases as red meat intake increases

Expert estimates suggest that women eating more poultry, fish, nuts and legumes and less red meat might have lower risk.

Imec and Samsung Join to Accelerate Innovation in Digital Health

Imec, the world-leading nano-electronics research center announced today that it is collaborating with Samsung Electronics to accelerate innovation and collaboration among technology companies and researchers working in the burgeoning mobile wearable field.

Bayer to divest Interventional device business for $415 million

Bayer HealthCare has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Interventional device business to Boston Scientific for $415 million (about EUR 300 million), including fees for transitional services. The sale will include the AngioJet (thrombectomy) and Jetstream (atherectomy) systems, and the Fetch2 Aspiration Catheter used in cardiology, radiology and peripheral vascular procedures.

News • Study

Mortality risks rise 11% on Saturdays - 16% Sundays

England’s National Health Service (NHS) is taking steps to ensure that, for the first time, a consistent level of care is provided at weekends by focusing on healthcare seven days a week.

Philips partners with the Stockholm County Council

Royal Philips today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with the Stockholm County Council (SCC) to jointly innovate in health care.

Gathering to beat pain

This March, the Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome, was the unique and original venue for the 6th Annual SIMPAR Meeting, which aims to spread and support a wider scientific and cultural awareness of pain. Jane MacDougall interviewed Professor Massimo Allegri, President of organising committee, about the meeting and his own pain research projects.

Disappointing HTN-3 trial results challenge future of procedure

It was the quiet before the storm. At the end of March, during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting in Washington, the future of renal denervation was about to be decided with the presentation of the Medtronic-funded Simplicity HTN-3 clinical trial.

News • Cardiology

Previewing the impact of new technology

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.

Holmium microspheres for image-guided cancer treatment

Over the next few years, the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht and Quirem Medical will be working closely together to maximize the benefits of using holmium microspheres to treat liver cancer patients worldwide.

News • Diabetes

The value of fermentation

Raise your intake of low-fat fermented dairy products, including all yoghurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses, and you could lower your risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28%, according to new research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes).

The hubs and spokes of brain traffic

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).