Leica M820 F19: Best vision counts
The year comes to a close – but not the innovative power and the ambition of Leica Microsystems to provide perfect solutions to the challenges of ophthalmic surgery. The new Leica offers users all the high-performance features of the 8-series surgical microscopes, thereby meeting highest opthalmic requirements.
High performance that is easy to operate
The new high-performance microscope combines premium optical compo
Siemens and Dräger Medical extend partnership
Two factors that are essential for prompt and efficient patient care in hospitals today are availability of reliable patient information and mobility of medical staff. Siemens Communications (Com) will support Dräger Medical in offering greater mobility in hospitals. This solution makes vital patient monitoring data available hospital-wide using the existing hospital network. Dräger Medical and Siemens Com will use the latest Wi-Fi WLAN
Leukaemia is characterised by an uncontrolled growth of abnormal blood cells in the bone marrow (BM). Escape of the cancerous cells to other organs is linked with worst disease prognosis and less susceptibility to therapy, and, as consequence, to understand the mechanism(s) behind such migration is crucial. And now, in an advance online publication of the journal “Blood”, a group of researchers has found that FLT-1 – a molecule implicated in blood vessel growth – is necessary for the escape of t
A revolutionary diagnostic technique that sees under the skin sounds rooted in the realms of science fiction. But an invention akin to the Star Trek small handheld body scanner that shines light into the skin to detect early signs of heart disease and stroke could be on the market in less than two years.
The painless test takes no more than five minutes to detect Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), a condition that affects over 90 million people worldwide. What starts off as blo
A daily dose of aspirin is an inexpensive, proven strategy for reducing the likelihood of heart disease among those most at risk for such disorders, yet a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that aspirin therapy is being used by fewer than one-third of the U.S. outpatients who would benefit from it.
Instead, the research found, many doctors are opting to prescribe the more expensive, heavily marketed statin drugs, which are no more effective than aspir
Exercise capacity, as measured in terms of VO2max, is a powerful predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease, not just patients with heart failure. That is the finding of Mayo Clinic research presented today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005 in Dallas.
VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can take in during exercise. In a VO2max study, a patient walks on a treadmill for about 5 to 15 minutes and breathes through a valve;
Pumps implanted into the chest to maintain circulation can significantly extend the lives of the sickest patients in end-stage heart failure who are not candidates for heart transplantation, according to the results of a clinical trial led by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.
The pumps, known as left ventricular assistant devices (LVADs), are employed when the heart’s left ventricle – the chamber of the heart that pumps blood throughout the body – is too weak
Chronic stress can induce rapid blocking of arteries after a balloon angioplasty procedure, according to research performed in animal studies at Georgetown University Medical Center. Blocked coronary arteries after angioplasty affect 41 percent of patients who undergo the procedure and can lead to death.
But the Georgetown scientists also demonstrated that this stress-induced atherosclerosis could be prevented by blocking a certain neuropeptide in blood vessels. They say the resu
Not all plaque – the fatty substance that builds up in arteries – is the same and some plaque types are more likely to rupture, which can trigger the formation of a blood clot and a blocked artery. An experimental spectroscopic/imaging technique can provide exact information about plaque components that can help guide treatment, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.
“Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy or TR-LIFS can be u
New research shows that the special training of music conductors seems to enhance the way their senses work together – enabling them to quickly tell who played a wrong note, for example. Scientists hope the research will lead to new discoveries about how music training may change the brain.
“Studies have shown that while students who get music training may sometimes do better academically, no research has explored whether this training actually causes changes in the brain,” said
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers are encouraged by early results of a treatment vaccine for pancreatic cancer, a disease with few options and low odds for long-term survival. At about two years into a study of 60 patients, the researchers report that 88 percent survived one year and 76 percent are alive after two years.
“Even though our results are preliminary, the survival rates are an improvement over most published results of pancreatic cancer treatment studies,” s
Southampton-based company iQur has scooped the 2005 Medical Futures Department of Health Award for Best National Healthcare Innovation for its Hepatitis C diagnostic service, that can revolutionise the cost-effectiveness of treatment for Hepatitis C. iQur, formerly named HepCgen Limited, spun out from the University of Southampton in 2003.
The Medical Futures Innovations Awards are often referred to as the ‘Oscars of Healthcare’. iQur was presented with the Award for its research
Meditation is known to alter resting brain patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased cortical thickness.
The structural changes were found in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing, the researchers report in the November issue of NeuroReport.
Foot ulcerations are one of the most serious complications of diabetes, resulting in more than 80,000 lower-leg amputations each year in the U.S. alone. A new study led by researchers at the Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and Microcirculation Laboratory finds that early changes in the oxygenation of the skin could help foretell the development of ulcerations and enable doctors to treat patients at an earlier stage, before the onset of serious complications.
Reported in th
Tool is more objective, accurate in identifying children affected by
A simple test that measures eye movement may help to identify children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and ultimately lead to improved treatment for the condition, say Queen’s University researchers.
At present there are no objective diagnostic tools that can be used to distinguish between children with FASD – which affects approximately one per cent of children in Canada – and those w
Although the high-fat, calorie-restricted ketogenic diet (KD) has long been used to prevent childhood epileptic seizures that are unresponsive to drugs, physicians have not really understood exactly why the diet works. New studies by a research team at Emory University School of Medicine show that the diet alters genes involved in energy metabolism in the brain, which in turn helps stabilize the function of neurons exposed to the challenges of epileptic seizures. This knowledge could help scienti
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