Optical scientists have developed eyeglass lenses that switch focus in a blink of an eye. Optical scientists at The University of Arizona have developed new switchable, flat, liquid crystal diffractive lenses that can adaptively change their focusing power. That’s great news for those old enough to wear bifocals. And it’s great news for anyone with imperfect vision, for it opens the way for next-generation “smart” eyeglasses — glasses with built-in automatic focus.
Medical lasers are like science fiction heat rays that can vaporize tumors. The problem has been getting the lasers to where they are needed inside the body while protecting healthy tissue. Now “perfect mirror” technology, developed by MIT researchers, is being used to shoot a laser through a spaghetti-thin, flexible fiber to attack tumors and other diseased tissue in highly targeted, minimally invasive surgery. OmniGuide fiber, licensed through MIT’s Technology Licens
Rare metabolic diseases such as Tay-Sachs, Fabry and Gaucher syndromes are caused by enzyme deficiencies and typically have crippling, even fatal, consequences starting at very early ages. Now a team of University of Washington scientists has developed a relatively simple screening process to detect enzyme deficiencies in newborns that will allow treatment to begin before too much damage has been done.
“All of the damage from these diseases is permanent, so if you can start treatmen
Endoscopic surgery brings many advantages for patients but is very difficult for the surgeon. Working at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Joris Jaspers has developed two instruments which make this approach easier and also cheaper than with existing surgical robotics. Jaspers is awarded his doctorate on Wednesday 22 March at Delft University of Technology.
Endoscopic operations (or keyhole surgery) are much less stressful for the patient and give a better cosmetic result than ‘open
A shift toward a less-invasive endovascular procedure as an alternative to conventional surgery has reduced the risk of death for patients undergoing repair of dangerous abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), reports a study in the March Journal of Vascular Surgery.
“Our results show that vascular surgeons are saving more lives through the increased use of endovascular AAA repair–even while operating on older and less-fit patients,” said Dr. Ellen D. Dillavou, Assistant Professor of
Storage of up to 5000 images on Siremobil Compact L
Siemens Medical Solutions introduces an updated version of the mobile C-arm Siremobil Compact L. The system’s numerous improvements in design, image chain, and workflow integration provide for optimal clinical applications.
The improved user interface of the mobile C-arm Siremobil Compact L presents a comprehensive operating menu, self-explanatory keyboard commands and easy navigation via a window-based display. It al
Siemens Medical Solutions remains true to its course of innovation: The company works continuously on future technologies and solutions for ultrasound imaging. The newest innovations are presented by Siemens at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna from March 3 to 7, 2006. Siemens will highlight Cadence CPS technology (Contrast Pulse Sequencing) which provides excellent contrast detection and good specificity, and is also the enabling technology for molecular medicine. In addition, the
Siemens Medical Solutions introduces new IT-based solutions for magnetic resonance tomography at the ECR. These so-called syngo MR applications simplify workflows in clinical routine, for example, imaging of the spine, the thorax or diffusion-weighted imaging in the body and 3D acquisitions with various contrasts. These applications enable faster and more accurate diagnosis and improve the efficiency of the hospital. The new syngo MR applications are based on Tim (Total imaging matrix) tec
The sensor, which measures 10 mm x 10 mm, can replace advanced, expensive optical devices containing lenses and grids in what are commonly called spectroscopic tools. The sensor is also more reliable than traditional optical devices that require calibrating and maintenance. This chip does not corrode, is robust and provides quick results from analyses. The chips can be produced in the same type of machines that make compact discs.
The plastic chip was originally developed to detect di
Researchers at the University of Warwick, and the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, have devised a new sensor which dramatically improves the amount of early warning doctors and midwives get of a dangerous situation in the birth process when the unborn child’s brain is starved of oxygen – Fetal Hypoxia.
The threat of fetal hypoxia carries dangers not only for the child but also for the woman giving birth as doctors often proceed quickly to a caesarean section i
A unique low cost disposable solid-state catheter that can measure swallowing pressure has been developed by a University of South Australia research team using intelligent manufacturing processes that eliminate the infection risks posed by existing catheters.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the world, the catheter is one of the new products being developed in the emerging field of bio micro-electro-mechanical systems, or BioMEMS, which have applications in the biomedical fiel
The EUREKA project E! 2288 on Computer-aided orthopaedic care (MEDAC) is helping orthopaedic surgeons to not only document their clinical cases, but to also manage and analyse all patient data compiled. This award-winning project is revolutionising orthopaedic research and could be applicable to many other specialist areas of medicine. Patients benefit from a fast and documented diagnosis, while surgeons gain access to vast resources of reference data and the means to analyse their own patients’ re
Research could revolutionize care of transplant patients
Carnegie Mellon University scientist Chien Ho and his colleagues have developed a promising tool that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track immune cells as they infiltrate a transplanted heart in the early stages of organ rejection. This pre-clinical advance, described in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), ultimately could provide a non-invasive way to detect transplan
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix have developed a new method that allows technicians to obtain clearer Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans with less sensitivity to patient motion.
PROPELLER is an acronym for “Periodically Rotated Overlapping ParallEL Lines with Enhanced Reconstruction.” This method acquires data in a unique way that allows one to track the motion of the patient during the MRI scan. The motion can then be removed.
“While PR
A revolutionary portable brain scanner under development could aid the treatment, and in some cases help save the lives, of premature and newborn babies in intensive care.
By providing vital information about brain function at the cot side, the scanner avoids the need to move critically ill babies to conventional scanning facilities, which may involve sedating them and has a degree of risk. The data produced by the new scanner can be used to diagnose and assess conditions such a
Dutch otolaryngologist Marein van der Torn hoped to develop a prosthesis that would improve the voice of people who had lost their vocal cords. He investigated the possibilities of a new type of voice prosthesis that produces vocal sound. The concept could be useful for female patients with a very weak voice: it would strengthen their voice and enable it to achieve a female pitch again. However, various practical problems need to be solved before the voice prosthesis can be used.
Sometim
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