Medicine
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Siemens unveils the P10 handheld ultrasound machine
Ultrasound machines have been getting smaller for a while now, leading some doctors to claim that they'll eventually replace the stethoscope -- and Siemen's latest model, the ACUSON P10, is another step in the transition. The 1.6-pound P10 is designed to fit inside a standard white coat pocket, and can store images and video clips for later examination. The unit is currently undergoing clinical trials in the US; hopefully that "optimized price" Siemens is touting means that we'll be seeing the P10 pop up in hospitals very soon.[Via MedGadget]
ViaNase electronic atomizers futurize nasal spray
You've probably started to think that all of the really great technological advancements in intranasal drug delivery had come and gone -- but Kurve Technology believes otherwise. The Bothell, WA. based company has just been granted a patent on their "Controlled Particle Dispersion" system, which is used in its electronic atomizers to create tiny, powerful vortices of aerosolized particles (basically small, drug-filled tornadoes), thus delivering medication more effectively to the user. Interestingly, the company's ViaNase ID has a small LCD screen which is used to specify doses, sound reminders, and authenticate or lockout users based on product identification and user IDs, which should make it seriously confusing to the elderly.[Via medGadget]
MedSignals' digital pill box charts your dosage
As the field of devices that let caregivers step away and give the elderly more independence expands, it was just a matter of time before digital pill boxes hit the mainstream. The aptly-dubbed med-minder holds one's pills in separated compartments to divvy up the days, and send out audible alerts (as well as flashing LEDs) when it's time to take them, records the time of opening in its built-in memory, uploads the usage data automatically to a server, and allows for access to personal chart trackers that show if any days were skipped over or taken late. The 5- x 3.5- x 1-inch box stays permanently connected to both a telephone and AC outlet, and once a day it dials up a toll free number to deliver the latest statistics. The box can apparently be ordered right now for $169, but if your great grandmother figures out that she can just crack the lid and dump the pills, you're still back to square one.[Via MedGadget]
Researchers create "plastic blood," immediately prank roommates
Researchers at Sheffield University have developed what they're calling "plastic blood" -- a synthetic blood substitute with the consistency of runny honey they say might be used on battlefields and in disaster areas within the next decade. The polymer blood mimics the structure of hemoglobin, the compound in real blood that transports oxygen around the body, but is only intended for short-term use until a real transfusion can be performed. That's still a huge improvement over carrying around real blood, especially since the plastic stuff can be handled and stored at room temperature and is completely sterile. The fake blood hasn't been tested on humans yet, and won't be until additional funding is secured to further refine the formula, but the potential impact of the idea is enormous -- our homemade zombie flicks are about to get way better.[Via BBC]
Medical robot can do organ biopsies during MRI scans
The Johns Hopkins Urology Robotics Lab based in Baltimore, Maryland has developed a medical robot called the PneuStep that is capable of carrying out organ biopsies in the process of an MRI scan. The robot features a motor that provides power "without metal or electricity" which means that it can operate within the intense magnetic fields generated by Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines. Instead, it is made of "plastics, ceramics and rubber" and is "driven by light and air": specifically, a series of pistons and gears which are controlled by a computer in the next room. The motor also happens to be far more precise than the bags of meat that we usually trust to remove our tumors. The PneuStep could improve the treatment of prostate cancer, which is apparently in many cases impossible to spot outside of an MRI machine. Previously, surgeons relied on "blind" biopsies in the case of operations on organs like the prostate. We'd imagine then that the addition of this robot to a surgeon's tool box will do wonders for patient morale.[Via Medgadget]
Radiofrequency treatment curbs asthma attacks
Sure, there's quite a few way to circumvent the effects of asthma, but a new development coming out of McMaster University in Canada suggests that radiofrequency treatment can actually curb the amount of asthma attacks suffered by asthmatics. The device, which "uses radio waves to heat the muscle lining of patients' airways," is used to administer a trio of sessions, and while the actual root cause is still unknown, it seems to cause a reduction in the smooth muscle lining the airways, subsequently making breathing less of a chore. The probe isn't the most comfortable, however, as it must first make its way through your nose or mouth in order to reach the lung airways, after which the tip is "heated using radio waves." The procedure is known as bronchial thermoplasty, and while the funding company (Asthmatx) has yet to elicit a thumbs-up from the FDA, it could certainly become a viable alternative for asthma sufferers. It's about time these free-flying transmissions made up for the harm they've caused, eh?
Kodak envisions edible RFID tags for medical purposes, light snacks
If you're not down with wearing, handling, or implanting RFID chips on (or in) human beings, we presume you're fairly skeptical about consuming one. A recent patent application filed by Kodak envisions an edible RFID wafer that would ideally be used to monitor various aspects of a patient's health. The digestible tag would be covered in a substance that would slow the dissolving process enough to view certain aspects of one's innards, and furthermore, these tags could be surgically implanted into knees and joints in order to alert doctors when additional work should be performed. The tags could even be integrated into medicines in order to more accurately witness whether a rebellious patient has indeed swallowed his or her pills. So before you cry foul on voluntarily ingesting a (hopefully) dissolving RFID tag, just think of all the medical breakthroughs this could lead to -- or how traceable you'd eternally be if your gastric acid is weaker than usual.[Via NewScientistTech, thanks Matt]
WVU's Punchstat system intelligently halts boxing matches
The state of West Virginia seems to be on the "get fit" warpath, as not only did the public school system decide to expand and renew the Dance Dance Revolution program to get youngsters a-movin', but now WVU has developed a system that allows boxers to give it a go without, um, perishing. The Punchstat analysis system is a ringside computerized tool that is being honed to provide a realistic and objective method of determining when a boxing match should be halted. Researchers in Morgantown have performed a "computer-assisted video analysis" to compare a trio of professional matches where one of them led to a fighter's death; these results were further compared with over 4,000 other bouts previously scored with Punchstat, and it was stated that a "significant differences" were seen in fights that led to death. Most notably, fighters that died due to boxing faced around 23 punches per round (compared to the average of 9.4), and more "power punches" were withstood as well. But before scientists can accurately implement a "danger meter" of sorts into pay-per-view matchups, some critics insinuate that factors such as "fighter strength and the effects of the punches that connect" need to be considered before it can be entirely reliable, and it's even suggested that a tried and true accelerometer be installed on a fighter to calculate the force of a blow. Still, we're down with beating someone to a pulp for sport if everyone leaves without a life-threatening injury, but we'll probably take the pansy's way out and stick with Wii Boxing to carve our calories.[Via Physorg]
Intellidrug tooth implant delivers dosages, tinfoil hat sold separately
We've certainly seen our fair share of tools for improving drug delivery 'round here, from the humble talking pill bottle to high-powered jet injectors to the ever-popular drug-toting, blood-swimming robots, but a group of European scientists seem to think there's still room for improvement, recently unveiling their Intellidrug tooth implant device. Technically a "dental prosthesis," the device is designed to find inside two artificial molars (which could cause a problem for those that still have their teeth) and deliver small doses of medication as needed, with the patient absorbing it in the mucous membranes of their cheeks. Of course, there's only so much medicine you can cram into a pair of teeth, with the scientists saying patient's should be able to store enough for a couple of weeks, after which they'll have to check in for a refill and a battery replacement. Most of us are likely still quite a ways off from running down to the neighborhood drug store to get our teeth topped off, however, with clinical testing of the Intellidrug only set to begin later this year.
Shocking study reveals that activity in gaming fights obesity
Providing a mighty blow to both "research studies" and the value of Ph.D degrees everywhere, the latest rubbish information to come flowing from the Mayo Clinic's research lab is as close to an insult to intelligence as you can get. While it may have been somewhat understood that television can act as a painkiller for children, and that wireless headsets actually don't improve driving safety, this obviousness of this one takes the literal cake. The study, which is proclaimed as the "first to scientifically measure the energy spent playing video games," proved that sitting around while gaming burned the same amount of energy as kicking back and watching the tube, but when engaged in a "camera-based activity" (Eye Toy?), the "energy expenditure tripled." It was also shown that walking on a treadmill while gaming it up also tripled the energy burned, but it showed a "fivefold increase for the mildly obese group" of participants. While these results may be miles away from shocking, the most depressing aspect of the entire study was the conclusion that the results were so awe-inspiring that "they warrant further studies in randomized trials." Now, who's paying for this hoopla again?[Thanks, Mike]
Researchers developing danger-sensing BioPen
Scientists at Ben Gurion University in Israel are out to make detecting dangerous biological agents as simple as a pregnancy test with their yet-to-be-completed BioPen, which they say could eventually be in use everywhere from the battlefield to the veterinary lab. The pen uses a modified form of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (or ELISA) antigen detection to detect potentially harmful compounds, and can apparently also be used to determine if water is drinkable, along with ratting out environmental toxins, Ebola, Hepatitis B and C, Dengue, West Nile virus, and bird flu, among other nasty things. It works by taking a blood sample with a disposable tip, which is then automatically processed in the non-disposable cap, delivering the verdict in twenty minutes or less. Of course, they haven't actually gotten it into pen size yet -- for that, they're looking for one or two million dollars of funding -- but when/if it gets fully developed, they foresee the BioPen being a fairly affordable option, costing about $15 per test.
Mucus-riding robot headed to intestines
While the thought of having anything, much less a robot, crawl around and inspect our intestinal tract is certainly not in the forefront of our minds, Dimitra Dodou from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands hopes her ideas will change the way colonoscopies are performed. Currently, uncomfortably large tubes or devices known as "wormbots" crawl through the delicate linings of your intestines, typically causing a great deal of discomfort in the process. Dodou's prototype contains a "polymer material" that clings to proteins found in the mucus lining of the gut, but can have its "sticky properties temporarily turned off" when sprayed with water. This two-faced material can be used in "snail-like" transporters that move by alternately gliding forward when it releases water, "sticking around" to control direction, and repeating again until the final destination is reached. By the close of 2006, Dodou hopes to have a camera-equipped version available for trial, which could be quite helpful in taking biopsies. Although we certainly don't intend on going under the knife anytime soon, it's quite comforting to know that Dodou's mucus-riding robot should makes things easier to stomach (ahem) if the occasion arises.
Robo-scallop to carry drugs through the body
Sometimes swallowing a pill or getting stuck with a needle isn't the most efficient way of attacking an internal problem, at least according to a team of physicists at the Netherlands' University of Twente. Their latest project involves a microscopic tube -- just a few millimeters long and 750 microns in diameter -- dubbed the robo-scallop, built to propel itself through the human bloodstream with the help of soundwaves. This body-surfer of sorts has a bubble of air on one end that expands and contracts by way of vibrations from direct external physical contact between the patient's skin and a loudspeaker, causing the transporter to be propelled through an ocean of platelets and delivering medicines in hard-to-reach spots. Challenges that remain are improving the robo-scallop's speed without, um, deafening the patient, and decreasing its size even further to get access to the tiniest of gateways. Although the device lacks an estimated completion date, the robo-scallop may provide relief to those who find alternate methods of drug administration a tad hard to swallow, or, well, you know.
