Archive for the 'Technology' Category
December 30th, 2010 by admin
No, gold-plated liposomes are not a luxury gift that you’d find in your Christmas stocking, but they could someday give cancer patients the gift of life by selectively knocking out cancer cells while leaving healthy ones alone. This holiday gift comes courtesy of Marek Romanowski, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the University of Arizona’s College of Engineering, along with the grad students in his lab, Xenia Kachur and Sarah Leung.
Continue reading ‘Gold-plated Liposomes an Anti-Cancer Stocking Stuffer’
December 15th, 2010 by admin
Electronic cigarettes are nicotine-delivery devices that include a heating element that vaporizes chemicals in replaceable plastic cartridges. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside recently evaluated five e-cigarette brands and, finding design flaws, lack of adequate labeling, and several concerns about quality control and health issues, concluded that e-cigarettes are potentially harmful and urged regulators to consider removing e-cigarettes from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated.
Continue reading ‘FDA Loses Battle in War Against e-cigarettes’
December 9th, 2010 by admin
Nobody ever planned on a short-lived TV series having such a lasting impact on society, but it has. And this is true whether you like Star Trek or not. It doesn’t matter that the show’s medical devices looked like scavenged pieces of plastic the Desilu studio prop department glued together on a low budget. Star Trek is part of our collective mythology. And in the endless loop of life imitating art, many of the futuristic technologies introduced on the show are now a reality. That’s why we decided to compare some of today’s medical breakthroughs with those envisioned by science fiction TV writers, producers and actors more than 40 years ago.
Continue reading ‘Four Star Trek Medical Technologies We use Today’
December 8th, 2010 by admin
The Scottish government finds that the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch offer the best fit among Apple mobile devices with the National Health Service. And although Apple’s encryption scheme comes up short in the study, researchers give a nod to the devices for their potential as a tool for clinicians.
Continue reading ‘iPhone, iPad OK for UK Health System’
December 7th, 2010 by admin
The American Medical Association wants doctors to blow the whistle on their peers who behave badly online. The new policy is likely a response to concerns about patient confidentiality in social media exchanges, writes Colin Zick in the Foley Hoag law blog. ”When physicians see content posted by colleagues that appears unprofessional they have a responsibility to bring that content to the attention of the individual,” the policy reads. “If the behavior significantly violates professional norms and the individual does not take appropriate action to resolve the situation, the physician should report the matter to appropriate authorities.”
Continue reading ‘Docs Must Police Each Other in Social Media’
October 13th, 2010 by admin
Yes, Star Trek geeks can rejoice. There is now a “cloaking device” for drug delivery. At least, that’s how researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst describe what they’re doing. In the current issue of Nature Chemistry, Vincent Rotello says he and his team can deliver a dormant toxin into a specific site such as a tumor for anti-cancer therapy, then chemically trigger the toxin to “de-cloak” and attack the Romul … I mean, tumor, from within.
Continue reading ‘Cloaking Device Boldly Delivers Toxins to Tumor’
October 7th, 2010 by admin
Singapore strengthened its research and development focus on money-making outcomes and will set up a S$1.35 billion ($1 billion) fund to promote closer ties with the science and technology industries. Out of the $16.1 billion the government has budgeted to spend on research and development from 2011 to 2015, 70 percent will be for projects aimed at achieving economic success, rising from 65 percent in the past five years, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang said in a speech in Singapore.
Continue reading ‘Singapore Plans $1 Billion Fund for Research, Focuses on Economic Returns’
September 15th, 2010 by admin
Another week, another series of articles and debates over whether e-cigarettes are drug delivery devices and should be regulated by the FDA. In a follow-up to last week’s report, the Wall Street Journal asks readers: “Should the devices be regulated? Have you tried them?”
Continue reading ‘Air Force Bans E-Cigarettes’
September 8th, 2010 by admin
Purdue University researchers have developed a new type of pump for drug-delivery patches that might use arrays of “microneedles” to deliver a wider range of medications than now possible with conventional patches. The current “transdermal” patches are limited to delivering drugs that, like nicotine, are made of small hydrophobic molecules that can be absorbed through the skin, said Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.
Continue reading ‘New Pump Created for Microneedle Drug-Delivery Patch’
September 3rd, 2010 by admin
El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos and Mountain View, Calif. said it plans to lay off 140 employees by the end of October in an attempt to save money. The hospital sent out warning notices to 195 employees, reports San Jose Mercury News. There are approximately 460 employees in Los Gatos and 2,600 in Mountain View.
Continue reading ‘Hospital Cuts Staff, Hires Robots to Save Costs’
