http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/medical_technology/ Latest developments in medical technology. News from universities and research institutes on new medical technologies, their applications and effectiveness. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/medical_technology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121213.htm Most biopsies following mammograms reveal benign abnormalities, not cancer. But women may not have to endure the medical costs, stress and potential complications that accompany such invasive biopsies forever. A biomedical engineering researcher is making progress on an "optical biopsy" that has the potential to determine whether growths are cancerous without ever puncturing the skin. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm A telemedicine system based on a modified version of the Bluetooth wireless protocol can transfer patient data, such as medical images from patient to the health-care provider's mobile device for patient assessment almost four times as fast as conventional Bluetooth and without the intermittent connectivity problems. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172043.htm Researchers are collaborating on a study to determine if an imaging technique used by NASA to inspect the space shuttle can be used to predict tissue damage often experienced by breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. The study is examining the utility of three-dimensional thermal tomography in radiation oncology. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102111828.htm An international team of physicists has succeeded in using intense laser light to accelerate protons to energies never before achieved. Using this technique, scientists can now accelerate particles to extremely high velocities that would otherwise only be possible using large accelerator facilities. Physicists around the world are examining laser particle acceleration and laser produced radiation for potential future uses in cancer treatment. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102111828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132414.htm Researchers have discovered a technology that can detect cancerous tumors and deliver treatment to them without the harming the healthy cells surrounding them, thereby significantly reducing side effects. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190640.htm Microscopic magnetic particles have been used to bring stem cells to sites of cardiovascular injury in a new method designed to increase the capacity of cells to repair damaged tissue, scientists have announced. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015191043.htm Conventional imaging systems incorporate a light source for illuminating an object and a separate sensing device for recording the light rays scattered by the object. By using lenses and software, the recorded information can be turned into a proper image. Human vision is an ordinary process: the use of two eyes (and a powerful brain that processes visual information) provides human observers with a sense of depth perception. But how does a video camera attached to a robot "see" in three dimensions? Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015191043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091009204035.htm Hyper-SAGE can increase the strength of a remote MRI or NMR signal 10,000 times, making it possible to detect ultra-low concentrations of clincal and environmental targets. This enhanced sensitivity presents a path to the molecular imaging of clinical targets such as lung and other cancers. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091009204035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210000.htm People with chronic lung disease and asthma could soon be offered better treatment thanks to a new type of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210441.htm European researchers who created an ultra-fast, extremely high-resolution video camera have enabled dozens of medical applications, including one scenario that can record ‘thought’ processes traveling along neurons. The Megaframe project scored a staggering number of breakthroughs to create the world’s first 1024 pixel, photon-resolution, million-frame-per-second CMOS camera. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131026.htm A biomedical engineer has spent the last four years building a better imager for preclincal studies. He can now disassemble a specimen and reassemble it into a three-dimensional digital model that gives details down to single cells and their exact location. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921075507.htm Radiologists have discovered that prospective electrocardiogram gating allows them to significantly reduce the patient radiation dose delivered during computed tomography angiography, a common noninvasive technique used to evaluate vascular disease, according to a new study. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921075507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821135017.htm Canadian researchers have created a touchy-feely robot that detects tougher tumor tissue for minimally invasive surgery with 40 percent more accuracy than a human. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821135017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090731090013.htm A new chemical imaging technique could one day help in the fight against atherosclerosis, suggests new research. Atherosclerosis is the disease underlying most heart attacks and strokes and it is characterized by lesions in the arteries, made of fats, collagen and cells. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090731090013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727080840.htm Capsule endoscopy for exploring the colon in a minimally invasive manner diagnoses 64% of all lesions located by means of conventional colonoscopy. The endoscopy capsule for exploring the colon is a device which houses two cameras that enable pictures to be taken in front and behind as it passes through the colon - at a rate of 4 images per second. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727080840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm Scientists in England are constructing highly sensitive detectors as part of an international project to understand the elements that make up the universe. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185714.htm Fluorescent nanoparticles are able to illuminate brain tumors in mice. The particles can safely cross the blood-brain barrier, an almost impenetrable barrier that protects the brain from infection. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803110956.htm The use of digital mammography equipment alone is responsible for an increased number of breast cancers detected at a community-based mammography facility, according to a new study. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803110956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728145214.htm The tubes that power X-ray machines are shrinking, improving the clarity and detail of their Superman-like vision. A team of nanomaterial scientists, medical physicists, and cancer biologists has developed new lower-cost X-ray tubes packed with sharp-tipped carbon nanotubes for cancer research and treatment. Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728145214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191243.htm Canadian scientists are developing a new technology that integrates two existing medical devices -- medical linear accelerators, or "linacs," which produce powerful X-rays for treating cancer, and magnetic resonance imagers (MRIs), which are widely used to image tumors in the human body. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724124140.htm Half of all Americans will be diagnosed at some point in their lives with cancer, the number two killer in the United States. Doctors have now developed a less expensive "molecular imaging" technique for detecting cancer in dense breast tissue. Other researchers have been developing a new technology for diagnosing breast cancer in women that promises to be more comfortable than conventional mammography but just as safe. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724124140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721144649.htm Researchers have created magnetically responsive gold nanostars that may offer a new approach to biomedical imaging. The nanostars gyrate when exposed to a rotating magnetic field, and can scatter light to produce a pulsating or "twinkling" effect. This twinkling allows them to stand out more clearly from noisy backgrounds like those found in biological tissue. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721144649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714143908.htm A new technology involving the fusion of four different types of images into a 3-D map of a patient's brain has helped specialists successfully remove a fist-sized tumor from the brain of an Indiana woman. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714143908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093615.htm Using magnetic resonance imaging, radiologists may be able to diagnose deep endometriosis and accurately locate lesions prior to surgery, according to a new study. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630132013.htm Researchers are using a combination of light and ultrasound to visualize fluorescent proteins that are seated several centimeters deep into living tissue. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630132013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616103313.htm Researchers have demonstrated a new, highly detailed x-ray imaging technique that could be developed into a method for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The technique has previously been used to look at tumors in breast tissue and cartilage in human knee and ankle joints, but this study is the first to test its ability to visualize a class of minuscule plaques that are a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616103313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624153116.htm Scientists have created the world's first acoustic "superlens," an innovation that could have practical implications for high-resolution ultrasound imaging, non-destructive structural testing of buildings and bridges, and novel underwater stealth technology. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624153116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144325.htm Combining high-definition positron emission tomography (PET) and "motion-frozen" technology provides enhanced cardiac images. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123652.htm It was an idea born out of curiosity in the physics lab, but now a new type of "laser" for generating ultra-high frequency sound waves instead of light has taken a major step towards becoming a unique and highly useful 21st century technology. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616121343.htm Specially engineered nanoparticles could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616121343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144329.htm A major barrier to developing a hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging system could be removed by using a novel approach for reconstructing data, according to researchers. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526184017.htm Scientists have for the first time devised a multi-pixel modulator for light waves at terahertz frequencies. The formal study of THz radiation, which can be described as far-infrared light, dates back many years, but has become increasingly widespread since around 1990, when efficient methods for generating and detecting the radiation become available. The expected applications include carrying out biological spectroscopy and imaging buried structures in semiconductors. Sun, 31 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526184017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507141353.htm Researchers have shown that bacterial proteins called phytochromes can be engineered into infrared-fluorescent proteins. Because the wavelength of IFPs is able to penetrate tissue, these proteins are suitable for whole-body imaging in small animals. Sat, 16 May 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507141353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505162448.htm 3T MRI, a powerful tool for evaluating patients with a high risk of having breast cancer, can detect a significant number of lesions not found on mammography and sonography, according to a new study. Wed, 06 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505162448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505162446.htm Physicians should review a patient's CT imaging history and cumulative radiation dose when considering whether to perform another CT exam, experts urge. Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505162446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090426094512.htm In the traditional treatment for prostate growths, a rigid instrument is inserted through the penis and used to scrape away cells lining the walnut-sized gland. Urologists are developing a less invasive way to remove tissue using focused pulses of ultrasound. Their technique, histotripsy, has now been used to safely trim the interiors of aging prostates in the body. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090426094512.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421120858.htm Computer engineers are bringing the minimalist approach to medical care and computing by coupling USB-based ultrasound probe technology with a smartphone, enabling a compact, mobile computational platform and a medical imaging device that fits in the palm of a hand. Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421120858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414172919.htm A gel sometimes used during surgery to stop bleeding could cause misleading mammograms. Researchers reported seven cases in which a sealant called FloSeal, used during lumpectomies, mimicked malignant microcalcifications in follow up mammograms. Microcalcifications can be a sign of breast cancer. Researchers said they do not recommend FloSeal for lumpectomies. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414172919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141545.htm Chemists are using modified magnetic resonance imaging to see molecular changes inside people's bodies that could signal health problems such as cancer. Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331091244.htm Patients who undergo numerous CT scans over their lifetime may be at increased risk for cancer, according to a new study. Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331091244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141541.htm A new technology dramatically improves the sensitivity of magnetic resonance techniques including those used in hospital scanners and chemistry laboratories. Ultimately, the technique, based on manipulating parahydrogen, the fuel of the space shuttle, is expected to allow doctors to learn far more about a patient's condition from an MRI scan at lower cost while increasing the range of medical conditions that can be examined. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326141541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319104029.htm A new camera developed by scientists in The Netherlands is capable of imaging even small variations in blood circulation. It is a powerful tool for evaluating burns or other disorders that disrupt the blood flow. Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319104029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220122723.htm Unconventional thinking led a PhD student to make a discovery that could revolutionize MRI. He succeeded in exciting and imaging nuclear magnetic resonance in the human body by propagating electromagnetic waves. Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220122723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303125809.htm In 2006, Americans were exposed to more than seven times as much ionizing radiation from medical procedures as was the case in the early 1980s, according to a new report. In 2006, medical exposure constituted nearly half of the total radiation exposure of the U.S. population from all sources. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303125809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303123812.htm Scientists at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine are offering additional background information to help the public avoid misinterpreting the findings contained in a report issued today by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), a non-profit body chartered by the US Congress to make recommendations on radiation protection and measurements. The report is not without scientific controversy and requires careful interpretation. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303123812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226082511.htm A study shows that new three-dimensional technologies applied to the traditional ultrasound scan significantly improve the quality of imaging. The applications, already used in the gynaecological field, are particularly useful for carrying out an increasingly reliable diagnosis and more effective treatment of musculoskeletal system injuries. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226082511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218114320.htm In addition to affecting millions people on Earth, bone loss is health risk for astronauts in space. National Space Biomedical Research Institute scientists are developing an ultrasound system, called SCAN, that will allow for early prediction of bone disorders and accelerated fracture healing. SCAN could have many benefits on Earth -- especially in rural areas where access to health care is limited -- due to its reduced costs, mobility and advanced imaging capabilities. Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218114320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090209152416.htm Researchers have developed a new kind of microscope to visualize cells in three dimensions, an advance that could bring great progress in the field of early cancer detection. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090209152416.htm