Latest advances in medical research thread

[ScienceRocks]

A next-generation ultrasonic imaging system that could provide 1,000 times higher resolution than today’s medical ultrasound systems has been demonstrated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers.

The researchers used a combination of subpicosecond laser pulses and unique nanostructures to produce acoustic phonons — quasi-particles of vibrational energy that move through an atomic lattice as sound waves — at a frequency of 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles per second).

By comparison, medical ultrasounds devices today typically reach a frequency of only about 20 megahertz (20 million cycles per second). The 10GHz phonons can be used to “see” subsurface structures in nanoscale systems that optical and electron microscopes cannot.

“We have demonstrated optical coherent manipulation and detection of the acoustic phonons in nanostructures that offer new possibilities in the development of coherent phonon sources and nano-phononic devices for chemical sensing, thermal energy management and communications,” said research team leader Xiang Zhang, a faculty scientist with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division and corresponding author of a paper published in Nature Communications describing this research.

Acoustic imaging offers several advantages over optical imaging. The ability of sound waves to safely pass through biological tissue has made sonograms a popular medical diagnostic tool. Sound waves have also become a valuable tool for the non-destructive testing of materials. Phonons at GHz frequencies can pass through materials that are opaque to photons, the particles that carry light. Ultrahigh frequency phonons also travel at the small wavelengths that yield a sharper resolution in ultrasound imaging.

Ultrasonic imaging at 1,000 times times higher resolution | KurzweilAI

 

[ScienceRocks]

No more fillings as dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment
Scientists in London develop pain-free filling that allows teeth to repair themselves without drilling or injections

Scientists have developed a new pain-free filling that allows cavities to be repaired without drilling or injections.

The tooth-rebuilding technique developed at King's College London does away with fillings and instead encourages teeth to repair themselves.

Tooth decay is normally removed by drilling, after which the cavity is filled with a material such as amalgam or composite resin.

The new treatment, called Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER), accelerates the natural movement of calcium and phosphate minerals into the damaged tooth.

A two-step process first prepares the damaged area of enamel, then uses a tiny electric current to push minerals into the repair site. It could be available within three years.

No more fillings as dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment | Society | theguardian.com

 

[ScienceRocks]

Bionic pancreas shows promise in trials

This February, we first heard about a "bionic pancreas" that could radically improve the lives of type 1 diabetics. At the time, multi-day trials involving groups of adult and adolescent patients were still yet to occur. Those trials have now taken place, and the results are definitely encouraging.

Being developed by scientists at Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the bionic pancreas is made up of two externally-worn pumps, an app on an iPhone 4s, and a tiny sensor within a needle that's inserted under the skin. Every five minutes, that sensor monitors the glucose levels in the surrounding tissue fluid, and sends the readings to the app. If those levels get too high or too low, the app automatically triggers one or the other of the pumps to release either insulin or its counteracting hormone, glucagon, into the bloodstream.

Ordinarily, diabetics must monitor glucose levels themselves several times a day via fingerstick blood tests. If more insulin is required, it must be either manually injected or pumped into their body.

In the tests, a group of 20 adult diabetics used the bionic pancreas for five days while conducting their usual activities in downtown Boston, plus a group of 32 adolescents also tried them out over a five-day period at a youth camp. As a control, both groups were also monitored for a five-day period while only using their regular manual insulin pumps.

Bionic pancreas shows promise in trials

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists Cook Up Microwave Helmet for Early Stroke Identification (VIDEO)
Scientists Cook Up Microwave Helmet for Early Stroke Identification (VIDEO)

According to the WHO, 15 million people suffer from stroke each year, of which 5 million succumb to fatal injuries, and another 5 million are permanently disabled, making stroke the second highest cause of disability worldwide. The disease is caused by a lack of blood flow to areas of the brain or spinal cord, either by an occlusion of a large artery (ischemic stroke), or as a downstream effect of a bleed into the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). The current treatment for an ischemic stroke is to give medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). A clot buster, tPA can act to dissolve blood clots and restore circulation to the affected area of the brain. While it’s been shown to work highly effectively when used for ischemic stroke, it can cause more bleeding and worsen outcomes in the case of hemorrhagic stroke. Thus, the workflow to diagnose the type of stroke is an important step in its management. However, the process is lengthy and includes evaluation by stroke teams and long wait times for CT scans. It’s been thought that 1.9 million neurons die every minute that a stroke goes untreated, so timing is critical (as neurologists say: “Time is brain!&#8221. Making things more complicated is the fact that tPA treatment is only shown to be effective within a 4.5-hour window, starting from the onset of symptoms.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Edwards SAPIEN XT Transcatheter Heart Valve FDA Approved
Edwards SAPIEN XT Transcatheter Heart Valve FDA Approved

Edwards Lifesciences received FDA approval for its SAPIEN XT transcatheter aortic heart valve for implantation in patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis who are poor candidates for traditional surgery. The same device has recently been approved in Europe for valve-invalve aortic and mitral procedures.

The SAPIEN XT is implanted using the NovaFlex+ system, that can be delivered via a 16-French expandable sheath, and the Ascendra+ transcapical and transaortic delivery systems. The new valve is available in sizes up to 29mm, allowing for treatment of patients with particularly large native annuli.

From the announcement:

“There is a substantial and growing body of evidence that the SAPIEN XT valve benefits both high-risk and inoperable patients, and clinicians have documented these consistently positive results in both randomized studies and European country registries,” said Martin B. Leon, MD, director, Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and professor of medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Leon was the co-principal investigator for the PARTNER II Trial, which was Edwards’ second randomized controlled trial of a transcatheter valve and evaluated the SAPIEN XT valve. “The results from the PARTNER II Trial in treating U.S. inoperable patients with the SAPIEN XT valve demonstrated a reduction in complications with the TAVR procedure, and improved patient outcomes over earlier trials.”

 

[ScienceRocks]

Bacteria 'bricklayer' protein set for attack

BBC News - Bacteria 'bricklayer' protein set for attack

Scientists have found a new route to attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria by blocking the mechanism they use to build their exterior coating.

The bugs construct this defensive barrier in a complex process that depends on a key dual-protein molecule.

Its structure has been mapped using the intense X-rays of the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire.

Researchers tell the journal Nature that drugs can now be developed to interfere with this LptDE protein.

 

[ScienceRocks]

La Jolla Institute Advances Research Toward World’s First Vaccine for Heart Disease
La Jolla Institute Advances Research Toward World?s First Vaccine for Heart Disease

Newswise — SAN DIEGO – (June 17, 2014) Research toward the world’s first vaccine for heart disease continues to advance at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, with researchers demonstrating significant arterial plaque reduction in concept testing in mice.

Klaus Ley, M.D., a pioneer in vascular immunology, is leading the vaccine effort, which seeks to reduce plaque buildup in the arteries by targeting inflammation. In his latest finding, published recently in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, Ley used two mouse peptides, identified by Harley Tse, Ph.D., of Wayne State University, which he incorporated into testing the vaccine approach. In the study, vaccinated mice had about 40 percent less arterial plaque than mice that didn’t receive the vaccine.

“Heart disease remains our nation’s number one killer,” says Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., La Jolla Institute president &chief scientific officer. “We are excited by Dr. Ley’s studies, which show promise for creating a vaccine that may one day reduce the incidence of this terrible illness.” If successful, the vaccine could be given to aid in preventing heart disease and also to stop or reduce disease progression. In addition to heart disease, the vaccine could target strokes, which are also fueled by plaque buildup in the arteries.

The research drew praise from several cardiology experts. Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., section head of Preventive Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation’s top cardiology hospitals, called the research “elegant and tremendously exciting.”

 

[whitehall]

A spokesperson from Albert Einstein College of Medicine: "this is a very elegant and important validation that this approach can work -at least in mice".

 

[ScienceRocks]

Self-repairing mechanism helps to preserve brain function in neurodegenerative diseases
Self-repairing mechanism helps to preserve brain function in neurodegenerative diseases | KurzweilAI

Neurogenesis, the self-repairing mechanism of the adult brain by creating new neurons, can help to preserve brain function in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Prion, and Parkinson’s, new research led by scientists at the University of Southampton has found.

The progressive degeneration and death of the brain, occurring in many neurodegenerative diseases, is often seen as an unstoppable and irrevocable process.

But now, a research team, led by Diego Gomez-Nicola, DPhil, from the Centre for Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, has detected increased neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (part of the brain system controlling learning and memory, the hippocampus) that partially counteracts neuronal loss.

An optimal time window for self-repairing

Using a model of prion disease from mice, the research identified the time-course of the generation of these newborn neurons and how they integrate into the brain circuitry. While this self-repairing mechanism is effective in maintaining some neuronal functions at early and mid-stages of the disease, it fails at more advanced phases. This highlights a window of time in which potential therapeutic intervention could preserve the beneficial effects of enhanced neurogenesis.

“This study highlights the latent potential of the brain to orchestrate a self-repairing response,” said Gomez-Nicola. “The continuation of this line of research is opening new avenues to identify what specific signals are used to promote this increased neurogenic response, with views focused in targeting neurogenesis as a therapeutic approach to promote the regeneration of lost neurons.”

The study, which is published in the journal Brain (open access), also involves the Universities of Hamburg and Valencia. It is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

 

[ScienceRocks]

3-D Mammography Test Appears to Improve Breast Cancer Detection Rate

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/h...ray.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto&_r=0

 

[ScienceRocks]

Agenus Brain Cancer Vaccine Doubles Life Expectancy per Study

Agenus stock rose dramatically yesterday after the announcement of the results of a study on Prophage, its new brain cancer vaccine, revealed that life expectancy could be doubled for patients treated with the drug. The median life expectancy in 50 percent of patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) increased to two years when the drug was given in addition to standard treatment. After two years 33 percent of patients remain alive and continue to have survival rates followed.

The study was a Phase 2, single-arm, open-label, multi-institutional study supported through funding from the American Brain Tumor Association, National Brain Tumor Society, Accelerated Brain Cancer Cure and National Cancer Institute Special Programs of Research Excellence. It was sponsored by Dr. Andrew Parsa, the principal investigator on the study.

Read more at Agenus Brain Cancer Vaccine Doubles Life Expectancy per Study

 

[ScienceRocks]

Emerald Therapeutics: Biotech Lab for Hire

Emerald Therapeutics: Biotech Lab for Hire - Businessweek

There’s a basic formula these days for anyone looking to develop a cure for a disease. Along with a good idea, you need $20 million, a team of about 30 scientists, and a year to set up the lab equipment to start testing your theory. From there, the grunt work begins, as your team of well-paid researchers squirts fluid into test tubes, feeds chemicals into machines, and analyzes the results from thousands of experiments. If you luck out and discover something useful, then it’s time to pray that the desired result can be replicated.

Emerald Therapeutics, a 17-person startup in Silicon Valley, claims to have modernized much of this burdensome process, which might make drug discovery faster and cheaper. On July 1 the company unveiled a service that lets other labs send it instructions for their experiments via the Web. Robots then complete the work. The idea is a variation on the cloud-computing model, in which companies rent computers by the hour from Amazon.com (AMZN), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT) instead of buying and managing their own equipment. In this case, biotech startups could offload some of their basic tasks—counting cells one at a time or isolating proteins—freeing their researchers to work on more complex jobs and analyze results. To control the myriad lab machines, Emerald has developed its own computer language and management software. The company is charging clients $1 to $100 per experiment and has vowed to return results within a day. “Emerald has brought laboratory experimentation into the digital age, allowing truly virtual scientific research,” says David Pompliano, a former executive with Merck (MRK) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) who is advising the company. “This will lead to better science.”

Bio-printing transplantable tissues, organs: Another step closer

Researchers have made a giant leap towards the goal of 'bio-printing' transplantable tissues and organs for people affected by major diseases and trauma injuries, a new study reports.

Scientists from the Universities of Sydney, Harvard, Stanford and MIT have bio-printed artificial vascular networks mimicking the body's circulatory system that are necessary for growing large complex tissues.

"Thousands of people die each year due to a lack of organs for transplantation," says study lead author and University of Sydney researcher, Dr Luiz Bertassoni.

"Many more are subjected to the surgical removal of tissues and organs due to cancer, or they're involved in accidents with large fractures and injuries.

"Imagine being able to walk into a hospital and have a full organ printed -- or bio-printed, as we call it -- with all the cells, proteins and blood vessels in the right place, simply by pushing the 'print' button in your computer screen.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140630103136.htm


Antibiotic resistance may be reversed using fungus chemical, McMaster researchers find

TORONTO — A soil sample from Nova Scotia has yielded a compound that could help fight antibiotic resistance.

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton have discovered that a fungus found in the sample produces a chemical that inactivates the dangerous NDM-1 resistance gene, making bacteria containing it vulnerable to the antibiotics NDM-1 normally helps them evade.

The scientists liken the compound to an adjuvant, a chemical that enhances the power of vaccines.

“Simply put, the molecule knocks out NDM-1 so the antibiotics can do their job,” said Gerry Wright, the biochemistry professor who leads the team which conducted the research.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...ng-fungus-chemical-mcmaster-researchers-find/

 

[ScienceRocks]

Researchers May Have Discovered The Consciousness On/Off Switch

Researchers from the George Washington University have managed to switch consciousness on and off in an epileptic woman by stimulating a single region of the brain with electrical impulses. While this is a single case study, it provides an exciting insight into the neural mechanisms behind consciousness, a subject of great interest that is poorly understood despite decades of research. The study has been published in Epilepsy & Behavior.

Consciousness is a fascinating topic that has both intrigued and puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the brain, little is known about the neural networks that underpin consciousness. However, research has hinted that consciousness is likely the result of an integration of activity from numerous different areas of the brain, marrying all of our perceptions together into one experience. But what is the central hub to this process?

A few years back, Francis Crick, one of the scientists involved in deciphering the structure of DNA, and colleague Christof Koch proposed that a brain region known as the claustrum may be at the heart of consciousness, stringing together the constant input of information arriving from different brain networks.

Read more at Researchers May Have Discovered The Consciousness On/Off Switch | IFLScience

 

[ScienceRocks]

Corneas Regrown From Adult Human Stem Cells

Corneal abrasions are some of the most common eye injuries. While many heal up just fine, others can result in blindness and over 40,000 corneal transplants are done every year in the United States, with variable outcomes. Identifying the stem cells that regenerate corneas comes from a recent study involving a wide collaboration between healthcare facilities in Boston. Targeting the stem cells not only resulted in an increased success in corneal transplants, but is one of the first known instances of using adult-derived stem cells to regenerate tissue. The results of the research were published in Nature.

Guaranteeing a successful corneal transplant has traditionally been quite difficult, as limbal stem cells (the cells that create and maintain the cornea) are limited in number. Their presence can make or break the success a corneal transplant, but it has not always been easy to identify them for transplantation. This study’s success hinged on using the protein ABCB5 to identify the limbal stem cells. The human corneas were then implanted into mice, where they developed and became fully functional once again.

"Limbal stem cells are very rare, and successful transplants are dependent on these rare cells," lead author Bruce Ksander said in a press release. "This finding will now make it much easier to restore the corneal surface. It's a very good example of basic research moving quickly to a translational application.”

Read more at Corneas Regrown From Adult Human Stem Cells | IFLScience

 

[itfitzme]

How a Standford dropout is revolutionizing the blood-testing industry.



Two articles from February. One in Wired , another in Takepart .

I present both because they compliment each other. I linked the Google search because I spotted other clips that looked interesting. I think this one is big.

With just a single, tiny drop of blood in Theranos' 'nanotainer' tube, which is smaller than a dime, almost 200 conditions can be tested for, everything to blood typing, cholesterol, HIV, Syphilis and Respiratory Virus.

Charging less than 50 percent of the standard Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, Theranos says that it could save the two U.S. social insurance programs, used by some 78 million people*according*to the U.S. Census Bureau, anywhere from $98 to $104 billion in testing fees. Currently, most patients get medical tests done in hospital labs or independent companies, where prices can vary widely.

Forget Vials of Blood?New Tests Require Just One Drop | TakePart

Theranos*lists its prices*on its website: blood typing, $2.05; cholesterol, $2.99; iron, $4.45. If all tests in the US were performed at those kinds of prices, the company says, it could save Medicare $98 billion and Medicaid $104 billion over the next decade.

This Woman Invented a Way to Run 30 Lab Tests on Only One Drop of Blood | Science | WIRED

Oh, and she dropped out of college at Stanford.

There is a joke that goes, "Show me a 'C' student in college and I'll show you the owner of a company. Show me an 'A' student and I'll show you the guy that works for the 'C' student.".

I worked for such a 'C' student. He was a UC Berkeley dropout.


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https://www.google.com/webhp?ssrp=1&hl=en#hl=en&q=nano+blood+vial+testing

 

[itfitzme]

UCSD researchers announce debut of device that removes blood clots



UCSD researchers announce debut of device that removes blood clots | San Diego 6 | Local News

AngioVac is a catheter-based device in which thin tubes are inserted into two major veins in the body through the neck or groin. Under X-ray guidance, the flexible tubes are advanced to the veins, right-sided heart chambers or lung arteries. Each is equipped with an expandable balloon-shaped funnel tip that vacuums material such as a blood clot out of the body.*

 

[ScienceRocks]

Light drinking may still damage your heart, study finds

The new research reviewed evidence from over 50 studies that linked drinking habits and cardiovascular health for over 260,000 people.

According to a University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report, by reducing the amount of alcohol they consume, light-to-moderate drinkers may improve cardiovascular health, reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, in addition to lower body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

The findings appear in The British Medical Journal, and challenge previous studies that propose consuming light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol (0.6-0.8 fluid ounces/day) may have a protective effect on cardiovascular health.

Read more: Light drinking may still damage your heart, study finds | Science Recorder

 

[ScienceRocks]

Saliva test might someday replace needle prick for diabetics

Saliva test might someday replace needle prick for diabetics

A new type of sensor for people with diabetes is being developed to measure sugar levels in the body using saliva instead of blood, researchers report.

Scientists at Brown University in Providence, R.I., created the sensor and successfully tested it using artificial saliva. It uses light, metal and a special enzyme that changes color when exposed to blood sugar.

"Everybody knows that diabetics have to prick their fingers to draw blood to check their blood sugar and then respond to that information. And they have to do that multiple times a day," said study co-author Tayhas Palmore, a professor of engineering, chemistry and medical science at Brown.

"We're looking for another possibility, and realized that saliva is another bodily fluid that could be measured," Palmore said.

This idea is a welcome one, said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "People are always trying to come up with new ideas of how to measure blood sugar without pricking the fingers."

 

[ScienceRocks]

USGI’s New Incisionless Endolumenal Bariatric Surgery Technology Now in U.S. Trial

Traditional bariatric surgery for weight loss has benefited thousands of people, but many who are interested in it are concerned about the incisions and some of the potential side effects involved. USGI Medical out of San Clemente, CA is about to begin a U.S. study of its g-Cath EZ Delivery Catheter with Snowshoe Suture Anchors that allows for incisionless endoscopic bariatric surgery through the mouth.

With the catheter, surgeons can fold stomach tissue and place anchors across the folds, reducing the stomach volume. The company enrolled 332 patients at 11 hospitals across the country that will receive either the g-Cath or sham treatment, and everyone will be followed for at least two years afterwards. Of note, all of the devices that make up the company’s Incisionless Operating Platform are already cleared in the U.S. and Europe.

Some details about the technology from the product page:

The g-Cath™ is an integral accessory to the g-Prox® tissue approximation system. The catheter ends in a hollow needle and contains a pair of Snowshoe Suture Anchors™. A sliding button on the g-Cath allows the surgeon to advance the tissue anchors and deliver them on either side of a tissue fold or apposition. Then, the operator uses the g-Cath to bring the two anchors together with adjustable tensioning. The cinching is user-controlled under direct vision with tactile feedback, similar to a traditional suture. Also, the tension flattens out the mesh anchors, securing the tissue.

USGI's New Incisionless Endolumenal Bariatric Surgery Technology Now in U.S. Trial

 

[itfitzme]

Why researchers are growing miniature brains


The title is a bit of journalistic hyping. While the real developments are less attention grabbing, they are far more significant.

Scientists are growing tiny brains, livers, kidneys and other organs — aka "organoids" — that look and function much like their full-sized counterparts. These fun-sized organs could give a serious boost to biomedical research, helping to unravel diseases in ways that aren't possible in the animal models or flasks of cells usually used in research and drug testing. Some researchers are even designing "humans on a chip," mini-versions of every organ system, all on a credit card-sized chip. Eventually, scientists hope to use organoids — custom-made from patients' own stem cells — to replace diseased organ parts.

Why researchers are growing miniature brains