Health hot news

Amyloid deposits in tissues and organs are linked to a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes, and prion diseases such as BSE. However, amyloids are not just pathological substances; they have potential as a nanomaterials.

Is microwave radiation the nondestructive imaging technology of the future? Microwaves with frequencies from a few hundred gigahertz (GHz) up to slightly over 1 terahertz (THz), penetrate just a short distance into surfaces without the ionizing damage caused by X-rays. The technology could be used to detect skin cancer or image dental flaws beneath the enamel. It could also be a valuable tool for airport security, to detect objects hidden under clothing.

For twelve years, experts from different disciplines in the fields of microelectronics, neurophysics, information engineering, computer science, materials science and medicine have been working to develop a visual prosthetic device for patients who have lost their sight through diseases of the retina. In September 2007, their effort was rewarded.

With the aid of kitchen mixers, engineers at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have whipped up, for the first time, permanent nanoscale bubbles - bubbles that endure for more than a year - from batches of foam made from a mixture of glucose syrup, sucrose stearate, and water. Their study appears in the May 30 issue of the journal Science.The research, led by Howard A. Stone, had its origins in a conference talk on foams delivered by Dr.

Subjects with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who self-monitor their blood glucose levels more frequently and use the results to adjust treatment regimens can achieve improved glucose control, according to a collection of state-of-the-art reports that comprise a Special Supplement to the June 2008 issue (Volume 10, Supplement 1) of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, announced that it will launch the Thermo Scientific Exactive, a new benchtop LC-MS system designed for compound screening and identification applications, at ASMS 2008. Exactive leverages proven mass analyzer technology from the LTQ Orbitrap platform, the recognized standard for accurate mass and high resolution measurement, to provide precise and confident information.

Oxoid, a world leading microbiology brand, has launched the improved M.I.C.Evaluator™ (M.I.C.E.™) strips, a product range for the accurate determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. The new distinctive gradient format of M.I.C.E. strips provides an excellent contrast with agar and the increased font size makes reading easier. M.I.C.E.

Magnetic nanoparticles (with a size of some few to several hundred nanometres) are a new, promising means of fighting cancer. The particles serve as a carrier for drugs: “loaded” with the drugs, the nanoparticles are released into the blood stream, where they move until they come under the influence of a targeting magnetic field which holds them on to the tumour - until the drug has released its active agent.

Three patients with established cardiac ischemia recently became the first recipients of the vProtect Luminal Shield, a self-expanding intracoronary prosthesis designed to limit arterial injury that typically occurs when stents are deployed. The Shield also provides robust biocompatible support for the vessel to ensure that the target coronary artery will remain patent after placement. The patients were treated May 8-9 by Juan F.

LDR, a total spine solution company, announced that it has begun to market its ROI-T™ partial vertebral body replacement device following recent 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The ROI-T™ is a transforaminal approach implant with an anatomic shape that conforms to the anterior vertebral body, the minimal width and tapered end of the device facilitating insertion through a small opening.