Home MEDICA

News from the editors of MEDICA-tradefair.com

Image: nanocrystals derived from plant cellulose; Copyright: Clare Kiernan, UBC

Implants: From foam to bone

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University have developed what could be the bone implant material of the future: an airy, foamlike substance that can be injected into the body and provide scaffolding for the growth of new bone.

A robot and a human hand; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Andriy Popov

robot guided video game against dementia

Two residents of Elmcroft Senior Living sat side-by-side facing a large screen, raising their hands in tandem as the watch-style devices on their wrists controlled the avatars in front of them. Every so often, a squat little robot off to the side would remind them the object of the game: Get your avatar's books into the right bin, and earn extra points by helping the other player.

Image: medical smartwatch; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Andrey Popov

Wearables: Faster detection of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation can be correctly detected using commercially available smartwatches. This is the conclusion of a study by researchers of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) at the University Medicine Greifswald and researchers from the Basel University Hospital.

Image: Two physicians in front of a computer; Copyright: Tohoku University

Imaging: A peek into lymph nodes

A new method to diagnose cancer cells inside lymph nodes could allow doctors to treat cancers before they spread around the body

Image: Doctor in front of a MRI-Scan of the brain; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Shannon Fagan

AI and MRIs at birth can predict cognitive development

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine used MRI brain scans and machine learning techniques at birth to predict cognitive development at age 2 years with 95 percent accuracy.

Image: bioengineer Dr Chih-Tsung Yang pictured with the microfluidic cell culture chip in the foreground; Copyright: Joe Vittorio

Organ-on-a-chip: reducing side effects of radiotherapy

The debilitating side effects of radiotherapy could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a breakthrough by University of South Australia (UniSA) and Harvard University researchers. UniSA biomedical engineer Professor Benjamin Thierry is leading an international study using organ-on-a-chip technology to develop 3D models to test the effects of different levels and types of radiation.

Image: body center of a person from the side with wearable on the wrist; Copyright: panthermedia.net/AllaSerebrina

Wearables: thermal sensors to manage body-focused repetitive behaviors

In a new study published in npj Digital Medicine, a team led by Child Mind Institute researchers report that a wearable tracking device they developed achieves higher accuracy in position tracking using thermal sensors in addition to inertial measurement and proximity sensors.

Image: close-up of a crying young woman; Copyright: panthermedia.net/IgorTishenko

Data science: treatments for depression

Major depressive disorder is a debilitating illness that affects more than 350 million people around the world. The most common treatments for depression are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), drugs such as Prozac that increase serotonin levels in some regions of the brain. About half of the patients who take the pills, however, do not respond to treatment.

Image: graphic showing how Usiigaci works; Copyright: OIST

Machine learning tracks moving cells

Both developing babies and elderly adults share a common characteristic: the many cells making up their bodies are always on the move. As we humans commute to work, cells migrate through the body to get their jobs done. Biologists have long struggled to quantify the movement and changing morphology of cells through time, but now, scientists have devised an elegant tool to do just that.

Image: physician shows pregnant woman her ultrasound images; Copyright: ByLove

Imaging: revealing life-threatening pregnancy disorder

An imaging technique used to detect some forms of cancer can also help detect preeclampsia in pregnancy before it becomes a life-threatening condition, a new Tulane study says.

Canadian Exhibitor WAT Med Helps to Fight Cancer

The MD Anderson Cancer Center is a globally recognized cancer research organization. With emphasis on cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention, the center is devoted to the goal of...

Interactive shutter eyeglasses to replace eyepatch therapy

The standard treatment for so-called lazy eye (amblyopia) in children is to cover the nonimpaired eye with a patch. This trains the impaired eye to work harder. Such therapy is successful only when...

PulseFlow Announces strategic partnership with Kir-Fix

Last week COO Dan Blackman was in Helsinki where he shared the platform with Henri Isojärvi as PulseFlow announced their strategic partnership with Kir-Fix to supply the PulseFlow wearable...

Treating the fear of spiders with augmented reality

Arachnophobia is the technical term for the fear of spiders. Approximately 3.5 to 6.1 percent of the population suffer from this phobia. Exposure therapy is the most common form of treatment.

biolitec® at Medica 2018: 10 years ELVeS® Radial® laser therapy and excellent healing successes in proctology and urology with LEONARDO® lasers

Jena, November 09, 2018 ‒ The laser pioneer biolitec® set standards when it developed the ELVeS® Radial® method for the minimally invasive endovenous treatment of varicose veins and launched it on the...