Archive for August 2016
Cold Plasma Can Be “Tuned” to Either Promote or Inhibit Bone Healing
Tuning cold plasma can either promote or inhibit bone formation. (pictured: Microsecond cold plasma filament pattern at different frequencies.) (PHILADELPHIA) – Cold plasma looks like the glow from the “Star Wars” blue light saber but this beam of energy, made of electrons that change polarity at micro-second or nanosecond speeds, could help bones heal faster, according…
Read MoreMR-Guided Brain Ultrasound Helps Rouse Coma Patient Back to Consciousness
Neuroscience researchers and clinicians at UCLA have used MR-guided ultrasound to help rouse a recovering coma patient to a more alert state of consciousness. They’re not certain about the extent to which the novel therapy contributed to the good outcome, but they’re sufficiently hopeful to have begun recruiting participants for a larger trial. Martin Monti,…
Read MoreAlere Sues Abbott to Compel Completion of $5.8 Billion Deal
Alere Inc. sued Abbott Laboratories to compel the completion of their pending $5.8 billion takeover deal, claiming the medical-device maker failed to get U.S. antitrust clearance in an effort to scuttle the contentious transaction. Abbott “has breached the merger agreement between the parties by failing to promptly secure antitrust approvals and other regulatory requirements,” Alere…
Read MoreMiMedx Awarded Six New U.S. Patents This Year
MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG), the leading regenerative medicine company utilizing human amniotic tissue and patent-protected processes to develop and market advanced products and therapies for the Wound Care, Surgical, Orthopedic, Spine, Sports Medicine, Ophthalmic, and Dental sectors of healthcare, announced today an update to its intellectual property portfolio.…
Read MoreWorld’s First Human Head Transplant Procedure Planned in 2017
Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero is planning to perform the first-ever head transplant in December 2017. He will put the head of a terminally ill, wheelchair-bound Russian citizen Valery Spiridonov (31) on an entirely new body. Spiridonov, a computer scientist, has Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a rare and incurable spinal muscular atrophy. As the disease is sure to…
Read MoreDominant Robotic Surgery Patents Expiring This Year. What’s Coming Next?
Patents are essential to encouraging innovation, but can also limit competition. Intuitive Surgical has dominated the global robotic surgery market (which is expected to hit $11.4 billion by 2020) since the FDA approved its Da Vinci surgical system 16 years ago; today, the machine is used in more than 200,000 operations annually. But many of Intuitive Surgical’s patents begin…
Read MoreBio2 Medical Announces 510(k) Clearance for the First Ever Angel® Catheter
GOLDEN, Colo., Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Bio2 Medical is pleased to announce the Angel® Catheter has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This 510(k) clearance includes a first ever, prophylactic indication for a medical device to protect critically ill patients at high-risk for pulmonary embolism (PE) and contraindicated…
Read MorePrecision Test For Breast Cancer Treatment Remains Imprecise
A major study about the best way to treat early-stage breast cancer reveals that “precision medicine” doesn’t provide unambiguous answers about how to choose the best therapy. “Precision doesn’t mean certainty,” says David Hunter, a professor of cancer prevention at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That point is illustrated in a large study…
Read MoreNew Regenerative Bandage Heals Wounds Faster for Diabetes
At some point in their lives, 15 percent of people with diabetes will develop a painful and hard-to-treat foot ulcer. Twenty-four percent of those affected will require a lower-leg amputation because of it. And, in some instances, what seems like a harmless sore might even lead to death. A Northwestern Engineering team has developed a…
Read MoreMallinckrodt to Sell Nuclear Imaging Business to IBA Molecular for $690 Million
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals announced Aug. 24 it has reached an agreement to sell its nuclear imaging business to IBA Molecular (IBAM) for $690 million. “Our team has made significant progress in driving profitability over the past few years,” said Mark Trudeau, Mallinckrodt President and CEO, in a statement. “But with our strategic priorities focused on enlarging…
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