Archive for the ‘Disease’ Category
St Jude Medical’s Deep Brain Stimulation Trifecta: New Treatment Options for Dystonia in EU
St Jude Medical recently announced on April 10th that they received the European CE mark of approval on three deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for the treatment of Dystonia symptoms. The Libra™, LibraXP™, and Brio™ systems are the first to gain approval from a regulatory agency for use in the treatment of symptoms from primary and secondary Dystonia. Currently there are no clinical trials ongoing for FDA approval that might indicate when the US market can expect to see St Jude’s DBS. Read More »
EndoBarrier Therapy: Helping Patients Achieve Control Over Obesity and Diabetes
According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, 8.3% of the US population or 25.8 million people are affected by diabetes, including an estimated 7 million with undiagnosed cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also noted that 35.7% of all adults and 16.9% of children (ages 2-9) are considered obese. Overall obesity rates are projected to exceed 40% by the year 2030 and over 60% in 13 other states. Read More »
New ‘swallowable endoscope’ offers sedation free imaging of esophageal wall
Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a promising new swallowable endoscope that will allow physicians to visualize the gastrointestinal tract without sedation. The yet unnamed miniature imaging system was described in a study published earlier this month in Nature Medicine and has been characterized as a possible alternative to the traditional upper intestinal endoscopy for visualization and detection of Barrett’s esophagus. Read More »
RePOOPulate: How Synthetic Poop Can Help Treat C. difficile Infections and Other Gut Diseases
Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a common healthcare-associated infection (HAI), has been reported at historically high levels and is estimated to cause up to 14,000 deaths a year. Notoriously difficult to treat, this type of infection can be caused by prolonged use of antibiotics or contact with C. diff spores, which can live for long periods of time outside of the human body. C. diff is normally treated with a course of antibiotics such as metronidazole or vancomycin, however in some cases patients do not respond to antibiotic therapy or suffer from recurrent infections. Read More »
Quidel’s Amplivue for Faster C. diff Detection
Despite a decline in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as reported by the Center for Disease Control, infections from the bacteria C. [...] Read More »
Newborn Congenital Heart Disease Screening Requirements
In 2011 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius approved adding CCHD (critical congenital heart disease) [...] Read More »
Lasers and Bone Marrow Stem Cells, New Hope for Heart Patients
It may be a few years away, but I’m pretty excited to report that scientists have developed a new, low-power [...] Read More »
Controlling Hypertension without Drugs
Over the years, scientists have been studying the sympathetic nervous system and found that it plays a major part in controlling blood pressure. This has lead to two novel approaches for the treatment of resistant hypertension: Sympathetic Renal Denervation Treatment and Baroreflex Activation Therapy, technologies that target separate portions of the sympathetic nervous system. Read More »
Cardiology: A Blood Test for Coronary Artery Disease
A blood test that can identify obstructive coronary artery disease in its early stages? Talk about an impact considering over 17 million Americans suffer from coronary artery disease (CAD), a treatable disease if diagnosed early. Technologies such as PET, CTA, and MRI have come a long way in assisting in diagnosing CAD before a cath lab is required, but due to safety concerns and a cost-sensitive environment, they are not prescribed until symptoms appear. Read More »
Alzheimer’s Cure in Sight?
To date, all approved Alzheimers drugs are designed to slow the progression of the disease. One series of promising drugs are PBT2 and PBT3. PBT2 is just entering phase IIb clinical trials and is based on regulating copper and zinc levels within the brain. Phase II clinical trials indicated that differences between PBT2 and the placebo were statistically significant (30% after 12 weeks) in reversing dementia symptoms. Read More »