Top 5 Medical Technology Innovations



Top 5 Medical
Technology Innovations

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Against the backdrop of health care reform and a controversial medical device tax, medical technology companies are focusing more than ever on products that deliver cheaper, faster, more efficient patient care. They are also making inroads with U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulators to re-engineer the complex review and approval process for new medical devices.
Many in the industry have long felt overly burdened by what they consider to be an unnecessarily complex approval process. Critics claim it impedes innovation and delays the availability of better health care. To change that perception, the FDA last year announced a new Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC) charged with simplifying the process of designing and testing new technologies. With input from industry, government, and other nonprofit organizations, public-private MDIC will prioritize the regulatory science needs of the medical device community and fund projects to streamline the process.
"By sharing and leveraging resources, MDIC may help industry to be better equipped to bring safe and effective medical devices to market more quickly and at a lower cost," says Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
As the regulators, politicians, and corporate executives hash out these details, industry engineers and scientists continue to push through new ideas for improving and managing human health. Every year, industry observers like the Cleveland Clinic and the medical device trade press single out their favorite technology trends. These thought leaders agree that today's best technologies strike a balance between reducing the overall cost of medical care and increasing safety and survival rates—and isn't that what health care reform is all about?
Here are five emerging technologies to watch in the year ahead.

The MelaFind optical scanner from MELA Sciences. Image: MelaFind.com

1. Cutting Back on Melanoma Biopsies

With the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma, a huge number of dangerous-looking moles are actually harmless, but has always been impossible to know for sure without an invasive surgical biopsy. Today dermatologists have new help in making the right call — a handheld tool approved by the FDA for multispectral analysis of tissue morphology. The MelaFind optical scanner is not for definitive diagnosis but rather to provide additional information a doctor can use in determining whether or not to order a biopsy. The goal is to reduce the number of patients left with unnecessary biopsy scars, with the added benefit of eliminating the cost of unnecessary procedures. The MelaFind technology (MELA Sciences, Irvington, NY) uses missile navigation technologies originally paid for the Department of Defense to optically scan the surface of a suspicious lesion at 10 electromagnetic wavelengths. The collected signals are processed using heavy-duty algorithms and matched against a registry of 10,000 digital images of melanoma and skin disease.

The ATI Neurostimulator from Autonomic Technologies. Image: ATI-SPG.com

2. Electronic Aspirin

For people who suffer from migraines, cluster headaches, and other causes of chronic, excruciating head or facial pain, the "take two aspirins and call me in the morning" method is useless. Doctors have long associated the most severe, chronic forms of headache with the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), a facial nerve bundle, but haven't yet found a treatment that works on the SPG long-term. A technology under clinical investigation at Autonomic Technologies, Inc., (Redwood City, CA) is a patient-powered tool for blocking SPG signals at the first sign of a headache. The system involves the permanent implant of a small nerve stimulating device in the upper gum on the side of the head normally affected by headache. The lead tip of the implant connects with the SPG bundle, and when a patient senses the onset of a headache, he or she places a handheld remote controller on the cheek nearest the implant. The resulting signals stimulate the SPG nerves and block the pain-causing neurotransmitters.

The Symphony tCGM biosensor from Echo Therapeutics. Image: EchoTX.com

3. Needle-Free Diabetes Care

Diabetes self-care is a pain—literally. It brings the constant need to draw blood for glucose testing, the need for daily insulin shots and the heightened risk of infection from all that poking. Continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps are today's best options for automating most of the complicated daily process of blood sugar management – but they don't completely remove the need for skin pricks and shots. But there's new skin in this game. Echo Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA) is developing technologies that would replace the poke with a patch. The company is working on a transdermal biosensor that reads blood analytes through the skin without drawing blood. The technology involves a handheld electric-toothbrush-like device that removes just enough top-layer skin cells to put the patient's blood chemistry within signal range of a patch-borne biosensor. The sensor collects one reading per minute and sends the data wirelessly to a remote monitor, triggering audible alarms when levels go out of the patient's optimal range and tracking glucose levels over time.

The Telemedicine System from InTouch Technologies. Image: InTouchHealth.com

4. Robotic Check-Ups

A pillar of health reform is improving access to the best health care for more people. Technology is a cost-effective and increasingly potent means to connect clinics in the vast and medically underserved rural regions of the United States with big city medical centers and their specialists. Telemedicine is well established as a tool for triage and assessment in emergencies, but new medical robots go one step further—they can now patrol hospital hallways on more routine rounds, checking on patients in different rooms and managing their individual charts and vital signs without direct human intervention. The RP-VITA Remote Presence Robot produced jointly by iRobot Corp. and InTouch Health is the first such autonomous navigation remote-presence robot to receive FDA clearance for hospital use. The device is a mobile cart with a two-way video screen and medical monitoring equipment, programmed to maneuver through the busy halls of a hospital.

The Sapien transcatheter aortic valve from Edwards Lifesciences. Image: Edwards.com

5. A Valve Job with Heart

The Sapien transcatheter aortic valve is a life-saving alternative to open-heart surgery for patients who need new a new valve but can't endure the rigors of the operation. Manufactured by Edwards Life Sciences (Irvine, CA), the Sapien has been available in Europe for some time but is only now finding its first use in U.S. heart centers—where it is limited only to the frailest patients thus far. The Sapien valve is guided through the femoral artery by catheter from a small incision near the grown or rib cage. The valve material is made of bovine tissue attached to a stainless-steel stent, which is expanded by inflating a small balloon when correctly placed in the valve space. A simpler procedure that promises dramatically shorter hospitalizations is bound to have a positive effect on the cost of care.

Cold Foods and Cold Drinks Caused Health Problems

Cold Foods and Cold Drinks Caused Health Problems

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Traditional Chinese Medicine Reveals
Problems from Cold Foods & Beverages

In order to maintain a normal healthy metabolism, everything we eat or drink should be close to our body’s normal temperature. However, particularly in hot weather or as a matter of habit, almost everyone likes to drink cold beverages or eat cold foods (like ice cream) without noticing the potential problems that will be encountered or connecting it to the temperature of the food or drink you take into your body.

When we eat or drink, our stomachs produce enzymes needed for digestion that can only survive in a limited temperature range in the body. When cold food or drink is ingested, our bodies have to counteract the temperature difference in order to preserve a suitable environment for these enzymes in the stomach for our digestion to function well. However, when cold food and/or beverages enter the esophagus, it encounters the warm vaporized fluid in the lungs. The result is phlegm formed in the lungs which lowers lung function and capacity. Prolonged ingestion of cold food and drink can cause coughs, susceptibility to the flu or other illnesses, dry skin and numerous other symptoms. Moreover, the phlegm blocks the free flow of energy up and down the body which can impair the affected person’s ability to maintain a normal temperature.

Because everyone’s constitution is different (whether from inherited traits or an acquired condition), there will be different reactions to ingesting cold substances. “Cold Constitution” people have a lower body temperature and are unable to raise their stomach temperature sufficiently to counteract the cold food and drinks. For our digestion to function properly, it needs sufficient energy and heat to contract and push food through the digestive track. Cold food and drinks will lower the stomach’s temperature which in turn slows down the digestion process and can cause indigestion. If cold substances are too frequently ingested, the person will often have a poor appetite and experience weight loss. On another hand, the digestive tract will retain food for longer periods of time to allow bacteria additional time to complete the digestion process. In turn, this generates more gas that can cause bloating in the stomach or abdomen.

The cold food and drink will cause congealing in the intestinal walls which can become compacted and stick together. If this happens in the small intestines, it will cause flatulence. If in the large intestines, it will cause constipation for lack of energy/strength to move the bowels forward (there is typically no pain in this case); or diarrhea where the body tries to expel coldness from the body. The urinary bladder lies directly in the front of the small intestines. If the small intestines are too cold, it will cool down the urine in the bladder and make it more difficult for the bladder to hold the urine. This can result in clear urine, urgent and/or frequent urination in some cases incontinence. If a women who is in the age range of pregnancy trying to get pregnant but ingests cold foods and drinks, her uterus will absorb the coldness from the food and drink resulting in a negative environment for conception and sustaining a healthy fetus to a full term birth. This is one of the most common causes of infertility.

The “Hot Constitution” people (yang shen or yang excess) have excess heat in their bodies. When cold substances enter these person’s stomachs, they easily gather or generate enough body heat to warm up the digestive tract as it encounters the cold food. Later, the heat generated is dispersed and the temperature of the body will drop. However, the stomach temperature will not return to its normal temperature and stays higher than normal. After time, the stomach will gradually become overheated. This can cause the excess stomach heat to escape up the esophagus resulting in a dry mouth and persistent thirst. Another symptom is that foods will rot while in the gut faster than in a person with a healthy digestive tract. This can cause constant hunger resulting in overeating that causes weight gain. Others suffer from hyperactivity from an overactive stomach and experience weight loss.

The excess heat in people with Hot Constitutions also extends and expands the intestinal walls which gradually thicken while the intestinal folds become larger and larger. There can allow waste products and gas to enter the intestinal walls and cause cysts. The expanded intestines also hold more food and/or fecal matter which causes the abdomen to protrude. As the waste products pass through the intestines, the increased heat within the intestines vaporizes water more quickly than normal causing constipation. If the turbidity of the constipated gas passes through the large intestinal wall, and then the diaphragm, hot vapor may enter the brain and cause manic. All of the manic patient has constipation. If vaporized water enters a woman’s fallopian tube, it blocks the egg from descending down to the uterus and will cause infertility. Therefore, it’s important to keep bowel movement smoothly.

Once the connection between the ingestion of cold foods and drink and health problems is understood, you will be careful to drink water at or near room temperature which is closer to the body’s normal temperature than refrigerated or iced drinks or cold foods. As a general rule, avoid cold food as well. For example, at the salad bar, if the food is sitting on ice it’s better to allow the food to warm up a bit before it is eaten. In the winter when the temperature is lower, drink warmer water.

The temperature of cold food and drink is obvious, so you can easily avoid them. However, in Chinese Medicine, foods are also classified according to their inherent hot or cold properties. These also can affect the temperature of the body over time, and will be discussed in a future article. Majority of the fruits and vegetables are cold property.

Moreover, for illness person, it’s better to have at least room temperature water and foods to intake. It’s better to intake warm drinks and foods. Due to most of them have yang deficiency due to they have low body function and/or immunity, the cold drinks and foods will take away more yang from the body. It’s especially important to not supply cold drinks and foods for weak patients such as kidney dialysis patients, parturient women, cancer patients, elderly patients, etc. For the knowledge of yin and yang, please refer to “Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory“.

Be remember that all of the above mentioned problem, we can use acupiuncture, moxibution and/or herbs to treat.

For a summery, you can check Cold Foods Drinks Caused Problems chart.

2013 add:
When cold food/drinks entered esophagus, the coldness can make esophagus gradually become colder. It causes esophagus gradually lost its elasticity and became harder. Prolonged, it leads hard to swallow. Moreover, the coldness makes throat organism becomes harder and lost its elasticity and easily causes choking due to when food entering the esophagus, the epiglottis closes off the passage to the windpipe becomes too slow.
Aorta aneurysm: Aorta is nearby esophagus. When icy cold water or ice chips enters esophagus, it likes winter time, the vaporized water encountered icy cold, it is frozen to be water drop or ice. Moreover, it combined with the other flowing substances in the blood vessels wall, prolonged, it splits blood vessel walls leads aneurysm.
It’s the same with the abdominal blood vessels aneurysm patients who are icy cold foods/drinks lovers. When the flowing substances inside abdominal blood vessel walls encountered coldness, they starts condensing and freezing, prolonged, becomes aneurysm.
If cold foods/drinks transfer coldness through esophagus to lungs, the vaporized substances such as nutrition, moisture, etc, that will be delivered to skin to nourish and moisture skin encountered coldness will be condensed and become phlegm. When phlegm accumulated too much, will cough to try to expel the phlegm out off the lungs and body.
Coldness inside lungs transfers to heart: Due to heart is not far away from esophagus and stomach. If intake cold foods/drinks often, coldness for surely transfers to heart membrane and heart muscle to make inside fluid frozen and make the heart enlarged. Meanwhile, the heart valve due to cold and lost its flexibility to close well. However, heat from hot herbs or moxibution with acupuncture can make them recovery flexibility again after expel the coldness. No surgery is needed.
Heart controls sweating. If coldness from cold foods/drinks transfer to lungs is easily to transfer to heart. If heart wants to expel the coldness out off the body, it can go through cold sweats form palms and the soles of the feet.
Uterus tumor getting worse: It usually relates with worse emotional stress. However, I encountered a case who refused emotional stress factor. MRI showed her tumor only grows on one side taht facing the intestine. But she told me that sometimes she felt the tumor was heavier. I asked her when? It’s happened after drink water. I asked if she drank cold water? Yes, it’s usually from refrigerator. It’s due to coldness made the flowing substance inside tumor condensed and became heavy. After body temperature warmed uterus up and the fozen substances could flow away, that made her feel uterus tumor became lighter.
Besides above mentioned. Cold constitution people has weak yang energy, their defense energy is weak and easily get sick, poor energy. Moreover, the coldness inside body is easily to cause pain due to cold congeals muscles and tendons to nake them tighten. Meanwhile, cold body persons should concern about their heart, kidney’s problem. In addition, cancer patients also have cold excess body. You ought pay attention to cold foods/drinks caused health problems.

Ancient times, there was not medical equipment to verify Chinese medicine theory. Plus there are many modern diseases. They were not mentioned in classic medical books. It means that they might not be discovered or not been recognized. I put them in writing in order to catch your attention for cold foods/drinks caused health problems and prevent you sick.

If you want a quick review, please click on Cold Foods Drinks Caused Problems Chart Rev 1.

If you intake cold drinks and foods, or you are a vegetarian who intakes cold property fruits and vegetables, you can dry fly raw ginger slices or bake raw ginger slices until turning to yellow. Then, either to make tea as spicy as you can tolerance to drink or you can use them to cook with your soup or dishes. Prolonged, it can make your body warmer.
On the other hand, if your situation is not too severe, you can do self-healing by learning from A Wealth of Health.
© 2011 Frieda Mah, L.Ac.; © 2013 Frieda Mah, L.Ac., NGH C. Ht.


Russia just announced that it is sending humans to the moon...


Russia just announced that it is sending humans to the moon

October 28, 2015
Lunar Base

ESA

European Space Agency’s version of a permanent lunar base.

Before 2030, Russia plans to land its first cosmonauts on the moon, and Europe wants a piece of the action.

They’re a little late for the great space race of the ’60s, but the mission is an admirable push for the re-ignited interest in manned deep-space travel.

On Tuesday, at a space and technology conference in Moscow, the head of Roscosmos Energia — Russia’s version of NASA — announced: “A manned flight to the moon and lunar landing is planned for 2029.”

And the European Space Agency (ESA), who made history last year by landing the first ever spacecraft on a comet, is teaming up.

“We have an ambition to have European astronauts on the Moon,” Bérengère Houdou, who is the head of the lunar exploration group at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Center, recently told BBC News. “There are currently discussion at international level going on for broad cooperation on how to go back to the Moon.”

Both Russia and Europe have expressed interest in establishing a permanent base on the moon. And they have already begun taking the fist steps toward this ultimate goal.

Last month, Roscosmos announced that it will send a lander, called Luna 25, to the moon’s south pole in 2024. After touch down, the lander will investigate the lunar surface for future lunar bases.

The Luna 25 mission was initially proposed in 1997 and has since suffered a number of delays, but it seems that with Europe’s aid the mission could finally get the jump start it needs. Construction on the spacecraft has already begun, Tech Insider reported.

This collaborative effort is a welcomed contrast to the lonely space race of the mid-20th century. While Europe and Russia raise their collective eyes to the moon, NASA continues its quest for a farther, more dangerous mission: Mars.

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Technology headlines about this machine like car!… (Video)

Technology headlines about this machine like car!… (Video)

 ‘Walk Car‘  !!
made by a man from Japan, who known as Kuniako Saito with other friends from  Cocoa motors company.
 Hoverboard Segway  iohawk 
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WalkCar it's small like laptop,has four wheel,and has the ability to walk about ten killometers!

Obama, budding astronomers look at moon, dream of Mars at White House......


Obama, budding astronomers look at moon, dream of Mars at White House



U.S. President Obama looks at moon through telescope with Agatha Sofia Alvarez-Bareiro, a high school senior from Brooklyn, New York, during White House Astronomy Night
.
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U.S. President Barack Obama looks at the moon through a telescope with Agatha Sofia Alvarez-Bareiro, …
By Roberta Rampton


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama got a guided tour of the moon on Monday, peering at its craters through a large reflective telescope set up on the South Lawn of the White House to promote science and technology careers at "Astronomy Night."
Obama was joined by budding young scientists who checked out a moon rock and took selfies with NASA astronauts and other science celebrities.
Chief among the selfie targets: Ahmed Mohamed, better known as "clock boy." Mohamed, 14, was arrested last month when he brought a homemade clock to his Dallas-area school that teachers mistook for a bomb.
Mohamed was wearing a NASA t-shirt when he was arrested. The photo went viral, prompting an invitation from Obama to the astronomy event.
Obama briefly met Mohamed as he shook hands with students at the event, giving the student a hug.
"We need to inspire more young people to ask about the stars," Obama told the crowd, urging parents and teachers to help students explore the field.
"We have to watch for and cultivate and encourage those glimmers of curiosity and possibility - not suppress them, not squelch them," he said.
Obama told the students that his staff don't let him "tinker with the telescopes," and got help looking at the moon from high school senior and astronomy buff Sofy Alvarez-Bareiro of Brooklyn, New York.
Alvarez-Bareiro explained to Obama that the craters were "the result of heavy bombardment with other gigantic space stuff."
"Is 'space stuff' a scientific term?" Obama quipped, drawing laughs from about 300 students and teachers at the event.
Obama said that earlier in the day he spoke to astronauts living on the International Space Station. He touted his administration's record in science, noting that NASA was on track to develop capabilities to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
"Some of you might be on your way to Mars!" Obama told the students.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by David Gregorio)

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