News

A new study from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that one night of sleep deprivation increases morning blood concentrations of chemicals derived from brain tissue.

02 Jan 2014

Binge drinking may cause damage to DNA

A preliminary study carried out on university students in Mexico has found that weekend alcohol consumption causes oxidative damage to cell membranes and also produces signs of DNA damage in blood lymphocytic cells.

02 Jan 2014

Decision-support tool reduces deaths from pneumonia in emergency departments
A trial of an electronic decision support tool that is linked to patients' electronic medical records showed it helped to reduce deaths from pneumonia in emergency departments by up to 25%. 13 Sep 2013

Virtual monitoring by mobile phone ensures TB patients complete medication
Sending videos by mobile phone is an effective technique to ensure TB patients take their prescribed medication and complete their course of treatment. 13 Sep 2013

Electrosurgical knife instantly detects cancer during surgery
The iKnife is a surgical knife that cuts flesh using electrical current and analyses the vapour to detect characteristic chemicals of specific cancers using a mass spectrometer. 23 Jul 2013

Mobile app helps elderly manage medication better
An application for mobile devices that helps elderly people with multiple illnesses improve medication management has been developed by researchers at the Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche have designed together with Elche-based company Nidoweb and other Spanish partners. 21 Jun 2013

Blood test for pregnant women diagnoses Down's Syndrome in foetus
A non-invasive test that analyzes foetal DNA in a pregnant woman’s blood can accurately detect Down’s syndrome and other genetic foetal abnormalities in the first trimester. 07 Jun 2013

EU-wide call for projects to develop mobile access to EMRs across borders
The EC-funded DECIPHER PCP project aims to create a mobile information system that will allow primary and emergency care doctors to access medical records of patients from other EU countries using secure mobile technology. 07 Jun 2013

Osteoarthritis halted by treating bone
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have discovered that degeneration of bone underneath cartilage plays a key role in osteoarthritis and exacerbates the damage, and treating this can prevent damage. 04 Jun 2013

Baby's life saved by 3D-printed tracheal splint
Doctors at the University of Michigan have saved the life of a 20-month-old baby with a collapsed trachea by printing a custom designed splint based on a CT scan of his trachea. With video. 04 Jun 2013

Alliance Boots to set up health and wellness business incubator in Nottingham
Alliance Boots is partnering with BioCity to establish a new business incubator focused on health and wellness called MediCity in the Beeston area of Nottingham. 30 May 2013

Oral vaccine for diarrhoea passes first trial
A novel vaccine against four strains of E. coli has passed a phase I clinical trial, according to the University of Gothenburg Vaccine Research Institute (GUVAX). 29 May 2013

Genome analysis poses ethical dilemmas, says European Society of Human Genetics
The provision of services that give patients cheap whole-genome analysis can pose ethical problems if used incorrectly, says The European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG). 22 May 2013

Cerus Endovascular secures £600,000 for device to treat brain aneurysms
Cerus Endovascular Ltd has secured investment from The North West Fund for Biomedical to further develop its implantable medical device for treating intracranial aneurysms. 21 May 2013

Aesica partners with the University of Nottingham to develop novel amide chemical synthesis techniques
Aesica has announced a partnership to develop alternative methods of amide bond synthesis for pharmaceutical manufacturing. 21 May 2013

BioCity to develop BioHub at AstraZeneca's Alderley Park site
BioCity Nottingham Ltd, the UK’s leading provider of life sciences business incubation services, has been appointed by AstraZeneca to establish a new centre for bioscience companies at Alderley Park in Cheshire. 21 May 2013

GE Healthcare to supply Kent & Medway Medical Imaging Consortium with collaborative radiology system
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has awarded GE Healthcare a seven-year managed service contract to supply imaging services to the four hospital trusts of the Kent & Medway Medical Imaging Consortium. 21 May 2013

Mind the security gap while adopting electronic health records
The target set by UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, for digital information to be available across NHS and social care services by 2018, stirred a debate about whether the NHS is prepared to seamlessly transition to new digital records system without exposing patient data to security risks. By Marc Lee, Director EMEA, Courion. 10 Apr 2013

Reaching the end of the page: time to replace the outdated bleep
The pager-based communications system in hospitals is outdated, say Paul Volkaerts and Debbie Guy, who explain why getting rid of the ‘bleep’ can help hospitals transform the way they deliver services and improve patient care. 09 Apr 2013

The future of surgical robots and robot surgeons
Robots have established a foothold in surgery but what role will they play 20 years from now? Most current surgical robots are teleoperated by surgeons from a console. But new research points to very different robotic surgical devices in the future — micro and nano devices. How will surgeons interact with them? Can we expect to see surgical robots-on-a-chip and surgery taking place outside operating rooms and clinical environments without surgeon’s interaction? Dr Paula Gomes of Cambridge Consultants answers the questions. 04 Apr 2013