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Biomedical technology news

Autism spectrum disorders

Scientists grow mini brains to uncover cells behind autism-related brain overgrowth

A new study in the lab of Jason Stein, Ph.D., modeled brain development in a dish to identify cells and genes that influence infant brain growth, a trait associated with autism.

Neuroscience

'Listening in' on the brain's hidden language: Engineered protein detects the faintest incoming signals

Scientists have engineered a protein able to record the incoming chemical signals of brain cells (as opposed to just their outgoing signals). These whisper-quiet incoming messages are the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate, ...

Health informatics

Testing AI logic in biomedical research

Manchester researchers have developed a systematic methodology to test whether AI can think logically in biomedical research, helping to ensure safer, more reliable applications in health care innovation.

Gerontology & Geriatrics

AI-powered wearable boosts preventative care for elderly

University of Arizona researchers in the Gutruf Lab have developed a comfortable, easy-to-use wearable device that incorporates artificial intelligence to detect subtle warning signs of frailty, signifying a leap forward ...

Medical research

Some ventilator settings can double airway stress

Mechanical ventilation saves lives, but the airflow it produces inside an intubated airway can also shape conditions linked to complications during long-term support. In a recent study, SUNY Polytechnic Institute faculty ...

Parkinson's & Movement disorders

New ALS diagnostic blood test boasts 97% accuracy

ALS is a debilitating paralytic disease characterized as the death of upper and lower motor neurons. Fortunately, ALS is relatively rare, with an incidence rate of 1.6 per 100,000 adults, resulting in about 30,000 cases in ...

Oncology & Cancer

Blood analysis shows whether brain cancer treatment is working

The effectiveness of chemotherapy for brain cancer, done with a technique that opens the blood-brain barrier, can be monitored by blood draw, researchers at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Michigan have shown.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Rapid test developed for diagnosing hepatitis C virus

A rapid, highly accurate test has been developed for diagnosing hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a study published online Dec. 10 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Gastroenterology

New 'smart capsule' tracks health of the GI tract

Scientists are increasingly finding that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a vital role in our overall health. While its main functions center around digestion, the GI tract is also involved in the production of hormones, ...

Surgery

Scientists 3D-print part of human femur as strong as real bone

A group of North Texas doctors and scientists printed part of a human femur—the longest and strongest bone in the body—that mimics the strength, flexibility and overall mechanics of a real femur. The findings were published ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Electrochemical catheter hub could prevent bloodstream infections

Washington State University and Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an electrochemical catheter hub that could someday help prevent deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) that annually kill thousands ...

Addiction

Handy pen-like tool could help detect opioids from the skin

Opioids like fentanyl, morphine and oxycodone are the drugs most linked to overdoses in the U.S. Typical screening methods for drug usage involve collection of blood, saliva or urine samples. Now, in Analytical Chemistry, ...

Parkinson's & Movement disorders

'ALS on a chip' model reveals altered motor neuron signaling

Using stem cells from patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Cedars-Sinai has created a lifelike model of the mysterious and fatal disease that could help identify a cause of the illness as well as effective treatments.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Researchers develop first test of cure for Chagas disease

Researchers at the University of Georgia's Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases have developed the first test to determine whether treatment for Chagas disease was effective. The study is published in the journal ...