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Echo Therapeutics out of Franklin, Mass has completed a clinical trial of its Prelude SkinPrep System and is planning to ask for approval from the FDA, according to the statement released by the company. The device is meant to permeate the skin in preparation for transdermal protein (or large molecule) drug delivery or maybe for taking prick-free blood glucose readings sometime in the future. This clinical study was designed to evaluate the ability of Prelude to ablate the skin prior to the application of OTC 4% lidocaine cream for faster-acting local dermal anesthesia. As a result of the clinical trial, Echo now expects the submission of a 510(k) premarket notification to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the near future. The blinded comparison study evaluated the performance of Prelude prior to the application of 4% lidocaine cream for local analgesia and demonstrated remarkable improvement and an abbreviated onset of action. "We are very pleased with the results of this clinical trial, and we look forward to the upcoming submission of the 510(k) to the FDA for purposes of achieving market clearance, clearing the path for the launch of this product," commented Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., CEO, President and Chairman of the Board of Echo Therapeutics, Inc. "In addition, regulatory clearance would result in a $750,000 milestone payment from our partner, Ferndale Pharma Group, Inc., as well the initiation of royalty revenues from the sale of the product. The use of Prelude to enhance the action of topical lidocaine represents the best near-term revenue opportunity for Echo Therapeutics and we are excited to have achieved these exceptional results today." Press release: Echo Therapeutics Announces Successful Completion of Clinical Trial for Prelude™ SkinPrep System and 4% Lidocaine Cream... Product page: Prelude SkinPrep System... Flashbacks: Positive Results for Echo Therapeutics' Noninvasive Glucometer; Symphony Transdermal Continuous Glucose Monitoring System Going to Clinical Trials (hat tip: MassDevice)... Michael

Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime ... [NYT] Artificial Ape Man: How Technology Created Humans ... [Gizmodo] Court Blocks New Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research ... [Fox News] Physician smartphone popularity shifts health IT focus to mobile use ... [amednews] New Hope in Fatigue Fight ... [WSJ] PNAS Paper on Virus-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Link Has Its Own Story ... [WSJ] Sialo obtains FDA approval for root canal endoscope ... [Globes] Brainsway to test TMS device against cocaine addition ... [Globes] J&J to Revamp Manufacturing ... [WSJ] FDA Warns J&J Unit On Joint-Replacement Products ... [WSJ] Intelligent Mobile's mhealth platform for healthcare sales reps ... [MassDevice] New test to predict success of IVF treatment ... [Stanford] No Call for Routine Balloon Pump in High-Risk PCI... [MedPageToday] Multiple sclerosis genetics -- is the glass half full, or half empty? [Nature Reviews Neurology] Inhibiting prostate cancer without disturbing regular body processes ... [McGill] A Promising Target for Developing Treatments Against Parkinson's Disease... [Johns Hopkins] Txt Msgs No Good 4 Helping Women 2 Take Birth Control Pills: Study ... [WSJ] Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost ... [Engadget] Genetic Structure of First Animal to Show Evolutionary Response to Climate Change Determined ... [NSF.gov] Drinking water before meals helps dieting, says study [BBC News] Mama wears Prada: Ovulating women buy sexier clothing ... [Univ of Chicago]... Michael

Globes, Israel's business newspaper, is reporting that Flight Medical has received FDA marketing approval for the Flight 60 portable ventilator. The device is intended for at-home, hospital, and mobile applications and will run on its two internal batteries for up to 12 hours. Features from the product brochure: Supporting Broad Range of Applications The Flight 60 supports all common ventilation modes, from infants (>10Kg) to adults. Exhalation Volume Measurement Exhalation volume measurement enable better adaptation of ventilation parameters to actual patient needs. Compact and lightweight Weighing 6.3Kg, Flight 60 is ideal for home care, long term care and transport applications. The Flight 60 portability extends critical care capabilities while on the move, or anywhere out of the hospital. Extensive Communication Interfaces The Flight 60 extensive communications interfaces make it easy to be combined to the facility IT infrastructure and enable remote monitoring of large array of ventilators. Low Cost of Ownership Substantially lower power and oxygen consumption, combined with only 15,000 hours preventive maintenance make the Flight 60 the most cost-effective ventilation solution Globes: FDA approves Flight Medical's portable ventilator... Product page: Flight 60... Flight 60 brochure...... Michael

McGill University scientists have developed a way to place electric charges onto quantum dots (particles sized Cadmium Selenide quantum dots can be used in a wide range of technological applications. Solar power is one area that has been explored, but this new discovery has paved way for other nanoscale device applications for these dots. This discovery offers a way of controlling the speed and switching time of nanoelectronic devices, and possibly even developing nanoscale power supplies, whereby a small compression would produce a large voltage. "The piezoelectric effect has never been manipulated at this scale before, so the range of possible applications is very exciting," explained Pooja Tyagi, a PhD researcher in Professor Patanjali Kambhampati's laboratory. "For example, the vibrations of a material can be analyzed to calculate the pressure of the solvent they are in. With further development and research, maybe we could measure blood pressure non-invasively by injecting the dots, shining a laser on them, and analyzing their vibration to determine the pressure." Tyagi notes that Cadium Selenide is a toxic metal, and so one of the hurdles to overcome with regard to this particular example would be finding a replacement material. More from McGill: Good Vibrations: new atom-scale products on horizon... Abstract in NANO Letters: Controlling Piezoelectric Response in Semiconductor Quantum Dots via Impulsive Charge Localization... Michael

Stanford scientists are using the backbones of DNA and specialty fluorescent molecules to detect organic compounds in vapor. The technique relies on replacing traditional DNA nucleobases with one of seven fluorescent molecules developed at Stanford. These new nucleobases change color in the presence of certain organic compounds, providing an indication of what this new nose is 'smelling'. Florent Samain, a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry and lead author on the Angewandte Chemie paper, used DNA synthesis techniques to generate a library of all 2,401 possible ways that the seven substitute molecules could be combined in a string of four units. The team then screened all the possible combinations for sensitivity to four different test substances – as vapors – that differed significantly in their structural and electronic properties. One substance was commonly used as an aquatic herbicide, another as a solvent in research and industrial applications, another as an inhibitor of mold and bacteria in food and the fourth as an ingredient in products ranging from shoe polish to pesticides, as well as in the preparation of explosives. The researchers found multiple sensors that showed marked fluorescent responses when exposed to the four test substances. What is also crucial, the researchers found out, is the order of the compounds along the DNA backbone. Like the sequence of natural DNA, which varies among different animals, the different sequences of the artificial DNA sensors gave different color changes. Full story: DNA puts Stanford chemists on scent of better artificial nose... Abstract in Angewandte Chemie: Polyfluorophores on a DNA Backbone: Sensors of Small Molecules in the Vapor Phase... Michael

Researchers at Oxford University have developed a technique that combines live images from multiple ultrasound probes into one 3D image. The team used the method to image hearts of Oxford rowers that sport particularly large left ventricles. Because the hearts are so large, conventional 3D ultrasound devices are not able to capture them from one vantage point. From an Oxford press release: The researchers recently reported in the journal JACC Cardiovascular Imaging that, in a pilot study of 32 people, this boosted the quality of good/intermediate quality images of the heart from 70% with existing methods to over 96%. ‘For the first time we’ve shown in a detailed clinical study how fusion of 3D data from different positions can improve the quality and completeness of the final image,’ Alison Noble of Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science, a co-author of the report, tells me. ‘Our new technique saw significant improvements in the general image quality and the definition of features within the heart which should make it possible to spot even small abnormalities in, for example, the motion of the heart wall,’ adds Harald Becher of Oxford University’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. The team's method is based on ‘voxels’ - 3D units of data similar to the 2D pixels on a TV screen. By matching similar-looking voxels of data from different positions it is possible to calculate the ‘best fit’ of a sequence of individual frames. This alignment is then applied first across ‘downgraded’ low-resolution images before these are ‘upgraded’ again to their original high-resolution – saving computation time. Press release: Fused echoes see whole heart... Abstract in JACC Cardiovascular Imaging: Real-Time 3D Fusion Echocardiography... Michael

Researchers at Arizona State University have created a device called Integrascope that can supposedly make detection of infectious diseases and measurement of protein levels cheaper and faster. The system uses a water-repellent surface to form blood into a properly shaped drop that can focus infrared light shone through it. Nanoparticles placed on top of the drop agglutinate in the presence of infectious agents or specific proteins. Details from an ASU press release: Garcia and Schneider [Antonia Garcia and John Schneider, lead authors of the study] have demonstrated that superhydrophobic surfaces can shape blood, saliva, urine and other fluids into round drops. The drops can focus light and quickly mix and move microparticles and nanopartices that can be examined to reveal a specific infectious agent or protein. Superhydrophobicity is a property of materials that repel water, such as ducks' feather or leaves of the lotus plant. Such materials are used commercially in textiles, building materials and surface coatings. The new device operates by placing a drop of nanoparticles or microparticles on top of a drop of a patient fluid sample on a superhydrophobic surface. The surface has a small depression that holds the liquid sample in place so that it forms a spherical drop. The drop acts as a lens due to surface tension. An LED is shined on the drop and the drop shape focuses the light into an intense beam measured by a second LED. Because the drop is slowly evaporating, Garcia explains, nanoparticles or microparticles quickly begin to stick together when the patient fluid sample contains the infectious agent or protein being targeted. The infectious agent or protein migrates to the center of the drop, leaving the particles that have not yet stuck together to move to the surface. This leads to the self-mixing action that speeds up the diagnostic process so that detection can occur in less than two minutes, he said. Press release: Bioengineering design makes health diagnosis simpler, quicker... Abstract in Nature Precedings: Rapid antigen detection using the liquid sample as a lens and self-mixer for light scattering detection... Michael

Birth Dates, School Enrollment Dates Affect ADHD Diagnosis Rates ... [North Carolina State University] NIH investigates health impacts of Gulf oil spill ... [Nature Blogs] FDA Rejects Jazz Drug as Treatment ... [WSJ] FDA to Give Priority Review to Melanoma Drug ... [WSJ] NIST Publishes Approved Testing Procedures for Electronic Health Records ... [NIST] Medtronic Signs Agreement to Acquire Osteotech ... [Medtronic] Siemens Introduces Acuson S2000 Ultrasound System, Release 2.0... [Siemens] First example of Green+ Hospitals in Germany: Siemens equips Ethianum in Heidelberg with futureproof infrastructure ... [Siemens] Bal Seal to Launch First Contact System with Integrated Isolation Seals ... [Bal Seal] Study Shows Weight-Loss Surgery Frees Most Obese Type 2 Diabetics of Insulin and Other Sugar-Controlling Drugs... [Johns Hopkins] "Smart" Adult Stem Cells Repair Hearts ... [Mayo] Discovery opens door to therapeutic development for FSH muscular dystrophy ... [NIH] Old Malaria Drug Blamed for Resistance Gets a New Reputation ... [HHMI] New Tool Measures Strengths of Bonds that Keep Blood Clots from Washing Away ... [Children's Hospital Boston] Children Report Better Vision-Related Quality Of Life With Contact Lenses vs. Glasses ... [J&J] Wii-like technologies may help stroke survivors improve communication skills ... [City University London] India Tries Using Cash Bonuses to Slow Birthrates ... [NYTimes.com]... Michael

Recently in the NYTimes, an interesting look into the simplest of medical errors: connecting the wrong tube to a patient. Devastated families and regulators ask, why should it even be possible to connect feeding tube contents to an IV? Or IV fluids to a nasal O2 cannula? Experts and standards groups have advocated since 1996 that tubes for different functions be made incompatible -- just as connections to piped hospital oxygen, medical air, nitrous oxide and vacuum are incompatible with each other. ... action has been delayed by resistance from the medical-device industry and an approval process at the Food and Drug Administration that can discourage safety-related changes. Hospitals, tube manufacturers, regulators and standards groups all point fingers at one another to explain the delay. Hospitalized patients often have an array of clear plastic tubing sticking out of their bodies to deliver or extract medicine, nutrition, fluids, gases or blood to veins, arteries, stomachs, skin, lungs or bladders. Much of the tubing is interchangeable, and with nurses connecting and disconnecting dozens each day, mix-ups happen — sometimes with deadly consequences. “Nurses should not have to work in an environment where it is even possible to make that kind of mistake,” said Nancy Pratt, a senior vice president at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego who is a vocal advocate for changing the system. “The nuclear power and airline industries would never tolerate a situation where a simple misconnection could lead to a death.” Tubes intended to inflate blood-pressure cuffs have been connected to intravenous lines, leading to deadly air embolisms. Intravenous fluids have been connected to tubes intended to deliver oxygen, leading to suffocation. And in 2006 Julie Thao, a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., mistakenly put a spinal anesthetic into a vein, killing 16-year-old Jasmine Gant, who was giving birth. Amazing stuff. The article goes into more detail on the FDA device approval process, if that sort of thing is as interesting to you as it is to us... More from a recent FDA warning about oral med capsules being given IV...... Nicholas Nicholas

Aesculap Implant Systems out of Center Valley, Pennsylvania has received 510(k) clearance for the firm's A-FIX stand-alone spinal fusion device. The system is designed to be implanted using the anterior approach. Some details from the product use instructions: As an intervertebral body fusion device designed for use with autograft, the A-FIX® Spinal System is intended for spinal fusion procedures at one or two contiguous levels in the lumbar spine from L2 to S1 in patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD) with up to Grade 1 spondylolisthesis at the involved level(s). The A-FIX® spacers are made of PEEK-OPTIMA®. They contain marker pins made of tantalum to ensure radiological visibility for inspecting the implant position. The A-FIX® screws are made of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). Press release: A-Fix 510(k) Clearance... Link: A-Fix Spinal System Instructions for Use...... Michael

We are very proud with EchoJournal, our echocardiography video sharing website. We now have hundreds of user contributed videos, many members, and solid traffic stats. So, if you are a cardiologist, anesthesiologist, radiologist, medical student, or just a person interested in cardiac echoes, you can browse through our video archives, upload your own clips, and discuss individual cases. The site is curated by David E. Winchester, MD, a cardiologist at the University of Florida. He is also getting lots of help from Lebanese cardiologist Dr. Maged Al-Ali. EchoJournal is offering users many choices: keep videos private for storage or post them for discussions, embed videos on your own page, organize groups, channels, and more. Here are some of the latest offerings: -- Massive enlargement of the atria bilaterally. The dimensions of the LA are at least 6.5cm x 9cm (video below); -- Tumor of the tricuspid valve -- Cor triatrium -- Ebstein anomaly: video 1 and video 2 -- Interesting LV Thrombus Watch Videos on EchoJournal ...... Michael

GB Innomech, a Cambridge, UK automation company, is testing a drug and medical device tracking system that revolves around tagging products using a laser etched dot matrix code. The idea is that anyone with a camera phone will be able to photograph a pill and immediately check whether it is the real deal against an online database which would know which codes have been produced by reputable manufacturers. The codemark is an unobtrusive two-dimensional dot matrix identifier that is linked to a look-up database. In effect the matrix code acts as a ‘key’ to access much more detailed information, such as the specific batch codes of raw materials used during production, the time of manufacture, the production line and so on. A version of the database could be accessible online for anyone to verify the item is genuine. The codes can be printed or laser etched onto products, applied to virtually any substrate and can even be added onto the surface of pharmaceutical capsules or coated tablets [as shown in the image right]. Matrix codes can be as small as 2 mm by 2 mm holding the code for up to 10 billion numbers. The codes can be read by widely available readers or in many cases from a picture taken with even the simplest camera phone, making them ideal in the battle against counterfeit medicines. For example, a doctor in remotest Africa about to dispense a treatment course for malaria could take a picture of the product packaging code, send it by SMS to a centralised online database and within seconds have an auto-response to confirm the validity of the product and be sure he/she is not dispensing an ineffective or even potentially fatal counterfeit product. Full story from Cambridge Network: Innomech develops powerful 'track and trace' technology for healthcare markets... GB Innomech ...... Michael

Scientists at Georgia Tech have developed a nanocluster protein coating to be used on titanium implants that creates a substantially stronger bond with the human body than bare metal. The clusters seem to promote bone growth around the implants by manipulating the biological signals that trigger stem cells to differentiate into bone tissue. In this study, Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor David Collard and his students coated clinical-grade titanium with a high density of polymer strands -- akin to the bristles on a toothbrush. Then, García and Tim Petrie -- formerly a graduate student at Georgia Tech and currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington -- modified the polymer to create three or five self-assembled tethered clusters of the engineered fibronectin, which contained the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence to which integrins binds. To evaluate the in vivo performance of the coated titanium in bone healing, the researchers drilled two-millimeter circular holes into a rat's tibia bone and pressed tiny clinical-grade titanium cylinders into the holes. The research team tested coatings that included individual strands, pairs, three-strand clusters and five-strand clusters of the engineered fibronectin protein. Analysis of the bone-implant interface four weeks later revealed a 50 percent enhancement in the amount of contact between the bone and implants coated with three- or five-strand tethered clusters compared to implants coated with single strands. The experiments also revealed a 75 percent increase in the contact of the three- and five-strand clusters compared to the current clinical standard for replacement-joint implants, which is uncoated titanium. The researchers also tested the fixation of the implants by measuring the amount of force required to pull the implants out of the bone. Implants coated with three- and five-strand tethered clusters of the engineered fibronectin fragment displayed 250 percent higher mechanical fixation over the individual strand and pairs coatings and a 400 percent improvement compared to the unmodified polymer coating. The three- and five-cluster coatings also exhibited a twofold enhancement in pullout strength compared to uncoated titanium. Press release: Nanocluster Protein Coating on Titanium Strengthens Implant Attachment... Abstract in Science Translational Medicine: Multivalent Integrin-Specific Ligands Enhance Tissue Healing and Biomaterial Integration... Michael

In the latest Nature Molecular Therapy a group of researchers from Tufts University is reporting using non-viral gene transfer therapy to deliver a gene that codes for a photoreceptor protecting protein produced in the eye. Not having to use viruses as a delivery mechanism avoids many potential side effects in developing future gene therapies. More from Tufts press office : In a model simulating the progression of human retinal degeneration, the researchers treated mice with nanoparticles carrying a gene for GDNF (Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), a protein known to protect the photoreceptor cells in the eye. Retinas treated with the GDNF-carrying nanoparticles showed significantly less photoreceptor cell death than controls. Preservation of these cells resulted in significantly better eyesight in the treatment group seven days after treatment, compared to controls. The protection conferred by the GDNF-carrying nanoparticles was temporary, as tests fourteen days after treatment showed no difference in eyesight between treated mice and controls. “The next step in this research is to prolong this protection by adding elements to the DNA that permit its retention in the cell. Bringing forth a more potent and enduring result will move us closer to clinical application of non-viral gene therapy,” said Kumar-Singh. In a previous study, this same team of researchers developed the gene delivery method used in this research. The researchers showed that a peptide called PEG-POD, which compacts DNA into nanoparticles, delivers genes to the retina more efficiently than other non-viral carriers. Image: Top shows damage (pink) to the retina. Bottom image shows that POD GDNF nanoparticles protected the retina from damage. Press release: Breakthrough Gene Therapy Prevents Retinal Degeneration... Abstract in Molecular Therapy: POD Nanoparticles Expressing GDNF Provide Structural and Functional Rescue of Light-induced Retinal Degeneration in an Adult Mouse... Michael

Antioxidants are important substances that prevent free radicals from damaging cells, and potatoes contain substantial amounts of them. However, researchers from Obihiro University in Japan thought that more would be better and have developed some innovative methods of boosting the potato's antioxidant content. By immersing the potatoes in water or salt and subsequently applying ultrasound or electricity for 5-30 minutes they increased the amounts of antioxidants by as much as 50 percent. From the press release by the American Chemical Society: “We knew from research done in the past that drought, bruising, and other stresses could stimulate the accumulation of beneficial phenolic compounds in fresh produce,” Hironaka explained. “We found that there hasn’t been any research on the healthful effects of using mechanical processes to stress vegetables. So we decided in this study to evaluate effect of ultrasound and electric treatments on polyphenols and other antioxidants in potatoes.” The process might work for other foods as well and the researchers foresee a large market. The findings were reported recently at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Press release: Electrifying findings: New ways of boosting healthful antioxidant levels in potatoes...... Wouter Stomp

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have developed a solar-powered toothbrush that doesn't require toothpaste. At the base of the brush is a solar panel, which transmits electrons to the top of the toothbrush through a lead wire. These electrons react with acid in the mouth, breaking down plaque without the help of toothpaste. It is an advancement of a model described 15 years ago using a titanium dioxide rod which released electrons when illuminated. The researchers are currently recruiting 120 teens to test the brush. The model is named Soladey-J3X and is manufactured by the Shiken company of Japan. More from Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Solar toothbrush could make toothpaste obsolete...... Wouter Stomp

Spinal cord injury is obviously a devastating condition. For years stem cells have seemed like they would hold all of the answers for a possible cure, but progress has been slow. A recent animal study from UC Irvine's Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center has succeeded in engrafting human neural stem cells in mice with early-spinal cord injuries, and brought stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries just a tiny bit closer to clinical reality. The researchers used a strain of mouse that has no specific immune system that can reject the grafted cells. The investigators gave these mice blunt spinal injuries. Stem cells from fetal brains were sorted and cultured, and then injected into the injured spinal cord sites 30 days after the trauma. This period of spinal cord injury is regarded as the "early chronic" phase, and so far attempts to use stem cell therapy in this phase have failed. In these new experiments the mice demonstrated sustained improved motor function 3 months after treatment. The mice also demonstrated no allodynia (the sensation of pain with benign stimulation), a feared complication of spinal cord injury therapy. From the press release: "Human neural stem cells are a novel therapeutic approach that holds much promise for spinal cord injury," said Anderson, associate professor of physical medicine & rehabilitation and anatomy & neurobiology at UC Irvine. "This study builds on the extensive work we previously published in the acute phase of injury and offers additional hope to those who are paralyzed or have impaired motor function." "About 1.3 million individuals in the U.S. are living with chronic spinal cord injury," added Cummings, associate professor of physical medicine & rehabilitation and anatomy & neurobiology. "This latest study provides additional evidence that human neural stem cells may be a viable treatment approach for them." Press release: Human stem cells restore motor function in mice ... Paper in PLoS: Human Neural Stem Cells Differentiate and Promote Locomotor Recovery in an Early Chronic Spinal coRd Injury NOD-scid Mouse Model Flashback: Stem cell treatment improves mobility after spinal cord injury... jhbarad

IBM and Aetna's ActiveHealth Management subsidiary have unveiled a new clinical information management system based on cloud computing architecture. The Collaborative Care Solution, as the product is called, aims to bring together information from disparate sources like "electronic medical records, claims, medication and lab data" for easy access by any relevant party during a patient's clinical regimen. Additionally, the system features ActiveHealth's evidence-based clinical decision support CareEngine which can signal to clinicians when suspected abnormalities creep up in the data. Some details from IBM: With all healthcare data and IT resources managed in a cloud environment, the system will enable the coordination of patient care among teams, so doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, aides, therapists and pharmacists can easily access, share and address information about patients from a single source. The solution can also show trends in how patients are responding, for example, to treatment for chronic asthma or adhering to drug regimens and automatically alert doctors to conflicting or missed prescriptions. For one fixed monthly fee, healthcare organizations have access to all the tools and services without having to make significant upfront investments – avoiding the challenge of updating systems when clinical guidelines or reporting requirements change or when patient loads grow. Additionally, the solution provides advanced analytics that help physicians or entire healthcare organizations measure their performance against national or hospital quality standards. Press release: ActiveHealth and IBM Pioneer Cloud Computing Approach to Help Doctors Deliver High Quality, Cost Effective Patient Care...... Michael

Microsulis Medical Limited out of Denmead, England has received FDA 510(k) clearance to bring to the US the company's Acculis Accu2i percutaneous microwave tissue ablation (pMTA) system. The applicator is administered via a 1.8 mm puncture of the skin to deliver microwave energy at 2.45 GHz for coagulation of soft tissue during endoscopic procedures. Features from the product brochure: Product • 1.8mm shaft, ceramic trocar cutting tip • Internally cooled • 14cm and 27cm shaft lengths • 2m cable reach (cooled cable) • 2.45GHz operating frequency • Generator powers from 30W to 180W • Ablation time 0 - 6 minutes (per use) • Multiple use per patient Performance • Up to 5.6cm coagulation zone in 6 minutes at 180W based on ex-vivo tests (nb in-vivo performance may be greater) • Scaleable near spherical coagulation zones • Power and time controls for coagulation rate and size • Real time visualisation with IOUS / CT Technical • 1.4cm emitting tip length • Integrated coolant and microwave supply cable • High pressure manifold handle with coolant visualisation • Closed loop sterile saline coolant • Independent tissue temperature measurement probes Press release: Microsulis Medical Limited Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance of Accu2i Percutaneous Microwave Tissue Ablation Device... Product page: pMTA ...... Michael

Revolutions Medical out of Charleston, South Carolina has developed an image processing technology that brings a bit of color to MRI images. Color MRI uses proprietary algorithms to segment and colorize regions of the scan to hopefully make the images more readable, and the firm has partnered with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine to apply the technology to differentiation and characterization of intracranial hemorrhages and characterization of intracranial masses From the product page: The technology consists of software, which uses various color masks to produce full-color composite images from gray-scale MRI output. The resulting color images can be quickly viewed individually or all together as a “riffle stack”. A riffle stack consists of the individual MRI images assembled to create a single composite image that contains the data from the individual images. The riffle stack allows a radiologist, using a computer mouse, to page through the images, creating a 3-D appreciation of the colorized MRI output even though the images themselves are not 3-D. The software program can also segment the data and create a true 3-D image of the area to be examined. For instance, bone, fluid and other tissue displayed in an MRI scan of the head can be electronically eliminated to allow a 3-D rendering of just the brain. Press release: Revolutions Medical Corporation Begins Clinical Applications and Validation Process of Its MRI Software Tools... Product page: Rev ColorMRI...... Michael