HM International Blog

The Megaframe project scored a staggering number of breakthroughs to create the world’s first 1024 pixel, photon-resolution, million-frame-per-second CMOS camera that puts Europe firmly in the lead for ultra-high speed video cameras.

Their work has pushed the boundaries of CMOS (a type of semiconductor) miniaturisation and sophistication. But it is in the application of their technology that the most stunning impacts of the Megaframe project will be seen, particularly in medical applications.

That is because the camera can detect a single photon at a million times a second, and so it can record molecular processes in unprecedented detail. “We need this sort of detail because biomedical scientists are studying processes at the intra-cellular and molecular levels,” underlines Edoardo Charbon, coordinator of the EU-funded Megaframe project.

Ingenious
Scientists have developed extremely ingenious ways to infer or deduce what is happening at the molecular level, and Megaframe could make that process even more detailed. Essentially, scientists use a variety of emissive materials to see what is happening in microscopic biomedical processes.

Take Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM). Here, a fluorescent material is introduced to the area of interest. Fluorescence has some interesting properties, for example a particular spectrum of emission and a rate of decay.

One particular fluorophore, Oregon Green Bapta (OGB-1), decays at a rate proportionate to the presence of calcium. Interestingly, calcium is an important indicator of neuron activity.

“So it is possible, for example, to go inside neurons and look at their ion channels. These are the channels that allow neurons to communicate with other neurons. And you can basically see the amount of calcium that is present. You can probe optically how neurons communicate with other neurons just by looking at the concentrations of calcium in real time,” explains Charbon.

So scientists can use the OGB-1 to indicate the presence and concentration of calcium, and the whole process can be recorded in ultra-fine detail thanks to single-photon detectors, such as the ones present in the Megaframe camera. The camera is recording at the speed of thought.

“Biomedical scientists could in principle use this microscopic information about calcium to learn about macroscopic conditions like Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s or epilepsy,” Charbon stresses.

But that’s just the beginning. Megaframe could have a significant impact on any medical science that uses visible light emissive scanning technologies like FLIM. But it can even have an impact where visible light is not present.

In a review of four clinical trials, researchers found that smoking-cessation programs that included text-messaged advice doubled the chances that smokers would be able to kick the habit for up to a year.

The programs, conducted in New Zealand, the UK and Norway, used text messages as a way to give smokers daily advice and encouragement. The programs also offered support when quitters needed it the most; if they found themselves craving nicotine, for example, they could text “crave” to the program and get immediate advice on what to do.

Two of the studies looked at programs that only involved text messages, finding that the service doubled the odds that smokers would quit over six weeks.

The other two studies focused on a program in Norway that used text messages, emails and a dedicated Web site; it found that smokers who used the program were twice as likely to report abstinence for up to one year.

The findings appear in the Cochrane Library, a publication of the international research organization the Cochrane Collaboration.

Kicking the smoking habit is notoriously difficult, and text messaging is no magic bullet. Most of the roughly 2,600 smokers across the studies did not succeed in quitting, regardless of whether they had text-message help.

But text messages could serve as one more tool in the smoking-cessation arsenal, according to lead researcher Dr. Robyn Whittaker, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

“We know that stopping smoking can be really difficult and most people take several attempts to quit successfully,” Whittaker told Reuters Health in an email. “And so I think it is important to be able to offer lots of different options for extra support.”

Text messaging may be effective for some people, in part, because they can get help right at the time when cravings strike, according to Whittaker.

“The frequent messages can also act as a good reminder and motivation to keep going,” Whittaker added.

One of the programs in the study, called Txt2Quit, is already up and running in New Zealand, with government funding. Smokers seeking to quit can sign up for the free 26-week program, which automatically sends users two to three text messages per day shortly before their designated “quit date,” and for one month afterward. After that, they receive three text messages a week.

A recent study of people who participated in the program’s first year found that one-third were abstinent four weeks after their quit date. That figure dropped to 16 percent after 22 weeks.

It’s estimated that only about 5 percent of smokers are able to kick the habit without any help.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Two drugs used to prevent malaria in travelers appear to have a lower risk of side effects than a third commonly prescribed medication, according to a research review published Tuesday.

The review looked at eight clinical trials of various anti-malaria drugs — including mefloquine, atovaquone-proguanil and the antibiotic doxycycline. All three are considered drugs of choice for travelers heading to most malaria-endemic regions.

However, the study found, both atovaquone-proguanil — sold under the brand-name Malarone — and doxycycline appear to have fewer side effects.

With these two drugs, there is lower risk of nausea, stomach pain and other gastrointestinal side effects, and also neurological and psychiatric side effects, such as dizziness, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression.

There were no severe side effects — problems that were life-threatening or required hospitalization — in any of the studies.

The investigators did, however, find published case reports linking mefloquine to 22 deaths, including five suicides. No other anti-malaria drugs have been linked to deaths when taken at prescribed doses, the researchers note in their review, published in the Cochrane Library, a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

Despite the higher risk of side effects with mefloquine, the findings do not necessarily mean that travelers should avoid this drug, according to the researchers.

Doctors prescribe anti-malaria medications based on a number of factors — including which country travelers are visiting — and mefloquine may still be appropriate, particularly for people who have taken it before without problems.

“The main message is that you have to take some malaria chemoprophylaxis (preventive treatment) if you go to an endemic area,” lead researcher Dr. Frederique Jacquerioz, of Tulane University in New Orleans, noted in a written statement. “It’s one of the best preventive measures we have.”

Caused by a mosquito-borne parasite, malaria is endemic in large areas of Africa, Asia and South and Central America, where it kills about 1 million people a year.

An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 travelers develop malaria every year, of whom about 150 die.

When it came to side effects, however, Malarone was about half as likely as mefloquine to cause gastrointestinal side effects, and 14 percent to 50 percent less likely to have a neurological or psychiatric side effect.

In one study, 69 of 493 Malarone users developed some type of neuropsychiatric side effect — including dizziness, insomnia or strange dreams. That compared with 139 of 483 mefloquine users.

Similarly, doxycycline users had a 16 percent lower risk of neurological or psychiatric symptoms.

Still, severe reactions to mefloquine are rare, noted Dr. Andrea Boggild of Toronto General Hospital in Canada, who was not involved in the study. In a written statement, Boggild said that severe neurological and psychiatric symptoms develop in just one out of every 6,000 to 10,000 people who take the drug.

Boggild advised people who are planning a trip to a malaria-endemic area to talk with a healthcare provider who specializes in travel medicine about how to best protect themselves.

Annual Import of Medical Equipment in India
India’s top defence scientist A P J Abdul Kalam deplored the premature junking of nearly Rs 70 billion worth of medical equipment annually imported into the country.

Adressing a conference in New Delhi, Kalam offered the services of the defence laboratories in restoring valuable equipment which was being junked only for want of routine maintenance.

He also suggested the creation of a body of trained personnel whose responsibility it would be to keep medical equipment up to date rather than expend valuable foreign exchange on continued and avoidable imports.

The scientist said there were meeting points between medicine and technology which could be used to benefit ordinary people and hoped that the All-Indian Institute of Medical Science would take a lead in the area.

Medical knowledge combined with technology excellence has provided leverage for finding solutions for complicated health problems, he noted.

Another emerging concept which could be of value for remote populations was tele-surgery where surgery can be conducted by a specialist doctor through remotely controlled micro-robots from a distance.

The Society for Biomedical Technology, an inter-ministerial initiative, was born to utilise research and technology spin-offs from defence laboratories to bring medical care to ordinary people.

TheNoble Prize2009 in Physiology or Medicine goes to three American scientists Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak, who solved a major puzzle in biology; they discovered that chromosomes don’t degrade when they replicate because it’s all to do with how telomerase makes telomeres to protect the ends of the chromosomes. Their discoveries led to a new understanding of how cells work and opened new avenues for researching and treating many diseases. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, announced on Monday that the three Nobel Laureates won their award for the discovery of “how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”.

The genes that make up our genome are the blueprint of our biology. They are made of two intertwined strands of DNA written in an alphabet comprising just four base codes, packed into chromosomes with telomere “caps” on their ends. The three Nobel Laureates discovered that telomeres contain a unique sequence of DNA code that stops the chromosomes from degrading as they reproduce. This has opened the door to developing new treatments for diseases.

Cells age as telomeres get shorter, and conversely, they don’t age when telomerase activity is high and protects telomere length. This property is reflected in various diseases. For example, cancer cells are considered to have eternal life because their telomere length is preserved when they replicate, while certain other diseases are characterized by defective telomerase, resulting in damaged cells.

operated upon two-year-old Lakshmi — a conjoined twin.

A beaming team of doctors headed by Dr Sharan Shivraj Patil announced on Wednesday morning that the 27-hour-long surgery had been completed and Lakshmi was safe now. The doctor was, however, quick to add that she was still under observation.

One of the twins is headless and has two pairs of arms and legs. The villagers offered to build a temple in her name and there was also a circus company, which had offered the parents a lot of money, if they gave her to them.
Lakshmi’s father Shambu said this was the biggest Diwali gift. “Lakshmi was born two years ago on Diwali and this year, she is okay. What more can I ask for,” Shambu said.

Dr Patil said doctors were very excited and did not intend to go home for the next two days. The biggest challenge was to maintain stability in the child while the operation was being performed, he said, adding that another achievement was that they did not jeoparadise any aspect of Lakshmi during the operation.

his is a rare condition and such surgeries take place only once in 50,000 cases. There have been similar cases in the past, but the success rate has been negligible.

Benefits
» Amplification is up to 18 times greater than the best non-electronic stethoscopes.
» Ambient Noise Reduction (ANR) technology.
» LCD display in chestpiece, including heart rate readout.
» Recording and playback capability at normal and half-speed.

Suggested Applications
» Used as a diagnostic aid as part of the physical assessment of a patient.
» Recommended for cardiology and high-performance adult and pediatric use.
» A tool for telemedicine.
» A teaching tool.

Blood Pressure Monitors :
Omron’s HEM-790IT features Omron Health Management Software which will help track your progress to better blood pressure health. This monitor detects advanced diagnostics including Morning Hypertension and irregular heartbeat. Monitoring these important factors with Omron’s software allows you to share valuable information with your physician.

The HEM-790IT has been tested, evaluated and proven to meet the rigorous safety and accuracy standards set by independent organizations.

A significant number of infected people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Like seasonal flu, it can cause severe illness and death in some cases.

Prevention from Swine Flu
» Catch coughs and sneezes in a clean tissue and throw the tissue safely in the bin.
» If you haven’t got a tissue, use your hands but wash them thoroughly with soap straight away.
» Wash your hands thoroughly & frequently with soap, especially after being in crowded public places and
    around food.
» Wash your hands well with plenty of soap and dry them with a clean towel.
» Treat your hands as contaminated. Don’t touch them to your eyes, nose and mouth.
» Don’t shake hands or get too close to someone who seems unwell.
» If you feel ill, stay at home and call your doctor for advice.
» Use mask at the public place and handkerchief.

President Obama is expected to strike a firm and urging tone as he pushes a moderate agenda. He will disappoint and please both sides of the aisle with different portions of his speech. Expect to hear him address the deficit, tax breaks for the wealthy and the Iraq War as factors in America’s current financial struggles.

He will undoubtedly invoke the name of his friend, mentor and colleague, Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy. Senator Kennedy was a lifelong advocate on behalf of archetypal liberal hot-button issues and in his last days healtcare reform came to take on a poignant personal purpose and drive.