Researchers have found a method of identifying biological markers in small amounts of blood that they believe could be used to detect diseases, infections, and medical conditions at early stages, including early detection of traumatic brain injury in athletes.

Arterial Everter

Jeffrey Plott, Adeyiza Momoh, Ian Sando, Brendan McCracken, Mohammed Tiba, Kevin Ward, Jeffrey Kozlow, and Paul Cederna
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Microvascular anastomosis is the surgical joining, or coaptation, of small (sub-centimeter) veins and arteries with the aid of loupe or microscope magnifcation,This is accomplished using a microanas-tomotic coupling device (Synovis GEM Coupler) that reduces complication rates, improves patency rates, and substantially reduces the time necessary to complete the coaptation compared to manual suturing.

University of TwenteEnschede,
The Netherlands
www.utwente.nl/mira

According to a clinical study published in the scientific journal Photoacoustics, the University of Twente and various European partners have designed a device that shows the difference between healthy fingers and arthritic fingers. The University of Twente and Ziekenhuis Groep Twente researchers responsible for the development of the compact device believe that it may in time help doctors to objectively diagnose the degree of inflammation in joints.

Infrared surgical lasers, e.g., CTH:YAG @ 2100 nm and TM:YAG @ 2000 nm, are wonderful tools for minimally invasive surgery such as laser vaporization of hyperplastic prostate tissue (BPH), but they are completely incompatible with right angle, off-axis delivery. Fiber optics find great utility for vaporization of prostate gland lobes about the urethra at less-challenging wavelengths, e.g., 532 nm, where water is transparent. The fundamental advantage of infrared lasers is strong absorption by water (within tissue), but this very absorption renders water-cooled side-firing fibers useless with these laser generators, i.e., MoXy^® by Boston Scientific; where the surgical beam passes through the coaxial cooling jacket, the coolant boils and blocks further flow, overheating the device rapidly.

Longer life expectancy in conjunction with improved knowledge of cancers has resulted in increased demands for core needle biopsies. Additionally, cancer diagnosis typically occurs earlier and hence biopsy specimens are required from smaller tissue masses.

Choosing the right fluid dispensing pump for a given application is critical. Whether it’s accuracy and precision or the need to perform for millions of cycles, understanding the most suitable types of pumps available is the first step. This article describes several pumps commonly used for medical manufacturing applications. It examines their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, it discusses how to maximize accuracy by minimizing fluid slip, an important factor in the design of any positive displacement pump. It also looks at the importance of testing the fluid prior to determining what pump is best for the application.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease that affects premature infants. It is the leading cause of childhood blindness. Although effective treatments exist, many infants are still at-risk due to the small window of time for detection. The current standard of care consists of in-person, manual screening by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, the number of infants in need of screening far surpasses the availability of specifically trained ophthalmologists. Consequently, fewer than 30 percent of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide have fully compliant ROP screening programs.

FDA’s introduction to its rules for medical device regulation states: “Medical devices are classified into Class I, II, and III. Regulatory control increases from Class I to Class III. The device classification regulation defines the regulatory requirements for a general device type. Most Class I devices are exempt from Premarket Notification 510(k); most Class II devices require Premarket Notification 510(k); and most Class III devices require Premarket Approval.”¹

Researchers have devised a medicated skin patch that could be used to burn off pockets of unwanted fat such as “love handles” and treat metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes. The patch turns energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat locally while raising the body’s overall metabolism.

Ultra-thin, flexible screen-printed batteries for cheap portable devices and intermittent renewable energy are closer to reality. The solid-state batteries are a thin, flexible format—printed in a roll-to-roll process—that can be adapted to almost any shape. Potential applications include disposable medical devices, wearable electronics, and more.

Standard medical imaging and new 3D printing technologies are being used to create patient-specific heart valve models that mimic the physiological qualities of the real valves. Their aim is to improve the success rate of transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) by picking the right prosthetic and avoiding a common complication known as paravalvular leakage.

Scientists have discovered a new chemical method that enables graphene to be incorporated into a wide range of applications while maintaining its ultrafast electronics. Graphene, a lightweight, thin, flexible material, can be used to enhance the strength and speed of various medical processes, as well as many others.

Researchers report that they have developed a technology to scan a tumor sample and produce images detailed and accurate enough to be used to check whether a tumor has been completely removed. Called photoacoustic imaging, the new technology takes less time than standard analysis techniques.

When it comes to testing for cancer, traditional sensors can help. The challenges are that they often are bulky, expensive, nonintuitive, and complicated. Now, one team reports that portable pressure-based detectors coupled with smartphone software could provide a simpler, more affordable alternative while still maintaining sensitivity.

Engineers have designed a flexible thermoelectric energy harvester that has the potential to rival the effectiveness of existing power wearable electronic devices using body heat as the only source of energy.

A new wearable system from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will help blind users navigate through indoor environments.

Northeastern professor Daniel Distel and his colleagues have discovered a dark, slithering 4-foot-long creature that dwells in the foul mud of a remote lagoon in the Philippines. They say studying the animal, a giant shipworm with pinkish siphons at one end and an eyeless head at the other, could add to our understanding of how bacteria cause infections and, in turn, how we might adapt to tolerate or even benefit from them.

Stretchable and transparent electrodes — called omnidirectionally stretchable electrodes — have been developed for applications in flexible and wearable electronics. For practical applications, the electrical and optical properties of stretchable electrodes should be independent of the directions of the applied stress.

Cancer patients who also undergo radiation therapy experience unfortunate side effects including skin irritation, and sometimes peeling and blistering. Researchers are testing a new imaging device designed to monitor, quantify, and hopefully one day predict skin toxicity levels induced by radiation therapy. Using visible and near-infrared light at very low power, the researchers are trying to characterize the skin damage during radiation therapy, especially for the treatment of breast cancer.

Researchers have developed a rubber-like fiber that can flex and stretch while simultaneously delivering both optical impulses, for optoelectronic stimulation, and electrical connections, for stimulation and monitoring. They wanted to create a multimodal interface with mechanical properties compatible with tissues for neural stimulation and recording as a tool for better understanding spinal cord functions. It was essential for the device to be stretchable, because the spinal cord is not only bending but also stretching during movement.

Researchers have developed a prototype smart shirt that integrates validated medical-grade electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring with breathing rate and breathing depth. The use of state-of-the-art printed electronics technology offers complete freedom in design and optimization of printed sensors and electronics, being as thin as 60 µm and up to 100 percent stretchable. The properties of the electronics thereby become similar to those of a textile, allowing unobtrusive integration. The design can be adapted for a variety of applications, including patient monitoring in hospitals.

Qosina

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Pinch Clamps - Qosina's polypropylene, DEHP-free pinch clamps (#13616-#13620) prevent the flow of fluid when used with a tubing assembly. Ideal for use in micro-bore applications, these pinch clamps are available in a variety of colors and can accommodate 0.059-0.102 inch OD tubing.

Barbed Check Valves – Available in three different configurations, Qosina’s barbed check valves (#80500-#80507) eliminate the need for bonding, provide controlled directional flow, have a low cracking pressure and are suitable for gamma and EtO sterilization.

Multi-Cavity Channel Clips with Guide Wire Slit – Qosina's multi-cavity channel clips (#12536-#12539) are each equipped with a unique slit that is designed to retain guide wires and hold them in place when not in use. These clips are flexible, allowing for easy attachment to a dispensing tube.

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Microspec - Customized Excellence in Medical Extrusions.

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Bump or Tapered Tubing – Microspec has extruded bump tubing since 1990 and is recognized as an industry leader in multi-lumen bump extrusions. Bump extrusion technology has enabled designers to shrink distal dimensions while maximizing the functionality at the proximal end. Microspec led the industry with its development and introduction of micro multi-lumen bump extrusions.

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Custom Extrusions – You need a custom medical tube with tight tolerances and complex specifications. That’s why you come to Microspec. We help make your complex extrusions possible.

Through skillful process and tool design, Microspec increases the quality and functionality of complex medical tubing and simplifies your device assembly.

Challenge us with your ideas.

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New Concepts – Microspec has earned a world class reputation for extruding and developing some of the most advanced and challenging medical extrusions in the industry.

Whether your part is a micro extrusion, co-extrusion or made from a custom compound you can count on Microspec's experience and expertise to deliver high quality and precision extruded parts every time.

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Zeus - New Customized Medical Extrusions from Zeus

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StreamLiner™ XT – The Thinnest Extruded PTFE Catheter Liner – PTFE Sub-Lite-Wall® StreamLiner™ XT features Zeus' proprietary LoPro™ technology. With a maximum wall thickness of 0.00075" (0.01905 mm) in a ID range of .004" - .040" (0.1016mm -1.016mm), StreamLiner™ XT allows enhanced micro catheter design to lower deployment force, improve flexibility and increase lumen.

Aeos® Suture Monofilament (ASM) – Knot Your Average Suture! – Our Aeos® ePTFE Suture Monofilament (ASM) has the soft feel and drape preferred by surgeons everywhere. ASM can be swaged onto needles up to a 1:1 ratio and meets USP standards for knot strength. We offer this material in bulk quantity for manufacture into your own suture lines.

Introducing Zeus LCP Monofilament – LCP monofilament provides a unique non-metal alternative for catheter braiding enabling catheters to now be used under MRI. Catheters made with Zeus LCP monofilament possess exceptional torque response, pushability, and distal end deflectability. LCP monofilament eliminates the need for using x-ray and having any exposure to ionization radiation.

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Engineers have created a new format of solids made from silk protein that can be preprogrammed with biological, chemical, or optical functions, such as mechanical components that change color with strain, deliver drugs, or respond to light. Using a water-based fabrication method based on protein self-assembly, the researchers generated 3D bulk materials out of silk fibroin, the protein that gives silk its durability.

The reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) brings more pressure for FDA to shorten its review times back to “historical norms” and to provide more consistency in the review process. And after the success of an independent review authorized in MDUFA III in 2012, MDUFA IV has authorized two independent reviews of the agency over the next five years. Total funding for the five-year agreement is $999.5 million.

A group of graduate students from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, devised a sandal-like controller that allows a video game player to control the on-screen action with his feet. The team — dubbed GEAR, for Game Enhancing Augmented Reality — created the device for amputees or those with disabilities that inhibit use of their arms or hands.

Many things in the natural world are geometrically chiral, meaning they cannot be superimposed onto their mirror image. Being able to observe and analyze the chirality of an object is very important in numerous fields. However, current chiral imaging techniques to resolve polarization and spectral (color) information require multiple cascading components, leading to bulky and expensive pieces of equipment.

Researchers in MIT’s Media Lab, Cambridge, MA, have created “Cilllia,” a new computational method for designing and 3D printing artificial hair. 3D printers have been unable to print hair, fur, and other dense arrays of extremely fine features that require a huge amount of computational time and power.

Capturing all transmitted electrons allows quantitative measurement of a material’s properties, such as internal electric and magnetic fields, which are important for use of the material in memory and electronics applications. A research group at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, has developed and tested a new detector for electron microscopes that enables quantitative measurements of electric and magnetic fields from micrometers down to atomic resolution.

Stroke patients must typically undergo arduous and repetitive rehabilitation to relearn the basic skills they lose. A team of students from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, is using smartphones to improve the process.