Tag: Medical

Smart visors adapt to sunlight, while intelligent helmets are equipped with indicators and warn cyclists of approaching traffic. Now a German company is supporting cyclists with normal helmets to receive the help they need in an emergency. Together with a Swedish technology partner, the team has developed a smart, retrofittable buckle for chinstraps. Using an accompanying app, important medical...

A robot glove compensates for reduced gripping capacity, while a joystick helps stroke patients strengthen their arms. Now, an Italian startup is aiming to enhance patients’ upper body motor rehabilitation through its certified exoskeleton. Encompassing a chair and attached joints for both arms and shoulders, it allows patients to work on all their upper limbs at once. Sensors determine...

For efficiency, the human brain often takes snapshots. But with age, inflamed brain cells can lead to memory loss or dementia. Enter a US-based research team and its nasal spray which can stop or even reverse the process. Made using bio-molecules (microRNAs) developed from neural stem cells, it is delivered via the nose into the wall of the hippocampus....

Saliva provides information about possible heart failure. Alzheimer’s, meanwhile, is often diagnosed through an analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid after changes in cognitive capabilities. But loss of smell can be an initial warning sign. Enter an American research team and its new nasal swab aimed at early detection. In a 22-person study, different immune and nerve cells were removed...

A powder can staunch heavy bleeding in seconds. But if our heart stops, resuscitation has to occur within four minutes. Only, who has a defibrillator to hand? Aware that 80% of heart attacks happen domestically, a Paris-based startup is seeking to make defibrillators more accessible in private settings. The team, comprising cardiologists and emergency physicians, developed the pocked-sized shock...

Tree bark can be an alternative to single-use plastic. Meanwhile a Finnish PhD student has alighted on pine bark as a filter for removing pharmaceutical residues from liquid waste. Treated wastewater often contains traces of medication such as blood pressure medicine or antidepressants. Antibiotics are particularly problematic as their presence helps pathogens develop resistance. The female researcher fortified the...

Cardamom provides protection against pathogens. And, as an Australia-based research team recently discovered, pathogens can also be held at bay using peppermint essential oil. This could be particularly important in the context of medical devices. In an initial test, plasma was used to apply an extremely thin film of peppermint oil to a urinary catheter. Enabling the oil molecules...

Oral cancer can be detected using saliva. But, as an Australian research team recently discovered, saliva can also provide information about possible heart failure. Key here: new biomarker S100A7. Heart failure patients have twice as much of it in their saliva as healthy people. The team developed a protein detector which the biomarker could attach itself to, thus making itself...