NIST 'pins' down imaging system for the blind
...es refreshable tactile graphic display technology, allowing a person to feel a succession of images on a reusable surface. The machine uses about 3,600 small pins that can be raised in any pattern, and then locked into place for reading. The pins then can be withdrawn and reset in a new pattern. Each image i...Quick, cheap blood test predicts chance of surviving heart attack
... quick and accurate way to diagnose heart failure, allowing for earlier and better treatment. More recently, measuring the hormone has been shown to be a reliable way to predict future heart health in patients with heart attack or chest pain (angina). Newer studies show that N-BNP may provide prognostic inf...Smallpox outbreak response: Targeted vaccination may be almost as effective as mass vaccination
...ation, possibly by vaccinating first responders or allowing people to be vaccinated if they so choose, would make a post-attack effort more effective," Halloran said. "Also, at increased levels of immunity in the population, targeting close contacts of smallpox cases may become competitive with mass vaccinati...Death rates lower in hospitals that follow heart attack guidelines
...tors expand blood vessels and decrease resistance, allowing blood to flow more easily. This makes the heart's work easier and more efficient. The researchers also found variation in the numbers of patients prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs. Fifty-eight percent of patients left the hospital with these pr...$15 million grant spurs cancer collaboration; M. D. Anderson, University of Puerto Rico
...ecific cancer prevention strategies in addition to allowing minority fellows and graduate students from both institutions the opportunity to be involved in multidisciplinary research." Researchers from M. D. Anderson and Puerto Rico will visit the collaborating cancer center to present ideas for potential pro...Terrorist attacks increased dangerous irregular heartbeats
...terrorist attack. ICDs can store monitoring data, allowing comparison of rhythm patterns and shock rates from different times. The researchers compared ICD discharge rates for the 30 days before and after the terrorist attack. In the month before the attack, 3.5 percent (seven patients) had heart rhythm di...Swaddling may help sleeping babies remain on their backs
...x, which may lead to full behavioral arousals. By allowing infants to stay asleep on their backs, parents would be less likely to intervene and change infants to the risky stomach-sleeping position. This study examined the effect of swaddling on spontaneous arousals during sleep. Twenty-six healthy infants 3...Internet porn-blocking software neednt block health information, study finds
...t searches based on 24 health search terms, and in allowing access to 586 pre-selected "recommended" health sites for teens. Believed to be the most rigorous comparative study of its kind, the project holds important implications for libraries, schools and families in the ongoing debate over how to strike a b...Rising numbers of patients seeing non-physician clinicians, study finds
...s graduating from training programs, in state laws allowing non-physicians a greater scope of clinical practice, and in managed care plans that used these providers to control costs. "For patients, the implications of these findings hinge on the degree to which physicians and non-physicians are working togeth...This is your heart on drugs: Study improves ER treatment for cocaine's heart effects
...ter nine hours, and some had stress tests. Before allowing the patients to leave the chest pain center, the medical team asked them for their addresses and phone numbers, and contact information for friends or relatives who might be in touch with them. Patients also got information about the danger of using ...Morphine-like painkiller appears to be less addictive
...permits them to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, allowing them to attach to pain receptors in the brain and reduce pain in a manner similar to morphine. Although other peptides have been developed that can cross the blood brain barrier, few have done so with the ease the new drug, Polt says. One of Polt's ...Improved molecular beacons show promise for cancer detection, rapid viral diagnosis
...pairs holding the dye and quencher together break, allowing emission of a specific fluorescent signal when excited by light. Details of the research, sponsored by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and the National Science Foundation, will be presented March 26 at the 225th national meeting of the American C...Emory scientists present alternative for surgical biventricular resynchronization
...ers of the heart through insulated wires (leads), allowing more efficient pumping of blood throughout the bod...e capacity, quality of life and functional status, allowing those who previously had limited ability to perform common tasks to resume a more normal daily routi...Compound developed from mussels may lead to safer, more effective medical implants
...lled organism anchored to rocks and other objects, allowing them to withstand the extreme pounding of waves. Chemical analysis of this natural, water-proof glue has shown that the key to its adhesiveness is a unique compound called mussel adhesive protein, which contains a high concentration of an amino acid...Uninsured cancer patients receive less care
... the differences in treatment when it passed a law allowing states to extend Medicaid coverage to some women with breast or cervical cancer. "However, although it is an important first step, breast and cervical cancer account for only 15 percent of newly diagnosed patients with cancer. Extending health insura...Racial, economic disparities seen in kids' vision care
...ds of parents to in-depth, in-person interviews -- allowing extrapolation to the national population. The data included information on children's age, gender race, insurance status, family income, health status, and recent medical care. The study focused on children between the ages of 6 and 17. In all, the r...Study looks at the pros and cons of voice recognition
...lowing day. With most exams, voice recognition is allowing us to offer same day reporting service," Dr. Gross says. Another advantage of voice recognition is that a full report is available immediately to the radiologist. "At our teaching facility, the attending physician can more easily review cases with ...Smart virus eliminates brain cancer in animal experiments
...oning E1A protein cannot stop Rb from functioning, allowing the virus to infect and kill only cancer cells. A healthy cell with a normal Rb protein can successfully defend itself against the virus, say researchers. The first version of the therapy (Delta-24) did not infect as many human glioma cells as hoped,...New material improves treatment of urinary incontinence
...e polymer structure, they can be seen with X-rays, allowing doctors to track any possible migration, according to the study's lead author, Leo Koole, professor of biomaterials science at the University of Maastricht. Koole is planning more animal studies. Clinical trials are several years away, he notes.......aving a heart attack. The test could save lives by allowing quicker intervention to prevent more advanced heart damage and could improve the quality of life for heart attack survivors, they say. In preliminary lab studies, the test produced results in just five minutes and had a 99 percent accuracy rate, acc...