Researchers have discovered a simple and rapid method to prepare thin multifunctional single-walled carbon nanotube films without any substrate (free-standing films).
Monthly Archives: May 2011
Nanotechnology innovations can improve water purification
Research teams are trying different approaches within the nanotechnological field to improve water membrane technologies. One of these is to improve water purification by using nature's own water-transporting channels, aquaporins. However, constructing suitable membranes for industrial processes is a challenge.
New Laser Particle Sizer ANALYSETTE 22 NanoTec plus from Fritsch
With a total measuring range of 0.01 - 2000 micrometers in a single instrument, the Laser Particle Sizer ANALYSETTE 22 NanoTec plus is the ideal, universally applicable Laser Particle Sizer for the effective and reliable determination of particle size distributions in production and quality control as well as in research and development.
What’s the environmental footprint of your nanosilver T-shirt?
Several manufacturers are incorporating nano-sized particles of silver into, among other things, garments like socks and shirts to kill bacteria that cause odor. But does the silver stay in the socks or T-shirts? And what happens to it if it washes out? Also, what is the climate footprint of producing the required nanosilver? To answer these questions, a group of researchers have performed a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment to compare nanosilver T-shirts with conventional T-shirts with and without biocidal treatment. For their assessment, the team used conventional T-shirts treated with triclosan, a commonly applied biocide to prevent textiles from emitting undesirable odors. The results show significant differences in environmental burdens between nanoparticle production technologies.
Zweite Fragebogenaktion zu Taetigkeiten mit Nanomaterialien in Deutschland
Die Bundesanstalt fuer Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA) unter Mitwirkung des Verbandes der chemischen Industrie (VCI), des Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (BDI) und des Bundesministeriums fuer Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) startet eine zweite Fragebogenaktion zu Taetigkeiten mit Nanomaterialien in Deutschland. Ein pragmatischer Ansatz fuer eine offene Risikokommunikation steht dabei im Mittelpunkt.
Nicotine Raises Blood Sugar Levels in Lab
(HealthDay News) -- Smoking is damaging to everyone's health, but the nicotine in cigarettes may be even more deadly for people who have diabetes.
In lab experiments, researchers discovered that nicotine raised blood sugar levels, and the more nicotine that was present, the higher the blood sugar levels were. Higher blood sugar levels are linked to an increased risk of complications from diabetes, such as eye and kidney disease.
"Smoking is really harmful for diabetics. It's even more harmful to them than to a non-diabetic," said study author Xiao-Chuan Liu, an associate professor in the department of chemistry at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. "This study should encourage diabetics to quit smoking completely, and to realize that it's the nicotine that's raising [blood sugar levels]."
For that reason, it's also important to limit the use of nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine patches, Liu said.
"If you're using them for a short period of time to quit smoking, that's OK. But, if you still have this addiction to nicotine and are using this product long-term, it will do harm. Don't use electronic cigarettes or nicotine gum for a long time. You need to stop nicotine intake," he advised. Read more...
AyurGold for Healthy Blood
Volunteer Training for Hospice Family Care
Hospice Family Care will be providing a free hospice volunteer training beginning this week. See dates and times below:
Tuesday May 10 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday May 12 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Saturday May 14 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday May 17 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday May 19 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday May 24 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday May 26 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday May 31 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday June 2 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Hospice Family Care is certified by Medicare to care for people facing any end-stage disease or terminal illness. Patients and families dealing with End-Stage Heart or Lung Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, and many other illnesses can benefit. Our team addresses physical and practical needs, emotional and spiritual needs, and all quality of life issues. Pain and other symptoms are treated with priority.
Hospice care is available to anyone, of any age, or any financial status, and is a Medicare benefit. Many seniors are not aware they already have this coverage or how to take advantage of this special care. As part of this benefit, Medicare covers a variety of services, carried out by our special hospice team, and pays necessary additional benefits such as related prescriptions and disposable supplies, all at 100%
Volunteers are always needed! Our volunteers are very special people from all walks of life who are sensitive to the needs of our patients and families and who support our philosophy of supportive care. Our volunteers are individuals who respect and revere life and, in the performance of their volunteering, bring their energy and support to our patients, family members, and our care team. Volunteers attend a comprehensive 30-hour orientation encompassing various aspects of patient and family needs, and the volunteer role in the hospice team.
Any person sixteen years of age or older who has successfully completed our free orientation program can volunteer with us.
Our next training will be in May. There is an initial interview and you are then signed up for the next class.
How can you join the Hospice Family Care team? If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers please contact Rosy Cunningham at:
Rosy Cunningham
Volunteer Coordinator
Hospice Family Care
6300 E. El Dorado Plaza, Ste. A-100
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 790-9299 Office
(520) 790-9211 Fax
(520) 307-0330 Cell
Thank you so much,
Rosy
Alcatel-Lucent, Pittsburgh Hospital Team On Telemedicine Platform
The joint venture will combine live, store and forward, and home monitoring audio- and video-communications services for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
By Nicole Lewis, InformationWeek
May 11, 2011
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/interoperability/229500026
In an effort to push further into the telemedicine market, telecommunications provider Alcatel-Lucent has announced that it will collaborate with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to develop a telemedicine platform and suite of applications.
The company says the new system will offer real-time clinical encounters in a virtual "exam room." By using a Web portal, patients will have access to both scheduled and emergency care from any location at any time through a variety of mobile devices using real-time video and audio communication among multiple participants in multiple locations.
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At the same time, the system will generate, retrieve, and store patient data, and will make use of advanced technologies such as immersive and cloud-based communications.
Sid Ahuja, VP of Alcatel-Lucent Ventures, said the platform will be an important component of Alcatel-Lucent's connected hospital strategy that will allow hospitals to extend their reach and care beyond their physical walls. He also said the UPMC health delivery network, which has more than 20 hospitals, 400 outpatient sites, a health plan, and operates medical facilities in Italy and Ireland, will help Alcatel-Lucent test, validate, and build a better solution that will be offered to other healthcare organizations.
"The healthcare sector requires specific customizations of IT systems for reasons of privacy, quality of care, and reachability," Ahuja said in an interview. "Further, acceptance and usage of new technologies takes significant usage trials and commitment from healthcare organizations. We have decided to not just introduce new technology but to make sure it is vetted in the 'care process' practiced today." According to Ahuja, the plan is to have real UPMC trials with patient usage by end of this year. Alcatel-Lucent will also showcase the platform to other healthcare organizations and develop plans for other trials next year.
Currently, UPMC is using telepresence technology from Polycom in several areas of patient care including pathology, dermatology, stroke, psychiatry, trauma, and wound care. The next-generation telemedicine platform will upgrade the service with the necessary clinical input to ensure a richer and more robust product that fits the workflow of caregivers.
"The new platform will help to coordinate all three types of telehealth (live, store and forward, and home monitoring) into a single offering that is coupled with education and administration, all riding on an integrated telehealth network," said Andrew Watson, VP of UPMC's international and commercial services division. "We believe that almost all clinical services can be positively impacted by telemedicine, which can be used to treat chronic diseases, acute medical issues such as stroke, and for specialist care such as cardiology, endocrinology, and surgery."
Watson also said telemedicine provides UPMC with significant cost savings through increased home care, fewer readmissions, and greater provider efficiency.
The new telemedicine platform will build on the more than $1.3 billion that UPMC has invested over the last five years in health IT. This includes significant investments in electronic medical records and interoperability, a patient Web portal, primary and secondary data centers, and connectivity among UPMC's more than 20 hospitals both regionally and internationally. The telemedicine platform is being developed to leverage and complement these investments.
It is being developed along with Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent's research arm, and expected to be ready for commercial launch in early 2013.
FREE White Paper – Connecting Labs to Physicians’ Electronic Health Records: Effective Strategies for Laboratories to Add Value
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The American healthcare system is in the process of significant change. Healthcare represents the fastest growing segment of our GDP, accounting for 17.3% of expenditures in 2009 and 19.3% projected for 20191, with Medicare and Medicaid representing 35% of that segment. Most metrics and outcome measures indicate that our healthcare system is operating inefficiently and that we are not getting our fair share from our investment. There is a broad consensus that these trends are unsustainable and that a change is mandated. It is generally agreed that health information technology (HIT) must play a significant role in effecting this change.
Health information technologies have been slow to trickle down to physician offices in the United States, and the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) in the U.S. lags significantly when compared to other nations. In the last several years, we have witnessed a major change. Ongoing government initiatives have actively endorsed the use of HIT across the continuum of care.
The Dark Report is happy to offer our readers a chance to download our recently published FREEWhite Paper “Connecting Labs to Physicians’ Electronic Health Records: Effective Strategies for Laboratories to Add Value” at absolutely no charge. This free download will provide readers with a detailed overview adding value connecting labs to physicians’ EHRs. This report will help laboratories to implement solutions that deliver the levels of service and connectivity needed to remain competitive and increase market share.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction — Page 4
Chapter 2. Market Pressures Changing the Business of Healthcare — Page 6
Chapter 3. Stimulus Funding Synopsis — Page 8
Chapter 4. The Path to Meaningful Use — Page 11
Chapter 5. Importance of Laboratory Data — Page 14
Chapter 6. Laboratory Competitive Pressures — Page 17
Chapter 7. Lab-EHR Connectivity Challenges— Page 19
Chapter 8. Advantages of a Partnering Strategy— Page 23
Chapter 9. The Clinical Data Exchange Solution — Page 26
Chapter 10. References — Page 31
Appendices
A-1 About Gai Elhanan, M.D., M.A. — Page 33
A-2 About Mitch Fry — Page 34
A-3 Halfpenny Technologies, Inc.— Page 35
A-4 About DARK DAILY— Page 36
A-5 About The Dark Intelligence Group, Inc., and The Dark Report— Page 37
A-6 About Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management— Page 38
A-7 About Kathleen N. Bowley— Page 40
Terms of Use — Page 44
Aperio Partners with Definiens to Market Definiens Tissue Studio for Advanced Image Analysis
Image analysis is a cutting-edge capability that provides automated quantitative analytical techniques to help pathologists interpret pathology slides, which informs treatment decisions and improves patient care.
Definiens Tissue Studio will be integrated into Aperio’s applications framework and accessible through its Spectrum™ information management system to expand the existing suite of image analysis tools that include Area Quantification, Cell Quantification, Microvessel Analysis, Rare Event Detection and Genie Histology Pattern Recognition. The Spectrum system includes viewing tools and enables the execution of analysis applications in a geographically distributed environment for maximum throughput.
“This alliance furthers our ability to significantly improve intra- and inter-observer agreement and patient care by providing the most scalable and highest performance digital pathology solutions available,” said Dirk G. Soenksen, CEO of Aperio. “We are excited that Definiens recognizes the value of leveraging their leading image analysis software on the industry’s most robust digital pathology platform.”
Definiens Tissue Studio automatically detects regions of interest within a tissue sample and quantifies these regions on a cell-by-cell basis. The detailed quantification enables a large number of standard and user-defined measurements. In addition to classifications such as staining intensity and cell counts, the software quantifies individual cellular morphological characteristics such as circularity, elliptical fit, area, length, width and distance to tumor border to help accurately measure nuclear, cytoplasmic, and membrane biomarkers. Additionally, it allows users to create completely new features offering virtually unlimited quantification related to biomarker expression and tissue morphology.
Aperio users in both healthcare and life sciences will benefit from Definiens Tissue Studio’s fluorescence image analysis capabilities and morphometry tools. Morphometry can provide pathologists with a means to make more educated decisions about a course of treatment, and for determining the relative effect of drug candidates on cells and tissues.
“Digital pathology is becoming an essential technology for increasing productivity and improving treatment decisions,” said Thomas Heydler, CEO of Definiens. “Automated image analysis is the next step in digital pathology, providing clinicians with greater insight into patients’ disease states. Definiens Tissue Studio is a natural fit for Aperio’s platform, and we expect to reach a wide customer base as a result of this partnership.”
Aperio’s digital pathology platform provides a unique combination of instruments, image management software and a patent-protected architecture that allows image analysis partners such as Definiens to offer their applications to the largest and fastest growing installed base (800 systems, including 500 in hospitals and reference labs) of digital pathology customers. Aperio plans to continually expand its capabilities with tools from other suppliers.
Graduating Physicians Opt for Jobs in Hospital-Owned Practices over Private Practices
Courtesy of Dark Daily
Trend could prove unfavorable to independent clinical laboratory companies
More physicians now join hospital-owned practices than any other type of practice. That’s one conclusion reported in a survey conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). This is a trend that may have negative implications for independent clinical laboratory companies and pathology groups that provide medical laboratory testing to office-based physicians.
In the MGMA survey, higher compensation packages offered by hospital-owned practices were cited as one reason why growing numbers of physicians choose a hospital-owned practice. The survey also determined that physicians believe they will have a better chance for reimbursements in hospital-owned practice settings, compared to other practice models.
Meanwhile, first-year compensation packages continue to show wide variation for single-specialty versus multi-specialty practices, as well as between specialists and primary care physicians. It is a bothersome trend, since the proportion of graduating physicians selecting primary care has declined in each year of the past decade.
"Animated Anatomies," Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, Until July 17, 2011
While at the AAHM meeting in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, I met a number of fascinating folks, among them Rachel Ingold, the curator of the History of Medicine Collections at the Duke Medical Center Library & Archives. She was telling me about a wonderful exhibition on flap anatomies (images above) that will be on view there until July of this year; here is what she had to say about it:
Animated Anatomies explores the visually stunning and technically complex genre of printed texts and illustrations known as anatomical flap books. This exhibit traces the flap book genre beginning with early examples from the sixteenth century, to the colorful “golden age” of complex flaps of the nineteenth century, and finally to the common children’s pop-up anatomy books of today. The display—which includes materials from the Rare Book Manuscript and Special Collection Library at Duke University, the Duke Medical Center Library & Archives’ History of Medicine Collections, and from the private collections of the curators of the exhibit—highlights the history of science, medical instruction, and the intricate art of bookmaking.
Through the hands-on process of exposing layer after layer of anatomical illustrations, flap books mimic the act of human dissection, inviting the viewer to participate in a virtual autopsy, so to speak. Whether it’s a sixteenth-century hand-colored treatise on the layers of the eye or a nineteenth-century obstetrical guide in 3-D for performing cesareans, these books draw the viewer in. Over time, as advances in both science and printing promoted more widespread medical kno
wledge, anatomical flap books began to appeal to more general audiences eager to learn about their own bodies’ inner workings. Technological developments in machine printing also allowed for more colorful and precise illustrations than the hand-colored treatises of the early modern period.
A symposium was held on April 18 and we hope to have videos posted from this event soon. To learn more about the symposium, exhibit, see photos of anatomical flap books, and watch videos of them in action, visit the exhibit website. For more information, contact Meg Brown at meg.brown@duke.edu or Rachel Ingold at rachel.ingold@duke.edu. The exhibit will be up through July 17, 2011, and is free and open to the public.
This fantastic looking exhibition will be on display in the Perkins Gallery, Perkins Library, at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, until July 17, 2011, and in the History of Medicine Gallery in the Medical Center and Archives Library from April 13-July 17, 2011. To find out more--or to pay a virtual visit!--check out the exhibition website by clicking here.
Robert Burton’s "The Anatomy of Melancholy" on the BBC
The BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time has just produced an episode about Robert Burton's 17th masterwork The Anatomy of Melancholy; the book is essentially a 17th Century multi-disciplinary investigation of what was then known as melancholy, and, as the BBC describes, brings together "almost two thousand years of scholarship, from Ancient Greek philosophy to seventeenth-century medicine. Melancholy, a condition believed to be caused by an imbalance of the body’s four humours, was characterised by despondency, depression and inactivity. Burton himself suffered from it, and resolved to compile an authoritative work of scholarship on the malady, drawing on all relevant sources."
Can't wait to give this a listen!
You can listen to the episode by clicking here. Found on the Advances in the History of Psychology website; click here to read full post.
Image: Frontspiece to Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy, or The Anatomy of Melancholy, What it is: With all the Kinds, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes, and Several Cures of it. In Three Maine Partitions with their several Sections, Members, and Subsections. Philosophically, Medicinally, Historically, Opened and Cut Up, 1621
Donate to the Making of a 19th Century Disaster Amuseument! The Cosmorama of the Great Dreamland Fire Needs Your Help!
As many of you know, I have been hard at work on an exhibition called The Great Coney Island Spectacularium, which opened just a few weeks ago at The Coney Island Museum (more on that here).
As part of the exhibition, we are--with the help of scenic painters, lighting designers and prop builders from the theater and opera world--in the midst of building a new component for the exhibition, an 19th Century-style panorama/cosmorama that will allow visitors to experience the 1911 complete destruction of Dreamland by fire in an immersive 360 degree sound, sight, and light spectacular. This component is set to premiere on May 27th, the centenary of the disaster, and is inspired by the immersive disaster spectacles so popular in Coney Island around the turn of the century.
Here's the rub: immersive amusements of this sort, as we are learning the hard way, are quite expensive to produce--probably a large reason that they were put out of business by cinema!--and we are, sadly, seriously under budget.
If 19th Century-style immersive spectacles of this sort are the kind of thing you would like to experience, and you would like to help contribute towards making this project a reality, we would be so pleased to welcome your contribution! Tax-deductable donations to Coney Island USA--our mother institution--can be made by clicking here and then hitting the "Donate" button. No amount too small! All donations appreciated.
Whether you are able to donate or not, please mark your calendar for the cosmorama opening party, which will take place on the centenary of the great disaster on Friday, May 27th, 2011. Or, come experience it later; The Comorama and the rest of The Spectacularium will be on view to the public at the Coney Island Museum until April 29th, 2012.
You can find out more about The Cosmorama by clicking here. You can join our mailing list to get updates about the opening party and other events by entering your email under "events mailing list" on the upper right hand side of the webpage. You can join our Facebook group by clicking here.
Thanks, and see you at Coney!
Joanna
"The Immortalization Commission: Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death," John Gray
...“The Immortalization Commission” is a fascinating piece of intellectual history, exploring the intersection of science, religion, mysticism and a kind of philosophical curiosity that made the early 20th century so much more intellectually dynamic, so much more open-minded and eclectic, so much more magical than either philosophy or science is today. If contemporary god-builders — seeking to stave off death with blue-green algae, Bikram yoga and cryogenics — are more crass and materialistic than those in Gray’s story, ultimately they fail to appreciate the same point: that life seems to get much of its meaning from the fact that it ends. --The Scientific Revolt Against Death, review of John Gray's The Immortalization Commission, The New York Times Book Review
You can read the entire review of John Gray's fascinating The Immortalization Commission: Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death in today's New York Times by clicking here. You can find out more about the book--and purchase a copy--by clicking here.
Thanks, Aaron, for sending this review my way.
Image: Getty Images, captions reads:The search for eternal life: Even Charles Darwin hedged his bets and attended a seance; found at The Daily Mail.
Morbid Anatomy Library Seeking Volunteer(s)!
The Brooklyn-based Morbid Anatomy Library is currently seeking a volunteer to watch over the library on Saturdays from 12-6, do a bit of book cataloging, and take on assorted odd jobs. The position would begin the weekend of May 21-22; Class credit can be worked out if applicable.
For those who have not yet visited, the Library (see photo above) is an open-to-the-public research library and private collection housing books, photographs, artworks, ephemera, and artifacts relating to medical museums, anatomical art, cabinets of curiosity, death and dying, arcane media, collectors and collecting, and curiosity and curiosities broadly considered. You can find out more information about the library here.
If interested, please email me at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com.
Thanks!
Above photo of the library by Shannon Taggart.
University of Chicago’s Robotic Library Makes Your Librarian Obsolete [Video]
Tomorrow, The University of Chicago will be changing how their students will be doing their research papers. The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library will use a massive automated retrieval system, turning the whole library experience on it's head. More »
Peril, promise in induced stem cells – USA Today
 USA Today | Peril, promise in induced stem cells USA Today "Science, in the very act of solving problems, creates more ," wrote educator Abraham Flexner, the father of the modern medical school. Induced stem cells (upper left) spontaneously grew into gut cells (upper right), ... |
The Dawning of Protein-based Circuits
Engineers have discovered a process that could change the way microchips are made. The process involves microscopic wiring circuits made of copper insulated by proteins called microtubules. Using this biological assembly, the structure of atoms and molecules can be controlled, pushing the developmen
New Strides Toward Better Clocks, Accurate to One Second in 32 Billion Years [Republished]
The slightest whisper of warmth induces miscalculations in the world's most precise atomic clock, researchers say. Accounting for this effect can make future clocks even more precise, eventually leading to atomic clocks that lose only one second every 32 billion years - about two and a half times the age of the universe itself. More »
