“This tool gives us a treatment for patients with tumors that were previously deemed inoperable,” says Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, assistant professor of neurological surgery and of neurobiology. “It offers hope to certain patients who had few or no options before.”
The tool is an MRI-guided high-intensity laser probe that “cooks” cancer cells deep within the brain, while leaving surrounding brain tissue undamaged.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the third hospital in the United States to have the device.
Ralph G. Dacey Jr., MD, chief of neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine, and Leuthardt used the new system for the first time last month in a procedure on a patient with a recurrent brain tumor located deep in the brain.
The discovery of a chemical given the unassuming name "LJ001" could mark the beginning of a new era of medicine. Because it attacks virus membranes, LJ001 may form the basis for treating a variety of ills, from annoying cases of flu to deadly outbreaks of Ebola, to HIV and many other viral killers, without any serious side effects.
First the genome; now the proteome. China has already established a leading position in DNA sequencing through the work of the BGI in Shenzhen (formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute), which has been generating eye-catching genomics discoveries for the past few years (see Nature 464, 22–24; 2010). This week, Chinese researchers are set to announce initiatives that could put them at the forefront of international efforts to catalogue and characterize all proteins in the human body
A FEW years ago, 17-year-old Christopher Simmons was convicted of breaking into Shirley Crook’s house in St Louis, Missouri, tying her up and throwing her off a bridge. The evidence was overwhelming and Simmons confessed to the murder. When the jury recommended a death sentence, Simmons’s defence referred to scientific papers that suggested a the brain of a typical 17-year-old was not yet fully mature. Not only did Simmons escape the death penalty, the US Supreme Court changed the law so that only those over 18 can face death row.
When bodily fluids such as blood are tested for infectious diseases and unhealthy protein levels, they’re typically mixed with antibodies or other biological reactants to produce a positive or negative reaction. Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) have now come up with an alternative testing system that they claim is just as accurate, but much simpler, quicker and cheaper. It utilizes LED lights and simple microelectronic amplifiers, and actually uses the sample itself as a diagnostic tool. Because it integrates the sample into the process, inventors Antonia Garcia and John Schneider call their device the Integrascope.
A drop of blood, saliva, urine or other fluid is placed on the Integrascope’s superhydrophobic viewing surface, which repels liquid and thus causes the drop to bead up. A spherical depression in the surface holds the drop in place. A drop of liquid containing nanoparticles or microparticles is then placed on top of the sample drop, the two mixing together into one big drop. more>>>
The so-called superbug gene has so far been identified in 37 people who returned to Great Britain after undergoing surgery in India or Pakistan, researchers said.
British researchers reported that the new gene, called NDM-1, can be easily be transferred into common bacteria such as E. Coli, according to the article. The gene alters bacteria, making them resistant to nearly all known antibiotics.
“Most of modern medicine is based on the notion that antibiotics will work. If you no longer knew antibiotics worked, you couldn’t do as much surgery, chemotherapy, transplantation,” said Dr. Martin Blaser, chairman of the department of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center. “Antibiotics are part of the foundation of modern medical care.”
According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, about two percent of Americans – more than six million people – have some form of paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury, which is due primarily to the interruption of connections between the brain and spinal cord. Such paralysis and loss of function has long been considered untreatable, but a new approach has, for the first time, induced robust regeneration of nerve connections that control voluntary movement, showing the potential for new therapeutic approaches to paralysis and other motor function impairments and offering hope to sufferers. more>>>
Scientist Paul Wooley has regrown a section of bone in a mammal’s leg, a breakthrough he and collaborators say will revolutionize bone medicine worldwide. It will dramatically improve treatment for wounded soldiers and many of the tens of thousands of people seriously injured in traffic accidents every year, he said; it could make many future amputations unnecessary. more>>>
Scientists have found an important step in the creation of new red blood cells.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that a tiny fragment of ribonucleic acid (RNA), a chemical cousin of DNA, prompts stem cells to mature into red blood cells. The researchers also created an artificial RNA inhibitor to block this process. more>>>
On Friday April 23, 2010 the first Trans-oral endoscopic surgical procedure using a DaVinci Robotic System was performed in the Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery by Dr. Lisa Shnayder. Dr. Shnayder and her team are the first Head and Neck surgeons in the region to use the DaVinci robot technology for the treatment of benign and small cancerous tumors (T1 and T2).
Endoscopic instruments are carefully inserted through the mouth, without making any outside incisions. The use of a 3D camera provides a highly magnified view of the operating field, allowing the surgeon to remove cancer with a precise margin of a healthy tissue. This gradual technique preserves healthy tissues of the mouth and throat as well as their function including swallowing, breathing and voice production.
These are some of the benefits of the transoral robotic surgery which have been confirmed by 5-year-long research trials in human patients:
* Significantly less blood loss
* No visible scars
* Fewer patients require tracheotomy
* Eliminate or decrease the dose of radiation therapy
* Shorter hospital stay
* Fast recovery and return to normal speech and swallowing
Scientists have successfully tested a system that translates brain waves into speech, raising the prospect that people left mute by stroke, Lou Gehrig’s disease and other afflictions will one day be able to communicate by synthetic voice.
The system was tested on a 26-year-old man left paralyzed by a brain stem stroke, but with his consciousness and cognitive abilities intact. The condition is known as “locked-in syndrome.” In this condition, communication by eye movement or other limited motion is possible, but extremely cumbersome. more>>>
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Blogging the Singularity Bloggers:
Chris Williamson: Filmmaker, science enthusiast, and futurist concerned with the accelerating nature of technological growth and where it's headed. He is currently studying for his MFA in Film Production.
Frank Whittemore: As an IT professional since 1961, the accelerating change of technology is not news to him but the wonder will never cease! Be sure check out Frank's blog about Life Extension!
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for more information on adult stem cells. 
for more information about the book “Total Recall”, published by Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell. 
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