Technology
NIH Partners With Industry To Create New Living Lab For Research Into Molecular Structures That Can Affect Disease
A new type of lab has been created to utilize near-atomic resolution microscopy and other structural biology technologies to help accelerate important medical discoveries relating to global health challenges, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. The Living Lab Structural Biology Center was formed through a cooperative research and development agreement between the National Institutes of Health and FEI, Hillsboro, Ore., a scientific instruments company.
The lab, which will be located on the NIH campus, is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration among experts from FEI and scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), both part of the NIH, in the fields of cryo-electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and biochemistry. A Titan Krios transmission electron microscope, one of the world's most powerful commercially-available electron microscopes, will be located at NIH to enable the collaborative research.
Pedestrian injuries sustained while wearing headphones have tripled
[Headphone use and pedestrian injury and death in the United States 2004-2011 Online First 2012 doi10.1136/injuryprev-2011-040161]
The number of cases of serious injury sustained while walking along the street, wearing headphones for a handheld device, such as an iPod or MP3 player, has tripled in six years, shows US research published online in Injury Prevention.
Those affected are predominantly teens and young adults, the figures show.
The researchers mined data from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Google news archives and a university research database, looking for information on injuries and deaths among pedestrians wearing headphones.
All cases arising in the US between January 2004 and June 2011 were included, and those involving mobile/cell phones, including hands-free devices, were excluded.
Lubricant in Metal-On-Metal Hip Implants Found to Be Graphite, Not Proteins
Discovery May Lead to Hips That Function Better and Last Longer
CHICAGO - A team of engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint’s normal wear and tear.
Researchers from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the University of Duisburg-Essen Germany found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint.
A "Fantastic Voyage" Through the Body -- with Precision Control
TAU researcher develops capsule endoscope controlled by MRI to investigate digestive system
A prototype of the "capsule" being tested at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston.
Tel Aviv - December 2011 - Endoscopes — small cameras or optic fibres that are usually attached to flexible tubing designed to investigate the interior of the body — can be dangerously invasive. Procedures often require sedative medications and some recovery time. Now a researcher at Tel Aviv University is developing a "capsule endoscope" that can move through the digestive tract to detect problems independent of any attachments.
