Posts by: Jan Sinnige

Five Questions for Dr. Paul Walker of Spectral Diagnostics

by Jan Sinnige on May 17, 2012

Sepsis is a huge problem, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives a year in the US alone. A Toronto, Canada-based startup Spectral Diagnostics Inc. is developing a promising technology to decrease morbidity and mortality of patients with sepsis. The company’s proprietary technology is integrated into Toraymyxin, a hemoperfusion adsorption column which is highly effective in removing circulating endotoxin from the bloodstream. Furthermore, Spectral Diagnostics has also developed the Endotoxin Activity Assay (EAA) – the only FDA cleared, CE marked rapid diagnostic for endotoxemia. According to a company representative, in 2009 interim results of a Phase II study were published in JAMA demonstrating that “Toraymyxin, when added to conventional therapy, significantly reduced 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, compared to patients only receiving conventional therapy. Due to these positive results, that trial was terminated early and a Phase III pivotal multicenter study has been launched in the U.S. and Canada.” To find out more about this technology and its future, we had a chance to conduct an interview with Dr. Paul Walker, President and CEO of Spectral Diagnostics.

Dr. Jan Sinnige, Medgadget: Spectral Diagnostics recently started a phase three randomized controlled trial on Polymyxin B Hemoperfusion. What are the expectations according to the phase two results?

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Sensiotec Showcases Virtual Medical Assistant, a New Wireless Non-Contact Monitoring System

by Jan Sinnige on May 2, 2012

Sensiotec Inc. (Atlanta, GA) is presenting a new non-contact vital signs monitoring system at the 2012 conference of the American Telemedicine Association in San Jose. The Virtual Medical Assistant uses the ultra wideband, a former military high frequency band, to detect movements from the heart, lungs and torso. Using a specific algorithm, the detected absorption rates can be transformed into vital signs data. The server can transmit patient data to any number of nursing stations, personal computers, cell phones, tablets and pagers simultaneously.

A nice feature for developers is the server architecture that provides an API (Application Programming Interface) based on standard web technologies. This makes it possible to easily build new clients or create interfaces with all other types of software applications.

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Bruker Extends MALDI Biotyper Library to Cover Mycobacteria and Fungi

by Jan Sinnige on Apr 19, 2012

Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany, announced extension of the microbial coverage of the MALDI Biotyper system for mass spectrometry-based microbial identification at the ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) in London. New reference libraries and protocols for mycobacteria and multicellular fungi will extend the microbial coverage of the MALDI Biotyper.

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry enables molecular identification, and taxonomical classification of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved  using proteomic fingerprinting. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control.

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Autworks: A Web-Based Tool to Diagnose Autism

by Jan Sinnige on Apr 19, 2012

Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder usually takes lots of time. Children and their parents have to complete large questionnaires along with interviews with psychiatrists before treatment can start.

In the latest issue of Nature Translational Psychiatry, researchers from the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School published a new algorithm to detect autism much quicker. They developed a web-based tool to complete these questionnaires and tested the contribution of each survey question individually to diagnose the autism disorder. They found that only seven questions were sufficient for an accurate diagnosis. The new smaller set of questions can be answered online and submitted together with a short home video of the patient. This procedure could reduce the time for autism diagnosis from hours to minutes, and could be integrated into routine child screening practices.

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Bedside Genetic Test to Predict Complications in Cardiac Stent Patients

by Jan Sinnige on Mar 30, 2012

Researchers from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute published the results of a bedside genetic test in The Lancet today. The study demonstrates one of the first point of care tests for personalized medicine. A simple cheek swab test performed by nurses at the patient’s bedside rapidly identifies a genetic variant known as CYP2C19*2. Cardiac stent patients with this variant are at risk of reacting poorly to standard antiplatelet therapy with Clopidogrel.

The genetic testing successfully protected all of the patients with the at-risk genetic variant from subsequent adverse events, while 30% of patients treated with standard therapy did not receive adequate protection.

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New In-The-Canal Hearing Aid by Siemens

by Jan Sinnige on Mar 29, 2012

Siemens released a new hearing aid at the AudiologyNOW! conference of the American Academy of Audiology being held in Boston these days. The new device can be placed discretely deep in the ear canal. A replaceable foam cylinder makes it possible to position the aid directly in front of the eardrum. Two different performance levels are available, for light and mild hearing loss.

The hearing aid is equipped with XCEL technology which manages the balance between speech amplification and background noise. The algorithms in the technology facilitate easy listening even for inexperienced hearing-aid wearers without overwhelming their ears with new unfamiliar sounds. Speech remains clear and comprehensible, while the sound quality can be adjusted to the individual wants and needs of the wearer. The XCEL technology is also available in the following hearing aids upon market launch: Motion SX, Motion P, Pure and Pure Carat.

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Olympus Next-Generation Gastrointestinal Endoscopy System Is HDTV Compatible

by Jan Sinnige on Mar 26, 2012

Olympus Medical Systems Corp., Tokyo, Japan, will release the EVIS EXERA III platform, a next-generation video endoscopy system.

The new system has been designed for higher image quality and all models, except the GIF-XP190N upper slim gastroscope, are HDTV compatible.

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Small Desktop CT Scanner for Teaching Imaging Techniques

by Jan Sinnige on Mar 19, 2012

Researchers at Western University, in London, Canada, have developed a CT scanner small enough to sit on a desk in the classroom. The DeskCAT Multi-slice CT Scanner is a novel and interactive tool to teach CT imaging techniques to students. Rather than using x-rays, the DeskCAT educational scanner uses visible light rays to form multiple views of a transparent sample. The mathematical method of reconstructing the 3D picture of the specimen’s interior from many views through the object, is identical to that used in the full-scale clinical x-ray system.

Jerry Battista, Professor in Medical Biophysics, commented in the press release:

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New Line of Dental Laser Surgery Devices Cuts With a Spray of Water

by Jan Sinnige on Mar 13, 2012

BIOLASE Technology, Inc. (Irvine, CA), introduced a new line of all-tissue lasers, the Waterlase MDX, at the annual Chicago Dental Society Winter Meeting.  Two models of the Waterlase MDX are available. The 8-watt Waterlase MDX 300 improves on BIOLASE’s time-tested Waterlase MD platform with an updated user interface, a new laser engine and a new lightweight and more flexible titanium fiber cable. The Waterlase MDX 450 increases the power output to 9-watts and cuts hard-tissue up to 70 percent faster than the Waterlase MDX 300, but is still approximately 40 percent slower than the Waterlase iPlus.

Most periodontal lasers cut tissue using heat. The Waterlase MD combines laser energy and a spray of water to cut soft tissue and bone without heat. In soft tissue mode, the laser energy penetrates into tissues to seal blood vessels as it cuts, providing hemostasis, which in turn provides a better field of vision during surgery.

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