Narrow Results

We used the particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) spectrometry to perform elemental analysis of liver biopsy materials from patients with three different kinds of liver diseases; acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. We compared the Cu/Fe and Zn/Fe concentration ratios in these different liver diseases. There was no significant difference in the ratios because of the kind of liver disease. However, we found a positive correlation between the Cu/Fe concentration ratio and both serum GOT (glutamate oxalacetic transaminase) and GPT (glutamate pyruvate transaminase) levels in 14 patients with liver diseases.

Objective: To present clinical experience on matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI), we hereby reported treatment with MACI for 3 patients suffering from chondral lesion of the knee, each of them has been followed for a minimum of 10 months.

Methods: Ages of 3 patients were 25, 15 and 32 years old respectively. And the cartilage defect size ranged from 6cm²-10.5cm²). IKDC2000 score was used for knee functional evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. A biopsy of the regenerated cartilage from one patient was histologically evaluated 15 months after MACI.

Results: In the postoperative period, no associated complications were observed. Each patient showed improvements both in clinical and functional status after surgery. MRI and arthroscopy showed the presence of hyaline-like cartilage at the site of implantation. The cartilage biopsy on the first patient showed a high ratio of hyaline-like cartilage tissue to fibrocartilage tissue which was 2 to 1.

Conclusion: The clinical outcome and histological evaluation suggest that MACI is able to relieve pain and restore the function of the knee, also is capable of regenerating hyaline cartilage. In conclusion, MACI appears a promising method for the treatment of chondral defects of the knee.

AUSTRALIA – Well-known antibiotic amoxycillin found to be ineffective cough treatment.

AUSTRALIA – Bring the noise: has technology made us scared of silence?

INDIA – Biocon receives marketing authorization for novel biologic itolizumab for psoriasis.

ISRAEL – Aspireo reports Somatoprim Phase Ib interim data.

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JAPAN – Eisai signs agreement with Epizyme and Roche Molecular Systems to develop companion diagnostic.

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UNITED KINGDOM – ARIAD and the U.K. National Cancer Research Institute to collaborate on SPIRIT 3 clinical study.

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UNITED STATES – CoDa Therapeutics reports positive results from Phase IIb Study of NEXAGON® in chronic venous leg ulcers.

UNITED STATES – Inovio Pharmaceuticals to initiate clinical trial for its hepatitis C therapeutic vaccine later this year.

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UNITED STATES – Can a new vaccine prevent colon cancer?

UNITED STATES – Immunovaccine's DPX-Survivac produces sustained, dose related immune responses in Phase I ovarian cancer study.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death in men. Prostate interventions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) benefits from high tissue contrast if compared to other imaging modalities. The Minimally Invasive Robotics In An MRI environment (MIRIAM) robot is an MRI-compatible system able to steer different types of needles towards a point of interest using MRI guidance. However, clinicians can be reluctant to give the robot total control of the intervention. This work integrates a haptic device in the MIRIAM system to allow input from the clinician during the insertion. A shared control architecture is achieved by letting the clinician control the insertion depth via the haptic device, while the robotic system controls the needle orientation. The clinician receives haptic feedback based on the insertion depth and tissue characteristics. Four control laws relating the motion of the master robot (haptic device) to the motion of the slave robot (MIRIAM robot) are presented and evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative results from 20 human subjects demonstrate that the squared-velocity control law is the most suitable option for our application. Additionally, a pre-operative target localization algorithm is presented in order to provide the robot with the target location. The target localization and reconstruction algorithm are validated in phantom and patient images with an average dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.78. The complete system is validated through experiments by inserting a needle towards a target within the MRI scanner. Four human subjects perform the experiment achieving an average targeting error of 3.4mm.

This work presents a robotic tool with bidirectional manipulation and control capabilities for targeted prostate biopsy interventions. Targeted prostate biopsy is an effective image-guided technique that results in the detection of significant cancer with fewer cores and a lower number of unnecessary biopsies compared to systematic biopsy. The robotic tool comprises a compliant flexure section fabricated on a nitinol tube that enables bidirectional bending via actuation of two internal tendons, and a biopsy mechanism for extraction of tissue samples. The kinematic and static models of the compliant flexure section, as well as teleoperated and automated control of the robotic tool are presented and validated with experiments. It was shown that the controller can force the tip of the robotic tool to follow sinusoidal set-point positions with reasonable accuracy in air and inside a phantom tissue. Finally, the capability of the robotic tool to bend, reach targeted positions inside a phantom tissue, and extract a biopsy sample is evaluated.