Nano-sized objects that swim: One way to deliver nanomedicines is to inject particles directly into target tissue or infuse them into the blood stream for systemic administration. The other approach is to develop particles that can move or swim through a medium. That is the hope of scientists from University of Bordeaux who developed a new propulsion system for nanoparticles, based on a property of metallic objects to grow on one end while dissolving on the other.
American Medical Association opens news service to public: After more than five years, when still young medical blogs have joined forces to stop the American Medical Association from sequestering its news to members only, the organization has finally realized that information wants to be free, and that its in-house news organ should be scrutinized by the general public. So, the AMA now asks “journalists, bloggers, policy experts” to come and visit AMedNews.com.
Economist proposes resistance index for bacteria: At a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta last week, health economist Ramanan Laxminarayan proposed a simpler system than what is used currently for tracking antimicrobial resistance in different countries. The new system would allow comparisons between different geographic regions and an easier way to track changes over time. Laxminarayan and others think the current method of tracking resistance — reporting individual microbe’s resistance to individual drugs — is too complicated to accurately describe to policy makers and the public.
Solar powered blood pressure device tested in rural Africa: The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reported on a study evaluating Omron’s solar powered blood pressure meter in remote parts of Uganda and Zambia. Apparently, 15 minutes of training of local healthcare staff resulted in 94 percent accurate blood pressure readings.
A weekly roundup of new developments in medical technology, by MedGadget.com.