Latest innovations!
NATIONAL CLINICAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE JOINTLY FORMED BY APOLLO HOSPITALS AND MICROSOFT
India has a huge disease burden owing to cardio-vascular diseases and two giant renowned working groups in their field of work, the Apollo hospitals Group and Microsoft India back in 2018 introduced the first ever AI-powered CVD Risk Score Application Program Interface (API), specifically intended to estimate the risk of cardiac diseases in the Indian population. The API built on Microsoft Azure seeks to determine a more precise CVD risk rating for the population of India taking into consideration various risk factors like lifestyle characteristics such as diet, smoking, preference for tobacco, physical stress and anxiety and level of physical activity. Taking a step forward, recently Microsoft India and Apollo Hospitals Group have joined hands to set up a National Clinical Coordination Committee for AIPowered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score API AS PART OF Microsoft’s AI network for Healthcare initiatives. The coordination committee will assist the key team of both the Apollo group and Microsoft by offering advice on all artificial intelligence projects related to cardiovascular issues and cardiology. The committee also aims to provide insights into the development of clinical algorithms and instructions for therapy which will be based on the results of potential domestic, multi-center research.
SOURCE: www.healthtechnology.in
NEW BLOOD TEST CAN DETECT LIVER DAMAGE UNDER AN HOUR
Liver disease is the third biggest cause of premature mortality in the United Kingdom and is one of the leading causes of death which is on the rise. Also, almost half of adults in western countries face an increased risk of liver disease due to overweight or heavy drinking. The problem is that liver disease goes unnoticed until late stages of the disease where the damage to the liver is irreversible. So, it becomes imperative to look for a diagnostic technique that is quick, robust and reliable in detection of liver disease. Keeping this in mind a study supported by the Royal Society, the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre and conducted by researchers from UCL, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Glasgow and iQur Ltd was conducted and resultantly a fast and robust blood test was designed and developed that can detect damage of liver before symptoms appear.
The results of the test have been verified using clinical samples by a team from UCL and University of Massachusetts. The study is published in Advanced Materials wherein lies the description of the new method of detecting liver fibrosis which is the first stage of liver scarring that leads to fatal liver failure if left unchecked and undiagnosed from a blood sample in 30- 45 minutes. For the blood test, researchers have designed a sensor that uses polymers which are coated with fluorescent dyes that bind to blood proteins based on their chemical properties. The dyes change in colour and brightness giving a different pattern of fluorescence depending on the blood sample’s protein composition. The results from small blood samples equivalent to finger-prick check from 65 people were then compared in three groups of healthy patients and those with early-stage and late-stage fibrosis. The groups were determined using Enhanced Liver Fibrosis Test. The sensor could detect different patterns of protein levels in the blood serum of people in the three groups.
The sensor array identified a ‘fingerprint’ of liver damage known as a chemical nose as it recognises the difference between healthy and unhealthy blood samples without relying on disease markers. The sensing strategy uses a very versatile signature-based approach that is not disease- specific, as it is applicable to wide range of conditions. This feature opens up the possibility of diagnostic systems that can track one’s health status, providing both disease detection and the monitoring of wellness. 80% of the time the test could differentiate between fibrotic samples from healthy samples and 60% of the time the test could distinguish between mild-moderate fibrosis and severe fibrosis. The researchers intend to use this test on much larger sample size very soon owing to its accuracy and reliability in the current scenario. The aim is to bring in this technique on a routine basis in GP surgeries and hospital clinics to conduct screening of people who face an elevated risk of liver disease at an early stage. The test is simple, low cost and robust.
SOURCE: Economic Times
AUTOMATED ROBOTIC DEVICE DEVELOPED FOR FASTER BLOOD TESTING
Researchers in the Biomedical Research team at Rutgers University have developed an automated robotic device for faster blood testing. The fully automated device consists of an image-guided robot which draws blood from veins, a sample-handling module and a centrifuge-based blood analyser. This blood drawing and testing device provides rapid and accurate results and has created a potential to improve workflows in hospitals and other healthcare related facilities, thereby allowing healthcare practitioners to spend more time in treating patients. The device can be used at bedsides or in ambulances, emergency areas, doctors’ offices and clinics. The study related to the device is published in the journal Technology
SOURCE: news.rutgers.edu
MAKE IN INDIA INNOVATION – A PEDIATRIC PERIMETER
Presently in India there is no specific perimeter device to measure the field of vision in infants, resultantly most of the defects in the eyes arising during infancy get detected only in adulthood. To cater to this deficiency scientists at L.V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad have developed an advanced device to measure the field of vision of infants. The device is named “Pediatric Perimeter” which can be used for testing the eyesight of infants between two and twelve months by measuring the area of vision and the reaction time of infants. The perimeter consists of a hemispherical dome which is fitted with LEDs in all directions that are controlled using a computer program. The baby is placed inside the dome in a lying down position and then his/her head and eye movements are monitored by an infrared camera mounted on the top of the dome when LEDs are randomly switched on. The duration of conducting the test ranges from 6-10 minutes. The time taken for an infant to look at the LED after it is switched on is known as the reaction time which when measured helps to identify infants with developmental delay. Healthy infants react within 380 milliseconds and those with developmental delay took 663 milliseconds. To measure the area of vision, the LED was switched along the dome starting from the left and right sides to the centre and also from front to back. The camera then monitored the infants gaze and degree of eye movements along with the reaction time was calculated to identify visual field defects.
Validation of the device was done using adults with normal vision and those with retinal defects and glaucoma. The study is published in Transational Vision Science and Technology.
SOURCE: www.thehindu.com
SMART BANDAGE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT YOUR INJURIES
Researchers at Tufts University, Massachusetts and other higher educational institutions have been working on and been able to make a prototype smart bandage that can not only keep track of how well a wound is healing but also deliver drugs directly into the injury site only when they are needed. The bandage consists of sensors to monitor a number of markers showing that how well a wound is healing along with a drug delivery mechanism. All is in a form factor that is flexible enough to be wrapped around a wound. The smart bandage promises to cleaner wounds and better healthcare outcomes. This bandage is first of its kind ‘sense-then-respond’ type bandage whose sensors detect subtle biomarkers that signal healing of wounds. The device comes with a microprocessor to read the data captured by the sensors, communicate with the mobile and also direct the bandage to release medication, if required. The device senses whether wound is getting enough oxygen, does it have the right Ph, what is the temperature near the wound and if there is any inflammation around the wound and then this information is communicated to a central processor where the physician already has programmed drug release incase antibiotic or growth factor is to be given for improve healing.
SOURCE: www.digitaltrends.com
BUREAU JEEVTRONICS
Cardiac arrest is one of the most common non-communicable diseases that can happen to anybody, anywhere at any given point of time and use of defibrillator is the answer to contain the situation of cardiac emergency. Unfortunately, there are many geographical areas in India and the world where electricity is still not available 24*7 and 365 days a year. In this scenario India’s death rate due to sudden cardiac arrest is 3 to 4 times that of developed countries. To cater to this problem of non-availability of electricity and fulfil the need to use technology, a social and technology venture “Jeevtronics”, Pune-based social enterprise has developed the world’s first dual powered bi-phasic (grid electricity based + hand cranked) defibrillator which works in areas without electricity. The USP of the device is it’s cost effectiveness, affordability and availability in underdeveloped and rural areas. The device is surely an answer to improve access to defibrillators to a huge portion of the world which does not have electricity
SOURCE: Press Information
Composed by Dr. Avantika Batish
