Researchers at NUI Galway have developed a super-sized model of a heart valve which may lead to a new generation of cardiovsacular devices.
Every year, mechanical valves are inserted into approximately 125,000 patients with heart valve disease around the world. However, the valves can lead to unnatural blood flows, which can trigger a clotting reaction. Because of this, patients with prosthetic heart valves must take medication daily, which can lead to side effects.
The smell of burnt flesh rises in the operating theatre and the smoke from vaporised tissue is sucked away. But these fumes are diverted into a machine that tells the surgeon exactly what is being cut into, guiding the rest of the operation. This is “smart surgery“, and it holds the potential to transform medicine. This is the first NMR spectrometer in the world which does the work of a histologist.who identifies the tissue being cut/taken out.
For people with memory-degrading conditions like Alzheimer’s, it’s not always easy, or even possible, to remember to take one’s medicine. Yet forgetting to take your meds-or perhaps worse, forgetting that you already took them and doubling up-can derail a dosage schedule and in worse cases be detrimental to your health. So a couple of University of Texas students have come up with a smart digital system that helps the forgetful among us remember to pop our pills and verifies visually that we’ve done so.
By the students’ own admission their Project Smart Pill Box is somewhat rudimentary, which in certain respects is an advantage because the only hardware it requires is a computer and a Web cam, two pieces of technology that are already present in most homes these days.
With telepresence robots serving as stand-ins, there’s no reason for sick kids to miss school. Some children may prefer to skip class, of course, but for those with serious immune system disorders, telepresence ‘bots are a lifeline to the outside world.For the past three weeks, a new telepresence robot has allowed Knox City, Texas, high school freshman Lyndon Baty to interact with classmates, attend lectures and feel like a regular student. He suffers from polycystic kidney disease and had a kidney transplant at age 7. He attended school until last year, but when he started showing signs of transplant rejection, he was forced to stay home because of his suppressed immune system. He wears a surgical mask and must avoid almost all social interactions just to stay healthy.
In December, school district officials heard about the Vgo telepresence robot, a new platform released last year,
International Conference on Biomaterials Implant Devices And Tissue Engineering 
