Older individuals who are unable to recognize common olfactory stimuli are more prone to decline in functions of conscious intellectual activity such as memory, thought, and reasoning. This was revealed in the findings of a study by investigator Wilson SR and team from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, published in the July 2007 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

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Researchers from the University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children have evaluated the efficacy of HRC 101, a human hemoglobin-based red blood cell substitute developed by Hemosol, Canada, on mice genetically engineered to mimic human sickle cell disease. They compared the effect of the product on mice that received HRC-101 with placebo received control groups by subjecting them to hypoxic conditions. The artificial oxygen carrier helped the mice tolerate the one-hour period of low-oxygen conditions better, with the HRC101 treated mice showing about five times longer tolerance than the placebo treated mice with sickle disease.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Devices advisory panel has recommended the approval of Medtronic’s Bryan® Cervical Disc subject to certain conditions. The panel’s recommendation is based on a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, the results of which demonstrated that Bryan® Cervical Discs achieved statistical superiority in terms of “overall success”, compared to the traditional fusion control procedure, in the treatment of degenerative cervical disc disease.

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Researchers working on the HIV virus have found an explanation for the ability of some infected individuals to fight the virus more efficiently than other infected individuals. According to the study findings, the body’s initial response to HIV infection determines the ability of the virus to infect the individual’s immune system.

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A recent study by researchers at the Pennsylvania state university has shown that pre-teen kids who preferred to indulge in more activities in the evenings, than in the mornings, are likely to experience more behavioral issues, including undesirable conduct, attention disorders and breaking rules, during adolescence.

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William F. Walker, Associate Professor, and Francesco Viola, Research Associate, along with a graduate student Michael Ellis, at the University of Virginia Engineering School, have developed an advanced imaging algorithm that improves resolution of images in ultrasound. The biomedical engineering team has come up with an innovative method of signal processing, which can be used in a wide range of imaging and sensing systems, apart from its use in medical ultrasounds.

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Touch Bionics, a Scotland based firm, has launched the world’s first, fully articulating, bionic hand, i-LIMB Hand, which is now commercially available for patient use. The i-LIMB Hand is a prosthetic device with five individually powered fingers, manufactured using high-strength plastic, and resembles a real human hand in terms of both look and function.

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Researchers Hellgren and colleagues from the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Vision, St Erik Eye Hospital, in Stockholm, Sweden, have found that visual impairment found in very low birth weight (VLBW) individuals are due to abnormalities in the brain.

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Consuming more cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, reduces the risk of developing aggressive forms of prostate cancer, according to a research article published in the July 2007 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Genetically modified Herpes simplex virus, NV1020, is effective in treating metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the results of an ongoing clinical trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Conference. Dr. Axel Mescheder, the Head of Clinical Research and Development at MediGene, presented the safety and efficacy results of the study conducted at seven leading US-cancer centers.

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