Zindel Segal, who is based at the center, carried out a study comparing mindfulness based therapy and maintenance anti-depressant therapy with some interesting results. 166 random patients between the ages of 18 and 65 who suffered from major depressive disorders, were invited to testing at two outpatient centres in Canada. Three groups were created – one who were treated with mindfulness based cognitive therapy, one with antidepressant maintenance therapy and third with a placebo. The patients who received cognitive therapy continued with their normal use of antidepressants and attended eight weekly group sessions.

The treatment effects on the 51% of patients who were assessed as unstable remitters at the end of the study were examined. The findings stated that the two groups who received treatment had a reduced risk of relapse whereas the placebo group had no change. Relapse rates were 28% for mindfulness cognitive therapy, 27% for antidepressant maintenance therapy and 71% for the group who received a placebo.  ”For patients whose acute-phase remission was marked by periodic symptom flurries, discontinuing antidepressants and receiving cognitive therapy, or continuing with antidepressants significantly lowered relapse/recurrence risk compared with discontinuation to placebo” was stated in the report.

This findings are in line with findings in previous studies regarding remission however, it was decided that further study is needed before a conclusive result can be found.

The findings are not conclusive enough as yet to advocate the addition of probiotics in infant formula and they definitely should not be administered to children with serious illnesses. This information is included in a report published recently in Pediatrics journal by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Companies have long claimed that natural bacteria found in the intestinal tract can be enhanced by probiotic pills and dairy products, resulting in a healthier immune and digestive system. The new report covers a summary of the findings found in the recent tests, which suggest that probiotics may help children suffering from minor complaints such as diarrhoea caused by a virus or by taking antibiotics.

This claim may well be further substantiated by future research but one warning is clear: children who are receiving intravenous medication or who have compromised immune systems should not use probiotics due to the increased risk of infection.

The study, published in this month’s issue of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, shows a vaccine which is delivered nasally and has been proven to combat the spread of rotavirus in mice. Testing has shown that this new method can safely be used for tetanus and is currently being tested with other immunisations such as diphteria. Without the need for refrigeration that current vaccines have, this new method would greatly reduce the cost involved in immunising people in developing countries. Availability in the form of nasal drops makes it more easily transportable and negates the need for a sterile environment. It also makes the lack of trained personnel less of a problem.

“In addition to being heat-stable and low-cost, the B. subtilis vaccines are given in the form of nasal drops or spray. A needle-free approach to vaccination is particularly advantageous in developing countries where clean needles and syringes and trained personnel are not always available,” said team leader Abraham L. (Linc) Sonenshein, PhD, professor and acting chair of molecular biology and microbiology at TUSM.

“This vaccine project is still in the developmental stage,” he continued. “The next major step for these vaccines is to show that they are safe and work well in humans, and then to extend the rotavirus and tetanus vaccine technology to include diphtheria, pertussis and other infectious diseases. Those diseases cause tens of thousands of deaths, particularly in newborns and in South-East Asia. We are actively looking for partners in the US and around the world to help us pursue our goal of reaching the point where many childhood and adult vaccines can be manufactured in a way that avoids the need for injection or refrigeration. Jerry Keusch of Boston University School of Public Health and I started this project 15 years ago and it has taken a long time to reach the stage where we now have effective needle-free vaccines. The technology has now advanced enough that we can expect to be successful with many other vaccines in a short time frame.”

Research done at the  University of Manchester has led to the invention of a portable breast scanner, which can show the presence of tumors on a computer screen within a second. The scanner, based on radio frequency technology, can detect both malignant and benign tumors and can be used in the patient’s own home. Using radio waves to detect tumours has been proven to be successful previously, but up until now the scanners were bulky, took a few minutes to prepare an image and had to be operated in a specialised medical facility.

The groundbreaking new technology, developed by Professor Zhipeng Wu, not only allows patients to be tested in a more relaxing environment but could massively decrease waiting times and prevent unnecessary mammograms being carried out. If each GP surgery carried one of these machines, the improvement in service would be immediately apparent. This safe and low cost machine is the size of an average lunchbox, rather than being an intimidating monster of medical machinery.

With breast cancer being the second biggest killer in women, accounting for 8.2% of cancer deaths, this new scanner could potentially save thousands of  lives through early detection and treatment. The scanner has been submitted to IET Innovation Awards – here’s hoping it goes into production.

For many years now glass and mercury thermometers have become museum pieces, replaced by digital thermometers that take readings from the ear or forehead.  A step forward in cross infection control they feature single use filters to prevent the spread of illness from one patient to another, however they still need to touch the patient to work.  The new technology is slightly pricey compared to existing technology but we don’t think that will put users off.

Sanomedics, a Miami based firm, have now unveiled the first hand held non-contact thermometer that needs to be held two inches from the forehead of the patient, or 2 inches behind the ear, and can give an accurate reading in just one second.  The digital display shows the temperature in whichever scale you choose, and the built in voice chips also speaks the reading.

Coming in both a home version for parents, and a professional version for medical staff we can see that this will be an instant and massive hit.  Perfect for home when you want to closely monitor a sick child but don’t want to risk waking them from much needed healing sleep, and the voice means it can be used without having to put lights on again waking the child.  In hospital in just scores so many brownie points for infection control and ease of use that we are sure all hospitals and surgeries will be queuing to get them.

Still very much in the early stages, the team working at Tel Aviv University have developed a biometric chip that can potentially build on the current deep brain stimulation techniques already used, but prevent the potential over stimulation that can happen at present.  Currently the treatment is given continuously regardless of whether it is needed or not.

The use of this Rehabilitation Nano Chip (ReNaChip) would mean that electrodes implanted into the scalp can be connected with wires on the outside of head to the chip, which will then only administer the electrical stimulation when needed and take breaks as appropriate.  This means that the patient would not be receiving treatment when sleeping and, in the case of a severe epileptic, only begin treatment as the brain displays warning signs that a seizure is imminent.

Currently the equipment worn by the patient is externally visible, and the team also hope one day to be able to make the chip so small it can be etched onto the electrode thus doing away with the need for wires and boxes located elsewhere on the patients body.  The new research could certainly revolutionize the prognosis for brain disease patients and bring new hope to them and their families.

The work is currently focusing on cardiac cases, and will use CT scan images which at present do not give enough information, and compare with information about the coronary health obtained in a traditional autopsy with the hope of being able to virtually assemble the same information, and therefore rule out the need for that area of autopsy.

Angiograms and CT scans will be used on cadavers, after which a traditional autopsy will be carried out on the heart.  Scientists need to understand what images appear on these screens that signify conditions such as coronary heart disease which currently we cannot diagnosis with a CT scan.  Clearly this also changes the workload of the medical staff performing autopsies and potentially gives them more time to investigate issues in more detail.

Clearly this is just the tip of the iceberg and potentially leaves the door open to other less invasive investigative procedures to be able to replace autopsy in other areas of the body, with the long term aim of being able to complete the whole process without the need for a scalpel at all.

The new test, hail as a ‘lab on a chip’ looks set to revolutionize the way HIV testing can be carried out, and the low cost element means that this is the perfect solution for health care workers desperately trying to make progress in resource poor areas.  Clearly even for the wealthier areas of the world, saving money on testing is going to be appealing too,so this new device has global appeal.

It works on a similar basis to the disposable general blood test we introduced some months back, but specifically targets the cells that can show the HIV virus, T cells.  Basically antibodies are placed on the slide to create the test, as it is known that the T cells will bind to those antibodies if the virus is present.  The cell count can then be done up to 12 times faster than current testing methods and all at a fraction of the cost.  Developing scientist Professor Alexander Revzin and his team at UCLA believe that this test will soon be able to be released to the global medical profession.

One of the first users of the product is a spinal cord injury patient, who says that the Rex (Robotic Exoskeleton) has changed his life back to virtually normal after 5 years as a wheel chair user.  The patient must be able to lever themselves to sitting on the platform of the ‘legs’ and then strap them to their own legs, at three points, plus the foot and waist braces.  Rex can then be controlled by a joystick located on the arm rest extensions. Movements are at best slow and jerky, but for long term wheel chair users this has to be a breakthrough.  Currently the unit only available in the developing country, New Zealand, costs $150,000 and patients must be onsite for proper fitting and training, however this is going to be extended to more countries in the near future.

The legs are rechargeable and will currently run for 2 hours of active use before needing to be charged again. Unfortunately for some potential users there are height, weight and frame size restrictions, plus the appropriate level of upper body strength, but the medical benefits of having the body upright again rather than sat down are tremendous.  Reports of better circulation leading to quicker healing times, less susceptibility to bladder infections due to less pressure and cramping, plus an overall well being of less aches and pains.  We think these have massive potential and are going to be watching progress with much interest.

If lead scientist Dimitris Papamichail and his team are successful then we many never have to suffer again as we did last year during the Swine Flu epidemic.  Called SAVE (Synthetic Attenuated Virus Engineering) the process harnesses algorithms to design a significantly weakened form of a new flu and use this as a live vaccine.  The virus is weakened by changing the genetic code of the disease, and the computer is able to show where the changes should be made for the best effects.

Clearly a way to combat the annual worldwide flu suffering would be widely welcomed, however this will only be the tip of the iceberg.  The technology, once proven reliable, can be harnessed to treat any virus in the same way and has the potential to be one of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the century.  Keep a look out for more information.