Can Nanotechnology Improve the Lives of Denture Wearers?

Have you ever been one of those people that looks at nanotech and says, "what good is that stuff ever going to do?" The answer is, "lots of stuff are/will be better because of it", but here is a great thing that can improve the quality of life for those patients who wear complete dentures. Here is the press release:

Prize winning research could bring relief to 3.5million denture stomatis sufferers

Liverpool, UK - 16 June 2009: A University of Liverpool research project, which has the potential to bring relief to the estimated 3.5 million UK sufferers of oral thrush, has won the £25,000 Armourers and Brasiers Venture Prize. This will allow the project to proceed to clinical evaluation.

According to the most recent adult dental survey, 28 percent of the UK population wears dentures and a quarter of these are likely to develop denture stomatitis or fungal induced stomatitis (mainly Candida albicans), commonly known as oral thrush. This is a significant problem for denture wearers and is seemingly on the increase.

The Armourers and Brasiers Venture Prize, which is awarded in the form of an investment, enables the winner to engage in the early commercialisation of promising research and has been won by a team of scientists from the University of Liverpool. This team is led by senior lecturer and material scientist, Dr Rachel Williams, and senior lecturer in oral surgery, Dr Luke Dawson.

The project’s idea is based on a cost effective nanoparticle silica coating which inhibits the adhesion and proliferation of cells and micro-organisms. Laboratory tests show that the nanoparticulate silica coating can inhibit the build up of virulent oral thrush (Candida albicans). Using Proof of Concept (POC) funds awarded by the University technology transfer company, Ulive, the team has developed a transparent solution containing the nanoparticles with adhesive patches on each particle which promote attachment to the denture. This solution can be used by denture wearers as part of their normal cleaning procedure and provides a renewable, tasteless nanoparticulate coating on the dentures which will prevent oral thrush infections.

“Our approach will reduce the need for sufferers of oral thrush to be treated by drug therapy. This is important as these drugs cannot be used in all patients”, said Dr Williams. “Our product aims to prevent the occurrence of oral thrush and maintain a healthy mouth via continual renewal of the nanoparticle coating.”

“Having proved the principle in the laboratory using the Ulive POC funding we now need to assess this product in a clinical setting,” continued Dr Williams. “The prize win will go towards carrying out clinical trials and evaluation in key patient groups.”

“This product is a very worthy winner,” explained Professor Bill Bonfield chairman of the Armourers and Brasiers Venture Prize judging panel. “Our aim is to stimulate and encourage materials science development and Dr Williams and her team is, by exploiting materials technology that inhibits cell-surface interactions, using a science that will have a highly significant bearing on the development of materials and surfaces in healthcare.”

Alongside Professor Bonfield on the judging panel were Cambridge based material scientist Professor Colin Humphreys, representatives from First Ventures which invests and advises high potential technology companies and representatives from the Armourers and Brasiers Company.

“We see significant potential for this product as a regular denture cleaning product,” said Dr Williams. “Worldwide market opportunities are significant especially in the developed world due to an aging population leading to an increasing number of denture wearers.”

The Liverpool University team comprises Dr Rachel Williams (lead; School of Clinical Sciences), Dr Luke Dawson (School of Dental Sciences), colloid scientist Dr. Mike Garvey (Department of Physics), microbiologist Dr. Heather Allison (School of Biological Sciences) and business manager Dr. Gillian Murray (Ulive Enterprises)

Wii CPR Trianing May be On the Horizon

The folks at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have come up with a great idea. The Nintendo Wii has accelerometers in the controller, so why not use them to help teach the ideal way to do CPR? This is one of those great ideas that come from thinking outside the box. The American Heart Association has even said it will make the program open source and available for free from their website when it is completed.

UAB Engineering Students use the Wii for CPR from uabnews on Vimeo.

Here is all the info from the press release:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The American Heart Association has pledged $50,000 to fund the work of University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) biomedical engineering undergraduate students who are working to develop a computer program that teaches CPR using hand-held remote controls from the Nintendo^® Wii video game console.

Students James McKee, Jack Wimbish, Haisam Islam and Zach Clark began work on the project as seniors at UAB. Along with faculty advisers Greg Walcott, M.D., associate professor of medicine, and Jack Rogers, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering, the team has been developing the Wii CPR technology for the last seven months. Based on an idea initiated by Walcott, the technology is a computer program that can be downloaded on home computers and synched with the wireless technology of the Wii remote to teach users proper CPR technique.

"We began talking about the possibility of using the Nintendo Wii to teach CPR last January, and that is when we initially contacted the American Heart Association about the idea," Walcott said. "The Heart Association wanted a better sense of how it might work, so we assigned the research to our senior year biomedical engineering students this past spring semester for their senior project."

The UAB team worked on the Wii CPR project for its Design in BME biomedical engineering course, which required the students to successfully design and construct a prototype of the technology for real-world use in order to pass the course. After a successful class presentation in May, which showed the students' progress and the real potential for the technology, the American Heart Association contacted UAB to offer the education grant, Rogers said.

"The Heart Association's high interest in our students' innovations points to potential of this project and how it fits in with its desire to deliver reliable CPR education to the masses," Rogers said.

When completed, the UAB Wii CPR program will become available on the American Heart Association Web site as an open source code download, which would make it free and available to anyone with Internet access. The UAB team says it could complete its program development by early fall of 2009.

Nintendo to Give Wii a Facelift with a New Color

Although the rumors are that nothing internally has changed, Nintendo is about to release this new Wii in Japan. Speculation is that the device will show up on Japanese shelves on August 1st.

You have to admit the Wii in all black instead of its famous all white is pretty cool. My thinking is that all the other game systems I can think of are dark colored so at the initial launch, Nintendo wanted something that looked completely different and stood out. Now that market penetration is so high, they've gone back and offered the "cool" black.

Of course, just because it's in Japan doesn't guarantee that it will be available in the US, but let's face it... this would sell pretty well in the states, don't you think?

Trimira™ Offers Online Library of Oral Cancer Images

Trimira, manufacturer of the Identifi 3000 oral cancer screening device has now placed a library of clinical images online. The idea, of course, is to help in the identification of lesions that the clinician may come across. I also suggest the online clinical library of oral pathology images available with a subscription to Lexi-Comp online.

Oral cancer incidence is growing; up over 11% in 2007 in the U.S.

Here is the info from the Trimira press release:

HOUSTON, TX: July 15, 2009 Trimira™ LLC, manufacturers of the Identafi 3000™ Oral Cancer Screening Device, have developed the Trimira Clinical Image Library, a comprehensive online catalog of clinical photographs taken by leading scientists and researchers. The images show a diverse array of lesions in various locations in the oral cavity. Access to the library is free and available at www.trimira.net. A demo version can be accessed by anyone; the full library is available only to registered Trimira customers.

Photographs in the Trimira Clinical Image Library were taken under the three proprietary multispectral lights produced by the Identafi 3000, providing optimal visualization of the lesions. Images are categorized by location in the mouth, type of dysplasia, and appearance under each light wavelength. Trimira plans to increase the number and diversity of photographs in the coming months.


The Trimira Identafi 3000 is a small, cordless, affordable handheld device that helps clinicians effectively detect early cancers not visible to the naked eye. The device uses a three-wavelength optical fluorescence and reflectance technology patented by Trimira LLC of Houston. The Identafi 3000 was developed in collaboration with scientists at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Rice University, and British Columbia Cancer Research Center, and is now available through dealers nationwide. Trimira LLC is a subsidiary of Remicalm LLC, a privately held medical device and optical imaging company.

Orascoptic Discovery LED Evaluation Complete

For years I've used the Orascoptic Zeon LumenArc system which is an auxiliary lighting system composed of the LumenArc light box and a fiber optic cord that led from the box to a light situated on my Orascoptic 4.8 TTL surgical telescopes.

However, for the last month I've been seeing patients using the device pictured above, the Orascoptic Zeon Discovery LED. Here are my impressions:

• Brightness: Amazing. 7000 foot candles at high power. This is 2000 foot candles brighter than the LumenArc bulb system.
• Ease of use: 3 brightness settings with buttons that can be found easily by feel and an orange curing filter means my light doesn't set my composites and I always have just the right amount of light.
  
• Convenience: Not being tethered is a huge factor. Also the cord is light and easily tolerated; much more so than the fiber optic cable I was using previously.
• Battery pack: I bit heavy at 8.5 oz but well worth it since it provides all day power for the system. I wear cargo pant scrubs and the battery pack is easy to place into one of the leg pockets. The pack comes with an included clip so that it can also be worn on the waist.
  
• Battery life: It's as bright at the end of the day as at the beginning. The battery will power the light (even at its brightest setting) for up to 7 hours.
• Recharging: Battery pack recharges in 3 hours or less and the unit can be used while the battery pack is attached to an outlet in a worst case scenario. At the end of the day I remove the LED cord to my glasses and plug the pack into its charger.
  

Overall: A home run product and highly recommended. If you came and took it away from me, I'd need another one tomorrow!

New ProDrive Handpiece now Undergoing Clinical Testing

Yesterday I received the new handpiece branded by ProDrive. The device is a joint venture between ProDrive Systems and Sirona. It features the ProDrive triangular chuck system that I've fallen in love with through the upgrades to my Kavo highspeeds.

This new handpiece can be purchased through your regular ProDrive dealer. I'm excited to see what this thing can do.

Obviously the company will continue to manufacture replacement turbines for Star, Midwest, and Kavo (others will be coming), but if you need new handpieces this may be the way to go.

I'll report back on my impressions after a few days of clinical testing.

New SimpleTOUGH Portable Hard Drives from Hitachi - Tough and Cool

Hitachi is a name well known to consumers. The company makes countless products for both consumers and business. The device pictured above is from their line of portable hard drives. The SimpleTOUGH line is designed to be exactly what the name implies. The USB 2.0 drives are simple to setup and use while being tough and durable.

Anyone who carries a portable hard drive (and I've been known to carry a few) will tell you the number one fear for data loss is dropping the device or having it bang around inside a bag or backpack. The constant wear and tear these things can receive simply by being transported is much more than most people imagine.

Hitachi has designed the SimpleTOUGH line to be able to stand up to these rigors and more. My favorite part is the integrated USB cable so you don't have to worry about carrying one with you wherever you go. The newest drives have 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB capacities. Here is what the company has to say:

• Plug n‘ play simple for instant USB drive access
• Automatic backups with Hitachi Local Backup™
• Complete, unbeatable protection with Hitachi Ultimate Backup™ online service (2 GB free)
• Joggle™ digital content manager for easy tracking, sharing and publishing of photos, music, and videos
• Rugged pocket-sized design
• Drop and spill resistant
• Velvety smooth texture for a secure grip
• Durable and made for travel
• Integrated USB cable
• Free technical support
• 3-year warranty

We live in a rough world so why not take your data with you? SimpleTOUGH is the ultimate in durability and data safety, all in a ruggedly handsome design. Made with a rough and tumble lifestyle in mind, SimpleTOUGH features ergonomic sides for easy carrying, velvety smooth rubberized body, an integrated, flexible USB cable (you’ll never forget the cable again!) and a cool topside LED.

But don‘t be fooled by its stylish exterior! Designed and constructed for an active lifestyle, SimpleTOUGH won’t let you down. Award-winning Hitachi disk drives ensure that your data is safe and sound. Just plug one in, and inside you’ll find smart ways to protect and manage all your precious stuff. SimpleTOUGH features both local and online backup for unbeatable, total protection. With Hitachi Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your SimpleTOUGH, while Hitachi Ultimate Backup (2 GB fee) provides secure, online backup that’s safe from real world mishaps. It works in the background, for constant, near-real time protection without bogging down your computer.

You’ll not find tougher or more stylish portable storage than SimpleTOUGH. Backed by the Hitachi brand of reliable and fast hard disk drives, SimpleTOUGH delivers on its promise to “Inspire the Next”. Now you can rest assured that your valuable data is protected by the leader in storage.