coronary

Not long after creating a functioning rat lung in her lab, Yale University Professor of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering Laura Niklason is testing bioengineered human veins that could benefit some 500,000 patients a year who need to undergo vascular surgeries such as coronary artery bypass.

The tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) were generated in a bioreactor using a relatively new tissue engineering method called decellularization--a process by which researchers remove a tissue's individual cells while leaving its structure intact. The veins are off the shelf and available at the time of surgery, and are said to be less likely to result in obstruction, clotting, or infection.

The findings, published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine by researchers from East Carolina University, Duke, Yale, and Niklason's company Humacyte, suggest the veins could work in both large- and small-diameter applications (6mm and 3mm), be stored up to 12 months in refrigerated conditions, and provide unobstructed blood flow in large animal models for up to a year.… Read more

As a freelance writer, I admit that focus and discipline are two of the biggest obstacles to meeting deadlines. I could be doing laundry, playing piano, staring out the window...the list goes on. So I put on my Grados and launch iTunes to keep me focused (today it's Royksopp's "Melody A.M."). And it works. Every time.

According to research out of the University of Belgrade at Serbia, listening to music every day might also be good for the heart. Predrag Mitrovic just presented his study of 740 patients to the European Society of Cardiology 2009 Congress, … Read more

We're convinced that the electronics industry is conspiring with our personal trainer, because he knows that built-in gadgets are the only way to get us on the cardio machines. The latest invention goes far beyond the iPod fitness equipment we mentioned earlier; this diabolical device really hits home--with games.

And we're not talking DDR either. The "ProForm 20.0 Elliptical CrossTrainer" includes a backlit console with a screen mounted right in front of your flushed face, according to Newlaunches. As if that weren't enough, additional cruelty comes in the games themselves, which the manufacturer says … Read more

It's not quite X-ray vision, but this portable radar can penetrate walls to detect people moving on the other side.

A device developed by U.K. technology company Cambridge Consultants provides a 3D image that indicates activity more than 65 feet away, according to an article in New Scientist Tech. (Cambridge provides videos of the "Prism 200" being used for spot checks and for longer surveillance.)

The radar isn't foolproof: Metal beams can present a problem, and a person who remains perfectly still might not show up, though movement from breathing can sometimes be detected. Other … Read more

The breakneck pace of life in the 21st century often requires us to be on deadline from the moment we wake up. Yet we've been using the same method of keeping time since, well, the beginning of time (as we know it, anyway).

Quadtec aims to change all that with a watch that essentially tells time backwards. We'll try to explain: Rather than focus on how much time has elapsed, as traditional clocks and watches do, the Quadtec timepiece tells you how much time you have remaining before an appointed hour or minute. You can, for instance, break … Read more