Hypertension treatment: The Future Solution is Simple, fast and safe

A new system can perform a one-time minimally invasive catheter-based percutaneous procedure that has shown to significantly reduce blood pressure–in as little as 30 seconds.

This new technology, developed by Vessix Vascular, has the potential to help the one in three adults in the United States who suffer from hypertension– a condition that is more common than cancer, diabetes and coronary artery disease combined.

Today, anti-hypertensive drugs are the primary treatment for hypertension. But despite the widespread use of drugs, only about half of hypertensive patients around the world are well controlled, even when multiple medications are taken at optimal dosages.

The V2 system perform a new procedural treatment called renal denervation, which Dr. Mehemet Oz has called “a profound game changer.” It uses a short blast of radiofrequency (RF) energy to disable the nerves surrounding the arteries leading to the kidneys, treating one of the key physiological contributors to hypertension.

The V2 Catheter is a balloon catheter with a unique configuration of RF electrodes mounted on its exterior, which makes the procedure faster and safer. It delivers precise temperature controlled RF energy from the V2 RF Generator to both renal arteries in 60 seconds, while the only other competatively marketed Renal Denervation system takes 50-60 minutes.

The rapidity of the V2 treatment promises to reduce patient discomfort as well as exposure to radiation for both the patient and the interventional cardiologist performing the procedure.

Photo courtesy: Vessix Vascular

Paragon Software Selected For ISS Disaster Recovery Solutions

Paragon Software Group reached a milestone in the company's brief history as it soared into the heavens on the final flight of America's Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Selected by NASA's Prime Bioastronautics contractor, Wyle, Paragon's backup and disaster recovery software, Hard Disk Manager (HDM) 11 Professional now orbits the Earth on the International Space Station. HDM 11 serves as the primary backup and recovery software for the latest generation Ultrasound system also launched on Atlantis.

The International Space Station's primary goal is to provide a platform for scientific research. Human subject research is managed by Wyle as part of the Bioastronautics Contract.

Certification of the next generation ultrasound required being able to successfully restore the new ultrasound system to its launch configuration.

Lockheed Martin, one of the subcontractors operating with Wyle, the prime contractor on the Bioastronautics Contract, needed a recovery solution that could meet its stringent specifications. As is often the case with space-related operations, a customized software solution was needed.

"At Paragon, we provide our clients with superior customer service regardless of where they are, now that extends to outer space," said Tom Fedro, president of Paragon Software Group.

"It was important to Wyle and Lockheed Martin to ensure that the astronauts operating on the Space Station could quickly and easily restore their systems back to an operable state - with the customized version of Hard Disk Manager, they can recover in a matter of minutes without any additional tools."

Paragon developed a custom-restore script that automated the system restore process via a USB-bootable flash drive with the click of a button.

Bioastronautics personnel evaluated several back-up and recovery tools. Of the tools available Paragon's HDM 11 came closest to meeting the project's needs. The Paragon team stepped in to close the gap, providing a customized solution which minimized user interaction.

HDM 11 Server provides a complete data backup and disaster recovery solution. A virtual add-on component is available for virtual environments.

Both versions offer the ability to perform bare-metal restores, file-level recovery, includes advanced data wiping algorithms, and automatic partition alignment. Additionally, HDM 11 Server enables data back up or migration of an active server with locked volumes, files or folders.

Paragon Software is also used by European Aerospace Contractors such as EADS, Thales, Astrium, etc.

Report maps out solutions to child obesity - USATODAY.com

Report maps out solutions to child obesity - USATODAY.com

Children and their families should have access to grocery stores that offer plenty of healthful food such as fruits and vegetables, and schools shouldn't be surrounded by fast-food restaurants.

Children should be able to ride their bikes or walk safely to school, and they should have safe places to play afterward, says the report out today from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council.

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