May Lead to New Controls Medical researchers are one step closer to understanding the causes of ventricular fibrillation through a remarkable series of high-resolution movies that clearly show how the condition disrupts the electrical signals that normally govern the heart. The unique high-speed imaging system produced for the research also revealed for the first time that ventricular fibrillation may develop in two distinct phases. We now have evidence of what is going on. This dramatically increases the possibility that we could develop a new defibrillator or improve existing defibrillators. This research is made possible through funding from the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, the Medical Research Council of Canada, and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.
Many dentists already use special lasers on gums where water in such tissue absorbs laser energy.
Each laser pulse lasts just millionths of a second, which should reduce discomfort enough for many patients to not need Novocain. Additionally, the laser is more accurate, lighter, quieter and more sterile. This research is made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Stain Dr. A. J. Welch, a biomedical engineer at the University of Texas, has discovered a way to view and measure tiny blood vessels using a new light imaging technique. Dr. Welch obtained a clear image and measurement of blood vessels near the surface of the skin where the vessels create the problem in port wine stain.