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Schiller India launches a new MRI Monitor – High Dose of Folic MAGLIFE Serenity Acid is Unsafe in Pregnancy critical patients. Schiller India, a leading Swiss Joint Venture Company in the field of Medical Diagnostics, has launched a new MRI compatible monitor called MAGLIFE Serenity. It offers complete and safe solution for monitoring high risk patients, undergoing MRI examination or MRI surgery. It has a large 12.1” colour TFT display which is widely adjustable for various viewing angles. Featuring monitoring of ECG, SpO2, and NIBP as standard, additional parameters such as temperature and CO2 allows the system to monitor
According to Mr Hormazd Cooper, Vice President, Sales, “Its combination of monitoring basic / vital signs plus additional parameters such as CO2, temperature monitoring ensures that the Serenity system becomes the monitor of choice for small diagnostic MRI centres, as well as, full fledged hospital MRI departments, where critical & high risk patients are scanned. A major advantage of the Serenity system is that all optional parameters are field upgradeable and can be purchased
individually thereby negating obsolescence and protecting the hospitals investment.” Features of MAGLIFE Serenity are Large 12.1” colour TFT display, widely adjustable color display for various viewing angles, Compatible with 0.2 to 3 Tesla scanners of all manufacturers and non magnetic trolley provided as standard.
High doses of folic acid (vitamin B9) can lead to pregnancy problems, says a study from the McGill University. Folate reduces the chances of neural tube defects which later become the brain and spinal cord. It decreases the occurrences of birth defects like spina bifida (spinal cord protrudes through an opening in the bone.) Researchers studied the effects of high doses (about 8mg per day) of folic acid on pregnant mice and found that they experienced embryonic delay and growth retardation. The daily recommendation of folic acid is 0.4mg 3months prior to conception and 3months after conception i.e. the first trimester. Lead researcher, Ms. Rima Rozen said, “Just because a small amount of something is a good thing, doesn’t mean more is better.”
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Post-Processing Capabilities of PACS Revealed Live The CARESTREAM PACS workstation was put through its paces at the recent 5th Scanner Volumique Conference held in Nancy, France. This annual event provides the technology platform for live demonstrations of the very latest versions of CT image post-processing software, which this year for the first time included a PACS console. Dr Orly Goitein, Head of Cardio Vascular Imaging at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, carried out three live demonstrations using the CARESTREAM PACS, which included cardiac, vascular and oncology cases. These case presentations fully demonstrated the latest improvements to the console, some of which are still undergoing development.
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“The capabilities of the Carestream PACS workstation are impressive,” said Dr Orly Goitein. The automatic volumetric multimodality registration of prior exams allows fast, easy and efficient study comparison, which are daily tasks radiologists deal with. The dedicated post processing packages (for example: the cardiac, vascular and oncology packages) offer advanced reconstruction tools inherent within this PACS workstation system.” Carestream Health was one of the first in the industry to integrate 3D image processing and image analysis tools into its PACS workstations; this innovation has led to marked enhancements in workflow since radiologists no longer need to go to
> www.ehealthonline.org > March 2011
a special workstation dedicated to postprocessing. Likewise, the CARESTREAM PACS architecture enables the use of 3D functions via its intuitive user interface from any workstation, inside or outside the facility. Advanced processing capabilities of the CARESTREAM PACS platform comprise: automatic segmentation of all vessels (including cardiac vessels), automatic volume synchronisation of different exams, MPR (MIP/MinMIP/CurveMPR), volume rendering, Stenosis quantification and aneurysm assessment, measurement of cardiac ejection fraction, CT/MR/PET image fusion, lesion detection and quantification and specialised measurement tools for mammography and orthopaedics.