Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Aug 2010
Review[Nanomedicine : Magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery and hyperthermia - new chances for cancer therapy].
The application of nanotechnology for the treatment, diagnosis, and monitoring of illnesses is summarized under the term nanomedicine. A particularly promising application is attributed to nanoparticular drug delivery systems. The goal of these new carrier systems is the selective enrichment of active substances in diseased tissue structures, an increase in bioavailability, the decrease of the active substance degradation and, above all, the reduction and/or avoidance of unwanted side effects. ⋯ On the one hand, those particles are the carriers of the active substance and, on the other hand, can also be visualized with conventional imaging techniques (x-ray tomography, magnetic resonance imaging), called theranostic. In addition, they can be used for hyperthermia, another important supporting pillar of nanomedicine. Both procedures should lead to a personalized and goal-oriented therapy, which is of special medical and socioeconomic importance in view of the increasing number of cancer patients worldwide.
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Aug 2010
Review[Personalized medicine and individual healthcare : Medical and information technology aspects].
The individualization of medicine and healthcare appears to be following a general societal trend. The terms "personalized medicine" and "personal health" are used to describe this process. ⋯ Although in some areas practical solutions have already been found, most applications will not be fully developed for many years to come. Medical and information technology are essential to personalized medicine and personal health, each driving the other forward.
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Aug 2010
Review[Neuroimaging in medicine].
Neuroimaging has in recent years greatly contributed to our understanding of a wide range of aspects of central neurological diseases. These include the classification and localization of disease (e.g., in headache), the understanding of pathology (e.g., in Parkinson's disease), mechanisms of reorganization (e.g., in stroke), and the subclinical progress of disease (e.g., in degenerative diseases). Apart form presurgical mapping, clinical applications of fMRI are limited. ⋯ Understanding the mechanisms and the site of pathology, e.g., in cluster headaches, will lead and has led to new therapeutic strategies. New methodological developments for neuroscientific applications are aimed at the integration of functional and morphological connectivity through a combination of magnetic resonance techniques (fMRI, DTI) and electrophysiological (EEG, MEG) recordings. In addition to stimulus-dependent activations, resting state activity has found increasing interest, for example, in sleep research and various psychiatric diseases (e.g., schizophrenia, borderline).
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Jun 2010
[Safety assessment of foods derived from genetically modified plants].
The placing of genetically modified plants and derived food on the market falls under Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003. According to this regulation, applicants need to perform a safety assessment according to the Guidance Document of the Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which is based on internationally agreed recommendations. ⋯ Besides the intended genetic modification, potential unintended changes also have to be assessed with regard to potential adverse effects for the consumer. All genetically modified plants and derived food products, which have been evaluated by EFSA so far, were considered to be as safe as products derived from the respective conventional plants.