Researchers Turn Classic Children's Toy Into Tiny Motor

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have miniaturized a children's toy into a tiny motor that could one day power medical devices or harvest solar energy. The device, called a radiometer, is based on a classical ...

IBM: Our new gel can kill superbugs

Researchers from computer firm IBM say they have invented a new non-toxic gel that can kill deadly drug-resistant bacteria by cutting through the sludge that shelters them and attacking the germ's cell membrane.

Take two robots and call me in the morning

In the 1966 film "Fantastic Voyage," medical personnel board a submarine that shrinks to microscopic size and enters the bloodstream of a wounded diplomat to save his life.

Painting a clearer picture of the heart with machine learning

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition in which plaque forms on the walls of coronary arteries, causing them to narrow. Eventually, this could lead to a heart attack, or death. This condition is now the single largest ...

Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings

A simple kitchen sink experiment helped Northwestern University researchers discover that green tea leaves not only can be used to steep a good cup of tea, but they make an excellent antibacterial coating, too.

Study reveals secrets of bacterial slime

(Phys.org) —Newcastle University scientists have revealed the mechanism that causes a slime to form, making bacteria hard to shift and resistant to antibiotics.

1 species of pathogen can produce 2 distinct biofilms

Many medical devices, ranging from artificial hip joints to dentures and catheters, can come with unwelcome guests – complex communities of microbial pathogens called biofilms that are resistant to the human immune system ...

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Catheter

In medicine, a catheter (pronounced /ˈkæθɪtər/) is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization. In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter. A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a permcath (originally a trademark).

The ancient Syrians created catheters from reeds. "Katheter - καθετήρ" originally referred to an instrument that was inserted such as a plug. The word "katheter" in turn came from "kathiemai - καθίεμαι" meaning "to sit". The ancient Greeks inserted a hollow metal tube through the urethra into the bladder to empty it and the tube came to be known as a "katheter".

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