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Biohybrid tissue‐engineered implants offer promising possibilities to treat cardiovascular diseases. The ability of tissue‐engineered implants to grow and remodel can be utilized to produce implants that can adapt to changes in the physiological conditions within the patient body. To improve the mechanical properties of the implant, a fibre‐reinforced textile scaffold is used. The embedment of a load‐oriented textile scaffold in the implant acts as biomimetic reinforcement and guides the direction of the extracellular matrix (ECM) growth. Our main objective is to design biohybrid heart valves that can withstand tough physiological loading conditions for decades. That makes it necessary to develop accurate and efficient models to support the design process. In this paper, the focus is on the macro‐mechanical modeling of the maturation process for textile reinforced heart valves. A biohybrid heart valve is modeled as a composite structure. The constitutive model is constructed by defining the total Helmholtz free energy as the sum of energies of the valve constituents. The two main constituents are (i) the extracellular matrix (ECM) and (ii) the fiber‐reinforced textile scaffold. The density of protein fibers such as collagen and elastin fibers are treated as internal variables. We introduce a new approach for modeling the densification of protein fibers during the cultivation process which is capable of considering both static and dynamic cultivation processes. The model considers the density change caused by the immunological response as well as the density change due to mechanical stimulation. The textile scaffold anisotropic behavior is introduced using structural tensors. The constitutive models are then embedded into a special finite element technology with reduced integration that enables efficient computations. The finite element simulation results are then validated using the experimental data provided by BioTex (Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Germany). In the end, a finite element simulation for an exemplary valve is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of mobile digital technologies in our daily life is also affecting the healthcare sector. Digital health applications have the potential to improve disease monitoring and management, avoid hospitalizations, and more. A main task for the health care system is to create a framework that facilitates the identification of safe and effective apps for health care professionals and patients to generate the most health benefit as well as guide payer coverage decisions. Currently some European countries have already developed a national framework for market access approval, nevertheless only Belgium and Germany have additionally created a reimbursement system. The aim of this investigation is to compare the two different approaches of Belgium and Germany, based on the framework itself, the access requirements, and the experience so far. The overall approach seems to be similar, but scrutinizing the details, there are several significant differences. The evaluation procedure in Belgium consists of a 3-level validation pyramid while in Germany there is a normal procedure as well as a DiGA-Fast- Track. Only applications in stage 3 are reimbursable in Belgium whereas in Germany applications from provisional and permanent listing are reimbursable. The comparative overview shows that the two forerunners, Belgium, and Germany, use similar but not identical approaches, with partly relevant differences such as the evaluation procedure reimbursement and the formulation of the target group. The current situation (status 11.04.22) shows that the focus of the app indications differs between both countries. Furthermore, not a single app is listed in Belgium and Germany at the same time. From our perspective it should be a goal for manufacturers of CE marked medical devices to achieve reimbursement in as many member states as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers biomedical news briefs as of April 2019. Initiatives from the groups of Taiyuan, China have discovered a dye which lights up selectively in cancer cells. Collaborating groups from Cuba and Germany have worked together to use the Ugi multicomponent coupling reaction to staple peptides. A useful way was developed by a group from the University of Tokyo to functionalise BODIPY dyes.

The market approval of medical devices in Germany does not yet require a benefit assessment. Thus, there is a lack of high quality studies that clearly prove the benefit of medical innovations. In the past, the Federal Joint Committee in Germany (G-BA) did not have the opportunity to adequately address this issue of lacking evidence. A law for the improvement of the care structure in the statutory health insurance offers the possibility for the G-BA to obtain evidence for the benefit of medical practice. With an integrated regulation for testing of medical devices the manufacturers have the option to apply for an assessment of new and established treatment methods and to provide scientific evidence for the benefit of medical devices as a requirement for inclusion in the catalogue of services of the statutory health insurance. However, this expanded scope of action is also a challenge for clinicians. The already existing problem of integrating multicenter clinical trials in the surgical routine will remain. The Surgical Study Network Germany (CHIR-Net) offers an ideal way to cope with the increased requirements on studies in the field of medical devices through established partnerships with methodological institutions and practitioners in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In May 1912, reports on successful attempts at artificial insemination hit the German papers. Over the following months, the topic was taken up in medical lectures, in the debates of medical associations, and in medical journals. The technique—which had not much changed since the days of James Marion Sims—apparently triggered the imagination of scientists, medical doctors, journalists and authors. That artificial insemination met such interest, however, was not primarily due to its medical usefulness or proven success. Given that insemination with donor sperm was out of the question for most doctors and that ideas about the fertile period within the menstrual cycle were erroneous, contemporary attempts at insemination in humans hardly ever worked. Public interest in this topic rather reflects the desires and expectations which contemporaries associated with artificial insemination and with modern, scientific medicine. What appears to be a comparatively straight forward, low-tech operation today was imagined as a way or creating life artificially. Thus the topic was able to mobilise fears and expectations. The debate not only reflected contemporary beliefs about the possibilities and dangers of modern medicine, it also addressed the meaning of reproduction and infertility and the future of gender relations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reports on the development of an implantable biomedical microsystems for neural prostheses by researchers from Germany. Necessity for biomedical microsystems to fulfill different requirements for acute and chronic implantation; Correlation between the level of physiological function complexity and the need for more complex implants; Emphasis of the biomechanical safety design of the microsystem with respect to geometry, flexibility and weight.

The article sheds light on various accomplishments and future perspectives in tissue engineering. A team of researchers in Switzerland, Germany and the U.S. have succeeded in engineering a living heart valve that resembles normal valves in both microstructure and mechanical properties. Engineering efficient structures is not and involves the contribution of researchers from other fields, such as material science and chemistry. A supporting matrix has to sustain and guide the growth of cells, and should provide all of the signals that are needed for cell growth, differentiation and cell interaction. Another important challenge for biologists is the selection of appropriate cells, and the conditions for their isolation, purification and cultivation.

The purpose of this article is to summarize the work and pioneering achievements in the field of orthopedic surgery of the German orthopedic surgeon Karl Ludloff. Ludloff had an impact in the diagnostics, physical examination, orthopedic imaging, and orthopedic surgical technique of his era. He was a pioneer in the surgical treatment of dysplastic hip, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and hallux valgus. His surgical technique for the correction of hallux valgus, initially stabilized with plaster of Paris, remained unpopular among other orthopedic surgeons for decades. In the 1990s, the advent and use of improved orthopedic materials for fixation attracted the interest of numerous orthopedic surgeons in the Ludloff osteotomy for its ability to correct the deformity in all 3 dimensions, its anatomic outcomes, and its low recurrence rate and patient satisfaction.

This article reports that the firm Medtronic Xomed has begun the recall because the firm received six reports of tubes with wires "out of channel" two of which involved injured patients. In one case in Germany, it was reported that the patient had soreness of the throat and was discharged after 4 days. In the next case, the patient had a tracheal wound. It was not clear what caused the wound.

Discusses biotech and biomedical laboratories in Germany as of November, 1996. Efforts by the government to transform Germany into a so-called biotech powerhouse; The work of Research Minister Jurgen Ruttgers; The impact of the formation of a ministry task force in 1993; The deep-seated distrust many Germans have of the biomedical and biotech fields; The so-called biotech olympics to award federal funding to three German cities; The need for entrepreneurial support.

A calendar of world events related to engineering and medical for 2009 is presented which includes Clinical Engineering and CCE review Course on June 4-5 in Baltimore, Maryland, Virtual Rehabilitation International Conference 2009 on June 29-July 2 in Israel, and World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2009 in Munich, Germany.

A calendar of events for medical physics in 2009 is presented which includes the Annual Scientific Meeting and Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) Symposium in Victoria, British Columbia, the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in California and the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering in Germany.

Presents a calendar of upcoming events related to biomedical engineering. Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Conference in British Columbia; World Congress on Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics in Seoul, Korea; World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering in Munich, Germany.

Announces that the 1st Biennial Meeting of the European Tissue Engineering Society (ETES) will be held in Freiburg, Germany on November 7-10, 2001. Mission of ETES; Composition of the ETES Board.

Announces that the 1st Biennial Meeting of the European Tissue Engineering Society (ETES) will be held in Freiburg, Germany on November 7-10, 2001. Mission of ETES; Composition of the ETES Board.

Provides information on the 1st Biennial Meeting of the European Tissue Engineering Society in Freiburg, Germany in November 2001. Background of the European Tissue Engineering Society; Purpose of the society; Topics to be discussed in the conference.

Sleep recording is the quantitative method used in sleep centers in order to assess sleep disorders and to quantify pathological events occurring during sleep. Cardiorespiratory polysomnography is the method used for sleep recording. Standards for sleep recording stem back to 1968 and were compiled by Rechtschaffen and Kales with specifications for recording and analysis of the sleep EEG. An update considering digital technology and possibly computer based analysis techniques was needed. As the result of a two year process with a large committee in 2007 a revised manual was published. The manual includes for the first specifications for digital signals acquisition and some descriptions for developing computer based sleep analysis. The new manual was prepared using the formal tools of evidence based medicine. The method for preparing the new manual are presented critically the results relevant for computer based sleep recording and analysis are presented in detail and perspectives for computer based sleep analysis are pointed out.

For improving quality and efficiency of health delivery under the wellknown burdens, the health service paradigm has to change from organization-centered over process-controlled to personal health. Established in connection to the already existing International Center for Telemedicine, the eHealth Competence Center in Regensburg has been dedicated to advance research, development, education and administration of comprehensive eHealth. In cooperation with internal and external partners, the Personal Health paradigm comprising of health telematics, telemedicine, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics and genomics is pushed ahead. The paper introduces the underlying paradigms, requirements, architectural framework and development processes for comprehensive service-oriented Personal Health interoperability chains.

The profile and the projects of the Ruhr-Center of Competence for Medical Engineering at the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) will be described. Main topic of the KMR is medical ultrasound with emphasis on image based tissue characterization including elastography and multimodality concepts, mainly in combination with other non-ionizing imaging modalities. Project aims are early detection of cancer (skin, prostate), vessel and perfusion diagnostics (early detection of arteriosclerosis, cardiac arteries, stroke), and intraoperative navigation using ultrasound.

The research activities of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe on minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) have for several years improved techniques and instrumentation for different types of MIS. Many types of instruments and robotic devices have been developed and new techniques implemented. In this paper we present the most recent results from our different projects, such as endoscopic heart surgery, tracking systems, a camera guidance device, telemanipulator systems, minimally-invasive breast biopsy in closed-bore MRI, endoscopic training simulators and developments using smart materials (e.g. Nitinol).