‘Sponge on string’ alternative to endoscopy rolled out for cancer checks 08/07/2021, 12:06 am
The Cytosponge device is a pill on a string, which expands into a small sponge (Medtronic Cytosponge/PA)
A “sponge on a string” device used to screen patients for cancer has been rolled out to all Scottish mainland health boards.
The Cytosponge device can be offered to some people as an alternative to endoscopy and can be used to check Barrett’s Oesophagus patients for signs of cancer.
The procedure involves patients swallowing a small pill attached to a thread which then expands into a little sponge and is pulled back up, collecting cells on the way to be analysed for any abnormalities.
BBC News
Published
image captionThe procedure involves the patient swallowing a pill which dissolves allowing a sponge to collect cells for testing
Scotland has become the first country in the world to implement a new, non-invasive test for oesophageal cancer.
The cytosponge or sponge on a string will be offered to some patients as an alternative to an endoscopy.
The test is being rolled out to all Scottish mainland health boards after being piloted in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lanarkshire last year.
The Scottish government said it enables faster diagnosis of patients and is a more patient-friendly test .
Harry Johnston, a lifelong West Palm Beach resident who spent two decades shaping public policy as a congressman and state senator and helped form and lead some of the area’s most prominent civic institutions, died Monday at 89.
During a political career that spanned a period of explosive South Florida growth, Johnston oversaw the creation of the state’s Growth Management Act and passage of legislation to form the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and kick-start efforts to build the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
A fifth-generation Floridian, Johnston rose to key political roles at the state, federal and international level, serving as state Senate President in the 1980s, as chairman of the U.S. House’s African affairs subcommittee in the 1990s and eventually as President Bill Clinton’s special envoy to Sudan.
Press Release – New Zealand Government
Fellowships to attract and retain talented researchers in the early stages of their career, have been awarded to 30 New Zealanders, Associate Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today.
Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall
Associate Minister of Research, Science and Innovation
Fellowships to attract and retain talented researchers in the early stages of their career, have been awarded to 30 New Zealanders, Associate Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today.
“I am pleased to congratulate these researchers, who will be receiving funding through the MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship. They are some of our best and brightest early career researchers, and are invaluable to the science system. Throughout their careers, they will contribute to positive outcomes for New Zealand,” Ayesha Verrall said.