• Align Technology (Santa Clara, California) reported the launch of Invisalign Assist, a product designed, it said, for general dentists who want an integrated approach to selecting, monitoring and finishing Invisalign cases. The company sasid that Invisalign Assist combines the benefits of Invisalign aligners with new software and clinical protocols that make it easier for doctors to select appropriate cases for their experience level or treatment approach; plan and submit cases efficiently; manage appointments with suggested tasks; receive batch shipments of aligners based on treatment progress; and deliver more predictable treatment results. Invisalign Assist is intended primarily for doctors who are new to Invisalign treatment, or for doctors who want an Invisalign product with integrated case selection and monitoring tools for cases that can be treated with aligners alone and that do not require auxiliaries or advanced techniques to achieve a great outcome.

• Allied Healthcare Products (St. Louis) has introduced its Mass Casualty Ventilator (MCV) 100 ventilator, designed for use in mass casualty incidents, and recently FDA-approved. Allied says the MCV100 is a life-support device that is lightweight and easy to operate by non-specialists after simple instruction, and designed with input from the medical community, disaster specialists and first responders. The MCV100 offers tidal volume (the amount of air breathed in and out) settings of 200 to 1,200 milliliters and eight to 20 breaths per minute, oxygen mixing capability, breath-assist function for spontaneous breathing, full array of audible and visual safety alarms and a rechargeable battery with a three-year shelf life.

• Covidien (North Haven, Connecticut) reported the launch of Permacol Biologic Implant, a biologic mesh for hernia repair containing enhanced porcine collagen for complex hernias and abdominal wall repairs. Covidien says that the product combines the advantages of a biologic with the strength, size and intraoperative efficiency of a synthetic in an accellular porcine dermal implant. Permacol Biologic Implant is hydrated and ready-to-use and can be cut or shaped to size as needed and provides a stable, durable soft-tissue repair.

• Facet Solutions (Hopkinton, Massachusetts) has developed the ACADIA Facet Replacement System (AFRS) to provide patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and facet degeneration a motion-preserving alternative to lumbar spinal fusion. The company reported the completion of six-month follow-up on 20 patients from its U.S. IDE Pilot Study, showing a 78% reduction in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and an 80% reduction in Visual Analog Scores (VAS) for symptomatic leg pain. John Regan, MD, of St. Johns Hospital will present the results from the U.S. Pilot Study today at the NASS Pre-Meeting Course in Toronto, Ontario. The ACADIA procedure includes replacement of the diseased facet joint with an anatomic implant that is designed to restore the natural motion, stability, and balance to the lumbar spine.

• Invitrogen (Carlsbad, California) has introduced a new benchtop instrument, the Countess automated cell counter, which it says offers a new method of automated cell counting to replace manual cell counting using a glass hemocytometer. Currently, researchers use a glass slide with a grid pattern, count cells one by one, add the number of cells in each box and multiply that number by a dilution factor to calculate the final concentration of cells.

• RTI Biologics (Alachua, Florida), a processor of orthopedic, dental, hernia and other biologic implants, said that its bovine pericardium membrane has been introduced into the dental market through its distributor, Zimmer Dental, under the trade name CopiOs. The company said the CopiOs Pericardium Membrane addresses the needs of oral surgeons, periodontists and dentists in conjunction with bone-grafting and implant procedures.