• Foreign object ingestion is more common than people think, and while the majority of objects swallowed occur among children, it also happens to adults, primarily those with psychiatric disorders and the mentally handicapped. The recent recall of toys containing small magnets that can come loose and be swallowed by young children highlights the risk of serious injury when foreign objects are ingested. The majority of foreign objects, 80%, that reach the gastrointestinal tract will pass naturally and not require treatment. Ten to 20%, however, will require nonoperative intervention, while 1% or less will require surgery. Endoscopy is safe and effective in treating patients who have swallowed a foreign object that will not pass naturally, according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Oak Brook, Illinois). Endoscopy is performed by specially-trained physicians called endoscopists using the most current technology to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Using flexible, thin tubes called endoscopes, endoscopists are able to access the human digestive tract without incisions via natural orifices. Endoscopes are designed with high-intensity lighting and fitted with precision devices that allow viewing and treatment of the gastrointestinal system. In many cases, screening or treatment of conditions can be delivered via the endoscope without the need for further sedation, treatment or hospital stay. The mission of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is to be the leader in advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

• The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC; Charleston, South Carolina) reported the results of a functional MRI (fMRI) study examining the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, developed by Cyberonics (Houston) for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The study appears in the August 2007 issue of peer-reviewed Neuropsychopharmacology. The results show that VNS therapy modulates areas of the brain that control mood. The researchers also identified variables, such as length of use, strength of stimulation and level of depression, to better understand the impact of VNS therapy. The study illustrates that VNS therapy modifies activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, the same area of the brain targeted by many antidepressant medications and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A critical time for such effective modulation occurs approximately at 30 weeks of treatment. Such modulation could support VNS therapy’s unique mechanism of action as a long-term treatment for chronic or recurrent depression and directly corresponds with the timeframe in which patients typically experience a decrease in symptoms.

• Varian Medical (Palo Alto, California) received FDA clearance for a “smart” radiotherapy treatment planning tool that it said will enable clinicians to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to plan advanced treatments, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy. The new smart segmentation feature, which has been added to Varian’s Eclipse treatment planning product, is the world’s first fully automatic tool that uses intelligent software to identify and outline organs and other structures within diagnostic images of the thorax and male pelvis. Up to now, identifying structures to be irradiated or protected during radiotherapy treatments had to be done by hand. The smart segmentation tool can automatically identify all of the structures of interest in less than 45 seconds. Clinicians can now start the planning process with images that have important anatomical structures already outlined, and simply adjust them according to their clinical judgment. Varian makes medical technology for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and radiosurgery.