• Aspect Medical Systems(Newton, Massachusetts) said that studies presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference on Prevention of Dementia in Washington demonstrated that its brain-monitoring technology identified patients at varying stages of Alzheimer’s disease and correlated with the severity of their dementia. Three studies collectively examined 111 patients ranging in age from 61 to 90, including 84 healthy subjects, 16 patients with mild Alzheimer’s and 11 patients with moderate disease. Cognitive function of healthy subjects was evaluated quarterly over the course of one year using Aspect’s brain monitoring technology and two standard tests. Using a sensor placed on the patient’s forehead, the Aspect technology translates information from the electroencephalogram into a single number that represents a level of cognitive function. Data from these studies showed that a high number indicated healthy cognitive function, while lower values correlated with the severity of the disease. “These findings are important in that they indicate that Aspect’s brain monitoring technology has the potential to assess brain function in a reliable and reproducible way, and to provide a more objective measure of thinking and memory than can be obtained from rating scales over the range from normal aging through severe dementia,” said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California-Los Angeles, and chair of Aspect’s neuroscience advisory board.

• HIFU (Charlotte, North Carolina), a development-stage company, said Health Canada has granted the company a Class III medical device approval for the use of the Sonablate 500 in Canada for the treatment of prostate disease with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The Sonablate 500, manufactured by Focus Surgery (Indianapolis), is a non-invasive device that uses HIFU to destroy tissue within the prostate without affecting surrounding tissue. In approved countries, HIFU with the Sonablate 500 has been successful as both a primary treatment for prostate disease and as a salvage treatment when radiation or surgery has failed, the company said.

• Syneron Medical (Yokneam, Israel) reported that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to the company’s VelaSmooth device, powered by elos (electro-optical synergy) technology, for the temporary reduction in the appearance of cellulite. The VelaSmooth also received clearance for the relief of minor muscle aches, pain and spasm and the temporary improvement of local blood circulation. The clearance of the VelaSmooth offers a new non-surgical, no downtime alternative for patients wishing to treat the appearance of cellulite, the company said. In addition to the 510(k) clearance, the FDA created a new product code for the VelaSmooth.