Science and Technology: Robotic surgery a success in Greece

07/07/2008

Greek specialists discuss robotic surgery. Also in science news this week: Turkish researchers have produced an antiserum against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Croatia joined CleanSeaNet.

Specialists discussed robotic surgery in Thessaloniki. [AFP]

Robotic surgery is rapidly making its way into gynaecological medicine in Greece, specialists said during the 3rd Pan-Hellenic Congress on Gynaecological Endoscopy in Thessaloniki. Congress participants gave presentations on robotic surgery's achievements in Greece over the last two years, Greek TV and radio (ERT) reported on Tuesday (July 1st). Surgeons conducted the first robotic surgery in the country in 2006.

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Turkey's parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission adopted a bill to ratify the Kyoto Protocol last week. Turkey is one of the few countries that have not yet ratified the document, whose signatories agree to reduce greenhouse gases to at least 5% below 1990 levels by 2012.

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Turkish researchers have produced an anti-serum against Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) by using blood samples from patients who developed immunity after recovering from the disease. The Turkish Health Ministry's Department of Hygiene developed the product. Researchers tested it successfully on animals and subsequently used it to treat humans infected by the virus.

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European Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen and Albanian Economy Minister Genc Ruli signed a memorandum of understanding formalising Albania's entry into the entrepreneurship and innovation pillar of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). The CIP, which runs from 2007 to 2013 with a budget of 3.6 billion euros, contains the following three pillars -- the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Framework Programme, Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme and Intelligent Energy -- Europe Programme.

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Croatia joined CleanSeaNet, a service of the European Maritime Safety Agency that aids satellite detection of oil spills at sea. Project participants must help develop and operate an early warning system.

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Slovenian Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar and her Montenegrin counterpart, Sreten Skuletic, endorsed an agreement on co-operation in science and technology on Wednesday (July 2nd). The ministers agreed that in 2009 the two ministries will publish calls for applications for bilateral research projects.

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Bulgarian Agency for Information Technologies Chairman Plamen Vachkov said on Wednesday (July 2nd) that his country needs between 50m and 75m euros in investments to secure high-speed internet connections nationwide. A public-private partnership could secure the money, he said, adding that the agency has drafted a national programme for development of broadband service in Bulgaria and would submit it to the government for approval shortly.

(Various sources 30/06/08-07/07/08)