medicine posts

Japanese Dental Students Use a Robot Patient

by Leila Brillson — Jul 8th 2009 at 8:25AM

No one likes going to the dentist, so imagine the discomfort of being a patient for a dentist-in-training. So, in order to avoid pain, damage, and deep dental trauma, BBC reports that a professor at the Nippon Dental University Hospital in Tokyo has developed an interesting solution.

A sensor-laden, blinking and gurgling robot named Simroid acts as feedback, documenting and alerting the trainee when he or she has dug too deep or accidentally touched the robot inappropriately. The entire session is recorded to be later reviewed by professors or students.

Just like a real patient, the bot blinks, grunts, and shows responses to discomfort and fear. The robot's creator, Dr. Naotake Shibui, says it's essential, and helpful, to treat the simulator as a real person -- just subtract the blood, drool, and constant whining. [From: BBC.co.uk]

Tags: dentist, health, medicine, robot, robots, top, training

Art Student Creates 3-D Models of Unborn Children

by Terrence O'Brien — Jun 28th 2009 at 10:42AM

Brazilian student Jorge Lopes has brought a stunning and creepy new medical technology to the world. Using MRIs, ultrasounds, and 3-D printers often used for prototyping parts and designs in plastic, Lopes has created life-sized models of unborn children. And it all began life as part of his PhD project at the Royal College of Art (RCA).

Here's how he does it: 3-D computer images of a pregnant woman's womb are generated using normal ultrasounds and MRIs. Lopes then feeds these renderings to a 3-D printer, which constructs actual sized models of the child out of plastic powder. Lopes' models are currently on display at an art exhibit at the RCA and, according to the Daily Mail, the medical community is taking a great interest in his technique.

A clinic in Rio de Janeiro is already testing the fetus modeling technology. It could be a way to help mothers-to-be build an emotional bond with their unborn child; particularly blind mothers, for whom an ultra-sound is useless.

It's an interesting idea, with some practical applications, but we can't help but be freaked out by some of the models -- especially the skeletal twins. Shudder. [From: Daily Mail]

Tags: art, fetus, heatlh, medicine, model, science, top

Cell Phones

Texting Is the Best Way to Remind Folks to Take Medicine, Study Finds

by Caleb Johnson — Jun 8th 2009 at 7:58AM

Getting a child or teenager to take their medicine is usually an uphill battle. Too many distractions -- TV, videogames, cell phones -- and sometimes, it just flat-out tastes bad. However, it's important, particularly when dealing with an organ transplant patient. This medication can determine whether or not a patient's body accepts the new organ. EMaxHealth recently reported a study, which looked at using text messages to remind patients to take their medications.

In the study, researchers looked at 41 liver transplant patients. First, they determined what time of day the patient preferred to receive a reminder. When the time came, researchers sent the patient a text message which reminded them to take their medication. If the patient did not respond via text within 15 minutes, another message was sent to their parents.

Researchers told EMaxHealth that the year before the study, 12 out of 41 transplant patients' bodies rejected the organ because of improper medication dosage. After one year of the study, only two patients' bodies rejected the transplanted organ. We think the results of this study speak volumes. These researchers have found a way to use our ever-expanding wireless world to save lives, and that is something we can get behind. [From EMaxHealth, via Textually.org]

Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, health, liver, medicine, organ transplant, OrganTransplant, text message, TextMessage, top

Celebrities, Web, Social Networking

Rock Bands Use Twitter to Raise $850K for Fan's Heart Transplant

by Warren Riddle — May 28th 2009 at 4:30PM

Some musicians have criticized Twitter for being the "highest form of narcissism," but, over the last few weeks, Twitter users have given thousands of reasons to prove that the microblogging community will overwhelmingly come to the aid of others. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, with the help of the band Jane's Addiction, has managed to raise $850,000, thanks in part to Twitter, for a fan in need of a heart transplant.

Eric De La Cruz was recently denied a transplant in Nevada, so his sister, former CNN anchor Veronica De La Cruz, began a campaign on her own site two weeks ago to raise donations for his treatment and to also raise awareness of Nevada's need for more transplant centers. Reznor became involved by posting a letter on the Nine Inch Nails site last Wednesday and, with Jane's Addiction, by offering incentive packages to concerts for varying levels of donations. A regular tweeter, Reznor -- with the help of his nearly 600,000 followers -- managed to light up the Internet with awareness of the cause. The bands have already had to stop distributing VIP passes, which came with a $1,200 donation, because of the high level of demand.

As we've reported, Reznor has previously urged fans to "steal" music because record labels are, in his words, "ripping people off," and has also allowed free downloads of his own band's music. In an era when many bands and musicians gripe about how fans are killing their profits with free downloads, we applaud Reznor for putting his money where his tweet is when a fan is truly in need. [From: Mashable]

Tags: charity, expire-images:2010-5-28, janes addiction, JanesAddiction, medicine, microblogging, music, nine inch nails, NineInchNails, top, transplant, trent reznor, TrentReznor, twitter

Cell Phones

Doctors and Med Students Embrace Smartphones

by Kaiser Hwang — May 21st 2009 at 6:02AM

Even though smartphones have been around for years, the exploding application scene (started by Apple's App Store) has transformed what was typically a business communication device into much, much more. Despite the surge in mobile entertainment apps, it's not all games: According to the Washington Post, roughly 64-percent of doctors in the U.S. use a smartphone, and many are using devices like the iPhone to look up drug interactions, view X-rays, and even stream music during a surgery.

Med school students are also getting in on the action, with Georgetown's medical school requiring students to own either an iPhone or iPod Touch (sound familiar?). Similarly, Ohio State University has promised to give each and every one of its 1,400 students an iPod Touch by this Fall. Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean for Education at OSU told the Washington Post, "It allows the residents and the students to ask questions at the bedside, and not rely on memory and not guess. They can actually sit with the patient if they wish and use a number of online sources."

There's pretty much an infinite number of uses a device like the iPhone could offer the medical field. With over 25 pages of medical-related apps on the App Store alone -- and the ability to link specialized hardware to the yet-to-be-released iPhone 3.0 -- you have to wonder if Apple had this planned all along. [From: The Washington Post]

Tags: education, iphone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, medical, medicine, smartphone, students, top

LED-Enabled Marriage Hunting Bra for Hubby Hunting

by Warren Riddle — May 14th 2009 at 6:05AM

We're told that there is a declining birth-rate crisis in Japan, so prospective mothers need extra help to quickly tie the knot and proceed to crucial babymaking. Enter Triumph International's 'Marriage Hunting Bra,' the first bra to feature a large LED clock that counts down the days until a woman's ideal nuptials (don't worry, it's not a biological clock or anything -- the timing is customizable).

But today's modern woman on-the-go needs more than just a wedding day countdown -- this multifunctional mammary support system features a ring holder, a pen, and a personal marriage seal. To be honest, the thing looks like a 2nd-base preventing chastity belt. For a full demonstration of this corset of desperation, check out this review from a Japanese news program. [From: Pink Tentacle via Dvice]

Tags: bras, clothing, health, marriage hunting bra, MarriageHuntingBra, medicine, tech clothing, top

Got Allergies? Beam Some Light Up Your Nose.

by Chad Mumm — May 12th 2009 at 5:28PM

We come across a lot of 'interesting' gadgets here at Switched HQ, but the Sneezerbeam has us especially confused. Spring is here and you're probably suffering from allergies. Not anymore -- get yourself a Sneezerbeam and jam the device up into your nasal cavities; it will blast your sniffer's cells with beams of concentrated light to keep them from releasing histamines, which trigger allergy symptoms.

We're not sure how light will affect your nasal cells (unless you're belting them with lasers or UV rays or something), and you're sure to look like a goober wandering around the office with backlighted eyeballs and electric protrusions sticking out from your nose. Still, if you feel compelled to give it a go -- and you live across the pond -- you can buy it here (alas, it's only available in the U.K.). [From: Dvice]

Tags: allergies, health, light, medicine, sneezerbeam, spring, top, weird

Car Tech

Ambulance Drivers Told to Use Old-Fashioned Maps Again

by Peter Mychalcewycz — May 3rd 2009 at 1:16PM

It seems that normal civilians aren't the only people experiencing difficulty with their GPS systems these days.

According to the Telegraph, England's North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has told its employees not to rely solely on their ambulances' GPS systems anymore. Paul Liversidge, the company's director of ambulance operations, told the paper that the change was necessary, since his crews' frequent over-reliance on the systems often led to delays getting to patients.

So are the drivers expected to return to paper maps? That looks to be the case, although a NEAS spokesperson said in a statement that there is no substitute for local knowledge when it comes to navigating with ease. You think?

We are happy to see such logic win out in this case, but, unfortunately, the warnings may have come a bit late. Last year, a woman died before she could reach the hospital when the ambulance drivers transporting her were misdirected by a GPS device. If you find yourself needing to go from Point A to Point B in a situation of life and death, you may be better off with instincts and a good ol' fashioned map than you are with your Garmin. Or you could use the ultimate satellite navigation system -- your trusty sextant and the North Star. [From: Telegraph]

Tags: ambulances, dumb gadgets, dumb tech, DumbTech, gps, hospitals, killer gadgets, KillerGadgets, medicine, top

Visionaries

Students Create $20 Prosthetic Leg -- and It Works!

by Evan Shamoon — Apr 20th 2009 at 10:15AM

Now that the technology for advanced prosthetic limbs is achievable, students at Stanford University are trying to make it actually attainable for the average person around the globe.

Students in the school's Biomedical Device Design and Evaluation program started the JaipurKnee Project, and challenged themselves to create a fully-functioning prosthetic leg that could be manufactured for a very low price. Clearly, they were successful, creating the above, fully-functioning appendage for just $20 in parts and production costs.

In order to improve upon the sorts of limbs currently used in developing countries, the team first studied high-end titanium knee joints, which cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. It then explored standard materials found in cheap prosthetics around the globe, and, eventually, came up with the design for a self-lubricating knee joint made from an oil-filled nylon polymer, significantly cutting production costs.

Tags: budget, health, medicine, prosthetic, prosthetics, research, robotics, stanford, students, top, university

Computers

Researcher to Use GPS to Study Asthma Triggers

by Nilay Patel — Apr 13th 2009 at 9:15AM

You wouldn't expect GPS tech to have an impact on asthma research, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison's David Van Sickle says it will -- he's planning on tagging sufferers so he can learn when and where they reach for their inhalers. The data will hopefully make sorting out environmental triggers of the disease much easier -- it took scientists eight years to prove that soybean dust near the Barcelona harbor caused a massive asthma outbreak in the '80s, a timeline that might have been dramatically shorter if location information had been available from the start. The plan's still in the early stages, but would-be participants can sign up already -- let's just hope the tracker is slightly more attractive than Kogan's enormous watch unit.

[Via CNET]

Tags: asthma, david van sickle, DavidVanSickle, gps, gps tracking, GpsTracking, health, madison, medicine, science, university of wisconsin, university of wisconsin madison, UniversityOfWisconsin, UniversityOfWisconsinMadison

Breastlight Allows Women to View Breast Abnormalities

by Peter Mychalcewycz — Apr 10th 2009 at 8:29AM

Self-examination is the front line in a woman's battle against breast cancer. Women that regularly examine their breasts greatly improve their chances for successful treatment should any abnormalities appear. Sadly, many women do not know how to conduct a proper self-exam, so we were intrigued when we saw this device, designed to simplify the process, on ShinyShiny.tv.

The Breastlight (available for £77.50, or about $114) is a simple little gadget. Once you've applied the included lubricant to your breast and placed the device under it, the gadget passes a powerful red light through the breast tissue, itself (if you've ever placed a flashlight up to your hand, you get the idea). As the Breastlight illuminates the breast tissue, you can visually scan your breast for any growths or abnormalities. It is recommended that, while using the Breastlight, you remain in a dark room so you can see more clearly. A mirror can also be helpful in viewing the underside of the breast and other difficult-to-see areas.

With or without the Breastlight, self-examination remains an essential tool in the fight against breast cancer. It's just that this device looks like it could give you a better view of the opponent. [From: ShinyShiny]

Related Links:

Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer prevention, BreastCancer, BreastCancerPrevention, breastlight, health, medicine, top

Visionaries

Scientists Make 'Progress' in Erasing Memories

by Terrence O'Brien — Apr 7th 2009 at 7:10AM

Scientists just can't leave memories alone. Since first discovering the chemical PKMzeta in the brain, researchers have been playing with erasing the minds of rats in laboratories. By injecting mice with a drug called ZIP, scientists are able to block the activity of PKMzeta, which is believed to be essential for the retention and recollection of memories.

Original tests worked only on erasing the memory of tastes, but researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, the New York Times reports, have replicated the tests and, in so doing, successfully erased a broader set of memories. Scientists taught mice to navigate a small chamber by avoiding areas on the floor that would administer small electric shocks to their feet. The mice remembered the locations of the shock pads and avoided them, even a month later when placed back into the chamber. But, after having ZIP injected into their brains, the mice forgot how to correctly navigate the chamber, got shocked, and had to relearn.

Tags: future tech, FutureTech, health, medicine, memory, research, science, top

Computers

SimMan 3G Patient Simulator Will Undoubtedly Creep You Out

by Darren Murph — Apr 6th 2009 at 6:20AM

Look, we want the next generation of robot doctors to be as competent as possible; after all, it's them that'll likely be taking care of us when our fingers lock up and our cranium-housed SSDs finally fail. That said, we can't help but be freaked completely out by Laerdal's latest and greatest patient simulator, the SimMan 3G. This almost-human can be programmed with various practice scenarios for to-be doctors to hone their skills on, and as any sophisticated mannequin should, this one is also wireless, self-contained and able to withstand four hours of surgery before conking out. We have no clue how many thousands this thing will set HOSA clubs around the nation back, but anything that bleeds, winks, and secretes shouldn't be something you "buy," anyway.

Tags: health, Laerdal, medical, medicine, patient simulator, PatientSimulator, simman, simman 3g, Simman3g, simulation, simulator

Computers

Implantable Telescope Lens Could Help Those With Failing Vision

by Tim Stevens — Apr 5th 2009 at 3:01PM

The idea of a telescope fused directly into your eye may sound like a dream come true for impromptu stargazers, but the intent here is not for ocular astronomy. Rather, it's to help those suffering from age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. This condition results in the deterioration of eyesight (much like the deterioration of cashflow in the other AMD), creating a large blind spot in the center of the field of vision. VisionCare's 4mm implantable telescope is intended to re-focus an image onto an undamaged part of the retina of one eye using either 2.2 or 3X magnification, giving patients the ability see directly ahead while leaving the other as it was to provide peripheral vision.

It's a rather more simple solution than others we've seen, which is perhaps why it's already completed a Phase II/III clinical trial, and the FDA is recommending it be approved for use. We are too, if only so that we'll have more opportunities to use that 'Six Million Dollar Man' soundboard we keep bookmarked -- that bionic jump never gets old.

[Via Medgadget]

Tags: future tech, FutureTech, health, implantable telescope, ImplantableTelescope, macular degeneration, MacularDegeneration, medicine, telescope, visioncare, visioncare implantable telescope, VisioncareImplantableTelescope

Computers

European Parkinson's Patients Receive Implants to Help Alleviate Symptoms

by Ross Miller — Apr 2nd 2009 at 4:19PM

St. Jude Medical's announced that patients from Austria, Germany, and Greece are among the first to be implanted with Libra Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) devices to alleviate the symptoms of advanced Parkinson's Disease. Specifically, it's able to reduce akinesia, rigidity, tremor, and motor complications associated with taking levodopa.The company's touting Libra and LibraXP as having the longest-lasting battery of any DBS in their class, meaning potentially less surgical procedures needed for for when they gotta be replaced. No word on when they'll be expanding use of the device, but we're sure it's coming.

[Via Medgadget]

Tags: dbs, deep brain stimulation, DeepBrainStimulation, health, libra, libra dbs, LibraDbs, medical, medicine, parkinsons, parkinsons disease, ParkinsonsDisease, surgical

Most Emailed Stories

Editors' Picks

Weirdest Techie Heists and Scams

Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.

Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.

Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.

Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.

17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.

Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."

Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?

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