Brennemann Blog

Eliminating Errors in Pain Medication

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:01:00 +0000

In one study at an Illinois hospital "researchers hope to translate what they learned into an expanded electronic program that can transform hospital practices across the country and significantly reduce medication errors and adverse reactions."

Human Drug Trials Without the Humans

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Archimedes is "a kind of SimHealth: a vast compendium of medical knowledge drawn from epidemiological data, clinical trials, and physician interviews, which Eddy had laboriously translated into differential equations over the past decade. Those equations, Eddy hoped, would successfully reproduce the complex workings of human biology — down to the individual chambers of a simulated person’s virtual heart." A report from the December issue of Wired.

A Gene Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:28:00 +0000

A new device rapidly analyzes blood for medically relevant genetic variations.

"A desktop instrument recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might finally bring pharmacogenomic testing--the use of a patient's genetic information for drug prescription decisions--to the mainstream. The device, made by Nanosphere, a startup based in Northbrook, IL, can, in a matter of hours, detect genetic variations in blood that modulate the effectiveness of some drugs. Dubbed Verigene, the technology employs a combination of microfluidics and nanotechnology, housed in a single plastic cartridge, to pull DNA from a blood sample and then screen it for the relevant sequences."

Effects of Child Abuse in Later Life

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:24:00 +0000

"Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be at greater risk of developing a variety of aging-related medical conditions as adults, including cardiovascular disease and cancer." More from Futurity

Juvenile Onset MS faster to Progress but Slower to Disable than Adult Onset MS

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:12:00 +0000

"The average time to reach the secondary progressive phase of the disease is longer in patients who develop MS in childhood than in adult onset MS. . . .Reaching the next stage of disability is almost 10 years longer in pediatric-onset patients." So report researchers fromthe Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence located at Women and Children's Hospital, and the William C. Baird MS Center in Buffalo General Hospital (BGH), both Kaleida Health affiliates and UB teaching hospitals.

Chemical May Help Down Syndrome Sufferers

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:04:00 +0000

"Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brain may help prevent some of the memory deficits in Down syndrome that hinder learning and make it hard for the brain to develop normally, researchers said. " A research report from the New York Times

Medical Marijuana for Under 18s

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:56:00 +0000

the New York Times reports on a new patient population for this controversal treatment.

Several Bay Area [California] doctors who recommend medical marijuana for their patients said in recent interviews that their client base had expanded to include teenagers with psychiatric conditions including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“It’s not everybody’s medicine, but for some, it can make a profound difference,” said Valerie Corral, a founder of the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a patients’ collective in Santa Cruz that has two dozen minors as registered clients. Read about it here.

Curry v. Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:47:00 +0000

WSJ Health blog reports on a British study that has reveled that extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells the efficacy of redolent curry in storming the defenses of cancer cells. A plus for those take away Indian meals.

Better and Faster Vaccines

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

"Scientists have identified a protein that could enable more vaccines to be delivered through the mouth or nose, thus strengthening the body’s defenses where the body first encounters many bacteria and viruses." A pathologist at Emory has zeroed in on "M cells, a type of cell found in the intestines that may be a key to effective mucosal vaccines." Futurity.org reports on this promising development in a blog posting for October 27.
For more information, look at Emory health sciences news: http://emoryhealthsciences.org

CDC: "Very Sobering" Flu Season

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:02:00 +0000

The CDC has characterized this year's flu season as very serious. "Unprecedented activity," "unusual toll in the pediatric age group" and number of hospitalizations are among the measures. Here , from Effect Measure, a public health forum, is a thorough and very informative article to explore the CDC's stance.

Reschedule Afternoon Meetings and Indulge in Spicy Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Although double-blind clinical trials have not been held, there is some evidence that garlic can serve as a prophilactic substance against winter colds--and what a way to go!

Being There

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:54:00 +0000

The New York Times suggests an approach to avoiding physician burnout and coping with the endless paperwork. Including a report on a recent JAMA article, How Mindfulness Can Make for Better Doctors shows how it is done.

Nanotechnology in Early Sleuthing

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

A story from Computerworld reports on the ways Stanford researchers and others are using nanoctech and microchips to track very early and elusive cancers when chance if cure us best.

Smart Phone Makers Call the Doctors

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

"The medical waistband is the latest front in the battle among smart-phone makers for the business customer.
Pagers have long reigned in hospitals, where they are prized for their dependability. But with doctors treating more patients and hospitals facing pressure to be more efficient, companies like Apple Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. see an opportunity to peddle their devices.
Last month, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, in Palo Alto, Calif., started a trial with Apple and Epic Systems Corp., a provider of health-care information systems, to test software that will let medical staff access patient charts on Apple's iPhone.
Stanford is studying ways to use the devices to reduce the risk of error as patient care is increasingly handed off from one doctor to another, says Pravene Nath, chief medical information officer.
Around the same time, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center handed out RIM's BlackBerry to nurses and doctors at one of its emergency rooms and surgical floors. Instead of paging each other, they will use the devices to communicate. The hospital also plans to add medical applications to the devices.
One such application, from mVisum Inc., of Cedar Brook, N.J., lets ambulances send EKG images and patient data directly to doctors' BlackBerrys. That way, patients suffering heart attacks can get into surgery more quickly, says William Fera, UMPC's vice president of medical technologies.
According to market-research firm Manhattan Research LLC, of New York, about 64% of U.S. physicians are using smart phones; up from just 50% two years ago. The firm expects that figure to increase to 81% by 2011, with the majority of physicians owning iPhones or BlackBerrys.
Apple and RIM's gains in medicine are coming mostly at the expense of Windows-based devices as well as Palm Inc., whose older hand-held computing devices are still widely used by doctors. Palm didn't respond to requests for comment.
Apple appears to be making a concerted effort to target the medical community. It often features health-care apps at press events and has started taking some of the app developers to meetings with medical institutions, according to one participant. Apple declined to comment.
Among U.S. doctors with smart phones, however, BlackBerry devices still prevail, with a 37% usage rate, compared with 27% for the iPhone, according to Manhattan Research.
Fraser Edward, head of RIM's market development for health care, says he touts the BlackBerry's reputation for security of sensitive information like patient data when he talks to hospital administrators.
It is security -- and the rise of smart phones in medicine -- that worries Deborah Peel, a physician and founder of the advocacy group Patient Privacy Rights. The more ways doctors can access their patients' records, the greater the threat to confidentiality, Ms. Peel says.
"The vast majority of health information technology has not been designed to ensure that patients control access to that data and use of that data," she says.
Medical-application developers say their programs are compliant with federal law for protecting health information.
The vast majority of medical applications available through the iPhone App Store are still reference guides from companies like Epocrates Inc. But some allow doctors to remotely access patient data or lab results.
For example, an app called AirStrip OB lets obstetricians access maternal and fetal data remotely on the iPhone through a special server. AirStrip Technologies LLC says more than 100 hospitals use the product, which requires hospitals to subscribe to its software suite.
"It allows us to monitor our patients' labor from wherever we are," says Jay Staub, an obstetrician at Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. "
Write to Niraj Sheth at niraj.sheth@wsj.com and Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page 30
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

MSN Introduces Online Tools to Help People Make Smarter Health and Lifestyle Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:58:00 +0000

From swine flu info to symptom checkers, MSN My Health Info includes a broad range of widgets and tools to attract health-minded consumers.

On Oct. 1, 2009, MSN released the beta of My Health Info, a new online service that helps people manage their health information on the Web. This is a unique service that offers people a variety of tools and widgets to upload, organize and monitor health information stored in their personal Microsoft HealthVault accounts. The new service allows people to research medical concerns, read the latest health news, gain guidance from medical experts, learn about nutrition, and monitor conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.In addition, MSN is launching a specialized swine flu information center today on the MSN Health & Fitness home page. MSN works with trusted consumer health information providers such as Harvard Medical School and the MayoClinic . Because the data are stored in Microsoft HealthVault, people can access their information via the Web whenever they need it. Users can also customize their pages, access profiles of multiple family members at one time, allowing caregivers to more easily manage not only their information, but their family’s as well. (From the MSM press release)

Rolling the Dice on Risky Drugs

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:45:00 +0000

The risks of Tysabri, an effective drug for treating MS, and the risks of MS patients developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy the longer they are on the medication"underscores a central mathematical issue in assessing risks and benefits of medical treatment," comments the Wall Street Journal in the September 9, 2009, issue. Absolute percentages, mathematical models and actuarial calculations all figure in figuring the risks in this Biogen drug that has been on the market for three years.

Feelings Fierce, Fearful and Furious-- The Healthcare Controversy Continues

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:10:00 +0000

"A Selection of Editoraials and Opinions" from the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and USA Today are among the news outlets that are voicing their views on the ongoing discussion about health care reform in the US. Sample some here.

Elmo Teams Up With the CDC

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:31:00 +0000

In a hard-hitting effort to educate every soul in the US about the incipient dangers of H1N1 flu, the President of the United States yesterday released his latest public health directive, "Wash, wash, wash your hands with Elmo", How Elmo fares in his new role, undoubtedly, will determine whether Miss Piggy is called in to push for the president's health care reform.

Looking Under the Hood of the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:08:00 +0000

While the Internet has grown exponentially over the last decades into the flashy frontiers of Facebook and Twitter, the underlyingl infrastructure is coughing and sputtering. This Christian Science Monitor examines the interruptions and denial of service events that overwhelm the Internet's original software, which was last updated in the mid 1980s. Read more here.

Diabetes Stalks Survivors of Childhood Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Oncology Stat reports on an article from Archives of Internal Medicine, Sur"Childhood Cancer Survivors at Double the Risk for Diabetes ." "Increased diabetes risk is independent of obesity and physical inactivity. It is most evident among survivors of acute myelogenous leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, and Hodgkin's lymphoma, especially if they received radiation therapy."

Glug, Glug - Drowning in Data

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

The exponential explosion of digital scientific research e-mails and twitter messages looms as a problem for future storage of significant digital data. No longer trailing a paper path, new and newly discovered scientific data is in danger of being lost because the storage devices that work in the here-and-now become obsolete as the next storage format emerges. This from a fascinting and cautionery article from WSJ Online, A Data Deluge Swamps Science Historians.

The Perils of Multi-tasking. . . Huh?

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Irrelevancy, distraction and concentration are diminished when people check their e-mail while watching television or juggle several e-mail and instant messaging conversation at once, a study at Stanford University documented. In a variety of tests, the researchers showed that "Media Multi-taskers Pay a Mental Price."

Hospitals' Mea Culpa

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:01:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal reports on hospitals' efforts to admist to grievous medical errors and learn how to prevent them in the interests of patient safety and a reduction of lawsuits. The steps of this process, a;readu endorsed and enacted by policies practiced by CMH, are covered in "Hospitals Own up to Errors"

YouTube has also jumped on the band wagon to market this significant mission. "The Faces of Medical Errors," appears on YouTube and will initiate a series of 12 case studies highlighting the each stage of disclosing, analyzing, and changing proactices to prevent medical errors. Read the posting from the WSJ Health Blog and view a video clip here.

Reining In the Rocketing Rate of Health Insurance Premiums

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Wood) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:26:00 +0000

On the Commonwealth Fund Blog is an article by Karen Davis warning of the consequences if health care reforms don't address the issue of health insurance costs for employers and families. Davis reports that if reform doesn't deal with the increasing cost of health insurance, premiums will increase to 24% of a family's income by 2020. Read this cautionary posting here