Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest IT / Internet / E-mail News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/it/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171674.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171674.php A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine. Stem Cell Research Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171680.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171680.php Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare. Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171694.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171694.php Obese patients are no more likely to have post-operative complications than those of average weight when undergoing robotic surgery to remove uterine fibroids, according to a study at Henry Ford Hospital. Myomectomy is a procedure that removes uterine fibroids, leaving the uterus intact and preserving the ability for future pregnancies. Women's Health / Gynecology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171689.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171689.php An international week of action targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines has highlighted the dangers of buying such medicines online. Due to an ever-increasing number of websites supplying dangerous and illegal medicines, INTERPOL and the World Health Organisation's (WHO) International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) have this week co-ordinated 24 countries to launch Operation Pangea II. Litigation / Medical Malpractice Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171686.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171686.php High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory 'cold laser', finding that it caused increased tumour growth in a mouse model of skin cancer. Jan M. Bjordal from Bergen University College, Norway worked with a team of Brazilian researchers to carry out the in vitro and in vivo experiments. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171661.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171661.php A workshop on "Neuroeconomics and Endocrinological Economics," being held Nov. 20 and 21 at UC Davis, will be the first to bring together experts in neuroscience, economics and hormone physiology in one event, according to organizers. Neuroeconomics has emerged as a new field in recent years, as both economists and neuroscientists have used brain scanning technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how people make decisions. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171647.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171647.php A health information technology project "may revolutionize how health care is managed" by using medical records to coordinate patients' records. The Kansas City Star reports: "A pilot program is helping 13 area doctors' offices convert to doing that for their patients. IT / Internet / E-mail Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171656.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171656.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration completed a coordinated, weeklong, international effort, called the International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), intended to curb illegal actions involving medical products. IT / Internet / E-mail Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171544.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171544.php Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor. These cells, known as circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, can provide critical information for examining and diagnosing cancer metastasis, determining patient prognosis, and monitoring the effectiveness of therapies. Cancer / Oncology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171400.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171400.php The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-meter race time would be if his prosthesis behaved like intact limbs. That's the conclusion - released to the public for the first time - of human performance experts Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Matthew Bundle of the University of Wyoming. Sports Medicine / Fitness Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171405.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171405.php NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a molecular barcoding detection system, has announced that it is collaborating with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to investigate molecular networks involved in immune response and other important biological processes. Immune System / Vaccines Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171368.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171368.php Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London. "Animals with bigger brains are not necessarily more intelligent," according to Lars Chittka, Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary's Research Centre for Psychology and University of Cambridge colleague, Jeremy Niven. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171320.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171320.php In a collaboration between Kaiser Health News and IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171333.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171333.php Technology advances are making life better for the elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease by allowing the older to stay in their homes and giving the ill a way to interact with society again. Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with Alzheimer's / Dementia Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171236.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171236.php A $1.3 million grant to Indiana University from the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center will establish the East African Center of Excellence in Health Informatics. IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171238.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171238.php Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa will lead a $9 million, five-year initiative to study the cause of facial birth defects. The FaceBase Consortium will create an encyclopedic database of how the faces of children develop and what goes wrong to cause malformations. FaceBase will build a list of the genes and proteins that drive embryonic cell differentiation around the forming mouth. Pediatrics / Children's Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171240.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171240.php Developmental biologists at the University of Pittsburgh have been chosen to participate in a $100 million federal "Bench to Bassinet" network that is dedicated to learning about the formation of the cardiovascular system and applying that knowledge to create new diagnostic and intervention strategies for congenital heart disease. The Pitt team, led by Cecilia Lo, Ph.D. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171222.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171222.php Two new studies of pedestrian safety found that using a cell phone while hoofing it can endanger one's health. Older pedestrians, in particular, are impaired when crossing a busy (simulated) street while speaking on a mobile phone, the researchers found. The studies, in which participants crossed a virtual street while talking on the phone or listening to music, found that the music-listeners were able to navigate traffic as well as the average unencumbered pedestrian. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171191.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171191.php Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition most often caused by a blood clot breaking off from a vein and entering the circulatory system. While evidence-based guidelines exist to help physicians safely and efficiently evaluate patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, testing often differs from what is suggested. Researchers sought to determine if a computer program for use on a mobile, handheld device could improve diagnostic decision-making. Vascular Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171203.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171203.php People who received daily text messages reminding them to apply sunscreen were nearly twice as likely to use it as those who did not receive such messages, a new study led by a UC Davis Health System dermatologist has found. Researchers hope their findings, which appear in the November issue of the Archives of Dermatology, will inspire other health-care providers to use text messaging to encourage healthy habits in their patients, such as taking prescribed medications properly. Dermatology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171174.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171174.php The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is launching a new programme focusing specifically on the evaluation of innovative medical technologies (including devices and diagnostics). This new programme will both compliment and operate in conjunction with NICE's existing technology appraisal capacity, which will continue to evaluate new pharmaceutical and biotechnology products. Medical Devices / Diagnostics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171175.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171175.php Active Wii sports™ video games and some Wii fit™ activities may increase adults' energy expenditure as much as moderately intense exercise, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009. The study, funded by Nintendo™, demonstrated that about one-third of the virtual physical activities require an energy expenditure of 3.0 METs or above, considered moderate-intensity exercise. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171155.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171155.php As the United States launches "an ambitious program, backed by $19 billion in government incentives, to accelerate the adoption of computerized patient records in doctors' offices and hospitals," a new study of 3,000 hospitals "has found little difference in the cost and quality of care," The New York Times reports. "Dr. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171158.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171158.php Nursesbooks.org, the publishing program of ANA, today announced that it has launched a newly redesigned online bookstore that goes live today. To kick off the new site, through the month of December Nursesbooks.org is offering a 10% discount on all ANA products at final checkout for online orders*. Nursing / Midwifery Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171114.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171114.php By matching children with rare or life-threatening diseases and modelling potential disease progression, researchers hope to find new routes forward. Software tools are being developed that can search and compare patient data at hospitals across Europe to find children with closely matched conditions. The doctors can then study how the matched patients at other hospitals were treated and whether that treatment was successful. IT / Internet / E-mail