Global Health News

A motion sensor similar to the type used in many electronic devices could help to relieve severe back pain. UK doctors at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London have inserted this type of device, which is able to determine if a patient is standing or laying down, into the spine of the patient. Based on the patient’s physical position, the amount of neuro-stimulation sent out by the device varies.

The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech researchers are working to develop a technology that will allow individuals with extremely low vision and blindness to drive. The technology, called “nonvisual interfaces,” uses sensors that allow a blind driver to maneuver a car based on information that is transmitted about their surroundings. Researchers hope that this project could revolutionize mobility for many individuals.

Findings of a recent study indicate that elementary school children who play video games or watch TV may have lower attention spans. Children who played video games for more than two hours per day were found to be 67 percent more likely than their peers to have attention problems. Watching TV and other “passive activities” were seen to have similar results.

New research indicates that individuals with shorter telomeres are more likely to develop cancers. Telomeres are structures that protect the tips of chromosomes. Austrian researchers studied the telomere length of 787 participants in 1995 and determined that shorter telomeres could be linked to cancer risk. Additional research indicates that the gradual shortening of these structures could be one reason why cells age and die.

A novel way of closing a gateway to the AIDS virus may have been found. CCR5 is a protein that helps the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) penetrate a cell before reproducing. Researchers modified immature haematopoietic cells, which make immune and red blood cells, taken from mice. Individuals who have a gap in the genetic code from CCR5 were somewhat resistant to HIV infection and took longer to develop AIDS.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a tiny telescope device that can be implanted inside the eye. The Implantable Miniature Telescope has the potential to help in the end stages of incurable age-related macular degeneration, which causes a loss of the central vision. Implanting the device in one eye may provide improved central vision, while allowing the eye without the device to provide peripheral vision.

A group of 400 experts met recently at the sixth annual Games for Health conference in Boston to discuss innovative ways of using video games with motion-sensor controls to improve health outcomes. Specialized games have been developed for the Nintendo Wii to help individuals with Parkinson’s disease improve their balance. Other similar games have been used to help improve gait and balance in children with Cerebral Palsy.

DARPA has developed a process that may allow for the creation of universally accepted O-negative blood for use on the battlefield. The process of “pharming,” genetically engineering an organism to generate large quantities of a substance, could greatly improve battlefield medicine and lead to better treatment outcomes for wounded soldiers. Though the process must still undergo testing, researchers are hopeful that it will prove successful.

According to U.S. government scientists, three powerful antibodies have been discovered which may help to combat HIV/AIDS. The strongest of the three neutralizes 91 percent of HIV strains, more than any AIDS antibody discovered previously. United Nations estimates indicate that more than 33 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2008, and 2.7 million contracted the virus that year.

A California campground was closed recently after a California ground squirrel tested positive for plague. Plague is a bacterial disease in wild rodents that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected fleas. The Los Angeles County public health director said that the Los Alamos Campground in the Angeles National Forest would be reopened after the area is dusted for fleas and further testing is conducted.

U.S. scientists have identified genetic “signposts” that may indicate that an individual will live to be over 100 years old. The research team identified 150 of these “signposts” found in exceptionally long-lived people. Only one in 6,000 people in industrialized nations lives to be 100, and 90 percent of them do not experience any age-related disability by the time they are 93.

Mothers who consume a high-fat diet before and during pregnancy may be increasing their children’s risk of birth defects. British researchers studying mice found that a pregnant mother’s diet may influence the type or severity of birth defects including congenital heart disease and cleft palate. Previous studies have shown that children of mothers with diabetes or who are overweight are at an increased risk of congenital heart disease.

A recent study found that measurements of neck circumference may be a more reliable technique for assessing obesity in children that BMI. According to experts, body mass index (BMI) does not assess the reason for a person’s weight might be higher than desired based on their height. Neck circumference was shown to be more convenient and accurate at identifying children with weight problems.

According to the CDC, approximately 32,000 lives could be saved each year if people over 50 were regularly screened for colorectal cancer. Following lung cancer, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Reports indicate that one in three people who should be screened for colorectal cancer have not been, and screening rates are even lower among Hispanic and African American individuals.

R&D Magazine recently reported on the provision of employment education for individuals with disabilities. Reports from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the national unemployment rate in December 2009 for people with disabilities was 13.8 percent, and for those without disabilities it was 9.5 percent. Further, about 5.4 million Americans with disabilities were employed mid-last year, representing only four percent of total employment.