Global Health News

Speaking and social interaction can be difficult for individuals with autism, but the use of tablet computers is leading to improvements in some individuals. Using the iPad and special applications, some individuals with autism have been able to improve their ability to speak and communicate, as well as gain other skills.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a “smart prosthesis” that provides a more natural gait for individuals who have undergone amputation. Featuring a computer, motors, and sensors, the leg is able to detect the user’s motion and move in unison with them. In addition, the device routinely checks if the user is stumbling or having difficulty and makes adjustments as needed.

Recently developed shoes with built-in GPS devices could help to track individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Studies indicate that more than five million Americans experience Alzheimer’s, and it is not uncommon for individuals to go missing for several days. A reported 60 percent of individuals with Alzheimer’s wander and become lost, and up to half of those individuals are not found within 24 hours.

Researchers at Edinburgh University recently announced that they have created a type of artificial blood that may be ready for human testing within the next three years. Using stem cells from adult human bone marrow, researchers were able to create O-negative blood – the type that can be used by 98 percent of the world’s population. The development of artificial blood could help improve emergency medicine by increasing the supply.

According to new research, doctors who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopies may identify more precancerous growths. Improved detection of adenomatous polyps could improve survival rates for colorectal cancer. Previous research has shown that Mozart’s music can provide a significant short-term boost to spatial-temporal reasoning, improving an individual’s ability to compare and transform mental images in space and time.

AT&T has begun selling a number of wireless health tracking devices, and clothing to track an individual’s vitals are forthcoming. According to Glenn Lurie, President of AT&T’s Emerging Devices division, bio-tracking clothes allow consumers to get some of the feedback about their health that they desire.

An algorithm developed at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics could reduce the scan time needed for an MRI to just 15 minutes. MRI devices are able to scan the inside of the body in intricate detail, allowing clinicians to detect even the earliest signs of cancer or other abnormalities. Traditional MRI scans can take up to 45 minutes and require the patient to lie still during that time.

Researchers have developed a method of producing the human blood protein albumin using rice. Unlike other plants which have been utilized previously, the yield of albumin from rice is significantly higher – nearly 3g per kilogram of rice. Albumin is used to make vaccines and to treat cirrhosis of the liver and other medical problems.

A team of experts at Southern Methodist University is making progress towards developing prosthetic devices that rely on fiber optics. In addition to these prostheses, which would offer seamless movement and sensation, researchers at SMU are working to develop prosthetic devices powered by infrared lasers.

According to a recent study, bacteria exchange genetic information as readily as people share digital data. Researchers have identified a massive gene network that facilitates the transfer of 10,000 unique genes among 2,235 bacterial genomes, crossing international borders and going between species. Using horizontal gene transfer, bacteria are able to acquire genetic traits, and a reported 60 percent of the transfers among human-related bacterial strains involve antibiotic resistance.

A reported 74.6 percent of nurses in the US use smartphones or tablet computers, according to a new study. Despite the large number of nurses with these devices, nearly half the study participants reported they had never downloaded a medical app. An additional study found that as many as 80 percent of physicians own a smartphone, and one in four doctors own both a smartphone and a tablet computer.

A newly developed device could help to improve the detection of moles that should be checked for melanoma. Recently approved by the FDA, the MelaFind makes detailed, digital images of skin growths and uses a computer to analyze them for signs of cancer. The device is approved for use only by dermatologists, and is intended as a sort of “second opinion” to doctors.

A newly developed DIY test for HPV may help to improve rates of early detection of cervical cancer. Researchers indicate that the self-test kit has the potential to help thousands of women in countries where standard smear tests may not be available. Smear tests are conducted by a healthcare provider and checked manually, while the DIY test can be taken at home and checked manually by an automated system.

Health officials report that there has not been a case of polio in India in nine months. Though India remains one of only four nations where polio is still endemic, efforts to defeat the disease are ongoing. Polio usually infects children under five years of age through contaminated drinking water and can cause paralysis, muscular atrophy, and even death.

According to findings of a new study, Aspirin cuts the risk for colorectal cancer in individuals with a genetic predisposition. A study of 861 individuals in the UK with Lynch syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that increases the risk of cancer, found reduced rates of colon cancer in individuals taking 600mg of Aspirin daily.