The Value of Health Systems Science Education
The authors advocate for increased use of system-based practice in undergraduate and graduate medical school.
Medical Research
Influences on New NIH Policy for Age Limits in Research Explored
AGS advocacy “clearly impacted” the resulting workshop report and the Inclusion Across the Lifespan policy, which eliminates upper-age limits for research participation.
Brain Scans: Recording Dreams?
Ever experience a truly surreal dream, one that is so vivid and believable that you wish you could share it with others?
Higher Chance of Hospital Death Found in Areas Where Emergency Departments Have Closed
In the first analysis of its kind, UC San Francisco research shows that emergency department closures can have a ripple effect on patient outcomes at nearby hospitals.
Smart Contact Lenses
Aimed at providing diabetes sufferers a means to monitor their blood sugar, the device reads chemicals in the tear fluid of the eye and warns the wearer if the levels are abnormal via embedded LED technology within the lenses themselves. Because human tears contain a variety of inorganic electrolytes, organic solutes, proteins, and lipids, such a device would provide a convenient platform for diagnosing and/or monitoring many health-related illnesses.
Mayo Clinic Researchers Successfully Cure Cancer Using Measles Vaccine
In an April 2014 press release, a Mayo Clinic hematologist announced that a massive dose of the measles vaccine had eradicated blood cancer in a 49-year-old woman. Stephen Russell, M.D., Ph.D., author of the research paper and co-developer of the therapy, said the woman experienced a complete remission from myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow, and has been clear of the disease for over 6 months. “This is the first study to establish the feasibility of systemic oncolytic virotherapy for disseminated cancer,” he says. Russell and his team also treated another cancer patient with the measles vaccine, and although this patient did not respond as well, her cancer did show signs of improvement.
First Came Glasses, Then Contacts; Now the Bionic Eye?
In the fictional universe of Star Trek exists a device called a VISOR. Its a thin apparatus worn like a pair of sunglasses by the blind to artificially provide them with a sense of vision. VISORs can detect electromagnetic signals and transmit them to a users brain through neural implants in their temples. However, instead of seeing the world as human eyes do, someone wearing a VISOR is able to see infrared and ultraviolet light and beyond. When the fictional technology of the VISOR was conceived, it was far from becoming a reality, but today, a device very similar to this is already being used by blind patients.
Smart Pill Tech Market Expected to Grow to $1 Billion by 2017
Smart pills are the next big thing to happen to medicine. No, taking them won’t increase your IQ, although there are many products out there that claim to do this. Smart pills are capsules or tablets embedded with some sort of tiny edible sensor that transmits information about a person’s internal body or electronically controls the delivery of medicine. According to market research, the smart pill technology market is expected to grow to almost $1 billion by the year 2017. Here’s what you need to know about the latest smart pill tech.
Nanotechnology Can Be Harmful to the Lungs
Nanotechnology has the potential to change the world as we know it by transforming concepts that were once thought to be science fiction into reality. In the Star Trek universe, machines called replicators have the ability to produce practically any physical object from a new pair of boots to a slice of banana cream pie. Some experts believe that through nanotechnology, replicators can be a real possibility. Nanoparticles are already employed in some of the products we use every day. In fact, more than 2800 commercially available products are now based on nanoparticles. Many sunscreens use metal oxide nanoparticles because they efficiently protect the skin over a broader UV range.
3-D Printing: A Medical Miracle
Razmara Nizak is a student of technical medicine. His thesis? Validate a new MRI protocol for patient-specific solutions in health care. In other words, he is trying to make the process of replacing knees and hips more efficient. To achieve this academic goal, Razmara is utilizing a revolutionary new technology to manufacture prototypes and experiment with different model sizes: an ORD Bot Quantum 3-D printer.
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