Science Going To New Heights

A 20-member team of British based medicos is preparing to carry out medical lab experiments on the slopes of South Col of Mt Everest, which they said would be the world's highest laboratory.

The medical research team of Xtreme Everest will make the first ever measurements of blood oxygen in the 'death zone', at altitudes above 8,000m where the human body has struggled -and frequently failed to survive-to find out effects on the human body in high altitude.

The team plans to take measurements of oxygen in arterial blood at extreme high altitude above 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) for the first time. It is anticipated that up to ten members of the team will summit Everest...

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Charge Up That Cell Phone

Cell phone use in hospitals reduces medical errors because communication is timelier, and electronic magnetic interference is rare, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine reported this month, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The study, which is published in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, surveyed more than 4,000 anesthesiologists to determine whether cell phone use by medical personnel improves safety. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed use pagers as their primary mode of communication while 17% said they use cell phones, the Beacon Journal reports. The researchers found that 40% of pager users reported delays in communication, compared with 31% of cell phone users.

This came out a few months ago, but I just found it the other day. A few years back, this would be heresy. All the hospitals I go to have those "no cellphone" signs at every entrance, and outside every unit. Was this ever based on anything, or just fear of liability? The benefits of timely communication between doctors, nurses, and other personnel are going to far outweigh the theoretical risks of anything. I used a cell phone next to all kinds of computer equipment and never had any issues. Perhaps research like this will change attitudes, and policy.

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Obesity Vaccine

Tipped through TechNudge:

In what may be the first published breakthrough of its kind in the global battle against obesity, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in animal models. The study is being published in an advanced, online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of July 31 to August 4.

The vaccine focuses on neutralizing the "hunger hormone" ghrelin. There should be some careful treading as we make a vaccine against the body's normal physiology.

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Intelligent Prosthetics

Advances such as telemedicine and the use of wireless devices in hospitals have become an accepted part of medical technology, but the notion of replacing limbs with computer-powered devices seems more like something out of "RoboCop" or "The $6 Million Man."

Since as far back as the Civil War, prosthetic limbs have consisted of unwieldy lumps of wood, plastic or metal. While some advances in materials have improved comfort for amputees, prosthetics still lack the responsiveness and feel of actual limbs.

Icelandic prosthetic maker Ossur is trying to change that with its Rheo Knee. Billed as the first knee with artificial intelligence, it combines up to 15 sensors, a processor, software and a memory chip to analyze the motion of the prosthetic and learn how to move accordingly. More recently, Ossur introduced the Power Knee, which houses a motor and more sensors. The motor helps replicate some of the action of muscles that have been lost along with the limb.

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