Daily Archives: February 7, 2011

Are Digital Mammograms Superior to the Regular Kind for Women of Every Age?

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Deborah Armstrong, M.D.In digital mammography, the X-ray is converted into an electrical signal that can be displayed on a computer screen or printed as an image that looks like a regular mammogram. The patient’s experience is no different from having a traditional mammogram. Digital mammograms can sometimes use a lower overall dose of radiation to the breast.

The differences between traditional and digital mammography are similar to the differences between traditional and digital photography. Some benefits of digital mammography are that the radiologist can manipulate the digital mammogram electronically to magnify an area, change contrast, or alter the brightness. In addition, the images are available immediately, without waiting for film to develop, and the images can be transmitted electronically from remote locations for centralized reading.

Digital mammograms can only be performed by a facility that is certified to perform them and digital mammography is more expensive than traditional mammography. The cost of digital mammography may thus not be covered by all insurance plans. Early studies comparing digital and traditional mammography haven’t shown a difference in breast-cancer detection. However, there may be a lower chance of women being called back for a repeat mammogram when digital imaging is used. Digital mammograms may be particularly useful in women with dense breasts, a finding more common in younger women.

This Robot Will be Elderly People’s Caregiver

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WELLINGTON – A company in New Zealand has developed a robot that reminds the aged people about their medication, monitors their vital signs, and will soon be able to entertain them too while encouraging exercise and mobility.

Christchurch-based gaming company Stickmen Studios has developed a game – Kung Fu Funk – that can help rehabilitate people who have suffered brain injuries.

Stickmen Studios and the University of Auckland have teamed up to customize the robot with gaming facilities that will help elderly people stay active through interactive games, reported the New Zealand Herald Monday.

The robot, Eldercare, has been developed with the Intelligent Robot Division of South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute to reduce the strain on healthcare resources as the aging population grows and to improve the lives of people who are dependent on care.

According to David Cotter, business development manager of UniServices – a division of Auckland University that commercializes its research – the robot could monitor a person’s blood pressure or insulin levels and then transmit the data to a centre using wireless connections where a nurse or doctor can access it.

The robot can also fetch and carry and monitor, when a person has fallen over, through a bracelet that communicates with it. It then decides whether emergency services are needed.

Cotter said the robot, which is still in a development phase, would help balance out the volume of elderly people to caregivers.

“We can use technology to help keep people active and in their own homes (for longer periods). The robot can also be used to monitor spiking insulin levels and monitor readings. Telecommunication medicine is the next generation of rest homes,” Cotter said.

Valentine’s Day: Calculated Plot to Destroy Romance?

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Think about it: There’s nothing more romantic than a spontaneous outpouring of love. But that’s one thing you can’t have on V-day, when we’re all supposed to move in lockstep formation down to the jewelry/flower/stationery store. How about cozying up over an intimate dinner for two? Every restaurant in town is packed to the gills and about as romantic as the mosh pit at a Green Day concert. And what about being fit, healthy, and ready for loving’? Good-bye, sexy body: There’s nothing like an enormous cardboard heart filled with carbohydrates to ruin the way your belly looks, and feels.

When it comes to chocolate disaster, temptation is everywhere. From the coworker who sets out a community bowl, to the aisles lined with sweets at your local grocery store, there’s no love for your waistline.

But I have good news: If you know what to look for and can exercise a little self-discipline, indulging your sweet tooth isn’t nearly as sinful as you might think. That’s why I’ve dedicated this post to arming you with the knowledge you need to enjoy a romantic evening, compliments of the new Eat This, Not That! And Cook This, Not That!. Here’s how to embrace the sweet (and still guilt-free) side of life:

Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel Squares Not That!

Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel Chocolate Squares (1 square)

73 calories

4 g fat (2 g saturated, < 1 g trans)

8 g sugar

These chocolates are troubling for two reasons: Aside from the fact that a single square has 73 calories, Ghirardelli uses enough partially hydrogenated oil to make eating three pieces—the recommended serving size—result in the consumption of 0.5 grams of trans fat, or a quarter of your day’s daily allowance. Candy heart: Okay. Candy heart disease: Not so good.

Eat This Instead!

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight Squares, 72% Cacao (1 square)

55 calories

5 g fat (3 g saturated)

3 g sugars

FOOD SECRET: White chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, since it contains no cocoa solids; it’s mostly just fat and sugar.

Diagnosis of Fatal Genetic Diseases by Blood-Clotting Agent

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University of Manchester scientists have shown that a protein involved in blood clotting can be used to diagnose and subsequently monitor the treatment of a group of childhood genetic diseases.

In the study, published in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease, the researchers were able to show that the clotting agent, heparan cofactor II/Thrombin (HCII/T) complex, could be used as a ‘biomarker’, or biological tell, in individuals with mucopolysaccharide (MPS) diseases.

MPS diseases are severe metabolic conditions caused by a genetic defect that affects the body’s ability to break down complex sugars in cells and the bloodstream. The conditions result in a range of symptoms from abnormal skeletal development to mental decline and even premature death depending on the type of sugars built up in the body.

Treatment options have been limited but recent advances whereby the missing or faulty enzyme that breaks down the sugars is replaced artificially in affected individuals has made the need for an accurate diagnostic tool for these diseases more pressing.

Lead researcher Dr Brian Bigger, from Manchester’s MPS Stem Cell Research Laboratory, said: “HCII/T complex was originally developed in Canada as a test for patients with MPSI, II and VI. We were able to show that HCII/T complex can clearly distinguish between untreated patients with MPSI, MPSII, MPSIIIA, MPSIIIB, MPSIIIC, MPSVI and unaffected individuals.

“We also went on to monitor long-term clinical outcomes in patients with MPSI, MPSII and MPSVI after treatment to show that elevations of both this biomarker, and the dermatan sulphate:chondroitin sulphate biomarker currently used in the diagnostic laboratory in Manchester, correlated with clinical treatment outcomes in patients.

“Two of the sugars that are commonly accumulated in MPS diseases are heparan sulphate (HS) and dermatan sulphate (DS). Other sugars such as chondroitin sulphate (CS) are usually not accumulated in the disease. By measuring the ratio of DS:CS in urine we can accurately diagnose the disease, but detection of sugars is expensive and technically challenging. Instead, the HCIIT method relies on detection of proteins binding to sugars and is much cheaper to perform.”

Simon Jones, a consultant pediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester and co-author on the paper, added: “These are difficult diseases to treat and monitor so advances such as this will help us to diagnose and treat patients more effectively in the future.”