A mobile solution

Today's fast-paced world has grown accustomed to the 24/7 access to almost every necessity, from online order processing and moving money in bank accounts to other transactional or informational needs. Additionally, most have access to virtually any personal information needed at any time, courtesy of a mobile phone device.
A mobile solution

AllOne Health Group in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., recently introduced its secure, mobile access capability to personal health information -- AllOne Mobile. AllOne Mobile, secured through a partnership with Diversinet, places access to and control of an individual's personal health information literally in their own hands courtesy of their mobile phone device.

AllOne Mobile allows any mobile device (e.g., cell phone, PDA) to become a personal health information solution. It works with most basic phones, enhanced phones, smart phones and on all mobile platforms including Java (J2ME), BREW, Microsoft, BlackBerry and the iPhone.

Once registered, a subscriber simply downloads a program that enables ultra-secure communication with a remote server acting as a data hub (the "Vault"), storing key identification, demographic and often-used health information from the individual's PHR. The communication is secured by two-factor authentication utilizing soft tokens, the same security used by the banking industry to secure financial transactions. The Vault also can link to a variety of other health care data sets, such as insurance information, claims data, an EMR, health educational repositories, etc.

Designer baby row over US clinic

A US clinic has sparked controversy by offering would-be parents the chance to select traits like the eye and hair colour of their offspring.

The LA Fertility Institutes run by Dr Jeff Steinberg, a pioneer of IVF in the 1970s, expects a trait-selected baby to be born next year.

His clinic also offers sex selection.

UK fertility experts are angered that the service will distract attention from how the same technology can protect against inherited disease.

The science is based on a lab technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.

I would not say this is a dangerous road. It's an unchartered road Dr Steinberg

This involves testing a cell taken from a very early embryo before it is put into the mother's womb.

Snoring

Most people deny they snore and if they admit claim it doesn't bother them, but in some cases snoring can cause health problems.
What causes it?
The noise of snoring is caused by parts of the nose and throat - in particular, the soft palate - vibrating as you breathe in and out. At night, the muscles that help keep your airways open relax and become floppy. This causes the airways to narrow and vibrate more, making snoring more likely.
What's the treatment?
The following can help reduce the chances of you snoring:

• Avoid drinking alcohol late at night
• Maintain your ideal weight
• Raise the head of the bed
• Sleep on your side (to stop you rolling on to your back, sew a ball in the back of your pyjama top or wedge a pillow under your back)
• Keep your nasal passages clear by using a humidifier, inhaling steam or rubbing a few drops of eucalyptus or olbas oil on your pillowcase (antihistamine tablets and/or anti-inflammatory nasal sprays may help; always check with the pharmacist that they're suitable for you, especially if you're taking other medicines)

Migraines and Nerve Stimulation

Nerve stimulation therapy is used to treat many different types of disorders, including back pain, epilepsy, depression, and headaches. Some recent clinical findings were presented at the 2009 American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) annual meeting held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Wouldn’t you love to go to Hawaii for a medical meeting?

The research was on the use of occipital nerve stimulation for refractory migraines. Vagus nerve stimulation has been used very successfully to treat epilepsy. A stimulator gets implanted under the skin (similar to a pacemaker) and then electric impulses are sent up the vagus nerve in the neck.

Robot Playmates Monitor Emotional State Of Children With Autism

— The day that robot playmates help children with autism learn the social skills that they naturally lack has come a step closer with the development of a system that allows a robot to monitor a child's emotional state.

There is a lot of research going on around the world today trying to use robots to treat children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It has shown that the children are attracted to robots, raising the promise that appropriately designed robots could play an important role in their treatment," says Nilanjan Sarkar, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University. "However, the efforts so far have been quite limited because they haven't had a way to monitor the emotional state of the children, which would allow the robot to respond automatically to their reactions."

Can Exercising Your Brain Prevent Memory Loss?

Can Exercising Your Brain Prevent Memory Loss? Participating in certain mental activities, like reading magazines or crafting in middle age or later in life, may delay or prevent memory loss, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American

Stem Cell Therapy Boy Develops Tumors

A newly published medical article by researchers in Israel describes the case of a boy who developed tumors in his brain and spine four years after receiving fetal stem cell therapy for a rare genetic disease.