Health 2.0 in Paris: Webicina.com Case Study November 16, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Conference, Health, Health 2.0, Web 2.0, Webicina.2 comments
The biggest conference in the field of health 2.0 will come to Europe in 2010 and it’s an honour to be invited as a speaker. I was asked to present the case study of Webicina.com, the first medical web 2.0 guidance service. Four case studies will be presented:
- West Shell, Healthline Networks
- Steven Krein, Organized Wisdom
- Berci Mesko, Webicina
- Segolène Ayme, Orphanet
Physicians’ Night Shifts are Dangerous November 16, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Health, Medicine.add a comment
I know the title won’t surprise anyone but now here is a publication that tried to find a scientific explanation for this phenomenon.
Aims: To evaluate the effects of a 24 h (h) physicians on-call duty (OCD) (‘night shift’) on 24 h electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate variability, blood pressure (BP), and various biochemical serum and urine ‘stress markers’ compared with a ‘regular’ day at work.
Methods and results: The study was designed as a prospective randomized cross-over trial with each physician completing a 24 h (h) OCD and a 24 h control period including a regular 8 h non-OCD. Thirty healthy physicians with a median age of 33.5 years (range 29.0–45.0) were analysed. Twenty-four hours ECG and BP monitoring were performed and participants were instructed to fill out an event diary and perform a 24 h urine collection. Furthermore, blood was drawn before and after OCD and control day.
Conclusion: Our results highlight the association of OCD with an increased risk profile for cardiovascular disease. In addition to the acute effects observed, frequent night-calls over a longer period possibly elicit sustained alterations in cardiovascular homeostasis.
Reference:
Arrhythmias and increased neuro-endocrine stress response during physicians’ night shifts: a randomized cross-over trial
Rauchenzauner et al, European Heart Journal 2009 30(21):2606-2613;
Virtual Reality: Establishing Medical Hallmarks November 15, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Second Life, Technology, Virtuality.add a comment
Mauroof Ibrahim, an Animation degree student in LimKokWing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia did an interview with me for a research project “Virtual Reality: Establishing Medical Hallmarks”. I asked him to publish the comprehensive results in a well-structured form on Scribd. Enjoy:
Google Flu Shot Finder November 15, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Google, Health, Health 2.0, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Web 2.0.2 comments
Google is now trying to collect information about flu shots across the USA. Here is an example featuring where you can find seasonal (red) and H1N1 (blue) flu shots near New York.
An excerpt from Google Blog:
You can check out the flu shot finder at www.google.com/flushot. The same tool will also be available shortly on www.flu.gov and the American Lung Association websites. It’s important to note that this project is just beginning and we have not yet received information about flu shot clinics for many locations. In addition, many locations that are shown are currently out of stock. We launched this service now in order to help disseminate information about locations where vaccines are available, and also to make more vaccine providers aware of the project so that they can contribute.
It’s a shame it’s only avaliable in the US at the moment.
European Personalised Medicine Diagnostics Association November 15, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Genetic testing, genetics, Genome.add a comment
We all know about the Personalised Medicine Coalition:
The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) is an independent, non-profit group that works to advance the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine for the ultimate benefit of patients. Our diverse members work together to educate opinion leaders and the public about the issues that will shape how personalized medicine develops — and how quickly all of us can benefit from it.
Now I was glad to see the European Personalised Medicine Diagnostics Association just launched as reported by GenomeWeb.
Made up of biotechnology firms, academic and institutional researchers, small and large businesses, and patient advocacy groups, the European Personalised Medicine Diagnostics Association (EPEMED) announced its board of directors this week. Included on that board are executives from Ipsogen, Genzyme Genetics, Oncomethylome Sciences, the Personalized Medicine Coalition, BioMerieux, Theranostics, and Novartis Molecular Diagnostics.
EPEMED says its central goals are to move personalized medicine forward throughout Europe through targeted education, idea-sharing, and business models, and to promote harmonization in Europe’s approach to personalized medicine.
TEDMED 2009: Summary November 15, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Conference, Health, Health 2.0, Healthcare, Innovation, Medgadget, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Technology, Video, Web 2.0.5 comments
My friends at Medgadget have recently attended the interesting TEDMED 2009 event. I hope I can make the next one. Here are the entries they wrote focusing on the newest innovations in medicine.
And also some videos they published:
Knome Personal DNA Sequencing Services
XVIVO’s David Bolinsky on Benefits of Scientific Animation
Interview with Philip Low About Roche and NeuroVigil Partnership
Lego MRI Scan November 15, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Fun, Medical Imaging, Visualization.add a comment
The picture of the day award goes to the Voxel123 Flickr user who posted images of a Lego MRI scan.
And the original one:
FDA and Social Media November 9, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in FDA, Medicine, Medicine 2.0, Pharma, Web 2.0.2 comments
In the last few weeks, I’ve given several presentations to European pharma companies about what kind of strategy they should endorse in order to use social media properly. And when it comes to regulations, we are all in trouble, because without exact answers, it’s hard to implement any kind of strategies. But now!
On November 12-13, the FDA will hold a hearing on how pharmaceutical companies use the web and social-media tools to market their products the first step to providing guidelines around this type of marketing. Sixty-two speakers from pharmaceutical companies, media companies, agencies, and others have been asked to give their viewpoints.
The reason why I’m writing about it is the perfect online coverage of the event. See FDASM for more details:
Life in a glass sphere: Ecosphere November 5, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in science, Video.1 comment so far
I’ve recently come across Ecosphere which is a really creative idea for those who would like to see something different from an aquarium or a terrarium on their desks.
Inside each EcoSphere are active micro-organisms, bright red shrimp and algae, each existing in filtered sea water. Because the EcoSphere is a self-sustaining ecosystem, you never have to feed the life within. Simply provide your EcoSphere with a source of indirect natural or artificial light and enjoy this aesthetic blend of art and science, beauty and balance.
How does it work?
The shrimp produce carbon dioxide by “breathing”; the algae use the carbon dioxide and light to produce oxygen. Algae can only produce oxygen when there’s light. When it is dark, the shrimp and bacteria are consuming the oxygen while none is being made. The EcoSphere would die with too many plants and animals, because they would run out of oxygen at night.
