What Is the Immune System?
A computer-generated image of the rotavirus, a virus that commonly causes illness in children through inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Credit: Bridget Carragher, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
What do antibodies, mucus, and stomach acid have in common? They’re all parts of the immune system!
The immune system is a trained army of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to block, detect, and eliminate harmful insults to your body. It can protect you from invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
Innate and Adaptive
The immune system is often thought of as two...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - December 11, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Cells Common questions Immunology Miniseries Infectious Diseases Microbes Source Type: blogs
Bonus Features – November 26, 2023 – 85% of healthcare orgs boosting IT spending in 2024, 70% of orgs actively considering generative AI, plus 18 more stories
This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.
News and Studies
The latest Hospital Vitals report from Syntellis and the AHA found that hospitals have seen a 28% decline in cash reserves over the last 19 months. This is due in large part to increased expenses (from 25$ for...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - November 26, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Brian Eastwood Tags: Healthcare IT Aerin Medical Akasa American Hospital Association Artera AvaSure BrightSpring Health Services CancerIQ Carestream Health Clue CodaMetrix Da Vinci Project Derrick Sung eHealth Exchange EHR Association First Healt Source Type: blogs
3D Printing In Medicine And Healthcare – The Ultimate List
3D printing has demonstrated huge potential for the future of medicine in the previous years, and its development is unstoppable. See the impressive list of 3D-printed healthcare materials and medical equipment below!
How does 3D printing in medicine work?
3D printing in medicine is part of the innovative process called additive manufacturing, which means producing three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. How the technology works, we explained in our article on bioprinting here.
As technology evolves, researchers work on various solutions. For example, engineers from the University of Buffalo have ...
Source: The Medical Futurist - November 7, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: 3D Printing Biotechnology Future of Medicine Healthcare Design Medical Education Personalized Medicine 3d printed biomaterial tissue engineering Video bioprinting GC1 Innovation Source Type: blogs
From cough to cancer: one woman ’ s determination to find answers and relief
My mom is putting garlic oil in her ears because her house cleaner told her it would help with her recent hearing loss. When I asked her why she was continuing to do this even after being assessed by two physicians, including an ear, nose, and throat specialist, she just shrugged and told me she
Read more…
From cough to cancer: one woman’s determination to find answers and relief originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 3, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Mikel Segal, MD Tags: Conditions Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs
In-Office Pediatric Ear Tube Procedures: Interview with Preceptis Medical ’s Greg Mielke
Preceptis Medical, a medtech company based in Minnesota, created the Hummingbird Tympanostomy Tube System. The device allows ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons to insert ear tubes in the comfort of their office. The procedure requires only local anesthetic and is intended to be less distressing for pediatric patients than the conventional approach, which requires general anesthesia.
The Hummingbird device provides a “one-pass” approach to ear tube placement, with an ear drum incision and tube placement occurring with a few simple manipulations of the device. Medgadget spoke with Steve Anderson, CEO of Preceptis Me...
Source: Medgadget - November 8, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: ENT Exclusive Pediatrics hummingbirdears Source Type: blogs
Bonus Features – September 11, 2022 – LG names 4 companies to help stand up its digital health business, ONC and HRSA team up to modernize Uniform Data System, and more
This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.
News
The LG Electronics North American Innovation Center, LG NOVA, selected four digital health companies among the nine finalists for its Mission for the Future global challenge program: Digital care platform Digbi Health, prec...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - September 11, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Brian Eastwood Tags: Healthcare IT Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features Source Type: blogs
Positive tests and self isolation episode 1
I am not the first in the household to have to self isolate, but here is how it is going for me!Because I am not the first I was doing daily lateral flow tests. Maybe I should not have done one on the Tuesday morning as I had a bit of a cough but I did, and as well as the C line there was a faint T line. Because I was not the first I knew what I could do. Having an NHS staff member in the household means I can appear at the staff testing station at a local hospital. I did, and duly collected the testing kit.There was a long swab, with a fracture point half way up, and a large tube of reagen...
Source: Browsing - December 29, 2021 Category: Databases & Libraries Tags: COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
Lateral flow tests (LFT)
Lateral flow tests (also known as lateral flow assays, or lateral flow immunoassays, LFTs or LFDs - lots of synonyms!). We have all been doing these tests regularly for ages, picking them up from work or getting them through the post (which has got trickier, getting messages about how there are no more home deliveries available today). I know how to do a test - although it changed from throat and nose to just nose, at some point, and some details about stirring the swab in the reagent changed as well.But how do they work?Finding details on the general internet seems tricky - lots of items about where to get one...
Source: Browsing - December 28, 2021 Category: Databases & Libraries Tags: COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
The 5 Levels Of Automation In Medicine
“Good morning! How may I help you today?” asks the virtual assistant as you boot your telemedicine app. After experiencing a sore throat and runny nose for a few days, you’ve decided to seek medical attention. You share your symptoms with the assistant who subsequently suggests a cause after scanning its database. “There’s an 83% chance that you are experiencing allergic symptoms,” replies the chatbot. “I will send you your prescription shortly, but if you are not satisfied or still feel unwell, please request for a human physician.”
Considering the likelihood of the diagnosis and the deductive prowess o...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 23, 2021 Category: Information Technology Authors: Pranavsingh Dhunnoo Tags: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Digital Health Research Future of Medicine Healthcare Design Healthcare Policy Medical Education ibm watson automation A.I. Andrew Ng A.I. assistant Journal Of Clinical Oncology Behold.ai Source Type: blogs
Polymer Technologies for Tissue Repair: Interview with Christophe Bancel, TISSIUM CEO
TISSIUM, a Paris-based medtech firm, has been named a French Tech 120 company for the 2021 program. TISSIUM, previously called Gecko Biomedical, is developing a suite of polymer technologies and associated delivery devices for tissue repair applications. French Tech 120 is a French government driven program designed to support a total of 120 late-stage startups based in France every year.
The program provides financial and practical support for promising companies, and offers an opportunity for companies to network with other start-ups at a similar stage of development. TISSIUM aims to create polymer solutions for tissu...
Source: Medgadget - March 18, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Exclusive Materials Surgery FrenchTech120 TISSIUM Source Type: blogs
poem
ProprioceptionWhen you know exactly whereYou're at you don ’t need a map.If you know where you ’re goingThere ’s little reason to look back.If you ’re unequivocally righthereYou don't need to consider the overthere.If you aren ’t falling there's noReason to reach for a ledge.If you know the answer to the questionJust spit it out, without the stammering hedge.The answers are rocketingUp your spinocerebellar tract,A series of un-ruminated factsLeft from right, up from downNails that sooth the itch on your backWithout scratching around.Sneeze and your handJabs to cover your mouth.Ambush attacked butYou won't g...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - February 8, 2021 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs
The Art of Asking: What ’s Your Biggest Fear?
By HANS DUVEFELT
When a patient presents with a new symptom, we quickly and almost subconsciously create a hierarchy of diagnostic possibilities. I pride myself in my ability to effectively share my process of working through these types of clinical algorithms.
But sometimes I seem to get nonverbal clues of dissatisfaction or simply no reaction at all to my eloquent reasoning. And only then do I remember to ask the important questions, “do you have any thoughts on what’s causing this” and, most importantly, “what’s your biggest fear that this could be”.
It doesn’t matter how brilliant a diagnostician...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 5, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
Understanding Leprosy on World Leprosy Day
Leprosy is a chronic and progressive disease that primarily affects the skin and peripheral nervous system. Leprosy has been with us for thousands of years. There is evidence of the disease as far back as 4000 BC, in ancient Egypt.[1] In 1873, Norwegian physician Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen discovered that leprosy was caused by a bacterium. [2] Today, we call this bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, and we often refer to leprosy as Hansen’s Disease, in honor of Dr. Hansen. While leprosy caused significant morbidity and mortality in the past, cases today are rare and are curable with proper treatment.
How Is Leprosy Transmitte...
Source: GIDEON blog - January 28, 2021 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Uri Blackman Tags: News Leprosy Source Type: blogs
Common cold, flu, or coronavirus?
In the early days of the outbreak, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was repeatedly compared to the flu (influenza) and even to the common cold (rhinoviruses, et al). This was due to an initial impression of shared symptoms.
The differences between these conditions are particularly important as we kick off National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) and the ‘flu season’. So, how can we tell which of these diseases we are dealing with in a given patient?
Common cold
Let’s start with the common cold, a condition that can be caused by over 200 different strains of viruses. On average, an adult wil...
Source: GIDEON blog - December 8, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Diagnosis Identify News Source Type: blogs
Digital Otoscope Enhances Decision-Making and Improves Outcomes
Procedural equipment will help you make accurate diagnoses and formulate treatment plans. You want the equipment to work, be readily accessible, and be easy to clean and store. It's also nice when it fits in your pocket.You also want to be sure your staff is trained to use it. Not everyone in your department may want to break out the nasal endoscope for a quick ENT exam, as we discussed last month. (See post below.) But specialized ENT equipment may make your life a bit easier and improve patient outcomes. Using a digital otoscope to view the tympanic membrane is fast, easy, and safe. This particular model costs $24. ...
Source: The Procedural Pause - November 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
