Should You Go Along with Someone's Dementia-Related Realities?
Photo credit John Mark Smith
It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and couldn’t understand why it was taking so long to arrive. So, I did what I usually did—waited a few days to see if this episode of delusional thinking would pass. It did not. So, I used my computer to create a facsimile of a medical degree with my father's name on it. I printed it out, scribbled some “signatures” on the bottom, put it in a mailing envelope, and brought it to the nursing home the following day. He was deligh...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
3D Printed Light Sensor for Light-Sensitive Disease
At the University of Minnesota a team of researchers has developed a 3D printed light sensing wearable that can help people with light-sensitive diseases, such as lupus, to understand more about the types of light that can exacerbate their symptoms. Many people with lupus are sensitive to light, such as sunlight or even regular indoor light, but they may not know what specific light conditions are likely to cause flare-ups. This new device aims to provide such people with more information, so that they can learn more about their flare-ups and take steps to avoid or reduce them. The technology could lead to more personalize...
Source: Medgadget - September 19, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Dermatology Diagnostics Medicine UMNews Source Type: blogs
Why International Relations and Global Public Health Need Each Other
Nathan A. Paxton (Georgetown University), Jeremy Youde (University of Minnesota), Why International Relations and Global Public Health Need Each Other, SSRN (2022): The current COVID-19 global pandemic presents a clear illustration of the need for greater engagement between political science... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - August 6, 2022 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Digital Clothing, Biofashion And Smart Outfits – The Future Of Fashion
Fast fashion is not only unsustainable but also means an unbearable burden to the planet. The situation is ripe for change. Could lab-grown leather and other novel ways of synthetic garment production, biofashion or digital clothing show the way to an alternative future for the apparel industry? Is there a chance of improving our attitude towards clothing items by adding more value, new functionality?
From Burda to the unsustainable downward spiral of fast fashion
When our grandmothers in the 1950s wanted to dress according to the latest trend, they bought the Burda Magazine alongside some fabric and used the fam...
Source: The Medical Futurist - July 21, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Biotechnology Health Sensors & Trackers design digital future Healthcare wearables fashion fast fashion digital clothing digital clothes artificial leather artificial material synthetic biofashion Source Type: blogs
Imaging Technique Shows Gene Expression in Real Time
A team at the University of Minnesota developed a new technique that lets them view gene expression in the brains of live mice in real time. The approach relies on two-photon excitation microscopy, specialized imaging processing techniques, and genetically modified mice that express mRNA that naturally includes a fluorescent protein. Using the method, the researchers were able to gain insights into how long-term memories are formed in the brain, and hope that this knowledge could lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease. The method will likely also be useful in deciphering the mechanisms un...
Source: Medgadget - July 18, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Genetics Neurology gene expression UMNews Source Type: blogs
The Role of Policies in Cancer Pain, Health Disparities, and Substance Use
Collin Calvert (University of Minnesota), The Role of Policies in Cancer Pain, Health Disparities, and Substance Use, SSRN (2022): The majority of adults in the United States consume some type of recreational substances. In 2020 among people aged 12 and... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - July 13, 2022 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Simplifying Opioid Conversions
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle)A Satirical Monologue in One Act:“Ok, 3rd year resident, let’s talk about rotating opioids. What do I mean by ‘rotating’ opioids? It’s just therapeutically switching one opioid with another. It’s um, like, a turnstile, I guess? Anyway--first let’s look at this equianalgesic table. Do you know what equianalgesia means? No? It is the concept that different opioids have the same analgesic power but at different milligram doses due to different potencies. That is, the idea that, say, 50 mg of oral morphine has the same analgesic power as 10 mg of hydromorphone. So 50 mg of oral morphi...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - May 2, 2022 Category: Palliative Care Tags: opioid rosielle Source Type: blogs
Cryomesh System for Long Term Pancreatic Islet Storage
Researchers at the University of Minnesota developed a cryopreservation system that allows for long-term pancreatic islet cold storage. Islets can be implanted in patients with diabetes, and can even be curative in this context, but the technique has been hampered by a lack of techniques to store donor islets beyond 24-72 hours. This latest technique, which uses a cryomesh system to remove excess cryopreservation fluid from the islets before freezing and new methods to rewarm the frozen islets, has been shown to safely store the tissue for as long as nine months.
Pancreatic islet transplantation has the potential...
Source: Medgadget - March 28, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Surgery universityofminnesota Source Type: blogs
Opioid Equianalgesic Tables are Broken
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle)I am proposing we do away with equianalgesic table (EAT) as a tool to inform clinical decisions about opioid rotations/conversions. Fundamentally, EATs create too many problems, and there are simpler and safer ways to teach clinicians how to convert between different opioids.Part 1: New Data Can ' t Fix the EATA couple HPM fellows every year ask me which table do I prefer to use —the old EAT or the new one? By the old one, they refer to the table most of us used or were at least deeply familiar with for the last 10-20 years. By the new one, they mean the one created by Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - March 21, 2022 Category: Palliative Care Tags: opioid pain rosielle Source Type: blogs
Thought-to-Text Brain-Computer Interface: Interview with Florian Solzbacher, Chairman of Blackrock Neurotech
Blackrock Neurotech, a medical technology company based in Salt Lake City, created a suite of brain-computer interface systems with the goal of empowering patients to have increased independence and quality of life. This latest technology aims to restore written communication in patients who have difficulties in this regard, such as those affected by paralysis.
The company’s new system, which Blackrock aims to make available in late 2022, allows patients to type text by merely imagining themselves writing or typing the words. The system uses machine learning to decode neural signals that occur while someone is ima...
Source: Medgadget - December 28, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Exclusive Neurology Neurosurgery Rehab Source Type: blogs
Dying Transit Industry Grasps for Solutions
Randal O'TooleYour industry gets government subsidies equal to two ‐thirds of its operating costs and all of its capital costs, and still most people refuse to use your services. Do you:a. Increase operating subsidies so you can give away your services for free?b. Spend more on capital improvements that haven ’t attracted more customers in the past?c. Penalize American who aren ’t using your services?d. Redefine your mission so that you appear relevant even if almost no one uses your service?How about e. All of the above? That appears to be the transit industry ’s solution to the fact that, except in New Yo...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 8, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Randal O ' Toole Source Type: blogs
Should You Go Along With the Realities of Someone Living with Dementia?
It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and couldn’t understand why it was taking so long to arrive. So, I did what I usually did—waited a few days to see if this episode of delusional thinking would pass. It did not.
So, I used my computer to create a facsimile of a medical degree with my father's name on it. I printed it out, scribbled some “signatures” on the bottom, put it in a mailing envelope, and brought it to the nursing home the following day. He was delighted.
I added it to the other a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - December 7, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Yes, Shit
By KIM BELLARD
The Conversation had a provocative article by Stanford professor Richard White about how America has a bad pattern of wasting infrastructure spending. In light of the surprisingly bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate, this seems like something we should be giving some serious thought to.
I’ll posit that we’re doing it again, by not adequately addressing the potential that our excreta, to be polite, offers to detect health issues, including but not limited to COVID-19.
No shit: excrement can be an important tool in public — and personal ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health Tech Kim Bellard public health wastewater monitoring Source Type: blogs
Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Alcohol Purchasing: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis
Collin Calvert (University of Minnesota), Darin Erickson (University of Minnesota), Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Alcohol Purchasing: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis, J. Cannabis Rsch. (2021): Background: Whether recreational cannabis legalization is associated with changes in alcohol consumption (suggesting a potential substitution or... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - August 3, 2021 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Featured Health IT Job: Business Application and Systems Administrator
We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we’re featuring the Business Application and Systems Administrator position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by University of Minnesota Boynton Health and is in Minnesota. Here’s a description of the position: Required Qualifications: […] (Source: EMR and HIPAA)
Source: EMR and HIPAA - July 21, 2021 Category: Information Technology Authors: Health IT Jobs Tags: Career and Jobs Healthcare IT Health IT Jobs Healthcare IT Jobs Healthcare Jobs Job Seekers University of Minnesota Boynton Health Source Type: blogs
