RSS Channels IndexProfNet Wire: Health & Medicine: Gov't Strategy to Fight Autism
We've added the following to items posted previously at http://profnet.prnewswire.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicID=1511
**1. RAYMOND ROMANCYZK, director of BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY'S Institute for Child Development, is available to talk about how children -- with and without autism -- interact with the world around them: "If I ask a question and you respond, chances are you were paying attention. But if you're a child who doesn't enjoy social interaction, is unmotivated and doesn't respond in general to adults, it's like this black hole. Is the question going in and it's just a failure to respond, or is nothing going in and that's why nothing is coming back out?" In a new research project using a combination of a state-of-the-art eye tracking system, miniaturized psychophysiological monitoring and multiple computers for high-speed processing, Romancyzk and his team are able to ask questions that could help answer how individuals with autism process information and stimuli from the world around them -- without the subject having to wear a tracking device.
**2. DR. CHRISTINA WHALEN, licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst with 10+ years of experience specializing in autism and related disorders, is the founder and chief science officer of TEACHTOWN, an evidence-based autism treatment program with best practices from research in applied behavior analysis, education, speech, and language and developmental psychology: "Autism is the number one pervasive developmental disorder in the U.S., and a rapidly growing school-age population is severely underserved. We need to increase the availability and affordability of autism treatment." Whalen can discuss how computers have helped with socialization and language of children with autism and associated topics.
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**1. ETHICS: POLYHEME BLOOD SUBSTITUTE STUDY PUTS PRESSURE ON RESEARCH ETHICS. KENNETH RICHMAN, associate professor of philosophy and health care ethics at MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCES: "Studies like the recently suspended Polyheme protocol put pressure on the key fault lines in research ethics. We desperately want data on how to help trauma patients, but we also believe that patients should not be enrolled in studies without their explicit permission. Ethicists call this a conflict between beneficence and respect for persons. Most medical research involves this kind of conflict to some degree. Each study has to be examined in the context of available data and applicable guidelines, and people are concerned that scientists and review committees got it wrong in the case of the Polyheme study."
**2. HEALTH: MY DOCTOR ORDERED A BIOPSY -- NOW WHAT? GEORGE HOLLENBERG, New York-area pathologist and founder of ACUPATH LABORATORIES: "If you ask most people what they think a biopsy is, they'll say it's a simple procedure doctors perform to determine whether or not someone has cancer. But, if you ask a patient whose doctor has ordered a biopsy what comes next for him or her, the answers seem far from simple. The fact is, there are numerous types of biopsies doctors can perform, myriad data that can be collected from a biopsy, and a number of things patients can do to make their biopsy experience a more comfortable -- and more accurate -- one. More biopsies are being performed today than ever before, with more than 1.6 million women in the U.S. undergoing a breast biopsy last year alone. Pathology research into more effective, comprehensive and comfortable biopsy techniques has also grown exponentially over the past few years."
**3. HEALTH: SLEEP APNEA AWARENESS DAY IS MARCH 29. DR. DAVID RAPOPORT, medical director at the NYU SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER: "Research has shown a strong link between obstructive sleep apnea and three of the top four leading causes of death: heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yet, of the 18 million Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, as many as 90 percent remain undiagnosed. Additionally, research has shown that 50 percent of OSA sufferers have high blood pressure. Sleep apnea can occur in men and women of all ages and sizes."
**4. HEALTH MANAGEMENT: TREASURES IN HEALTH CARE -- UTILIZE YOUR CURRENT IT ASSETS. ALEX ZATUCHNY, EVP of THE REVERE GROUP, an IT consulting firm: "Ever found some loose change in your sofa cushions? Health care organizations can find tens of thousands of dollars worth of 'loose change' in their already-existing IT assets if they just perform a treasure hunt in their organizations. Many organizations have invested vast amounts of money on IT software, and few have realized the capabilities of these powerful tools, such as lowering costs, improving strategy, increasing efficiency and what it means to their institutions in terms of solving complex business problems. Without a clear understanding of what 'treasures' they have, organizations and IT departments may end up wasting unnecessary money, time and effort on other software initiatives that will go against their current software they need to implement better." The Revere Group will demonstrate the idea of a treasure hunt in a free webinar March 23 concentrated on health care.
**5. HOSPITALS: MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCY IS A MARKETING OPPORTUNITY FOR HOSPITALS. LARRY JAMES, president and CEO of THE CENTER FOR MULTICULTURAL COMPENTECY IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS (CMCHO): "Decades of medical research and health outcome studies have shown disparities in the treatment and outcomes of patients from minority populations. Often, the problems stem from language and cultural misunderstandings. Today, multicultural competency isn't just a good idea for hospitals, it is a marketing advantage." In February 2006, CMCHO launched the first national certification program for hospitals ready to improve and market their multicultural competence to an increasingly diverse American population.
**6. SPORTS MEDICINE: ADVANCES IN SHOULDER SURGERY CAN PUT TENNIS PLAYERS BACK ON THE COURT. KEVIN PLANCHER, New York-area orthopaedist and sports medicine expert: "Just a decade or two ago, loss of mobility in the dominant shoulder was a tennis player's permanent ticket off the court. Yet a combination of new surgical techniques and methods that have been proven successful over the past decade is making shoulder surgery a good option for many baby boomer athletes eager to get back in the game. Many fit, active boomers are familiar with hip and knee replacement surgeries, which are fairly commonplace, with more than 700,000 Americans having hip or knee replacements each year, compared with just 23,000 shoulder replacements. But that number is on the rise. Now, thanks to advances in techniques and technologies, shoulder sufferers have more options for treatment than ever before."
**7. SPORTS MEDICINE: SPORTS MEDICINE INJURIES ARE NOW BEING VIEWED AS OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES. DR. RICHARD HINTON, pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, working with the RIPKEN FOUNDATION, is studying the mechanisms of youth baseball injuries: "From the public health perspective, sports medicine injuries are now being more effectively viewed in the same model as occupational injuries, motor vehicular injuries and infectious disease. Out of an understanding of the risk factors comes the development of preventive programs which may be primary, secondary or tertiary." N
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