Two amazing health technology discoveries to help our well-being

Medical technology offers the scientific knowledge in the service of patients, to improve the treatments, cares and prevention of disease. The process of health technology assessment summarizes medical, social, economic and ethical data in order to ensure that the technology is used in a systematic, transparent and impartially way, and well hinged. In this respect, allows the development of safe and effective health policies oriented towards patients. Although its objectives are political in nature, must not lose contact with the strong research and scientific methods. Among the examples of medical technology are included: diagnostic and treatment methods, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, rehabilitation and prevention methods, organizational and support systems within which health care is provided, etc.

• The IBM applies the computer technology to antibiotics

The IBM has created a new type of gel against germs, meant to be used against hospital-acquired infections that are resistant to drugs. To this end, IBM has used specific health technology on the semiconductors.

Using similar materials that allow computer messages rapid transfer, the IBM researchers have developed a gel which kills germs. Although the company has supplied for a long time IT technology for the healthcare sector, its efforts to develop its own pharmaceutical product are much more recent, writes Financial Times. The IBM nano-medicine program through which was developed the new gel was initiated four years ago. "The techniques and tools we used to make semiconductor type applications may allow accurate modeling of problems with social impact," said Bob Allen, senior manager in the chemical and advanced materials research program of IBM.

The main purpose of the gel, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, is to replace the antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics has led to an increased resistance and increased health insurance costs in the U.S., with 20 billion dollars per year. At the same time has increased the average time spent in hospital by 8 days. While the classic anti-bacterial passing through the membrane of the microbe in order to destabilize its internal mechanism, the new IBM gel breaks the membrane such as an egg shell, and then extracts the infectious material.

• The C hepatitis, cornered by a new medical technology

A new class of drugs fights against C Hepatitis without "disturbing" the immune system. An interdisciplinary team of researchers - biologists and chemists at the Florida State University (USA) have developed a device for investigating which cause the forms of hepatitis, resistant to treatment, which have developed resistance to some specific drugs. The innovative technology works in common with other unforgiving viruses such as HIV.

More than 170 million people are carriers of the hepatitis C which develops serious liver disease. "Our findings are useful to the producers of drugs with activity against HCV," said Hengli Tang, a specialist in molecular biology. How does it work? The technology of medical investigation is called CoFIM and works to identify the "cellular cofactors" and their mechanisms of action. "Cellular cofactors' are proteins of the host cells which have been damaged by viruses.

Cyclophilin A is an essential cellular cofactor for C hepatitis infection, and a favorite target for new anti-HCV action which have cyclosporine A in their composition. It was found that not only the HCV dependence of cyclophilin A cofactor and the susceptibility to medicines containing cyclosporine A but also the regulators at cellular level, which are some "tiny RNA libraries', collections of molecules that have the ability to suppress genes action. The CoFIM device induces the HCV virus mutation, in vitro, in the absence of normal replication received from a certain molecular cofactor. CoFIM tracks changes occurred following the administration of medicines based on cyclosporine A, which inhibits the key cofactor. The C hepatitis infection can lead to cirrhosis, a serious disease of the liver.

Author's Bio:
Kathryn is the author for Chrisalexcorp. She also writes for a website scratch.net where you can get play scratch cards.

How can you find the Best Orthopedic Surgeons?

If you are planning to go for total knee replacement, it is important that you get in touch with a renowned surgeon for undergoing this surgery. Total knee replacement is an extremely crucial surgery and for this reason, you need to choose a surgeon who understands your problems and provides you with options to overcome them. In this article, we will highlight some tips that will help you to find best orthopedic surgeons. Read on.

The Surgeon should be Skilled

It is important to select a surgeon who is skilled in hip surgeries. More specifically, he should be well-acquainted with total knee and hip replacement, joint replacement surgery as well as shoulder replacement surgery. It is also a great idea to choose a surgeon who specializes in trauma reconstruction, skeletal tumor, and knee arthroscopy.

Regarding post surgery medications, the surgeon should have suggestions for required antibiotics. Usually antibiotics are given both during and after the surgery. This is done to ensure that infection does not develop in the new joint. However, not all medicines suit all patients. Hence, you should always opt for a surgeon who has relevant experience and has successfully treated numerous orthopedic cases both pre and post surgery.

He should be experienced

Experience is a great teacher and therefore, we suggest that you to select a surgeon who has been associated with reputed hospitals or medical centers. Ideally, you should select a surgeon who has been in this field for at least 5-10 years.

Is He Well-Known and Respected?

Apart from being skilled and experienced, a doctor should evaluate things from point of view of his patients, and be sympathetic towards them. To ascertain whether your chosen surgeon possesses these qualities or not, it is important that you check his reputation.

Ideally, you should trust a doctor who has been named at least once in the database of Best Orthopedic Doctors in America. You can also check with organizations of your area that bestow well-known doctors with awards and special recognition. If you reside in Florida, you can check Consumer's Research Council of America to obtain information
about your selected surgeon. Apart from specific organizations, you can also get in touch with previous patients of the doctor to get in-depth information about him.

He Should Enjoy his Work

Finally, you should go for a surgeon who enjoys his work, because this means that he has a genuine interest in solving the problems of his patients. If your chosen surgeon loves educating people about hip and knee surgeries, lectures regularly and contributes to health magazines, you can be sure that he loves his job.

Consider these tips for selecting best orthopedic surgeons. To get in touch with best surgeons in your area, consider reaching them online as there you get fair idea about the quality of experience they possess and treatment options they offer. Also, the online customer reviews will help you decide for the best surgical option in your region.

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as medical care or medical advice and is not a replacement for medical care given by your physicians or trained medical personnel.

Kentucky is No. 1 state in overuse of antibiotics, a problem that poses wide dangers to the drugs' effectiveness

In 2010 the average number of dispensed outpatient antibiotic
prescriptions was 801 per 1,000 Americans. In Kentucky it was
1,197. The darker the state, the higher the rate. (CDC map)

Americans, especially Kentuckians, are taking too many antibiotics and that is contributing to the decline in the drugs' effectiveness, says a study by a group associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study found that, in 2010, the five states with the highest antibiotic use were Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Such misuse is already showing up, reports USA Today, as lab reports show urinary tract infections were 30 percent more likely to resist antibiotic treatment in 2010 than in 1999.

Dr. Robert Salley, executive director of cardiovascular services for KentuckyOne Health in the Lexington market, told Cheryl Truman of the Lexington Herald-Leader that the overuse of antibiotics might reflect the state's problem with prescription pain pills. Many Kentuckians are used to "that culture of availability, that culture of not making appropriate use of the physician-patient relationship," he said. Experts have also noted that states that have lower rates of antibiotic use have spent money and time educating their residents about the dangers of overuse. Kentucky has not done that. (Read more)

Meanwhile, the Pew Health Group has released a study showing that 87 percent of Americans have a basic understanding of what antibiotics do, but many did not understand that antibiotic resistance was a major health issue and will only become more problematic in the future. Forty-one percent of Americans said they have never heard of the issue. For more information on that study, go here.

Use of pacifiers could lead to very sick babies, study finds

Oklahoma State University researchers report that they have found a wide range of disease-causing bacteria, fungus and mold on pacifiers that young children had been using.

In research presented at the American Society for Clinical Pathology, scientists have shown that pacifiers can also grow a slimy coating of bacterial film that alters the normal bacteria in a baby or toddler's mouth, increasing the likelihood of colic and ear infections. It gets worse, according to study author Tom Glass, a professor of forensic science, pathology and dental medicine: The same types of bacteria found on a common pacifier have been linked to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases.

HealthDay reporters Barbara Bronson Gray writes that Glass said the problems associated with pacificers are also applicable to any removable orthodontic appliance like retainers, mouth guards and dentures. Glass said his researchers were particular concerned about their findings when they discovered that "many of the bacteria growing from the used pacifiers were resistant to commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin. The development of such resistance to certain antibiotics does not cause the organism to be more infectious than other strains that have no antibiotic resistance, but it can make the infection more difficult to treat." Glass told Gray that he does not recommend that pacifier use. use. "After doing the study, I say why take a risk?" (Read more)

Syphilis epidemic rising in the Canada and U.S.

The resurgence of syphilis has risen dramatically over the past 20 years in the United States and Canada --- from 177 cases in 1993 to 1,750 cases in 2010. It is temporarily shutting down the porn industry in Southern California.

Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS) sounded the alarm about "recent unsubstantiated rumors of syphilis among adult performers." The usual annual testing for syphilis is in September, but because of the alarm the agency opened up their semi-annual syphilis testing immediately.

Other sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, are also on the rise. According to Huffington Post, "Syphilis infection rates jumped by 18 percent from 2010 to 2011, and there was also a five percent increase in chlamydia and 1.5 percent increase in gonorrhea cases." And truthfully, the syphilis outbreak cluster among California porn performs is not surprising because of their business. But sexually transmitted diseases are spreading on a worldwide basis --- with Canada and the United States no exceptions.

APHSS has since called for a temporary moratorium on adult film production until all performers get tested for syphilis, and the non-profit AIDS Healthcare Foundation is also expected to hold a news conference Monday morning in response to the possible outbreak.

"I think it's just a general indicator of what's happening in terms of sexual activity," said Dr. Howard Njoo of the Public Health Agency of Canada, director general of PHAC's Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control. The majority of syphilis cases are among men, accounting for 90.5 percent of all reported cases in 2010. But according to Njoo, the dynamics of the disease are different from other STDs. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are attacking the younger people while syphilis is attacking the older ones. People who are age 30 and older are accounting for approximately 73 per cent of all the reported syphilis cases in 2010. Huffington Post reports that, "Syphilis is a bacterial STD that initially manifests itself in sores or sometimes presents no symptoms. If the infection isn't treated immediately, people who have syphilis can go on to suffer rashes and lesions, hair loss and flu-like symptoms like muscle aches, fevers, sore throats and fatigue. Without treatment, syphilis could last for years and go on to damage internal organs and cause stillbirths. If caught early, the infection is easily treated with antibiotics such as penicillin."

By Nancy Houser

About Sunscreen What You Need to Know

As the weather gets warmer, enjoying the sunshine becomes top priority. But increased sun exposure also means an increased risk of sunburn and, in turn, skin cancer if you don't adequately protect yourself.

Last summer the U.S. Food and Drug Administration instituted new sunscreen label guidelines so consumers could clearly tell which ones offered the most protection. The new labeling was supposed to be in effect by this summer, but the FDA extended the deadline to December, as companies were having trouble complying.

Dermatologists say having the proper information is crucial when out in the summer sun.

"Wearing sunscreen and then deliberately going out in the sun is almost as [bad] as going out with no sunscreen at all," said Dr. Robin Ashinoff, chief of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. "You don't get burned, but the UV rays are still getting into your skin. Sunscreen is important, but you should also wear the right clothing and shield yourself as much as possible from direct sun exposure."

Here are some tips from experts on how to properly use sunscreen and protect yourself from sun damage:

The difference between SPF 50 and SPF 100 is marginal; look for "broad spectrum" on the label.

"You should get the highest number you can, but anything above 50 and the difference is pretty slim," Ashinoff said. "But don't get anything less than SPF 30, as that offers minimal protection."

A broad spectrum sunscreen protects against both UV-A and UV-B rays. UV-A rays don't necessarily cause a visible burn (that's what UV-B rays do), but they penetrate deep into the skin and can damage the collagen in your skin as well as your immune system, Ashinoff said.

No sunscreen is waterproof or sweatproof.

One of the new FDA guidelines is that no sunscreen can be labeled as "sweatproof" or "waterproof," because it's misleading and overstates the effectiveness of the product.

"There are no sunscreens that work after someone swims," said Dr. Naana Boakye of Bergen Dermatology in Englewood Cliffs. "You still need to reapply it every two hours, if you're in the water or not."

Many sunscreens in stores still have the "waterproof" and "sweatproof" labels, and their makers don't have to change the labels until December, when sunscreen will be the last thing on anyone's mind.

Light-colored clothes don't protect you from UV rays any better than dark-colored clothes, but tightly woven fabrics will block out more rays.

"This offers more protection than a looser, airy garment," Boakye said. "But wearing any kind of protective clothing out in the sun is better than nothing."

Tightly woven fabrics include canvas, twill and denim, as opposed to loosely woven fabrics like mesh and crepe.

You can still get sunburned even if it's cloudy outside.

In fact, cloudy days are when you can get more severe sunburn, especially if you're extremely fair-skinned.

"I see the worst sunburns in the spring because it's still not full summer sun and people think they don't need to be using sunscreen," Ashinoff said. "If you're out in full sun or not, you should be applying about 2 ounces of sunscreen, about the size of a shot glass, over your exposed skin."

Get a thorough skin care exam every year, even if skin cancer doesn't run in your family.

Even if moles don't dot your skin or if you tan easily and don't burn, dermatologists still stress the importance of regular skin checks.

People with fair skin, light eyes, a lot of moles and a family history of melanoma are more at risk for developing skin cancer. Also, those taking certain medications like antibiotics and diuretics are more susceptible to sun damage.

"I usually advise people to come in once a year if there's no history," Boakye said. "But if you have a lot of moles or have a history of melanoma, then you should be getting checked every three to six months."

BY: ERINN CONNOR

Kentucky second highest in antibiotic consumption in U.S.

The next time you ask your doctor for an antibiotic, or if he or she offers to give you one, think again. It might do your health no good, but could be bad for public health.

"Every time an antibiotic is used ... future effectiveness of that drug is diminished," but Kentuckians take antibiotics at the second highest rate in the country, with 1,205 prescriptions per 1,000 people, says a study by the Centers for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy. Only West Virginia had a higher rate, 1,214 per 1,000. 

Studies show 1 million antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily every year. "Though antibiotics offer no benefits for colds and other viral infections, many people, including doctors, continue to view these drugs as a quick fix," said a press release by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped fund the study.

The problem with the overuse of antibiotics is that bacterial infections become resistant to them. To illustrate the issue, CDDEP says, "High-level penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumonia in the United States has experienced a thousand-fold increase in the last 20 years," rising from 0.02 percent in 1987 to more than 20 percent in 2004. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — known more commonly as staph — increased from about 2 percent in 1974 to 50 percent in many U.S. hospitals in 2004.

"The problem of resistance is an evolutionary game played between humans and microbes: we try to stay ahead by creating new antibiotics, and microbes develop resistance to our drugs," CDDEP reports. "Unfortunately for us, microbes evolve resistance to antibiotics faster than we can create new drugs, meaning that, in recent years, bacteria have been winning this 'arms race.'"

Though there is no cure to resistance, managing the levels at which people become resistant is possible through judicious prescribing, vaccination, hospital infection control, treatment strategies and new antibiotics. (Read more)