Insidermedicine in 60 - September 18, 2007

From Beijing- A 30-year old man has died after playing internet games for 3 days straight. While the cause of death is unknown, paramedics who tried to revive him at the scene suspect exhaustion which may have triggered heart problems. With over 130 million internet users, the Chinese government attempts to limit time spent online gaming.

From Calgary- A mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise was able to best control the blood sugar levels in diabetics. Researchers from Calgary were able to show a 1% reduction in HgA1C in those randomized to both aearobic exercise and resistance training. This degree of improvement translated into a 20% reduction in heart attack and stroke and up to a 40% reduction in eye and kidney disease.

From London- British hospitals are banning one of the staples of professionalism- the doctor's white coat. This is because they may raise the risk of infection with the superbug MRSA, which now causes 40% of hospital- aquired infections. Other research has shown that half of neckties are colonized with bacteria, and artificial nails also increase the risk of infection.

And from Vancouver- A clerical error is being blamed for at least 6 women who had abnormal mammograms slipping between the cracks. Some had the tests done over 2 years ago and never had appropriate follow-up. If you have tests performed, please make sure to follow-up with your doctor.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• video
• games
• computer
• online
• gaming
• rpg
• china
• aerobic
• diabetes
• white
• coat
• staph
• bacteria
• heart
• mammogram
• breast
• cancer

[jhmimeds02]

What surprises me is how far we have come in the internet age, but how little penetration IT has had in medicine. Maybe Google Health's initiative and Microsoft Vault, both forms of electonic personal health records, will help things, to that clerical errors and mammograms that go unread will be a thing of the past.