Scratch codes aid malaria fight

Mobile phones could soon be helping re-assure Nigerians and Ghanaians they are getting genuine medicine. The BBC reports.

A pilot scheme in the two nations has begun putting unique scratch codes on more than 500,000 medicine bottles and packets of pills.

When the code is texted to a free phone number, a return message will reveal that a drug is genuine.

The scheme hopes to boost efforts to tackle diseases such as malaria and combat the rise in fake medicines.

... Such a scheme is important in Africa where about 80% of medicines are generic, said Bright Simons, founder of mPedigree which developed some of the technology to underpin the pilot.

By using the codes, people would get to know pharmacies, hospitals and other outlets they can trust, he said.

Read full article. Image from AidWatchers.

Related:

-- Mobile phones fight Africa's drug war - New systems that let users dial up to verify antimalarial and other drugs' authenticity could be a major defense against counterfeit meds.

-- Stop Stock-outs, an SMS program developed by Parson University students to track medicine inventories at the local level in many African villages.

-- Text messages across Nigeria are helping to track the distribution of some 63 million mosquito nets – the largest campaign of its kind to date.

-- Members of the public run a "pill check", visiting public hospitals to check the availability of drugs at their local clinic or hospital pharmacy.

-- A new solution developed by IBM, Novartis and Vodafone with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, is helping to save lives using everyday technology to improve the availability of anti-malarial drugs in remote areas of Tanzania.

-- ... more

Using phone while pregnant 'can lead to behavioural problems in children'

The Daily Mail reports on research that we have heard of before, claiming pregnant women who regularly use mobile phones are putting their babies at risk of developing behavioural problems.

Those exposed before birth and in their childhood, were 50 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems than those exposed to neither.

To other behavior experts,the evidence is weak and that the cause of bad behavior is more likely due to parental distraction.

Using a mobile phone while pregnant can damage your baby - In 2008, The Independent reported on an earlier study, which surveyed more than 13,000 children, and found that using the handsets just two or three times a day was enough to raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions and relationships by the time they reached school age. With the likelihood of even greater problems if the children themselves use the phones before the age of seven.

Companies working on preventive measures:

-- Clarins Cosmetics' protective spray for cell phones - Called expertise 3p, it claimed to "reinforce skin's resistance to the harmful effects of artificial electromagnetic waves, thanks to, get this, "White Tea and Succory Dock-Cress, - which grows near motorways despite car emissions". The company was later told by The Advertising Standards Authority to withdraw these claims which were not proven and had made an "undue appeal" to readers' fears."

-- Anti radiation products with some science in them - The New York Times Gadgetwise blog looks into two companies that are developing products that neutralize environmental radiation coming from laptops and cell phones.

Protective clothing concepts:

-- Belarus authorities to introduce radiation safe school uniforms - The uniform features a dedicated pocket that can store the phone and make it safe for those who wear it.

-- Special clothing protects unborn babies in womb from cellphone radiation - MummyWrap, a sleeveless, loose-fitting garment for pregnant women made from a light-weight copper-based cotton fabric known as Swiss Shield.

-- New men's underwear protects from harmful cell phone rays - Swiss clothing manufacturer Isabodywear is launching a special line of men's underwear that claims to protect "men's sperm from harmful cell phone radiation".

-- A New York based store sells dress shirts and caps designed to protect people from electromagnetic fields -- or radiation -- given off by cell phones and electronic devices.

-- Singapore-based garment manufacturer Crocodile International launched smart pants or "Radiguard' specialty trousers" for cell-phone buffs who exposed exposed to the ultra magnetic emission from the cell-phones.

-- In September 2002, Levi Strauss announced the launch of a new Dockers' model with anti-radiation-lined pockets, prompted by customers' concerns about the possible health risks of mobile phone use.

New health worries about mobile devices

Mounting scientific evidence suggests that nonthermal radio frequency radiation (RF)—the invisible energy waves that connect cell phones to cell towers, and power numerous other everyday items—can damage our immune systems and alter our cellular makeup, even at intensities considered safe by the FCC. Women's Health reports.

According to Cindy Sage, an environmental consultant in Santa Barbara, California, who has studied radiation for 28 years. "Here's why that's crucial: Overwhelming evidence shows that RF can cause DNA damage, and DNA damage is a necessary precursor to cancer."

Read full article.

Cell Phone 'Telemonitoring' May Help Control Blood Pressure

Researchers are exploring a new mobile phone monitoring system that automatically picks up patients' home blood pressure readings, which is then sent out wirelessly via radio signals from monitoring equipment outfitted with Blue-tooth technology. Business Week reports.

The cell phones are pre-programmed to transmit the blood pressure readings and receive appropriate feedback (which appear instantly on the cell phone screen).

Good readings may prompt a message of "Congratulations," while problematic results may trigger a message advising the patients to make a check-up appointment with their doctor. The interactive system may also instruct patients to take more readings over a specified period of time to get a more reliable overall reading.

What's more, if any two-week or three-day period exceeds a pre-set average reading threshold, the patient's doctor would be automatically notified. In addition, doctors would be able to log online to check their patient's readings.

Read full article.

Relateld:

-- Cellphones monitor glucose, weight and blood pressure

-- D.I.Y. Diagnostics as close as your cellphone

-- An app to check your glucose

Bill Gates on Cell Phone Science

A short post by Bill Gates on some very interesting work utilizing cell phones to improve health care where resources are limited.

... For example, Mark Thomas will be leading a team at VaxTrac to field test a mobile phone-based vaccination registry that uses fingerprint scans to track people who have received immunizations. The goal is to reduce redundant doses and increase coverage levels in developing countries.

Read full post in gatesnotes

Cell Phone Chatting can cause skin rash

Ho-Hum, another article saying cell phones can cause a skin rash - if you're allergic to nickel that is. I've been ignoring this for the last few days, but the subject keeps popping up. So here goes:

According to Medical News Today, some people are susceptible to an allergic reaction to nickel after spending too long chatting away on their cell phone, researchers explained at the Annual Scientific Meeting ACAAI. Apparently 17% of females and 3% of males are allergic to nickel.

Luz Fonacier, MD, an allergist and ACAAI Fellow, said: "Increased use of cell phones with unlimited usage plans has led to more prolonged exposure to the nickel in phones. Patients come in with dry, itchy patches on their cheeks, jaw lines and ears and have no idea what is causing their allergic reaction."

Related articles to cell phones causing skin rashes.

Cell Phone Safety - Not too close

Holding a cellphone against your ear may be hazardous to your health. So may stuffing it in a pocket against your body. The New York Times reports.

The legal departments of cellphone manufacturers slip a warning about holding the phone against your head or body into the fine print of the little slip that you toss aside when unpacking your phone. Apple, for example, doesn’t want iPhones to come closer than 5/8 of an inch; Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s manufacturer, is still more cautious: keep a distance of about an inch.

The warnings may be missed by an awful lot of customers.

Read full article and Cellphone Health Facts by the CTIA.

Managing HIV patients in Africa thanks to SMS

Using mobile-phone text messages to remind HIV patients to take their dose of life-saving medications can give a major boost to drug adherence, according to an innovative trial in Kenya unveiled on Tuesday: The HAART cell phone adherence trial (WelTel Kenya1) (pdf).

Read full article by the AFP

Sex, drugs more common in hyper-texting teens

Teens who text 120 times a day or more — and there seems to be a lot of them — are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol and drugs than kids who don't send as many messages, according to provocative new research.

[via APNewsvine]

Urine STD Test? There's an App for That

The New York Observer reports that British health officials are hard at work on a new app that will allow users to pee into their cell phones and find out within minutes if they have an STD.

According to The Guardian, £4 million have been invested in the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, which is creating a smartphone app that will allow users, "to put urine or saliva on to a computer chip about the size of a USB chip, plug it into their phone or computer and receive a diagnosis within minutes."

"Your mobile phone can be your mobile doctor. It diagnoses whether you've got one of a range of STIs, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea and tells you where to go next to get treatment," Dr Tariq Sadiq, a senior lecturer and consultant physician in sexual health and HIV at St George's, University of London, who is leading the project, told The Guardian.

Read full article via Gawker.

Bounce case claims to reduce cell phone radiation by 60%

Spotted on infocera, a cell phone case called Bounce by Case-mate that is said to reduce (EFI) radiation by 85 % and 60 % overall Specific Absorption Rate radiation (SAR).

The case for these iPhone smartphones will be using the patented technology by Pong. It is the technology which re directs radiation away from a user’s end with the protection by case-mates’s best designed product.

Links to related anti-radiation products

Text messaging after bedtime for kids can lead to cognitive problems and ADHD

Staying up late to play video games, surf the Internet and send phone text messages may lead to learning problems, mood swings, anxiety and depression in children, a pilot study suggests, reports Health US News.

The study conducted by the JFK Medical Center Sleep Laboratory in New Jersey, was based on a survey of 40 boys and girls with an average age of 14.

The research found correlations between late-night electronic media use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mood swings, anxiety, depression and poor cognitive functioning (thinking skills) during the day.

Related studies on sleep deprived teenage texters:

-- Sleep Deprived teenagers risk their hearts (USA - 2008)

-- Can't Sleep? Turn Off the Cell Phone! (Canada - 2007)

-- SMS teens losing precious sleep (Australia - 2006)

-- Teens face mobile stress (Sweden - 2006)

-- Students lack sleep (Japan - 2005)

-- Americans are sleep deprived (USA - 2005)

-- Mobile phones are depriving children of sleep (Belgian - 2004)

-- SMS causes poor sleep (Belgium - 2003)

-- Children text at night instead of sleeping (Australia - 2003)

Peel-on protection from cell phone radiation

A product from Israel deflects cell phone radiation from your body and claims to reduce electromagnetic exposure by 98 percent. The Jerusalem Post reports.

In July, Wise Environment began selling a do-it-yourself kit to protect iPhone owners from radiation. The company claims that its product, dubbed Cell La Vie, reduces electromagnetic exposure from the phone by 98 percent.

Cell La Vie can be a bit daunting to install - it's not a one-click software app, but a physical product - a thin film you apply to the front, back and sides of your iPhone with adhesive. The Cell La Vie kit also includes a spray and pump to make sure your phone is totally clean before you get started. Once affixed, the film acts to redirect radiation away from the body.

Read full article. Photo above left by digital newsgeek.com. Watch YouTube video demo below.

Related:

-- Clarins Cosmetics to launch protective spray for cell phones - Called expertise 3p, it claims to "reinforce skin's resistance to the harmful effects of artificial electromagnetic waves, thanks to, get this, "White Tea and Succory Dock-Cress, - which grows near motorways despite car emissions".

-- Anti radiation products with some science in them - The New York Times Gadgetwise blog looks into two companies that are developing products that neutralize environmental radiation coming from laptops and cell phones.

Protective clothing concepts:

-- Belarus authorities to introduce radiation safe school uniforms - The uniform features a dedicated pocket that can store the phone and make it safe for those who wear it.

-- Special clothing protects unborn babies in womb from cellphone radiation - MummyWrap, a sleeveless, loose-fitting garment for pregnant women made from a light-weight copper-based cotton fabric known as Swiss Shield.

-- New men's underwear protects from harmful cell phone rays - Swiss clothing manufacturer Isabodywear is launching a special line of men's underwear that claims to protect "men's sperm from harmful cell phone radiation".

-- A New York based store sells dress shirts and caps designed to protect people from electromagnetic fields -- or radiation -- given off by cell phones and electronic devices.

-- Singapore-based garment manufacturer Crocodile International launched smart pants or "Radiguard' specialty trousers" for cell-phone buffs who exposed exposed to the ultra magnetic emission from the cell-phones.

-- In September 2002, Levi Strauss announced the launch of a new Dockers' model with anti-radiation-lined pockets, prompted by customers' concerns about the possible health risks of mobile phone use.

Study: Cell phones may cause heart irregularities

Radiation from cordless phones — including cell phones — may lead users to experience heart irregularities, according to a study published Saturday in the European Journal of Oncology. The Hill reports.

The study showed that cordless phones increased the heart rate in its subjects by up to 93 beats per minute. The authors, from Trent University in Canada, say it is the first study to show "such a dramatic change brought about immediately and lasting as long as the subject was exposed."

The authors say subjects reacted dramatically even when exposed to radiation at levels just .5 percent of federal guidelines.

The development provides a new angle on health concerns related to cell phones. Critics have previously said that cell phones may raise rates of cancer and brain tumors, but heart concerns have been rare.

Read full article. The study, “Provocation Study using Heart Rate Variability Shows Radiation from 2.4 GHz Cordless Phone Affects Autonomic Nervous System”

Red Cross sends hygiene information on Cholera via SMS

According to the Red Cross Blog, to help fight against the Cholera outbreak in Haiti, the Red Cross has sent vital medical supplies to the main hospital in Saint Marc, in the affected area, and is trucking tens-of-thousands of litres of clean water, along with chlorine, to help stop further transmission of the disease.

For such a formidable disease, treatment is simple. Rehydration with clean water, salt and sugar should be enough to save someone’s life.

Red Cross teams have also been reaching people with hygiene information, including through mass SMS messaging.

Read full post

Five Mobile Trends Redefining Health

A must-read and very thorough article by Mobile Behavior on how mobile phones are helping people make more informed health-related decisions, enabling patients to connect directly with doctors and experts.

Hundreds of mobile websites and apps are providing reference for topics like anatomy, first-aid, and drug-related conditions. Everywhere access to these tools are saving lives. Filmmaker Dan Woolley survived the Haiti earthquake by referencing a first-aid app to treat his wounds. Chicago art instructor Tanya Gill was saved during a stroke using NPR for iPhone. WebMD puts it well, “Better information. Better health.”

Read full article.

The next tech-driven malady: 'Text Neck'

Florida chiropractor Dean L. Fishman has identified yet a new ailment attributed to cell phones: "text neck." The Los Angeles Times reports.

It's the modern equivalent of tennis elbow, Fishman says, but instead of being brought on by sports activities it is exacerbated by improper posture while using smart phones, netbooks, iPads or any other mobile device.

Although the name has not caught on widely with the medical community, other experts say the relationship between bad posture and the use of mobile devices is a legitimate concern.

Read full article.

People who use display iPads and iPhones at Apple stores are risking infections (?)

Here's a different and interesting take on the "touchscreen devices harbor germs" articles spreading online last week. Stuff relays that the real danger is testing screens in the Apple stores, not your own phone or checking out a friend's.

A leading Australian expert in infectious diseases says people who use display iPads and iPhones at Apple stores are risking serious infections and the company should do more to maintain hygiene.

The call by Professor Peter Collignon, the director of infectious diseases and microbiology at the Australian National University, follows research that found a higher risk of transmitting pathogens from glass surfaces like iPads to human skin.

"You wouldn't have hundreds of people using the same glass or cup, but theoretically if hundreds of people share the same keyboard or touch pad, then effectively that's what you're doing," Collignon said in a phone interview.

Scores of people visit Apple stores around the country every day to play with the company's latest gadgets.

Read full article.

I would think that Apple employees would have strict guidelines for cleaning the screens on display in their stores, even if I can't find it spelled out online.

Cellphones reveal emerging disease outbreaks

A change in the way you use your cell phone could be a telltale signature of illness to doctors and agencies monitoring new outbreaks. New Scientist reports.

"This technology is an early warning system," says Anmol Madan of the MIT, whose team concluded that you can spot cases of flu by looking for changes in the movement and communication patterns of infected people.

Epidemiologists know that disease outbreaks change mobility patterns, but until now have been unable to track these patterns in any detail. So Madan and colleagues gave cellphones to 70 students in an undergraduate dormitory. The phones came with software that supplied the team with anonymous data on the students' movements, phone calls and text messages.

Students who came down with a fever or full-blown flu tended to move around less and make fewer calls late at night and early in the morning. When Madan trained software to hunt for this signature in the cellphone data, a daily check correctly identified flu victims 90 per cent of the time.

Read full article. (Image: Sutton-Hibbert/Rex Features)

Talk about going viral: Touch-screen devices harbor germs

According to The Seattle Times, personal touch-screen devices — iPads, BlackBerrys and Droids — are now seemingly everywhere, potentially harboring the germs and viruses that turn voices raspy and send noses running.

... "If you're sharing the device, then you're sharing your influenza with someone else who touches it," said Timothy Julian, a Stanford University doctoral student who co-authored a study on the spread of viruses.

British researchers provide some stomach-churning data: Mobile phones harbor 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a typical men's restroom.

According to Julian's study, published online in July by the Journal of Applied Microbiology, the risks of transmitting pathogens from glass surfaces to a person's skin are relatively high.

That cell phones carry germs, spread disease and have "more bacteria than a toilet seat" is nothing new. We've heard it all before. Read related articles.

Body organs can send status updates to your cellphone

Dutch research organisation IMEC this week demonstrated a new type of wireless body area network (BAN). New Scientist reports.

Dubbed the Human++ BAN platform, the system converts IMEC's ultra-low-power electrocardiogram sensors into wireless nodes in a short-range network, transmitting physiological data to a hub – the patient's cellphone.

From there, the readings can be forwarded to doctors via a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. They can also be displayed on the phone or sound an alarm when things are about to go wrong, giving patients like me a chance to try to slow our heart rates and avoid an unnecessary shock.

Besides helping those already diagnosed with chronic conditions, BANs could be used by people at risk of developing medical problems.

Read full article.

FCC changes cellphone safety guidance

According to The Washington Post, the FCC has changed its guidance to cellphone users worried about the health effects of wireless devices, dropping a long-standing recommendation that concerned consumers purchase phones with lower levels of radiation emissions.

The move comes amid a growing debate over cellphone safety and coincides with efforts in some jurisdictions - most notably San Francisco - to require wireless providers to more clearly state the radiation emissions of the phones they sell.

The revisions were made last week, without any formal announcement, to a consumer fact sheet posted on the FCC's Web site.

Read full article.

Mobile Messaging as a Surveillance Tool During 2009 H1N1 Pandemic in Mexico

Cell phone technology was used for surveillance of influenza outbreaks during the outbreak of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Mexico.

You can read full reports of study here (pdf).

[via @mobileactive]

Measles vaccination plan fails to win over Chinese public

Public distrust in China over government plans to vaccinate 100 million children against measles has led to conspiracy theories spread by text messaging.

[via The Guardian]

Tobacco Regulations Mobile Texting Pilot Program

In an effort to educate retailers and the public about regulations to protect kids from tobacco, the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products has launched a six-month text messaging pilot program.

In their own words:

To sign up to participate in this pilot program, text BreakChain to 87000 from your mobile phone.

Starting mid/late September, subscribers will begin receiving messages.

One winner will be selected each week for four weeks. Winners will have the opportunity to be featured on www.fda.gov/tobacco via FDA/CDC’s bi-weekly podcast series: Tobacco Control Act: What Retailers Need to Know.

[via IntoMobile]

Invisible Bracelet Launches Nationwide Emergency Medical Notification Text Messaging Service

So many health related cell phone applications today. Here's yet another one. Invisible Bracelet (iB) is a virtual medical ID that allows its members to share important health information during emergencies with first responders.

The Invisible Bracelet can notify up to 10 emergency contacts of medical transport.

Read full press release

Txt Msgs No Good 4 Helping Women 2 Take Birth Control Pills: Study

This is interesting and contrary to many studies written up on how text messaging helps people manage their medication sucessfully. According to The Wall Street Journal, a study of 82 women found that daily text messages didn’t help women take their birth control pills more consistently — both the text-receiving women and a control group missed an average of almost five pills per cycle.

The study, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, differed from some other studies looking at texting and medication adherence — it didn’t rely on patient reports to gauge effectiveness, but used electronic monitoring devices that told researchers when a pill dispenser was opened.

Read full article.

Dirty mobile phones spreading diseases, warns new research

It's been a while since we've read about how dirty cell phones are. According to Scotland's Herald, cell phones could be spreading potentially killer diseases because people do not wash their hands.

Research has revealed one in four people use a mobile phone when on the toilet, while one in 20 surf a laptop on the loo. But almost one in three admitted to washing their hands with soap when they're through..

... Each year in Scotland, around 10,000 people contract the infection Clostridium difficile because of poor hand hygiene. Across the UK more than 750 people reportedly die from – and almost one million are ill with – infections and viruses that can be passed on or contracted by not washing hands.

Related:

-- Cell phones spread hospital superbugs

-- Cellphones-home to deadly bacteria

-- Dirty keyboard cause infections in hospitals

-- Cell phones carry germs in hospitals

-- Bacterial Paranoia And Device Handling

-- Bamboo phone with nanotech self cleaning coating

-- The Average Mobile Phone Contains More Bacteria Than A Toilet Seat

-- Bacterial Paranoia And Device Handling

-- Cellphone bug killer

-- New Motorola Phone Fights Dirty Germs

-- Phone Clean is "the world first mobile cleaning system

-- Patents for hygiene treatment of cell phones on the rise

-- A mobile-phone charger with a sterilization function

-- Sterlize your cell phone while having an ice cream

Pilot study correlates improved glucose levels in teen diabetics with text messaging

According to Cardiovascular Business, In a test study, an iPhone app that sends customized text message reminders to adolescent diabetes patients about their treatment activities has proven successful.

The customized text messages reminding them about their personal treatment activities resulted in an increase in overall treatment adherence and improved blood glucose levels.

Jennifer Dyer, MD, MPH, an endocrinologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio who developed the iPhone application has applied for an internal grant to test the app.

The grant will allow endocrinologists to send personalized, automated texts to multiple patients at a specific time, according to Dyer.

Related:

-- Project Uses Texting to Help South African Diabetes Patients

-- A Jewish Mother in Your Cell Phone

-- SIMPill: Medication Reminders via SMS

-- Mobile aid for diabetes patients

-- Gluconet monitors diabetes by Text messaging

-- Glucophone: A cellphone for diabetics

Future Of Health: SMS Consultation

PSFK Presents The Future Of Health Report For UNICEF.

A must read, SMS Consultation, one trend of fifteen that appears in their exploration of how technology and access to information play a vital role in the ways that people will understand, manage and receive care whether that’s at home, in hospitals and clinics or in doctor’s offices.