Archive for July, 2008:

Let’s hope this is an exaggeration

Thursday 31 July 2008

Although it’s been a couple of years since my firm, MedPharma Partners has done consulting work in the hospitalist industry, I still keep my subscription to Today’s Hospitalist Magazine because I like its insights into the hospital environment. I read through the June issue today and found a piece entitled New thinking on resuscitation techniques. It discusses new guidelines that call for bystanders who see out-of-hospital cardiac arrests to focus on performing chest compressions and not bother with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The article speculates that these guidelines may soon have an impact on in-hospital resuscitation.

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Robot Jumps Over Objects

Thursday 31 July 2008

ScoutRobot is a wheeled robot that has the ability to jump over objects. ScoutRobot can sense how high the obstacle is in front of it and then jump high enough to clear the obstacle. The reason the robot appears to float is because it is literally floating on air. ScoutRobot has an aluminum cylinder powered by compressed air that is stored in two plastic bottles. New Scientist says one limitation of the robot is that ScoutRobot has no idea what it is on the other side of whatever it is jumping over. If ScoutRobot were to jump into a puddle of mud or water it might then be unable to get out. Find more about ScoutRobot at Gearfuse.


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World Gastroenterology Organization Releases New Digestive Health Guidelnes

Thursday 31 July 2008

The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recently released new digestive health guidelines. In the United States, the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (FDHN), which is the foundation of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), interpreted these new guidelines into a graphic (see below).


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Sense of Smell Likely Important For Birds

Wednesday 30 July 2008

KakapoThat’s the nocturnal Kakapo in the photograph on the right. The Kakapo probably recognizes the fruit it eats according to the fruit’s aroma. The Kakapo was one of the birds that was part of a recent research project that determined that birds likely have a much more developed sense of smell than was previously thought.


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Report Says Pre-Alzheimer’s Cases Rising

Wednesday 30 July 2008

The AP reports that a new report on Alzheimer’s says that it is much more common than previously thought with a million Americans sliding into “mild impairment” annually. (Continue reading…)