iPad app tests athletes for concussion - Cleveland Clinic video

An iPad app tests athletes for concussions (a Cleveland Clinic video). The players perform a series of balance, memory, vision, and reaction time experiments to obtain a baseline reading. If they receive a blow to the head during a game or practice, these tests can be redone to determine when it is safe for the athlete to return to action.

References:

Concussion Center - Cleveland Clinic.
Cleveland Clinic Treats Concussions With iPad App. Fox News.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE): Brain bank examines athletes' hard hits - CNN, 2012.

Comments from Twitter:

@DrVes: Why are some doctors and nurses giving back their iPads? http://j.mp/Hq15aD - Easy: iPad works great for pt education, NOT for data entry. Only 10% of doctors currently use an iPad at work http://j.mp/Hq15aD - I use iPad daily to discuss these diagrams: http://j.mp/Hq1k5v

iPad is a great teaching tool @CraigCCRNCEN was able to explain to Vietnamese family AFib and clots by showing them animation from YouTube.

Brian S. McGowan PhD @BrianSMcGowan: so is the best option for docs still a touch screen laptop? teach w/ touch screen, work w/ full keyboard? #hcsm

@DrVes: iPad works well for discussing DDx, Tx options with pts. Much more portable than laptop. Full-keyboard COWs best for typing.

Jeff Bray @jeffkbray: I have been scanning all my medical reference books and store them on my iPad for quick use and no weight - great tool and mobile

Can a Midday Nap Make You Smarter? Adults Who Nap for 90-minutes at 2 PM Learn and Perform Better at Tests

According to a new study, if you devote your lunch hour to a nap, you may perform and learn better in the afternoon.

Napping at midday, when the brain's ability to learn may have deteriorated, may clear the brain's memory "storage area" and make room for new information.

In the study, the nap group was given the chance for a 90-minute siesta at 2 p.m.; the no-nap group was asked to stay awake.

People in the group which didn't nap had a 10% reduction in their learning capacity. The people who had a nap improved their ability to learn by 10% (not much).

References:

Can a Mid-Day Nap Make You Smarter? WebMD.

Image source: Sleeping kitten. Wikipedia, Tilman Piesk, public domain.

Physically fit students score higher on tests than their less fit peers

Test scores dropped more than one point for each extra minute it took middle and high school students to complete a 1-mile run/walk fitness test.

65% of the students were below the state fitness standard. Compared with these students, students who met or exceeded fitness standards had higher average test scores. Overweight and obese students also scored significantly lower on tests.

Schools may have to reverse their recent disinvestment in physical education ostensibly for the purposes of boosting student achievement.

Exercise slows telomere shortening (and aging). Telomeres are the chromosome tips which shorten each time a cell divides, making them a possible marker of aging. A study of 2400 twins showed that physically active people had longer telomeres than sedentary people.


Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white). Image source: Wikipedia, public

domain.

If you need any more convincing, please see this "health promotion" video that clearly shows the benefits of exercise:

"Health Promotion" video: Benefits of exercise.

Participation in sport is associated with a with a 20—40% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with non-participation. Exercise might also be considered as a fifth vital sign, according to the Lancet: http://goo.gl/gyxYf

References:
Physical, academic fitness tied at the hip: study. Reuters, 2010.

The Journal of Pediatrics, published online January 25, 2010.

CDC Discourages Patients from Ordering Personal Genomic Tests

Dr. Khoury comments on the personal genomic tests that consumers can buy on the Internet to measure their genetic risk for multiple diseases.

Direct-to-consumer genomewide profiling to assess disease risk provides information about a person's genetic risk of 20 to 40 common polygenic diseases. The tests simultaneously genotype approximately 500,000 variant bases of a person's DNA. Consumers can purchase these tests, currently priced between $400 and $2,000, on the Internet

Proponents argue that providing this type of information directly to consumers may result in improved compliance with health-screening practices and more healthful lifestyle choices.

Skeptics assert that such testing has the potential to cause harm, including anxiety and increased use of unnecessary and expensive screening and medical procedures.

The clinical validity and utility of these tests have not been demonstrated, and given their cost, many observers argue that their sale raises consumer-protection issues.

In a recent study published in the NEJM, subjects who chose to undergo direct-to-consumer genomewide testing, had no short-term changes in psychological health, diet and exercise behavior, or use of screening tests.

References:

Effect of Direct-to-Consumer Genomewide Profiling to Assess Disease Risk. NEJM, 2011.

Beware the fortune tellers peddling genetic tests - BMJ http://goo.gl/F0DQt
"Genetic testing eases pain of hypochondria" - BBC  http://goo.gl/IRCPP
Feedback of DNA based risk assessments does not motivate behaviour change - BMJ, 2012 http://goo.gl/3HaRy