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

Preventing diabetes, biological passport for athletes and more from the Lancet

Low-dose combination therapy with rosiglitazone and metformin was highly effective in prevention of type 2 diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance, with little effect on the clinically relevant adverse events of these two drugs.

Preventing type 2 diabetes with low-dose combinations: Lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing bodyweight, and use of metformin, thiazolidinediones, acarbose, and orlistat, reduce the risk of diabetes by 25—60% over 3—6 years

The biological passport and doping in athletics: A biological passport monitors an athlete's blood and body chemistry values over time to assess whether there has been a deviation from an established baseline, thus indirectly detecting illegal manipulation.

A long look at obesity: Even with their primitive understanding of nutrition, our neolithic forebears somehow made the “right choices”, thriving on a wholesome diet of nuts, seeds, and fruits with the occasional piece of meat. And what is more, their rare intake of animal protein could only have been obtained through vigorous exercise, which they would, of course, indulge in every day.

Do Athletes Live Longer?

Short answers:

- bob sledders live 1.6 years longer
- ice hockey players live 4 years longer
- speed skaters live 5.6 years longer

This is only if you keep up your fitness level for your whole life (not an easy task).

Olympic medalists live an average of 2.8 years longer than their age-matched peers. More specifically, 8 percent more of the medalists than the non-Olympians were still living 30 years after they had won their medals.

References:

Live as Long as an Olympian, NYTimes, and BMJ.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/live-as-long-as-an-olympian