martes, 8 de noviembre de 2011
9 enfermedades raras
Se denomina enfermedades raras a aquellas que afectan a un número limitado de personas con respecto a la población general, a menos de uno de cada 2.000. Sin embargo, a mayoría de estas enfermedades son aún menos frecuentes, afectando a una de cada 100.000 personas. Se estima que hoy existen entre 5.000 y 8.000 enfermedades raras diferentes, que afectan entre el 6% y 8% de la población en total. Hemos seleccionado 9 de ellas:
Ser bilingüe retrasa el Alzheimer
Hablar dos o más idiomas puede retrasar hasta en cinco años la aparición de síntomas de la enfermedad de Alzheimer, según revela un estudio difundido por la revista Neurology.
Un equipo de científicos del Instituto de Investigación Rotman, en Toronto (Canadá), examinó los datos de 211 pacientes diagnosticados de Alzheimer y comprobaron que quienes habían hablado de manera frecuente dos o tres idiomas durante varios años (102 pacientes) tardaban hasta cinco años más en mostrar los síntomas que afectan a las funciones mentales (pérdida de memoria, confusión y dificultades para resolver problemas y planificar) que el resto de enfermos.
“No estamos diciendo que el bilingüismo pueda evitar la enfermedad de Alzheimer y otras demencias, pero sí que contribuye a crear reservas cognitivas en el cerebro que parecen retrasar la aparición de sus síntomas durante varios años”, ha explicado Fergus Craik, responsable de la investigación. Hasta el momento, ningún medicamento conocido ha conseguido demorar los síntomas del Alzheimer tanto tiempo.
Fuente: Muy interesante.
Un equipo de científicos del Instituto de Investigación Rotman, en Toronto (Canadá), examinó los datos de 211 pacientes diagnosticados de Alzheimer y comprobaron que quienes habían hablado de manera frecuente dos o tres idiomas durante varios años (102 pacientes) tardaban hasta cinco años más en mostrar los síntomas que afectan a las funciones mentales (pérdida de memoria, confusión y dificultades para resolver problemas y planificar) que el resto de enfermos.
“No estamos diciendo que el bilingüismo pueda evitar la enfermedad de Alzheimer y otras demencias, pero sí que contribuye a crear reservas cognitivas en el cerebro que parecen retrasar la aparición de sus síntomas durante varios años”, ha explicado Fergus Craik, responsable de la investigación. Hasta el momento, ningún medicamento conocido ha conseguido demorar los síntomas del Alzheimer tanto tiempo.
Fuente: Muy interesante.
jueves, 30 de junio de 2011
Beyond Smartphones: Dumb Screens
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of a company that provides presentation software in the cloud, helped crystallize a question for me: Do we want only dumb screens? By dumb screens I mean the ability to get whatever content and services you want over the web, as opposed to stored on a hard drive or locked to a device. So far, the answer is that we want it both ways. In the future I lean toward dumb terminals, with one exception: the smartphone.
Right now, the high cost of mobile broadband access and slow speeds (plus intermittent Wi-Fi) make the idea of dumb terminals impractical for most people. As Wi-Fi becomes more pervasive and LTE networks roll out, I think we’ll see those barriers drop. So it makes sense to think about what devices should be dumb and exactly how dumb they should be. I think a TV makes a great, dumb screen. On my laptop, I’d give a hearty plug for a dumb screen (look at the Chromebook, for example), and tablets are an area where I lean toward dumb screens, too. Smartphones are the big outlier.
My Smartphone’s No Dummy
Most of my interactions with my Android handset center around the Web, e-mail, and a few apps. On occasion, I take photos and share them from my phone and yes, I still use it for voice calls. So today my smartphone isn’t a dumb screen. Here’s why it never will be:App Stores. I wish this particular reason would disappear, though I doubt it will happen. Thanks to the ability of Apple (AAPL) to get people to buy into apps, we are fast approaching a $14 billion app economy. As someone with iOS and Android devices, as well as a general world view that wants a unified platform, I wish HTML5 apps would get going in a major way so I can just get what I need on the Web, as opposed to downloading them from OS-specific or device-specific app stores. It drives me crazy that I can’t get some apps on my Android handset that I use on the iPad, and that if they are offered, I have to buy them twice. So I’d love for apps to stick around, but I want the barriers to installing them on any device to fall, thanks to HTML5 and permissions to access the hardware on devices.
Smartphones link to the digital world. As the most portable and soon-to-be-most ubiquitous of the computers consumers own, smartphones are increasingly becoming the sensor that connects the real world to my digital one. I want it packed with sensors, cameras, and enough intelligence to ensure that these things all work together to upload not just files to the Web, but context on my day-to-day wanderings, too.
There’s still a strong argument for dumb screens to have different interfaces, depending on their size—and perhaps position—in the home. Smaller screens require touch, while larger ones should use gesture. Because I’m a writer, my laptop needs a keyboard, while my tablet and phone don’t. The debate between smart and dumb screens used to have a component pertaining to how one would interact with them; increasingly, I think it’s less a keyboard that makes something “smart” than what kind of information it needs to store and process. Thanks to Web services, I think there’s little we’ll want to store and process on TVs, laptops, and even tablets. Smartphones, however, will still require more brains than screen real estate and a good set of radios to ensure image processing, the interaction of the sensor, and yes, those darned apps.
As we overload our homes with computers and connected gadgets—15 percent of Americans use four or more a week, according to the Harris poll—the idea of dumbing down the device and relying on Web services has strong appeal. Sure, offline access to documents and other services is a stumbling block, but that’s becoming less and less a problem for those willing to pay for mobile broadband access. How dumb should our devices get?
By Stacey Higginbotham
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/beyond-smartphones-dumb-screens-06292011.html
UN force brought cholera to Haiti, study suggests
Evidence "strongly suggests" that a United Nations peacekeeping mission brought a cholera strain to Haiti that has killed thousands of people, a study by a team of epidemiologists and physicians says.
The study is the strongest argument yet that newly arrived Nepalese peacekeepers at a base near the town of Mirebalais brought with them the cholera, which spread through the waterways of the Artibonite region and elsewhere in the impoverished Caribbean country.
The disease has killed more than 5,500 people and sickened more than 363,000 others since it was discovered in October, according to the Haitian government.
"Our findings strongly suggest that contamination of the Artibonite [river] and one of its tributaries downstream from a military camp triggered the epidemic," said the report in the July issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The article says there is "an exact correlation" in time and place between the arrival of a Nepalese battalion from an area of its South Asian homeland that was experiencing a cholera outbreak and the appearance of the first cases in the Meille River a few days later.
The remoteness of the Meille River in central Haiti and the absence of other factors make it unlikely that the cholera strain could have come to Haiti in any other way, the report says.
That panel's report found that the cholera outbreak was caused by a South Asian strain imported by human activity that contaminated the Meille River where the UN base of the Nepalese peacekeepers is located. The study also found that bad sanitation at the camp would have made contamination of the water system possible.
But the UN report refrained from blaming any single group for the outbreak. While no other potential source of the bacteria itself was named, the report attributed the outbreak to a "confluence of circumstances," including a lack of water infrastructure in Haiti and Haitians' dependence on the river system.
The panel's report was ordered by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as anti-UN protests spread in Haiti and mounting circumstantial evidence pointed to the troops.
Before that, for nearly two months after the outbreak last October, the United Nations, CDC and World Health Organization refused to investigate the origin of the cholera, saying that it was more important to treat patients than to try to figure out the source.
The article published in the CDC journal comes as health workers in Haiti wrestle with a spike in the number of cholera cases brought on by several weeks of rainfall. The aid group Oxfam said earlier this month that its workers were treating more than 300 new cases a day, more than three times what they saw when the disease peaked in the fall.
Cholera is caused by a bacteria that produces severe diarrhea and is contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
Epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux, the lead author of the CDC journal article, was initially sent by the French government in late 2010 to investigate the origins of Haiti's outbreak. He authored a report for UN and Haitian officials that said the Nepalese peacekeepers likely caused the outbreak, a copy of which was obtained at the time by the AP.
The latest study was more complete and its methodology was reviewed by a group of scientists.
The new study argues it is important for scientists to determine the origin of cholera outbreaks and how they spread in order to eliminate "accidentally imported disease." Moreover, the study says, figuring out the source of a cholera epidemic would help health workers better treat and prevent cholera by minimizing the "distrust associated with the widespread suspicions of a coverup of a deliberate importation of cholera."
It also argues that demonstrating an imported origin would compel "international organizations to reappraise their procedures."
After cholera surfaced last fall, many Haitians believed the Nepalese peacekeepers were to blame, straining relations between the population and UN personnel and sparking angry protests. On the streets, cholera has become slang for something that must be banished from Haiti.
The new study is acknowledged in a commentary by a pair of public health experts affiliated with the CDC.
"However it occurred, there is little doubt that the organism was introduced to Haiti by a traveler from abroad, and this fact raises important public health considerations," wrote Scott Dowell, director of the CDC's Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response, and Christopher Braden, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC.
The study is the strongest argument yet that newly arrived Nepalese peacekeepers at a base near the town of Mirebalais brought with them the cholera, which spread through the waterways of the Artibonite region and elsewhere in the impoverished Caribbean country.
The disease has killed more than 5,500 people and sickened more than 363,000 others since it was discovered in October, according to the Haitian government.
"Our findings strongly suggest that contamination of the Artibonite [river] and one of its tributaries downstream from a military camp triggered the epidemic," said the report in the July issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The article says there is "an exact correlation" in time and place between the arrival of a Nepalese battalion from an area of its South Asian homeland that was experiencing a cholera outbreak and the appearance of the first cases in the Meille River a few days later.
The remoteness of the Meille River in central Haiti and the absence of other factors make it unlikely that the cholera strain could have come to Haiti in any other way, the report says.
'Confluence of circumstances,' UN says
In an email, UN mission spokeswoman Sylvie Van Den Wildenberg didn't comment on the findings of the article published in the CDC journal, referring only to a study released in May by a UN-appointed panel.That panel's report found that the cholera outbreak was caused by a South Asian strain imported by human activity that contaminated the Meille River where the UN base of the Nepalese peacekeepers is located. The study also found that bad sanitation at the camp would have made contamination of the water system possible.
But the UN report refrained from blaming any single group for the outbreak. While no other potential source of the bacteria itself was named, the report attributed the outbreak to a "confluence of circumstances," including a lack of water infrastructure in Haiti and Haitians' dependence on the river system.
The panel's report was ordered by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as anti-UN protests spread in Haiti and mounting circumstantial evidence pointed to the troops.
Before that, for nearly two months after the outbreak last October, the United Nations, CDC and World Health Organization refused to investigate the origin of the cholera, saying that it was more important to treat patients than to try to figure out the source.
The article published in the CDC journal comes as health workers in Haiti wrestle with a spike in the number of cholera cases brought on by several weeks of rainfall. The aid group Oxfam said earlier this month that its workers were treating more than 300 new cases a day, more than three times what they saw when the disease peaked in the fall.
Cholera is caused by a bacteria that produces severe diarrhea and is contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
Dominican Republic deaths reported
The disease has spread to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, where more than 36 deaths have been reported since November.Epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux, the lead author of the CDC journal article, was initially sent by the French government in late 2010 to investigate the origins of Haiti's outbreak. He authored a report for UN and Haitian officials that said the Nepalese peacekeepers likely caused the outbreak, a copy of which was obtained at the time by the AP.
The latest study was more complete and its methodology was reviewed by a group of scientists.
The new study argues it is important for scientists to determine the origin of cholera outbreaks and how they spread in order to eliminate "accidentally imported disease." Moreover, the study says, figuring out the source of a cholera epidemic would help health workers better treat and prevent cholera by minimizing the "distrust associated with the widespread suspicions of a coverup of a deliberate importation of cholera."
It also argues that demonstrating an imported origin would compel "international organizations to reappraise their procedures."
After cholera surfaced last fall, many Haitians believed the Nepalese peacekeepers were to blame, straining relations between the population and UN personnel and sparking angry protests. On the streets, cholera has become slang for something that must be banished from Haiti.
The new study is acknowledged in a commentary by a pair of public health experts affiliated with the CDC.
"However it occurred, there is little doubt that the organism was introduced to Haiti by a traveler from abroad, and this fact raises important public health considerations," wrote Scott Dowell, director of the CDC's Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response, and Christopher Braden, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC.
The Associated Press
Posted: Jun 30, 2011 4:14 AM ET
Last Updated: Jun 30, 2011 4:20 AM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/06/30/haiti-cholera-un.html?ref=rss
jueves, 10 de febrero de 2011
Unprotected home computers vulnerable to hijack
Very interesting article by Susan Watts BBC Newsnight Science editor |
They say the rise in such attacks risks undermining critical national infrastructure and the future of the global economy.
Cyber expert: 'It is your responsibility to protect your computer from hijack'
These botnets are being used to launch so-called Distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks, which crash a website by flooding it with requests for information, or to harvest personal data such as credit card details or passwords.
Recent revenge attacks by the Anonymous hacktivist group against companies who distanced themselves from Wikileaks are one high-profile example where websites were crashed.
'Greater good'
Now, governments are urging people to take personal responsibility for what they say could prove a much broader threat to our digital world.
 |  Botnets, or infected computers, whether in a citizen's personal computer or a corporate computer, are being used to launch these DDoS attacks against key industries and against governments  Melissa Hathaway, former White House cyber tsar |
"Botnets, or infected computers, whether in a citizen's personal computer or a corporate computer, are being used to launch these DDoS attacks against key industries and against governments, and so that would affect their ability to deliver essential services."
But on the day that the government has hailed the destruction of the last computers from the ID card database as a triumph of civil liberties, officials are clearly still working out how to sell us the idea that we should practice safe computing for a greater public good.
Multi-nation problem
Well-placed sources say that in a world in which we are utterly dependent on digital systems, they are anxious to limit any opportunity for disruption of critical national infrastructures like energy, water, food distribution and transport - all of which rely on computerised systems.
But the government does not want to be seen to be curtailing individual freedom. It feels a need for some form of cyber "Green Cross Code" - without having to legislate.
 Experts say that botnet technology is becoming increasingly accessible |
"The majority of these botnets are harvesting financial and personal information for those criminal organisations that run those networks for more traditional fraud, for example accessing your bank account.
"There was one recent one from Canada involving 100,000 computers linked across 75 countries - the distribution was all around the world."
'Botnets for hire'
He also flagged up problems with how accessible botnet technology is becoming:
"Historically you used to have to be a technical expert, be a proper hacker, and be really interested in computers. These days you can effectively go down to the local DIY store and buy a botnet kit that comes ready configured, you just need to install it with some very basic installers and very limited technical capability - set it up and off it goes."
| An infected computer could be part of a botnet without you knowing or realising, so the more you protect your own assets the less the risk is that your computer is part of a botnet, the smaller the potential of botnets are, and the smaller any of the future attacks would be Tobias Wann, VeriSign Europe |
This, he said, is just one of many that are available online:
"They're on the darker fringes of the internet - in some countries it is easier to get to - in other countries they are harder to find.
"Some of them are very, very affordable… hundreds of pounds to get involved… some of them, depending on what you want to do, could be more expensive ."
Newsnight spoke to VeriSign, which runs the ".net" and ".com" domain names, and two of the internet's 13 so-called root name servers.
These are vital organs of the internet, without which you would not be able to send e-mails or link to websites.
Tobias Wann, of VeriSign Europe, told us his company's clients are having to deal with DDoS attacks in increasing number, and capacity.
He agrees that there is a need to foster personal responsibility on this issue:
"If you don't secure your computer and make it virus free there's a big risk your computer could be infected.
"An infected computer could be part of a botnet without you knowing or realising, so the more you protect your own assets the less the risk is that your computer is part of a botnet, the smaller the potential of botnets are, and the smaller any of the future attacks would be."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9393765.stm
When Patients Share Their Stories, Health May Improve
I really like this article:
A gifted artist in his early 60s, the patient was a liver transplant candidate who learned he had hepatitis B some 20 years earlier. Despite the worsening fatigue that accompanied his liver failure, he threw himself into preparing for his transplant. He read everything he could about the procedure and the postoperative care, drilled doctors with endless questions and continued to drag himself to the gym each day in the hopes of being better prepared to withstand the rigors of the operation.
The only reservation that he mentioned was the same one all the other patients had — he feared that death would come before the perfect organ.
But during one visit just before he finally got the transplant, he confessed that he had been grappling with another concern, one so overwhelming he had even considered withdrawing from the waiting list. He worried that he would not be strong enough mentally and physically to survive a transplant.
In desperation, he told me, he had contacted several patients who had already undergone a transplant. “That’s what made me believe I’d be O.K.,” he said. “You doctors have answered all of my questions, but what I really needed was to hear the stories about transplant from people like me.”
Patients and doctors have long understood the power of telling and listening to personal narratives. Whether among patients in peer support groups or between doctors and patients in the exam room or even between doctors during consultations, stories are an essential part of how we communicate, interpret experiences and incorporate new information into our lives.
Despite the ubiquitousness of storytelling in medicine, research on its effects in the clinical setting has remained relatively thin. While important, a vast majority of studies have been anecdotal , offering up neither data nor statistics but rather — you guessed it — stories to back up the authors’ claims.
Now The Annals of Internal Medicine has published the results of a provocative new trial examining the effects of storytelling on patients with high blood pressure. And it appears that at least for one group of patients, listening to personal narratives helped control high blood pressure as effectively as the addition of more medications.
Monitoring the blood pressure of nearly 300 African-American patients who lived in urban areas and had known hypertension, the researchers at three-month intervals gave half the patients videos of similar patients telling stories about their own experiences. The rest of the patients received videos of more generic and impersonal health announcements on topics like dealing with stress. While all the patients who received the storytelling DVD had better blood pressure control on average, those who started out with uncontrolled hypertension were able to achieve and maintain a drop as significant as it had been for patients in previous trials testing drug regimens.
“Telling and listening to stories is the way we make sense of our lives,” said Dr. Thomas K. Houston, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Veterans Affairs medical center in Bedford, Mass. “That natural tendency may have the potential to alter behavior and improve health.”
Experts in this emerging field of narrative communication say that storytelling effectively counteracts the initial denial that can arise when a patient learns of a new diagnosis or is asked to change deeply ingrained behaviors. Patients may react to this news by thinking, “This is not directly related to me,” or “My experience is different.” Stories help break down that denial by engaging the listener, often through some degree of identification with the storyteller or one of the characters.
“The magic of stories lies in the relatedness they foster,” Dr. Houston said. “Marketers have known this for a long time, which is why you see so many stories in advertisements.”
In health care, storytelling may have its greatest impact on patients who distrust the medical system or who have difficulty understanding or acting on health information because they may find personal narratives easier to digest. Stories may also help those patients who struggle with more “silent” chronic diseases, like diabetes or high blood pressure. In these cases, stories can help patients realize the importance of addressing a disease that has few obvious or immediate symptoms. “These types of patients and diseases may be a particular ‘sweet spot’ for storytelling,” Dr. Houston noted.
This particular benefit from stories comes as welcome news not only for patients but also for doctors, who are increasingly reimbursed based on patient outcomes. “There’s only so much the doctor can do, so providers are looking for innovative ways to help their patients,” Dr. Houston said. While more research still needs to be done, the possibilities for integrating storytelling into clinical practice are numerous. In one possible situation, which is not all that dissimilar from popular dating sites, doctors and patients would be able to access Web sites that would match patients to videos of similar patients recounting their own experiences with the same disease.
Dr. Houston is currently involved in several more studies that will examine the broader use of storytelling in patient care and delineate ways in which it can best be integrated. Nonetheless, he remains certain of one thing: Sharing narratives can be a powerful tool for doctors and patients.
“Storytelling is human,” Dr. Houston said. “We learn through stories, and we use them to make sense of our lives. It’s a natural extension to think that we could use stories to improve our health.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/health/views/10chen.html?ref=health
A gifted artist in his early 60s, the patient was a liver transplant candidate who learned he had hepatitis B some 20 years earlier. Despite the worsening fatigue that accompanied his liver failure, he threw himself into preparing for his transplant. He read everything he could about the procedure and the postoperative care, drilled doctors with endless questions and continued to drag himself to the gym each day in the hopes of being better prepared to withstand the rigors of the operation.
Yellow Dog Productions
But during one visit just before he finally got the transplant, he confessed that he had been grappling with another concern, one so overwhelming he had even considered withdrawing from the waiting list. He worried that he would not be strong enough mentally and physically to survive a transplant.
In desperation, he told me, he had contacted several patients who had already undergone a transplant. “That’s what made me believe I’d be O.K.,” he said. “You doctors have answered all of my questions, but what I really needed was to hear the stories about transplant from people like me.”
Patients and doctors have long understood the power of telling and listening to personal narratives. Whether among patients in peer support groups or between doctors and patients in the exam room or even between doctors during consultations, stories are an essential part of how we communicate, interpret experiences and incorporate new information into our lives.
Despite the ubiquitousness of storytelling in medicine, research on its effects in the clinical setting has remained relatively thin. While important, a vast majority of studies have been anecdotal , offering up neither data nor statistics but rather — you guessed it — stories to back up the authors’ claims.
Now The Annals of Internal Medicine has published the results of a provocative new trial examining the effects of storytelling on patients with high blood pressure. And it appears that at least for one group of patients, listening to personal narratives helped control high blood pressure as effectively as the addition of more medications.
Monitoring the blood pressure of nearly 300 African-American patients who lived in urban areas and had known hypertension, the researchers at three-month intervals gave half the patients videos of similar patients telling stories about their own experiences. The rest of the patients received videos of more generic and impersonal health announcements on topics like dealing with stress. While all the patients who received the storytelling DVD had better blood pressure control on average, those who started out with uncontrolled hypertension were able to achieve and maintain a drop as significant as it had been for patients in previous trials testing drug regimens.
“Telling and listening to stories is the way we make sense of our lives,” said Dr. Thomas K. Houston, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Veterans Affairs medical center in Bedford, Mass. “That natural tendency may have the potential to alter behavior and improve health.”
Experts in this emerging field of narrative communication say that storytelling effectively counteracts the initial denial that can arise when a patient learns of a new diagnosis or is asked to change deeply ingrained behaviors. Patients may react to this news by thinking, “This is not directly related to me,” or “My experience is different.” Stories help break down that denial by engaging the listener, often through some degree of identification with the storyteller or one of the characters.
“The magic of stories lies in the relatedness they foster,” Dr. Houston said. “Marketers have known this for a long time, which is why you see so many stories in advertisements.”
In health care, storytelling may have its greatest impact on patients who distrust the medical system or who have difficulty understanding or acting on health information because they may find personal narratives easier to digest. Stories may also help those patients who struggle with more “silent” chronic diseases, like diabetes or high blood pressure. In these cases, stories can help patients realize the importance of addressing a disease that has few obvious or immediate symptoms. “These types of patients and diseases may be a particular ‘sweet spot’ for storytelling,” Dr. Houston noted.
This particular benefit from stories comes as welcome news not only for patients but also for doctors, who are increasingly reimbursed based on patient outcomes. “There’s only so much the doctor can do, so providers are looking for innovative ways to help their patients,” Dr. Houston said. While more research still needs to be done, the possibilities for integrating storytelling into clinical practice are numerous. In one possible situation, which is not all that dissimilar from popular dating sites, doctors and patients would be able to access Web sites that would match patients to videos of similar patients recounting their own experiences with the same disease.
Dr. Houston is currently involved in several more studies that will examine the broader use of storytelling in patient care and delineate ways in which it can best be integrated. Nonetheless, he remains certain of one thing: Sharing narratives can be a powerful tool for doctors and patients.
“Storytelling is human,” Dr. Houston said. “We learn through stories, and we use them to make sense of our lives. It’s a natural extension to think that we could use stories to improve our health.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/health/views/10chen.html?ref=health
jueves, 6 de enero de 2011
Avances Medicos: Desarrollan con éxito articulaciones biológicas
Desarrollan con éxito articulaciones biológicas
Las articulaciones se regeneran en un "andamio" con las propias células del paciente.
Científicos en Estados Unidos afirman que las articulaciones biológicas, creadas con las propias células del paciente, podrían reemplazar pronto a los implantes artificiales de metal o cerámica.
Los experimentos con animales llevados a cabo, dicen los investigadores en la revista británica The Lancet, lograron regenerar con éxito superficies articulares de hombro completas utilizando las propias células.
Y ahora esperan comenzar ensayos más amplios para probar la técnica.
El avance, dicen los científicos, podría cambiar radicalmente la calidad de vida de pacientes cuyos hombros, rodillas o caderas deben ser reemplazadas debido a lesiones o enfermedad.
Andamio biológico
Las articulaciones son los puntos de unión del esqueleto y su función es producir movimientos mecánicos entre los huesos, proporcionando elasticidad y plasticidad al cuerpo.
Actualmente, la única forma de reemplazar articulaciones degeneradas o rotas es con implantes artificiales -prótesis de metal o cerámica-, pero estas son temporales y requieren de una compleja operación quirúrgica.
La nueva tecnología consiste en tomar células del propio paciente y colocarlas en un "andamio" para regenerar el tejido.
Nuestro objetivo es eliminar el uso de articulaciones de metal o plástico y en lugar de ello poder regenerar una articulación biológica totalmente funcional para todos los que la necesiten
Prof. James Cook
Con esta técnica, los científicos de la Universidad de Missouri-Columbia, en Estados Unidos, lograron crear cartílagos nuevos de conejos que posteriormente fueron implantados para reemplazar el hombro dañado del animal.
El andamio biológico donde se regeneró el tejido fue implantado en los animales utilizado el mismo procedimiento quirúrgico que actualmente se usa para reemplazar el hombro de un ser humano.
Éste requiere extraer toda la cabeza del húmero, la estructura esférica que forma la articulación del hombro.
Previamente, el andamio había sido preparado con un compuesto de factor de crecimiento que atrajo a las propias células del animal, incluidas células madre, para que se convirtieran en cartílago y hueso.
"Este dispositivo fue diseñado teniendo en cuenta tanto los factores biológicos como mecánicos", dice el profesor James Cook, quien participó en la creación del andamio biológico.
"Su diseño, su composición y la forma como estimula a las propias células del paciente son únicos. Es la primera vez que logramos regeneración de cartílago utilizando este tipo de estructura", agrega.
Recuperación funcional
Después de la operación, los conejos regeneraron sus propias articulaciones y lograron reanudar sus movimientos normales.
De hecho, dicen los investigadores, consiguieron utilizar sus extremidades más rápido y de forma más consistente que animales que no habían sido sometidos al trasplante.
Cuatro meses después de la operación, los científicos descubrieron que el cartílago que se había formado en los andamios había logrado crear una superficie funcional en la cabeza del húmero.
Muchos pacientes con osteoartritis deben ser sometidos a un reemplazo de articulaciones.
Según los investigadores, no se observaron complicaciones ni efectos adversos en los animales después de la cirugía y los animales con nuevo tejido regenerado mostraron "un excelente uso de extremidades y buena salud del hombro".
"Esto indica que el procedimiento es tanto seguro como efectivo", afirman los científicos.
Ahora, el profesor Cook y su equipo solicitarán permiso a la Administración de Alimentos y Fármacos (FDA) de Estados Unidos para llevar a cabo ensayos clínicos de la técnica con animales más grandes.
"Si continuamos demostrando la seguridad y eficacia de esta estrategia de reemplazo de articulaciones biológicas, podremos obtener aprobación de la FDA para usar esta tecnología en el reemplazo de articulaciones de personas", dice el profesor Cook.
"Nuestro objetivo -agrega el investigador- es eliminar el uso de articulaciones de metal o plástico y en lugar de ello poder regenerar una articulación biológica totalmente funcional para todos los que la necesiten".
"Pensamos que ése es el futuro de la ortopedia y esperamos que ese futuro comience aquí y ahora", expresa el científico.
Los especialistas afirman, sin embargo, que la investigación está aún en sus primeras etapas y todavía habrá que superar varios obstáculos.
Uno de ellos es si este tipo de trasplante -que quizás tomaría meses de fisioterapia y descanso hasta lograr el crecimiento del tejido- podrá ser adecuado para pacientes de edad avanzada, que son los que más se someten al reemplazo de articulaciones.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2011/01/110106_articulaciones_biologicas_men.shtml
Las Vegas: Microsoft apuesta a los avatares
Esto es lo nuevo de Microsoft en la feria de Tecnología en Las Vegas.
Las Vegas: Microsoft apuesta a los avatares
El presidente de Microsoft ejemplificó con su propio avatar el nuevo uso que se le dará a Kinect.
En el Consumer Electronics Show (CES, por sus siglas en inglés) en Las Vegas, el presidente ejecutivo de Microsoft dejó claro que la consola Xbox 360 se ha convertido en la nueva estrella de la empresa.
Al pronunciar el discurso que cada 12 meses suele inaugurar el evento tecnológico más importante del año, Steve Ballmer aseguró que Kinect -el periférico de la consola que permite jugar sin controles- es más popular de lo que esperaban.
Según el ejecutivo, en sólo dos meses han vendido ocho millones de productos cuando originalmente habían pensado vender cinco millones.
clic Lea también: "Tabletas y TV por internet arrancan el año tecnológico"
Además, anunció que en una actualización futura incluirán un nuevo servicio que permitirá usar los avatares de sus usuarios en espacios sociales, haciendo que estos se muevan imitando el movimiento del cuerpo de los jugadores.
El sistema, que se llamará "Avatar Kinect", permitirá que los usuarios organicen o participen en reuniones virtuales de trabajo o en encuentros sociales con amigos, usando sus avatares que actuarán como sus dobles replicando lo que hagan en la vida real.
Windows por doquier
El jefe de Microsoft dice que Windows estará disponible en una amplia gama de dispositivos.
El jefe de Microsoft también afirmó que sus sistema operativo Windows estará disponible en una amplia gama de dispositivos en los próximos meses, ya sea en celulares, computadoras de escritorio, portátiles o tabletas.
De hecho, en su mensaje anunció que, en su próxima versión, Windows correrá por primera vez en sistemas alojados en chips (SOC, por sus siglas en inglés).
Este tipo de chips se utilizan ampliamente en teléfonos celulares y computadoras portátiles, dado que agrupan en un discreto chip los componentes que en las computadoras de escritorio se utilizan para manejar los gráficos y los datos. De esta manera reducen la energía que se consume y prolongan la vida de las baterías.
Se estima que el 80% de los teléfonos que existen, incluyendo al iPhone 4, utilizan SOC.
clic Video: Tres teléfonos inteligentes, tres estilos diferentes
Finalmente, Ballmer nunció que en breve los nuevos teléfonos Windows Phone 7 recibirán una actualización que, entre otras cosas, hará más rápidos a los dispositivos y les habilitará la opción de copiar y pegar.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2011/01/110106_0920_ces_microsoft_steve_ballmer_kinect_xbox_windows_vegas_dc.shtml
3D no apto para niños y más ruidos tecnológicos
Las noticias tecnológicas que estamos leyendo y que se están discutiendo en el ciberespacio.
El 3D no es para menores de seis años
Nintendo recomienda que los niños menores de seis años no vean imágenes en 3D.
Este mes Nintendo presentará en Japón su consola portátil en tres dimensiones, Nintendo 3DS. Sin embargo, la empresa advirtió que es importante seguir algunos consejos para que el uso del aparato no cause problemas de salud.
La firma recomienda tomarse un descanso cada 30 minutos para evitar riesgos y dejar de jugar si se experimenta alguna molestia.
Además, la compañía asegura que la visión en 3D no es recomendable para menores de seis años de edad dado que su vista aún está en desarrollo. La empresa dice que su consola puede cambiarse a 2D en cualquier momento para que todos puedan jugar.
Cargue sus gadgets mientras camina
El aparato se puede colocar dentro de una mochila.
En el marco del Consumer Electronics Show (CES, en inglés) que se celebra en Las Vegas, la empresa Tremont Electric presentó un dispositivo que permite recargar las baterías de aparatos electrónicos con sólo mantenerlo en movimiento.
El producto que asemeja un tubo -como puede verse en la foto- se puede colocar en una mochila y al caminar con ella se irá generando la energía necesaria para recargar los gadgets.
El dispositivo se llama nPower PEG y se conecta a un cable mini USB. Para aparatos sofisticados como los teléfonos inteligentes hay que caminar 30 minutos para conseguir un minuto de carga, pero para dispositivos como el iPod Nano, media hora de caminata equivale a media hora de música.
Las apps de Apple llegan a las computadoras
Las apps llegan al sistema operativo Mac.
Apple abrió este jueves su tienda Mac App Store en 90 países.
La tienda permitirá que las aplicaciones que ya se usan en dispositivos como el iPad o el iPhone puedan usarse también en computadoras.
El mercado virtual abre con más de 1.000 apps y estará disponible para máquinas con el sistema operativo Mac OS X 10.6.6.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2011/01/110106_articulaciones_biologicas_men.shtml
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