Nintendo Wii Warmup – Good for Surgeons’ Hand/Eye Coordination

Playing computer games such as the Nintendo Wii can improve a surgeon’s performance in the operating room, a U.S. study shows.  Only certain games are effective – those requiring delicate movements. The fine hand control required to play these games acts as a warm up and hones scalpel skills the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre team claim. Now they are designing Wii software that will accurately simulate surgical procedures, New Scientist reports. They asked eight trainee surgeons to spend an hour playing the games on a console before performing “virtual reality” surgery on a computer system. Game players scored nearly 50% higher on tool control and overall performance than other trainees.

To read the entire BBC News article, please click on the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7193588.stm 

For more information on defending medical malpractice, nursing home and general liability matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at Citron & Associates, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

FDA Declares Cold Medicines Too Risky for Babies, Toddlers

Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines — they’re too risky for tots so small, the government declared.  The Food and Drug Administration still hasn’t decided if the remedies are appropriate for older children to continue using, officials said.  Expect a decision on that by spring, the deadline necessary to notify manufacturers before they begin production for next fall’s cold season.  For now, the FDA issued a public health advisory to warn physicians and parents to avoid these drugs for children under age 2 “because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur.”

To read the entire CNN.com article, please click on the following link:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/01/16/cold.medicines.ap/index.html

For more information on defending medical malpractice, nursing home and general liability matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at Citron & Associates, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

Study Says: Genetic Variation Greatly Increases Risk of Autism

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that a rare genetic variation dramatically raises the risk of developing autism, opening new research targets for better understanding of the disorder and for treating it.  Research into the causes of autism has focused physicians and hospitals on genetic causes because so many families have multiple children with the disorder.  Thus far, only about 10% of autism cases have a known genetic cause.  These physician researchers estimate the genetic variation they have uncovered accounts for another 1% of cases.  They found a segment of a chromosome with genes linked to brain development and developmental disorders were either missing or duplicated far more often in those suffering from autism.  The defect was inherited in some cases, but more often the result of a random genetic accident.

To read the entire Sun Sentinel article, please click on the following link:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flaautism0110sbjan10,0,3536971.story

For more information on defending medical malpractice, nursing home and general liability matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at Citron & Associates, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.