Thursday, December 31, 2015

Google Glass 2.0 to launch. 74 articles in PubMed on Glass 1.0, some of them rather curious - have a look

Google Glass 1.0 (the first version available to consumers) was a failure in terms of social acceptance and commercial appeal. Yes, there are more than 70 articles in PubMed about Google Glass as of December 2015 but the device never got traction and most of publicity around it was decidedly negative. The second version aims to change that. Here is more information about Google Glass 2.0 from the WSJ:



Here is something not to try:

Texting while driving using Google Glass™: Promising but not distraction-free.
He J, Choi W, McCarley JS, Chaparro BS, Wang C.
Accid Anal Prev. 2015 Aug;81:218-29. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.03.033. Epub 2015 May 26.

And of course, there is this:

Google Glass liability risks.
Frankel J.
Bull Am Coll Surg. 2015 Feb;100(2):39. No abstract available.

There are potential benefits, of course:

Do you see what I see? Insights from using google glass for disaster telemedicine triage.
Cicero MX, Walsh B, Solad Y, Whitfill T, Paesano G, Kim K, Baum CR, Cone DC.
Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015 Feb;30(1):4-8. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X1400140X. Epub 2015 Jan 9.

Whatever the future application of Google Glass is, there will always be allergies:

GlassAllergy: a Google Glass-based solution to empower patients with skin allergies.
Wiesner M, Pobiruchin M, Hetterich C, Pfeifer D.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2014;205:548-52.

If you think people did not like to wear the digital glasses, how about a digital wig?

New Wearable Computers Move Ahead: Google Glass and Smart Wigs.
Klonoff DC.
J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2014 Jan 1;8(1):3-5. [Epub ahead of print] No abstract available.
PMID: 24876529

The question is still open:

Google Glass: a new dimension in surgical education or just another gimmick?
Waxman BP.
ANZ J Surg. 2014 Nov;84(11):810. Review. No abstract available.

References:

PubMed search on Google Glass

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Lead Contamination of Tea - how much tea is safe to drink per day?

There is a good explanation in the video below, by Dr. Greger:



Regarding lead contamination of tea from China, his recommendation is to drink no more than 3 cups of black tea per day.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Malaria - NHS video


NHS Choices: Malaria is a parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes. This video explains how malaria is treated and what can be done to help prevent contracting the disease.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Genes are not really our genes. It is we who belong to them for a few decades

From OHCM and Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1642: "We all labor against our own cure; for death is the cure of all diseases."

Most patients are told less than they want. Yet nothing you can say to your patient can ever be relied upon to tame death's mystery.

Death is nature's master stroke, albeit a cruel one, because it allows genotypes space to try on new phenotypes. Our bodies and minds are these perishable phenotypes.

The genes are not really our genes. It is we who belong to them for a few decades.

These are excerpts from the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. Read more on page 6-7:



The OHCM mentions JS Bach's cantata in contemplation of death Ich habe genug (I've had enough):



Thursday, December 17, 2015

Carbon monoxide - NHSChoices video



NHSChoices: Carbon monoxide poisoning kills around 50 people a year in the UK. An expert explains how the gas affects the body, the symptoms it causes and how to treat it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8tqEV9E2A

Deep Purple are 2016 Rock Hall of Fame Inductees

From Rock Hall in Cleveland, Ohio:

If there were a “Mount Rushmore Of Hard Rock” it would only have three heads: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.

Deep Purple combined outstanding musicianship with dozens of FM radio smashes. Three separate incarnations of the band have made spectacular albums culminating with Deep Purple In Rock, which along with Led Zeppelin II and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid created the genre of hard rock music. Deep Purple have sold over 100 million albums and their flagship track “Smoke On The Water” eclipses “Satisfaction,” “Born To Run” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as the Number One Greatest Guitar Riff Of All Time. It is the riff that inspired tens of millions of guitarists to pick up the instrument and only Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony gives it a run for the money as far as recognizability and badassed-ness.



Genius guitarist Ritchie Blackmore fused countless powerhouse riffs with a deep knowledge and appreciation of classical music. Keyboardist Jon Lord kept pace on the classical and rock fronts and cemented the guitar/keyboard axis that defined the band’s sound, and along with Zeppelin and Sabbath gave birth to an entire genre. Ian Gillian’s vocal range was unparalleled and the boiler room rhythm section of Roger Glover and Ian Paice cemented the classic lineup. Original vocalist Rod Evans and the David Coverdale/Glen Hughes lineups also created masterpieces of their own. Deep Purple are and were a band of supremely talented musicians and songwriters. Their groundbreaking albums and ear drum breaking live shows are the stuff of legend.

See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/nominees/2016-deep-purple/#sthash.h2T84QQO.dpuf

Congratulations to all fans and band members! I would like to think that Deep Purple being featured by University of Chicago helped at least a little bit with the Rock Hall of Fame induction... :)

Rock Star Doctors: What Physicians Can Learn from Musicians « Science Life Blog « University of Chicago Medicine

Thank you, Matt Wood @woodtang



Related reading:

Deep Purple's Ian Paice on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction: 'At Last!'. Rolling Stone, 2015.
Read Lars Ulrich's Passionate Deep Purple Rock Hall Induction, 2016 http://buff.ly/1YzuBkc

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