Neurological changes induced by a mobile phone.
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Dysaesthesiae of the scalp after mobile phone use have been previously reported, but the basis for this has not been clear. We report a case of a 34-year-old journalist who complained of symptoms associated with use of a mobile phone. She agreed to a provocation study with her phone. Current perception threshold testing before and after exposure showed marked changes in the C-fibre nerves of the affected area compared with the opposite side. The case is supportive of a neurological basis for some cases of dysaesthesiae associated with mobile phone use. (+info)
Design and implementation of a real-time clinical alerting system for intensive care unit.
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Nowadays many hospitals use clinical information systems (CIS) to improve patient health care and information management. CIS retrieves and manages patient information such as patient administration, laboratory data and medications. Specialized CIS, especially Intensive Care Unit (ICU) CIS, needs to handle more additional information. How to process and make use of this enormous amount of physiologic data generated by ICU is a significant topic in CIS design. We have designed and implemented a real-time clinical alerting system for ICU, which executes alert algorithms on the database records of 63 ICU physiologic parameters. The user can create various alert rules with our rule editor to supervise the values or trends of these parameters. When an alert condition on a specific patient is detected, the system notices the clinicians in charge with mobile phones or pagers. With this functionality, up-to-date patient information is provided for clinicians inverted exclamation mark | use in judging the patient inverted exclamation mark |s condition and making treatment decisions. (+info)
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile drill analysis using XML data collection on wireless Java phones.
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This study describes an informatics effort to track subjects through a National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) distribution drill. The drill took place in Seattle on 1/24/2002. Washington and the State Department of Health are among the first in the nation to stage a NPS drill testing the distribution of medications to mock patients, thereby testing the treatment capacity of the plan given a post-anthrax exposure scenario. The goal of the Public Health Informatics Group at the University of Washington (www.phig.washington.edu) was to use informatics approaches to monitor subject numbers and elapsed time. This study compares accuracy of time measurements using a mobile phone Java application to traditional paper recording in a live drill of the NPS. Pearson correlation = 1.0 in 2 of 3 stations. Differences in last station measurements can be explained by delay in recording of the exit time. We discuss development of the application itself and lessons learned. (MeSH Bioterrorism, Informatics, Public Health) (+info)
Electromagnetic fields, such as those from mobile phones, alter regional cerebral blood flow and sleep and waking EEG.
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Usage of mobile phones is rapidly increasing, but there is limited data on the possible effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure on brain physiology. We investigated the effect of EMF vs. sham control exposure on waking regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and on waking and sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) in humans. In Experiment 1, positron emission tomography (PET) scans were taken after unilateral head exposure to 30-min pulse-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic field (pm-EMF). In Experiment 2, night-time sleep was polysomnographically recorded after EMF exposure. Pulse-modulated EMF exposure increased relative rCBF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ipsilateral to exposure. Also, pm-EMF exposure enhanced EEG power in the alpha frequency range prior to sleep onset and in the spindle frequency range during stage 2 sleep. Exposure to EMF without pulse modulation did not enhance power in the waking or sleep EEG. We previously observed EMF effects on the sleep EEG (A. A. Borbely, R. Huber, T. Graf, B. Fuchs, E. Gallmann and P. Achermann. Neurosci. Lett., 1999, 275: 207-210; R. Huber, T. Graf, K. A. Cote, L. Wittmann, E. Gallmann, D. Matter, J. Schuderer, N. Kuster, A. A. Borbely, and P. Achermann. Neuroreport, 2000, 11: 3321-3325), but the basis for these effects was unknown. The present results show for the first time that (1) pm-EMF alters waking rCBF and (2) pulse modulation of EMF is necessary to induce waking and sleep EEG changes. Pulse-modulated EMF exposure may provide a new, non-invasive method for modifying brain function for experimental, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. (+info)
Evaluation of accessibility and use of new communication technologies in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
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BACKGROUND: The role of patients in the management and control of type 1 diabetes mellitus, a chronic disease, is well established. The advent of new communication technologies is expected to improve patients' access to health information. However, little is known about the extent to which patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus use the Internet to retrieve medical information and about the impact, if any, this retrieval has on their health status. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accessibility and use of new communication technologies in a population of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus attending the Diabetes Clinic of the Hospital de Sabadell, Sabadell, Spain, in a 6-month period were asked to answer a structured questionnaire about education level, Internet accessibility, use of health-related Web sites, and mobile-phone ownership and use. RESULTS: Of 302 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus attending the Diabetes Clinic on a regular basis, 244 (115 men, 129 women) were interviewed (response rate 80.8%). Personal computers were owned by 58.2% of patients. Fifty-nine percent had access to the Internet, 39.3% had access to the Internet at home; however, only 36.5% were regular Internet users. Internet users were younger, more frequently men, and of higher education level. Among Internet users only 49.4% had ever accessed a health-related Web site. Internet users who had ever accessed a health-related Web site had a higher level of education, presented severe hypoglycemia more frequently, and were more likely to have access to the Internet at home. No differences were found in metabolic control between Internet users and nonusers or between Internet users who had ever accessed a health-related Web site and Internet users who had never accessed a health-related Web site. Of the 76.6% of the patients that owned a mobile phone, 96% used it more than once a week. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of new communication technologies might be jeopardized by the low rate of access and utilization of the Internet for health-related purposes. Because of their high rate of ownership and use, mobile phones show promise as a tool in health care communication technologies. (+info)
Neurological effects of radiofrequency radiation.
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BACKGROUND: The health effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) and the adequacy of the safety standards are a subject of debate. One source of human data is case reports regarding peripheral neurological effects of RFR, mainly noxious sensations or dysaesthesiae. AIM: To investigate health effects, neurophysiological mechanisms and safety levels for RFR. METHODS: We conducted a literature search for case reports and case series associated with mobile phone technology as well as other RFR sources using specific search terms on PubMed. RESULTS: We identified 11 original articles detailing case reports or case series and matching the search criteria. Five of the identified papers were written by at least one of the authors (B.H. or R.W.). CONCLUSIONS: Cases have arisen after exposure to much of the radiofrequency range. In some cases, symptoms are transitory but lasting in others. After very high exposures, nerves may be grossly injured. After lower exposures, which may result in dysaesthesia, ordinary nerve conduction studies find no abnormality but current perception threshold studies have found abnormalities. Only a small proportion of similarly exposed people develop symptoms. The role of modulations needs clarification. Some of these observations are not consistent with the prevailing hypothesis that all health effects of RFR arise from thermal mechanisms. (+info)
Electromagnetic interference of GSM mobile phones with the implantable deep brain stimulator, ITREL-III.
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BACKGROUND: The purpose was to investigate mobile phone interference with implantable deep brain stimulators by means of 10 different 900 Mega Hertz (MHz) and 10 different 1800 MHz GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phones. METHODS: All tests were performed in vitro using a phantom especially developed for testing with deep brain stimulators. The phantom was filled with liquid phantom materials simulating brain and muscle tissue. All examinations were carried out inside an anechoic chamber on two implants of the same type of deep brain stimulator: ITREL-III from Medtronic Inc., USA. RESULTS: Despite a maximum transmitted peak power of mobile phones of 1 Watt (W) at 1800 MHz and 2 W at 900 MHz respectively, no influence on the ITREL-III was found. Neither the shape of the pulse form changed nor did single pulses fail. Tests with increased transmitted power using CW signals and broadband dipoles have shown that inhibition of the ITREL-III occurs at frequency dependent power levels which are below the emissions of GSM mobile phones. The ITREL-III is essentially more sensitive at 1800 MHz than at 900 MHz. Particularly the frequency range around 1500 MHz shows a very low interference threshold. CONCLUSION: These investigations do not indicate a direct risk for ITREL-III patients using the tested GSM phones. Based on the interference levels found with CW signals, which are below the mobile phone emissions, we recommend similar precautions as for patients with cardiac pacemakers: 1. The phone should be used at the ear at the opposite side of the implant and 2. The patient should avoid carrying the phone close to the implant. (+info)
Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones.
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The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain barrier. In this study we investigated whether a pathologic leakage across the blood-brain barrier might be combined with damage to the neurons. Three groups each of eight rats were exposed for 2 hr to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile phone electromagnetic fields of different strengths. We found highly significant (p< 0.002) evidence for neuronal damage in the cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia in the brains of exposed rats. (+info)