Beyond providing a much needed escape for children battling cancer, video games can also be used to empower and educate them during chemotherapy and other therapies. As explained in a recent post on Observations, a team of medical researchers and software programmers at HopeLab created a collection of free, online games to help kids understand what’s happening inside their bodies during treatment, cope with unpleasant side effects and reinvigorate them so they have the strength to fight the disease.

HopeLab says that by playing the games, called Remission and Remission 2, pediatric cancer patients are more likely to adhere to their medication schedule, and the nonprofit recently partnered with Stanford researchers to study this potential benefit. Larry Greenemeier writes:

In the most recent study, HopeLab worked with Stanford University associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Brian Knutson on a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study analyzing brain regions activated when people play the original Re-Mission. The paper, published in the March 2012 PLoS ONE, compared brain scans in 57 cancer-free undergraduates who were randomly assigned to actively play Re-Mission or passively watch the game. Re-Mission players experienced more activity in neural circuits associated with incentive motivation when compared to those who merely observed game play. Such reward-related activation could shift attitudes and emotions and boost players’ adherence to prescribed chemotherapy and antibiotic treatments to fight infection, the researchers said, although they acknowledge that further tests are needed on actual cancer patients before they can read too much into the results.

The above video describes the game and offers firsthand experiences from patients.

Previously: Improving patients’ lives through video games and Collaborative project creates a virtual world for cancer patients

Tiny, bendable biosensors hold the promise of allowing health-care providers to track patients’ vital signs without them having to be tethered to bulky machines. But the difficulty of squeezing sophisticated circuitry onto surfaces no wider than a postage stamp makes designing such devices especially tricky.

To overcome this challenge, Zhenan Bao, PhD, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, and colleagues combined layers of flexible materials into pressure sensors to create a small skin-like heart monitor that can be attached to the wrist with a regular-sized adhesive bandage. A Stanford news release offers more details about the device and its potential uses in health care:

When the sensor is placed on someone’s wrist using an adhesive bandage, the sensor can measure that person’s pulse wave as it reverberates through the body.

The device is so sensitive that it can detect more than just the two peaks of a pulse wave. When engineers looked at the wave drawn by their device, they noticed small bumps in the tail of the pulse wave invisible to conventional sensors. Bao said she believes these fluctuations could potentially be used for more detailed diagnostics in the future.

Doctors already use similar, albeit much bulkier, sensors to keep track of a patient’s heart health during surgery or when taking a new medication. But in the future Bao’s device could help keep track of another vital sign.

“In theory, this kind of sensor can be used to measure blood pressure,” said [Gregor Schwartz, a post-doctoral fellow and a physicist for the project]. “Once you have it calibrated, you can use the signal of your pulse to calculate your blood pressure.”

This non-invasive method of monitoring heart health could replace devices inserted directly into an artery, called intravascular catheters. These catheters create a high risk of infection, making them impractical for newborns and high-risk patients. Thus, an external monitor like Bao’s could provide doctors a safer way to gather information about the heart, especially during infant surgeries.

The team’s work is described in paper published today in Nature Communications.

Previously: Touch-sensitive, self-healing synthetic skin could yield smarter prosthetics, Beetle wing design inspires ultra-sensitive electronic skin, Stanford researchers develop transparent, stretchable skin-like sensor and Stretchable solar cells could power electronic ‘super skin’
Photo in featured entry box by L.A. Cicero

Entrepreneurs and researchers will now have greater access to information generated and stored by the federal government thanks to an executive order recently issued by President Obama. In the above video, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park and U.S. Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel explain the importance of the new open-data policy and how it will promote innovation and economic growth while increasing government transparency and efficiency.

In addition to the release of the Open Data Policy, the White House announced several complementary actions, including:

• A new Data.Gov. In the months ahead, Data.gov, the powerful central hub for open government data, will launch new services that include improved visualization, mapping tools, better context to help locate and understand these data, and robust Application Programming Interface (API) access for developers.
• New open source tools to make data more open and accessible. The U.S. Chief Information Officer and the U.S. Chief Technology Officer are releasing free, open source tools on Github, a site that allows communities of developers to collaboratively develop solutions. This effort, known as Project Open Data, can accelerate the adoption of open data practices by providing plug-and-play tools and best practices to help agencies improve the management and release of open data. For example, one tool released today automatically converts simple spreadsheets and databases into APIs for easier consumption by developers. Anyone, from government agencies to private citizens to local governments and for-profit companies, can freely use and adapt these tools starting immediately.

The open-data policy, and its implications for the medical research community and health-care startups, will likely be a popular topic of discussion among attendees at the Big Data in Biomedicine conference being held at Stanford next week.

Previously: Stanford computer scientist shows stem cell researchers the power of big data, Atul Butte discusses why big data is a big deal in biomedicine, Stanford and Oxford team up for conference on “big data’s” role in biomedicine and Mathematical technique used to identify bladder cancer marker

Hitting home the age-old message of “you are what you eat” is this anatomical model with organs made of cauliflower, potatoes and other produce. Title “Veggieanatomy,” the piece was created by German artist Klaus Weber using vegetables, jesmonite, paint and wood, and measures six-feet tall in height. It was recently shown stateside at the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York.

Photo by Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York

The five most-read stories on Scope this week were:

A full workout in just seven minutes? Science says so!: Don’t have time to hit the gym? Try this high-intensity, seven-minute workout. As a recent Well blog piece explains findings published in the latest issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal show it’s a quick and effective way to keep in shape.

How meditation can influence gene activity: Findings recently published in PLoS One suggest that mindful-based therapies, such as meditation, may change practitioners’ gene activity and boost their overall health.

Distinction with a difference: Transgender neurobiologist picked for National Academy of Science membership: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently conferred membership to three Stanford scientists, including Ben Barres, MD, PhD. Chair of Stanford’s neurobiology department, Barres is also among the estimated 0.3 percent of Americans who are transgender. He is believed to be the first transgender scientist admitted to NAS.

Stanford computer scientist shows stem cell researchers the power of big data: In this video, Irving Weissman, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, explains how Stanford computer scientist Debashis Sahoo, PhD, was able to use public gene databases and a specially-designed computer algorithm to rapidly conduct research that would have otherwise taken scientists 10 years and $2.5 million to complete.

Brain, heal thyself? Stanford research describes delayed onset of multiple sclerosis in mice: Recent research by Stanford geneticist Anne Brunet, PhD, describes an intriguing way to delay the onset of a multiple-sclerosis-like disease in laboratory mice. The study was published in the latest issue of Nature Cell Biology.

Tomorrow, Stanford will host its second TEDxStanford event. The event, which rapidly sold out, is being webcasted live beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.

The theme for this year’s event is “Break Through” and the schedule includes an impressive line-up of speakers from classrooms and laboratories across campus. Among the group are bioengineer and geneticist Russ Altman, MD, PhD, and electrical engineer Krishna Shenoy, PhD.

Altman leads Simbios, a National Institutes of Health Center for Biomedical Computation at Stanford. His research focuses on how human genetic variation affects drug responses and the analysis of biological molecules to understand the action, interaction and adverse events of drugs. He co-authored a paper published in March showing that the Internet search history of consumers can yield information on the unreported side effects of drugs or drug combinations.

Shenoy, who directs the Neural Prosthetic Systems Lab, works with engineers and neuroscientists to determine how the brain controls movement and to design medical systems to assist those with movement disabilities. He also co-directs the Neural Prosthetics Translational Lab, where these advances are used to help individuals with severe motor disabilities.

As reported in a past Stanford Report story, Shenoy and colleagues studied brain activity in monkeys reaching to touch a target and showed “that the brain activity controlling arm movement does not encode external spatial information – such as direction, distance, and speed – but is instead rhythmic in nature.”

Join the webcast tomorrow to hear more about Altman and Shenoy’s fascinating work and latest research advancements.

Previously: Researchers mine Internet search data to identify unreported side effects of drugs, Thousands of previously unknown drug side effects and interactions identified by Stanford study, Unexpected drug interactions identified by Stanford data mining, Researchers find neurons fire rhythmically to create movement and Stanford researchers uncover the neural process behind reaction time
Photo by Tamer Shabani Photography

For those who have read about studies involving zebrafish and wondered how such a tiny fish can help advance research on human health, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, has your answer. From a post yesterday on the NIH Director’s Blog:

…Well, it turns out that more than 75% of the genes that have been implicated in human diseases have counterparts in the zebrafish. So, if we discover a mutation in a human, we can make the corresponding mutation in the zebrafish gene—and often get a pretty good idea of how the gene works, how the mutation causes havoc, and how it causes disease in humans. We can even use the zebrafish to test potential drug candidates, to see whether they can alter or fix the symptoms before moving on to mice or humans.

Previously: Cellular-level video of brain activity in a zebrafish, Researchers create glowing fish to illuminate health effects of environmental chemicals and A very small fish with very big potential
Photo by Wellcome Images

“Dylan’s Gift,” a documentary detailing how one family’s generosity is advancing research on a little-understood childhood cancer, has been nominated for an Emmy. The film, which was inspired by a 2009 Stanford Medicine story, explores the work of Stanford physician-scientist Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, who cares for pediatric brain cancer patients and conducts research on a rare, vicious brain tumor that arises in school-aged children and usually kills them within a year of diagnosis. As an FBR Media release explains:

When their 5-year-old son, Dylan, is diagnosed with a rare and fatal brain tumor and given just 6 months to live, Danah and John Jewett become determined to fight the deadly disease, called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). When their son’s life is tragically cut short, they donate Dylan’s tumor to research at Stanford University School of Medicine. This generous gift has helped scientists create the first-ever mouse model of DIPG. The DIPG mouse model is now shedding light on this devastating disease and helping scientists discover new treatments and a potential cure to help other children. This episode was filmed on location at Stanford University School of Medicine.

In the above trailer, the Jewetts share their heart-wrenching story and discuss their decision to donate Dylan’s brain tumor after he passed away.

Previously: Documentary about childhood brain tumor research airs in San Francisco, Finding hope for rare pediatric brain tumor, Big advance against a vicious pediatric brain tumor, Video profiles work of pediatric brain tumor researcher and New Stanford trial targets rare brain tumor
Photo in the featured entry box courtesy of the Jewett family

A strong advocate for including digital literacy in medical education, self-described “geek medical futurist” Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD, believes that online communication tools, such as social media, can improve the way medicine is practiced and health care is delivered. His interest in technology and health care led him to create a university course focusing on bringing the web into medical practice and to launch Webicina, which offers curated social media resources in 140 topics and 20 languages for patients and medical professionals for free.

In September, Meskó will lead a Master Class on how to teach social media in the context of health sciences as part of the Stanford Medicine X conference. Interested to know more about the class, I contacted him to discuss his approach for incorporating digital literacy into medical school curriculum. Below he discusses, among other things, top trends in social media and health care and why medical professionals should take an evidence-based approach to social media.

Why do you believe that medical students and professionals should engage in social media?

Being a medical professional means we constantly have to communicate with patients, our peers and even with information. Since social media is now an integrated part of communication, medical professionals must deal with this as well. [It's] the responsibility of doctors to deal with e-patients properly and use the Internet in a meaningful and efficient way.

It is getting more complicated to keep ourselves up-to-date and get medical answers when we have really hard questions, but social media can be useful if used with strategy and design. This is why we have to teach how to properly use these tools.

During a 2011 keynote speech at Doctors 2.0 & You, you advocated for health-care providers to take an evidence-based approach to social media. Can you explain why this strategy is important and how you use it in your own practice?

Including social media solutions in any industry can be a fast and efficient process, but medicine works in a different way. I was trained to embrace evidence-based medicine and I use that approach when teaching social media. There are platforms and solutions that might be fantastic and useful in health care, although sometimes when these are tested in practice, they fail compared to traditional methods.

By using the evidence-based approach, I mean that we should not include something immediately in medicine just because it is about social media… We have to test everything to make sure it’s truly useful.

What are some of the top trends you’re seeing in social media and health care?

Platforms come and go. I’m glad to see that trends are now more about meaningful use. There are fewer medical mobile apps downloaded, and people spending their precious time online seem to use the web in a more efficient way. If I have to mention certain trends, I would say Twitter seems to be the top platform for communication; gamification seems to be the best way to motivate students (the Septris app is a good example); people tend to realize they need to know their communities if they want to crowdsource medical questions; and curation of social media is key; while wearable technologies such as Google Glass will definitely add new practices to using social media.

But the practice of medicine must still take place in real life, and these digital technologies can only be useful after an established relationship between the patient and the doctor.

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Ambulance response time can vary widely across cities, depending on traffic patterns and the location of the emergency situation. As a volunteer medic in Jerusalem, Elli Beer witnessed firsthand how a few minutes can make a significant difference in saving a life. His frustration with poor ambulance response times led him to develop an all-volunteer rescue service called United Hatzalah.

In this recently posted TEDMED talk, Beer talks passionately about how a small neighborhood group dedicated to responding to nearby emergencies evolved into United Hatzalah’s network of 2,000 volunteers. Today, volunteers respond to incidents on “ambu-cycles,” motorcycles carrying the same equipment as a conventional ambulance but lacking the ability to transport patients, and have treated more than 200,000 people in the past year. Beer has rolled out the service in Brazil and Panama and plans to expand to India.

Previously: Comparing the cost-effectiveness of helicopter transport and ambulances for trauma victims and On using social media to improve emergency-preparedness efforts