Here are noteworthy healthcare issues that have appeared in
the news and medical journals throughout the last 30 days or so:
Issac
Itzkoff, of the New York Times, reported that comedian Robin Williams was
battling Lewy body dementia at the time of his suicide. Lewy body dementia
causes an Alzheimer’s-like slippage in memory and thinking as well as stiffness
and movement problems such as the kind seen in Parkinson’s disease. It can also
cause hallucinations which often involve seeing animals, children or miniature
people. The condition results in steady decline, an average of 10% or more a
year and there is no cure.
A
study appearing in the American Journal of Psychiatry demonstrated that
schizophrenia may be caused by inflammation in the brain which can be
discovered through PET scans which measure the levels of activity of immune
cells in the brain. The authors suggest that the next step is to determine
whether anti-inflammatory treatment in patients who are predisposed to the
disease can prevent the disorder.
An article
published in Science discussed the development of artificial skin that acts as
a mechanoreceptor in conjunction with an organic transistor circuit that can
simulate the sensation of touch. The hope is that this technology will aid
in the design of large area organic electronic skin with neural integrated
touch feedback for replacement limbs.
